Notes:
The LOV is used as the base chassis for a number of Croatian armored
vehicles, one of which is the LOV-OP APC.
It is based on the Torpedo HV TK-130 T7 4x4 medium truck, with an armored
shell added as well as a gunner’s position near the center of the troop
compartment. The LOV-OP began
development in 1992 and was first seen in a parade in 1995, along with other
members of the LOV family. So far,
the LOV family is used only by Croatia, and has been offered for export.
Interest is lowered somewhat by the LOV-OP being slightly underpowered, and
RH-ALAN is considering putting more powerful engines in the LOV series.
The driver is in
the front left, with a rather small bullet resistant front windshield and left
side windshield. He has an overhead hatch to access his compartment; he can also
get in by going through the troop compartment or by using a door on the left
side. The driver’s position is raised somewhat above the rest of the hull. The
driver’s position has no provision for night vision, but he is normally issued a
set of night vision goggles (included in the cost below). The commander is to
his right; he has vision blocks to his front and a door in the hull to his
right. He also has a periscope which can be traversed to the front, right and
the left. The gunner’s position, in
the center of the troop compartment, has a raisable seat and an overhead hatch.
The position is surrounded by low AV2 gun shields to all sides except the
front; they also go lower on the sides toward the front.
The gun has only limited traverse and is moved side to side primarily by
rotating the cupola. The gunner has
no vision blocks and must peek over the gun shields to observe his surroundings.
The troop compartment has a pair of large overhead hatches over the rear
of the compartment and two doors in the rear of the hull.
On each side of the hull at the front of the flat troop compartment roof
is a cluster of four smoke grenade launchers which fire forwards and slightly to
the sides. Optional equipment, so
far not fielded by the Croatians, include air conditioning, an NBC overpressure
system or collective NBC system (or both), and an amphibious operations kit.
The left rear door has a spare tire, and the other has a firing port;
there is also a firing port in each side of the troop compartment.
The LOV-OP is
powered by a Deutz BT6L 9125 turbocharged diesel engine developing 120
horsepower, and coupled to a manual transmission.
The driver has conventional controls.
The suspension is 4x4 (switchable to 4x2 for road use) and has run-flat
tires. A winch is mounted just
behind the driver and commander’s positions, and the cable leads out through the
bottom front. It has a 5.1-ton capacity and 38 meters of cable, and is primarily
meant for self-recovery. The front and sides of the vehicle have moderate armor
sloping, helping protect the vehicle a little more.
Armor slopes upwards and downwards from the center of the vehicle’s sides
and front. The floor and roof have
additional armor reinforcement for protection against land mines and IEDs.
Twilight 2000
Notes: The LOV-OP forms a good portion of Croatia’s APC fleet; as they were put
into a greatly-accelerated production program starting in 1992.
Merc 2000 Notes:
This vehicle does not exist in the Merc 2000 timeline.
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
$27,476 |
D, A |
2 tons |
9.2 tons |
3+9 |
4 |
Headlights |
Enclosed |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
128/64 |
29/15 |
170 |
66 |
Stnd |
W(3) |
HF7 HS4
HR3* |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
None |
None |
M-2HB |
600x.50 |
*Roof AV is
3; floor AV is 4.