AMX-10 PAC-90

     Notes: This is a fire support variant of the AMX-10P, used by the Indonesian Marines primarily for reconnaissance rather for fire support, and also used by Singapore.  The vehicle is topped with a TS90 turret, the same as mounted on the Panhard ERC90 F4 Sagaie armored car. The long-barreled CN90 F4 gun is able to deal with most main battle tanks from the side aspect, and some, like the T-55, from the frontal aspect. The vehicle is powered by a Baudouin 6 F11 SRX- V-8 diesel engine developing 300 hp, coupled to a semiautomatic transmission. The engine is to the left of the driver, and the engine and transmission form a complete power pack. The suspension is of the torsion-bar type, with three track return rollers and five roadwheels.  The first and last roadwheel on each side have shock absorbers.  The steel tracks have replaceable rubber tracks.  The AMX-10P is amphibious with little preparation; a trim vane must be erected at the front, a bilge pump switched on, and waterjets for propulsion turned on. The waterjets are the more powerful ones installed in the AMX-10P Marines.

     Main entrance to the passenger compartment is by a power-operated ramp, which also has a pair of doors in it.  The doors each have a firing port in them.  The sides have no firing ports, but two vision blocks are found on each side and a rotating periscope at the front right. There is a hatch on the left front deck for the driver, and hatches on the turret for the commander and gunner. The AMX- 10P PAC-90 has a minimum of night vision equipment, and the field of view is quite small with the night vision (7 degrees wide).  Later, better day/night sights were added, with a much better field of view, though magnification was limited in day and night to x6. All told, fire control is excellent, with a laser rangefinder and ballistic computer, though the weak point is the unstabilized main gun and coax. On each side of the turret towards the rear are two smoke grenade launchers. The turret has space in the bustle for 16 rounds of main gun ammunition, with another four carried behind the commander’s seat, and 10 rounds carried in the hull. 2000 rounds of 7.62mm rounds are carried in the turret, with the other 1200 rounds carried in the hull.  Some AMX-10 PAC-90s have a pintle mount by the commander’s hatch for another weapon, but this is not a standard installation and is not covered below.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Small amounts of this vehicle were diverted from shipments to Indonesia when the Twilight War began, and used by France and Belgium.

AMX-13

     Notes: The AMX-13 light tank began service with the French Army in 1952, and production continued until 1985. Initial prototypes weighed 13 tons (hence the name), but production versions were heavier. The AMX-13 has been steadily upgraded and improved to try to keep it useful, relevant, and attractive on the world market. Production stopped in 1985, but upgrades packages continued to be developed after that time, and over 7700 were manufactured. The amount of users is legion, and it was employed all over the world and saw combat in several wars and interventions. The base chassis was modified into variants ranging from AAA vehicles to ARVs.

     The base chassis is conventional, but the FL-10 turret is unusual, being an oscillating turret, where the top and bottom half are hinged, and the top half rocks back and forth to provide elevation for the main gun and coaxial armament.   In addition, the main gun is fed by an autoloader, and ammunition supplied by two revolving magazines at the rear of the turret, each holding 6 rounds.  Empty shell cases are ejected automatically outside the turret after firing.  This feature, while giving a good fire rate, also means that when the ammunition in those magazines is exhausted, they must be manually refilled, with the crew getting outside of the armor to do so.  It also limits the amount of available ammunition. The driver’s hatch is in the front center of the vehicle, with a commander’s hatch on the turret deck.  Later variants were progressively up-gunned and eventually able to deal with most threats, at least from the side aspect, or in the case of some earlier MBTs, from the front.  However, the armor of the AMX-13 is nothing to write home about, so going toe to toe with threat vehicles is not recommended.

     The initial variant for the French Army and other countries was the M51. This initial 75mm-armed version had a lightweight but underpowered gun, best suited for fire support or perhaps in a reconnaissance role. The long-barreled 75mm gun had good performance for a gun of its caliber, but armor improvements were already overtaking it by the time it was installed on the AMX-13 M51 variant. One way used to increase the firepower (and antiarmor range of earlier versions) was to mount ATGM launchers on either side of the turret; early versions with these launchers used SS-11 missiles, and later versions used HOT missiles. Later versions dispensed with the missiles and employed a 90mm CN90 F3 long-barreled main gun, which was a credible threat to most enemy vehicles of the time. Still later versions (from the late 1960s) used an FL-12 turret mounting a long-barreled CN105 L/57 main gun, a high-velocity cannon more powerful than the L7/M68 105mm gun found on most 105mm-armed vehicles of the time.

     The base chassis went almost unchanged until 1985, when a new engine, fully automatic transmission and a new hydropneumatic suspension were introduced.  This was the AMX-13 M1987 variant.  However, most countries using the AMX-13 phased it out in the late 1980s and early 1990s, many in favor of later French offerings such as the ERC-90 and AMX-10RC.  They can be found in various states of repair all over the world in museum displays and other static displays in and outdoors; some are also in private collectors’ hands.  Others are range targets.

AMX RATAC

     Notes: This is a version of the AMX VCI armored personnel carrier, with a ground surveillance radar set mounted on the roof of the passenger compartment.  As the AMX VCI is itself a variant of the AMX-13, this vehicle is also known as the AMX-13 RATAC, and as the non-APC variants of the AMX VCI are also called the VTT, this vehicle is also called the VTT/RATAC.

     The RATAC radar dish is mounted on the roof of the vehicle on the right side, towards the rear. Inside the compartment is a management computer with controls for the radar, radios, and a datalink set.  The RATAC radar has several possible functions, including ground surveillance radar, mortar and artillery counterbattery radar, and radar against low-flying aircraft and helicopters. It can also detect explosions and track them. The radar and the accompanying equipment automatically tracks, identifies, and classifies targets within range. The radar has a range of 20 km against vehicles and structures and 15 km against personnel and explosions.  The AMX RATAC is also equipped with several data-capable radios.

     The RATAC S is a more powerful version of the RATAC radar system.  It uses a different-shaped, smaller dish which is mounted on an extendable 3-meter mast.  Functions are the same, but range is greater at 38 kilometers against vehicles and structures and 28 kilometers against personnel and explosions.  The computer system is also upgraded.

     The AMX RATAC has a small turret in the front of the roof with a machinegun mounted in it.

     The French army transferred their RATAC radars to VAB vehicles in the mid-1970s, but the AMX RATAC was still being used by Ecuador and Morocco by 2004.