EKT Pz-61

Notes: The Pz-61 (often called the Panzer 61; "Pz" is an abbreviation of Panzer) was designed in the mid-1950s and entered service with the Swiss in 1965. It served in the Swiss Army until 1994, when it had been almost totally replaced with the Pz-68 and the Swiss were negotiating to buy the Leopard 2 from Germany. The reason that the Swiss decided to start the design work on the Pz-61 was that weren’t able to get anyone to sell them tanks during and for a couple of years after the Korean War, as their normal trading partners needed as many modern tanks for the war and to replace tank losses afterwards. By time there tanks for sale again, they were already beginning production of the Pz-61s immediate predecessor, the Pz-58; though the Swiss were going to cancel production, they later decided to put the Pz-58 into production as it would make them militarily more self-sufficient and they had already put a lot of money into the project. The Pz-61 is an update of the Pz-58, which itself was updated several times in its lifetime.

The Original Pz-61

The Pz-58 differs from the later Pz-61 only in its armament; the main gun of the Pz-58 is a British Ordnance QF 20-Pounder (84mm) gun. Only 10 were built; though they were put into service for a short time, this was for advanced field testing more than anything else. These ten tanks were built in 1960 and 1961. Other than the main gun, the information about the first version of the Pz-61 applies to the Pz-58.

The Pz-61resulted from these field tests, updates in tank technology, and better availability of information about building tank components and the availability of licenses to build foreign tank components in Switzerland. The Pz-61 is armed with the Pz Kan 61 (Panzer Kanone), a license-built version of the British 105mm L-7 main gun. The Pz-61 does not have a turret bustle and is a bit on the small side, and only eight rounds are actually carried in the turret within easy reach. 22 rounds are carried in racks on either side of the gunner, and these are mostly surrounded with fuel tanks to help keep the possibility of a penetrating attack that ignites the ammunition down. The Pz-61 uses a coincidence rangefinder, with a gunner’s telescopic sight that has a 2.7x/8x magnification; the commander can also access the coincidence rangefinder and has a telescopic sight in his cupola with a magnification of 8x. The commander’s cupola has all-around vision blocks, manually rotates, and has a double hatch opening to the left and right. In an unusual feature, the loader has a cupola with all-around vision blocks; while the commander’s cupola has eight periscope, the loader has only six. Unfortunately, the loader’s cupola is mounted higher than the commander’s cupola, making it impossible for him to see to the left through his vision blocks. (Someone wasn’t thinking there…) The driver is in the front center of the hull, with three vision blocks to his front. The coaxial weapon is a 20mm Oerlikon 5TGK autocannon, another unusual feature. The loader has a pintle-mounted M-51 machinegun. On either side of the turret are three L Pz-61 smoke grenade launchers; these are, at 80.5mm, larger in caliber than most Western smoke grenade launchers of the period.

The engine of the Pz-61 is a license-built version of the German MTU MB-837 Ba-500 supercharged diesel engine, developing 630 horsepower. This is coupled to a semiautomatic transmission of Swiss design; these are assembled as a complete powerpack that can be removed from the Pz-61 in one piece; that was an advanced feature for the time. The steering uses laterals; I can tell you from experience with the M-113 that this is a difficult method of driving for the driver, but it will build your upper body strength.

The big weakness of the Pz-61 is the rather thin armor. This keeps the Pz-61 light and maneuverable, but even at the time of its entry into service, it was very underprotected compared to other tanks. This situation was never improved, and even its successor, the Pz-68, had poor armor protection. The Swiss had to wait until the introduction of the Leopard 2 into Swiss service to get a tank with good armor protection. But there is always that escape hatch in the hull floor…

The Pz-61 was deliberately designed to be unusually narrow, to allow it to easily use narrow mountain and small-town roads and bridges. Coupled with the modest height, this makes the Pz-61 a rather maneuverable tank. The entire hull is cast in one piece; at the time, this too was unusual, being found only on the US M-48 tank. The turret is also cast in one piece. These one-piece castings improve the integrity of the armor protection a bit, and also contribute to the overall structural strength.

Other equipment includes a 15-horsepower APU, a 100-liter water tank for drinking water, and an integrated vehicle NBC system.

Pz-61 Upgrades

There were only three major upgrades to the Pz-61, though there were several minor upgrades here and there that fixed or improved the electrical system, cooling system, the suspension, and other such things. In addition, there were a few radio and intercom upgrades. The Pz-61AA7 and Pz-61AA8 upgrades of 1976 and 1977, in particular, replaced the entire radio and intercom system and added another medium-range radio, the SE-412. It also changed the engine filters to the dry-type and greatly improved the ease with which maintenance could be carried out on the Pz-61.

