The SK-105A3 is an Austrian tank, built as a modernized version of the original SK-105. Notable features of the A3 variant are better armor protection, the M68 105mm rifled gun instead of the French G1, thermal imaging, and two plane gun stabilization. I am suggesting this vehicle for the French tree, given the vehicle's original turret houses a French gun in a French turret. It could be an event, squadron, or premium vehicle.
History
In the 1960s, the Austrian Army required a tank that was light, mobile, and capable of taking out main battle tanks. Work and development of the tank began in 1965 by Saurer-Werk, It was based on the Saurer APC, and the first prototype was built in 1967. After it was accepted, the first pre-production vehicles entered service in 1971, and would be produced and exported well into the 1990s, being sold to 7 countries.
The vehicle was armed with a French 105mm G1 gun, capable of firing HEAT-FS and APFSDS for anti-tank use. Also used on the vehicle was the MG 74, an Austrian version of the German MG3 machine gun. From the A2 version, the vehicle also included an autoloader for the main gun.
In the 1990s, the A3 modernization package was introduced, which brought the tank up to modern standards. It was announced that the turret provided the same level of protection as the M60 tank, had two plane gun stabilization, thermal imaging, and replaced the main gun with the American 105mm M68 with a new muzzle brake. It also replaced the MG 74 with an FN MAG. But this was only a prototype, and did not see full scale production.
Specifications
- Crew: 3
- Engine: Steyr 9FA 360 hp diesel
- Mass: 20.7 tons
- Length: 8.729 m
- Height: 2.5 m
- Maximum speed: 70 km/h
- Main armament: 105mm M68, 32 rounds
- Secondary armament: 7.62mm FN MAG
Sources
- [https://war-book.ru/sk-105-kurassier-legkij-tank-avstriya/]
More handheld than you with your mom during your youth. Holy fuck.
Here is comes, all the German mains rushing to defend their overly supplied nation with NOW, NOW tanks that have absolutely NO reason to be there. Oh, Austria is a neighbor to Germany? Aye, Canada is a neighbor to the U.S., so I guess it has the rights to the CA21 MEXAS, yea? You know what, let's take a deep breath. I said we can't argue the facts and so thus, lets look at them.
- "Austrian designed and produced. France had nothing to do with it."
Okay, so Britain had nothing to do with the development of the Olifant tanks? So South Africa is in the British tech tree for....?
"... The layout of the Olifant mk1 was very similar to that of the South African Semel tank which was based on an upgraded conversion of the British Centurion tanks." Source
My point in that is that actually, yes, the French did indeed have an influence over the development of the SK-105 because the tank was designed under existing designs of the AMX-13.
" Engineers turned to nearby France that already mass-produced the AMX-13 with an oscillating turret that precisely allowed to design an heavily-armed lightweight turret. As a consequence, when the SK-105 was produced and put in service it was the only other European tank featuring this concept." Source
Not only that, but it utilizes a French gun.
It was designed under the influence of French tanks, utilizes a French gun, you LITERALLY cannot get any more French than that WITHOUT actively being produced and manufactured in France.
If the AMX-13 was never produced nor developed, we wouldn't have this argument because the SK-105 wouldn't have utilized those blueprints.
-"France is getting 2 new vehicles this update."
Germany fields, before the new update, 72 ground vehicles not including premiums or reward tanks, and 110 including prems and reward tanks.
France fields, as well before the new update, 49 tanks not including prems or rewards, and still only 61 including prems and rewards.
Holy heckin' dude, who would have the audacity to point this out when France doesn't even have as many tech tree AND premiums as Germany does tech tree, with NINE tanks left to spare.
France could get a single tank for the next 9 updates and Germany none, and STILL technically not have enough to compete.
- "Not France. France? No. Not
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