The E-10 was a representative of a new concept of tanks, the design of which was designed to unify production as much as possible. The E-10 was considered as a test platform for the entire generation of E-index tanks, primarily engines, as well as transmission and suspension components.
It was supposed to be a light, reckless tank destroyer, as well as a reconnaissance vehicle, designed by the Klockner-Humboldt-Deutz company from the city of Ulm.
Before the E-10 project, this company had never been involved in the development of armored vehicles at all. The power plant on the E-10 was supposed to be a water-cooled Maybach HL 100 installed in the rear of the hull, with a capacity of 400 hp. or an air-cooled Argus with a capacity of 350 hp. After installing fuel injection and an improved cooling system, the engine power from the Maybach HL 100 had to be raised to 550 hp. at 3800 rpm.
The combined hydrodynamic transmission and steering system was to be produced by Voith. The system was also supposed to be installed at the rear of the tank, which would simplify its dismantling and maintenance. This arrangement also made it possible to increase the space of the tank's fighting compartment. The engine compartment and rear armor plates were planned to be completely removable so that it was possible to dismantle the engine and transmission as a single unit. The maximum speed of the tank was expected to be 65-70 km / h. Although the designation E-10 meant a vehicle weight of up to 10 tons, the subject should not be less, the mass of the new tank was supposed to be about 16 tons.
It was planned to install a 75 mm Pak 39 L / 48 gun on the tank, almost the same as that installed on the Hetzer tank destroyer. During production, it could be replaced by a rigidly mounted version (Starr) of the same gun. External link suspension using Belleville washers as springs.
On each side of the machine there were 4 external levers, on each of which a steel rubberized wheel with a diameter of 1000 mm was installed. The wheels alternately overlapped each other and were installed in pairs to the left and right of the single-row track teeth. One of the possibilities of the tank was to regulate the amount of clearance. This was achieved using hydraulics. The height of the car could vary from 1400 to 1760 mm. The armor was 60 mm on the upper frontal plate, inclined at an angle of 60 °, 30 mm on the lower frontal plate, and 20 mm on all other armor plates.
The E-10 never went into production, and its role was assigned to the similarly sized but structurally simpler Jagdpanzer 38 (d), based on an extended version of the chassis of the outdated Czech Panzer 38 (t) with a new engine.