The Pz-61AA9 or the early-1980s was the last major upgrade for the Pz-61. This upgrade gave the gunner better sights and replaced the 20mm coaxial autocannon with an M-51 machinegun. It also added a twin-barreled Bofors Lyran 71mm illumination mortar on the rear of the turret, with 6 rounds available. The crew is provided with radiological shielding as well as an NBC overpressure system, and exterior of the Pz-61 has lugs for ERA on the glacis, turret front, and turret sides.

The Pz-68

The Pz-68 is basically an improved version of the Pz-61. Though the Swiss Parliament decided to buy the Pz-68 in 1968, first deliveries did not begin until 1971. A second batch was not manufactured until 1977, with a third batch manufactured in 1978. The fourth and final batch was built in 1983. The Pz-68s still in service underwent a large upgrade program in 1992. Some 170 Pz-68s were built, but by the early 2000s, they went out of service, replace by the Swiss version of the Leopard 2. By 2005, almost all Pz-68s had been scrapped, with a few remaining in museums and in the hands of collectors.

The first Pz-68s were based on the original version of the Pz-61. The difference between the two are primarily internal; the engine was replaced with an MTU MB-837 660-horsepower turbocharged diesel (plus the same 15-horsepower APU), and fire control was upgraded a bit. The transmission is the same SLM transmission, though it is modified slightly to match the new engine. The engine compartment has been separated from the crew compartment by a fireproof and explosion-resistant bulkhead. The engine, APU, transmission, cooling system, and exhaust system are unified into a complete powerpack assembly and can be removed in one piece. The suspension is largely the same as that of the Pz-61, but the tracks are wider and of a different design than those of the Pz-61; these tracks are considerably heavier, themselves contributing almost a ton to the weight of the Pz-68. As on the Pz-61, the hull and turret are made from one-piece castings, though there is only a slight increase in armor protection. A bustle rack has been added to the rear of the turret. Radiation shielding has been added, but the collective NBC system is still used.

The main gun is the same as that of the Pz-61, but has a fume evacuator. Fire control is likewise the same as the Pz-61, but stabilization is improved. Some ammunition stowage rearrangement has allowed for the addition of four main gun rounds, carried in the turret, for a total of 12 rounds in the turret. The turret has an NBC-sealed trap door for the ejection of spent main gun round cases. As with the Pz-61, three smoke grenade launchers are found on each side of the turret. The coaxial weapon is an M-51 machinegun, as is the loader’s weapon.

But it wasn’t all rosy for the new Pz-68. In the summer of 1979, the Swiss weekly magazine Weltwoche ran an article that illustrated a wide amount of technical problems with the then-new Pz-68. The article about the Pz-68 stated dozens of problems with the Pz-68 that made it "not fit for combat." The worst problems included the NBC overpressure system, which was insufficient so that the crew ended up using the backup collective NBC system anyway. The gearbox, unlike most tanks in the world, did not allow the driver to throw the gears into reverse while the tank was moving; the Pz-68 has to come to a complete stop to shift to reverse. However one of the worst problems came from the radios and the turret rotation system; if the radios were used at full power, electrical interference resulted in uncontrolled turret movements. Even worse, the electrical system of the heater in the Pz-68 could cause the main gun round in the breech to fire without warning. These problems were traced to an electrical system where most systems in the Pz-68 shared the same parts of the electrical system. The Pz-68/88 version of the Pz-68 fixed this problem, but the problems with the Pz-68 had already caused a scandal that led to the resignation of the Defense Minister. Nonetheless, pre-Pz-68/88s served with the Swiss Army until 2000.

Pz-68 Upgrades

The first modification for the Pz-68 was the Pz-68 Series 2, which went into service in 1974. The Pz-68 Series 2 added a thermal sleeve to the main gun, which required a modified bore evacuator. For game purposes, it is otherwise identical to the base Pz-68. The Pz-68 Series 3 has a larger, roomier turret, to solve a problem that Swiss tankers had complained about for a long time; some badly-needed equipment was also added. The Mk 3 entered service in 1978. The Series 4 is identical to the Series 3, but has some improvements to the electrical systems (not enough to fix the abovementioned problems).

The Pz-68/88 upgrade was designed to solve the problems in the Weltwoche, and also added some new features. Some 195 Pz-68s were so upgraded (mostly Series 3 and Series 4s, along with a few Pz-68 Series 2s that were in the best condition). A new fire control, designed by Honeywell in the US and sold to the Swiss through Honeywell’s German subsidiary, including a laser rangefinder, new ballistic computer, and a muzzle reference system. An automatic fire suppression system was installed. The main gun was fully stabilized, and the suspension was improved for a better ride and better climbing capabilities. The steel fuel tanks were replaced by GRP composite tanks which are lighter in weight but just as strong, and the Pz-68/88 is painted in CARC-type paint. A pair of Lyran illumination mortars has been added to the rear of the turret, with 6 rounds available. Lugs for ERA are added to the glacis, turret front, and turret sides.

In the mid-1980s, a small amount of selected Pz-68/88s were modified to accept a 120mm gun. As the standard Rheinmetall gun would not fit into the small turret of the Pz-68/88, the Swiss designed a new 120mm gun. This gun is an L/49 gun, as opposed to the L/44 Rheinmetall gun, and uses a composite-construction fume evacuator. It uses standard NATO rounds, however. The ballistic computer needed reprogramming, and the muzzle reference system had to be replaced. An M-51 was added to the commander’s hatch, and the night vision suite was upgraded with a gunner’s thermal imager that can also be accessed by the commander.

Despite upgrades, the Pz-68 is a tank that was outdated before its introduction.

Vehicle

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

Pz-58

$230,664

D, A

600 kg

38 tons

4

26

Headlights

Enclosed

Pz-61

$252,315

D, A

600 kg

38.2 tons

4

26

Headlights

Enclosed

Pz-61AA7/8

$252,315

D, A

600 kg

38.2 tons

4

23

Headlights

Enclosed

Pz-61AA9

$249,483

D, A

600 kg

38.2 tons

4

23

Headlights

Shielded

Pz-68/Series 2

$296,910

D, A

600 kg

39.7 tons

4

22

Headlights

Shielded

Pz-68 Series 3/Series 4

$296,910

D, A

600 kg

39.9 tons

4

22

Headlights

Shielded

Pz-68/88

$436,669

D, A

600 kg

40 tons

4

23

Passive IR (D, G, C)

Shielded

Pz-68/88-120

$534,143

D, A

600 kg

40.3 tons

4

23

Passive IR (D, C), Thermal Imaging (G)

Shielded

Vehicle

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

Pz-58

121/85

23/19

760

342

Trtd

T5

TF31 TS14 TR8 HF39 HS11 HR7

Pz-61

121/84

23/19

760

342

Trtd

T5

TF31 TS14 TR8 HF39 HS11 HR7

Pz-61AA7/8/9

121/84

23/19

760

342

Trtd

T5

TF31 TS14 TR8 HF39 HS11 HR7

Pz-68/Series 2

126/88

24/20

710

344

Trtd

T5

TF35 TS15 TR9 HF43 HS13 HR8

Pz-68 Series 3/4

125/88

24/20

710

346

Trtd

T5

TF35 TS15 TR9 HF43 HS13 HR8

Pz-68/88

125/87

24/20

710

347

Trtd

T5

TF35 TS15 TR9 HF43 HS13 HR8

Pz-68/88-120

124/86

24/20

710

349

Trtd

T5

TF35 TS15 TR9 HF43 HS13 HR8

Vehicle

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

Pz-58

+1

Basic

QF 20-Pounder gun, 20mm 5TGK autocannon, 7.5mm M-51 (L)

65x20-Pounder, 240x20mm, 3000x7.5mm

Pz-61 & AA7/8

+1

Basic

105mm L-7 gun, 20mm 5TGK autocannon, 7.5mm M-51 (L)

52x105mm, 240x20mm, 3000x7.5mm

Pz-61AA9

+2

Basic

105mm L-7 gun, 7.5mm M-51, 7.5mm M-51 (L)

52x105mm, 3200x7.5mm

Pz-68/Series 2

+1

Fair

105mm L-7 gun, 7.5mm M-51, 7.5mm M-51 (L)

56x105mm, 4000x7.5mm

Pz-68 Series 3/4

+2

Fair

105mm L-7 gun, 7.5mm M-51, 7.5mm M-51 (L)

56x105mm, 4000x7.5mm

Pz-68/88

+3

Good

105mm L-7 gun, 7.5mm M-51, 7.5mm M-51 (L)

56x105mm, 4000x7.5mm

Pz-68/88-120

+3

Good

120mm Swiss gun, 7.5mm M-51, 7.5mm M-51 (C), 7.5mm M-51 (L)

49x120mm, 4000x7.5mm