At the end of February, at the international exhibition of armored vehicles International Armored Vehicles, the German company FFG Flensburger Fahrzeugbau presented a new tracked armored personnel carrier G5. This company is a former tank repair plant of the People's Army of the GDR and has been specializing in the production and repair of armored vehicles since the 60s of the 20th century. The rich experience of working with this type of equipment allows for the modernization and development of new models of armored personnel carriers.
An armored personnel carrier is a combat tracked vehicle designed to transport personnel to the front line, increase their mobility, security and armament on the battlefield in conditions of the use of nuclear weapons, as well as joint actions with other tanks in battle. As a rule, the BMP has differences from the armored personnel carrier, consisting in better body armor and higher firepower, although at the present time variants of the armored personnel carrier have been developed, which are located on the basis of tanks, so that the difference between the infantry fighting vehicles and tracked armored personnel carriers in terms of protective properties is almost invisible.
The G5 tracked armored personnel carrier was developed as a vehicle using special elements introduced into the tracked vehicle design, which increase the protective properties against land mines and mines. These elements have already found their application in modern wheeled vehicles of the MRAP type. The main feature of the body of the G5 armored personnel carrier is the bottom, inclined at a slight angle and reinforced with armor plates. The use of this design allows to reduce the force of the explosion by scattering the shock wave on both sides of the body.
At the moment, FFG Flensburger Fahrzeugbau is thoroughly testing the created prototype demonstrator G5, the creation of which, according to unconfirmed reports, was financed by the German Ministry of Defense itself.
The G5 armored personnel carrier is presented as a vehicle with a modular design, allowing on this basis to create a huge number of vehicles for various purposes and modifications with different levels of reservation. It is planned to create prototypes of several configuration options for a quick transition to their conveyor delivery in case of such a need. High performance in the basic level for ballistic and mine protection is reported, although specific specifications are not disclosed.
The combat weight of the base vehicle is 25 tons, the troop compartment has a volume of 14.5 cubic meters. There is a possibility of taking on board up to 6.5 tons of load. It is mentioned that the machines can accommodate 12 people, although the presented prototype demonstrator has space for two crew members, as well as eight landing places for the landing, which are located in explosion-proof seats. The large volume provides the paratroopers with freedom inside the armored personnel carrier, which will allow them to take on board "lotions" of considerable size, and it is also convenient to use the free space for transporting the wounded.
The G5 tracked armored personnel carrier is equipped with a forward-mounted diesel engine that develops 560 hp. and is capable of developing the maximum permissible speed on the highway, which is 72 km / h with the existing range of 600 km. The undercarriage is a new development of FFG Flensburger Fahrzeugbau and has six rollers on board, grouped in two blocks of three rollers each. The rollers (and, apparently, some of the other elements of the undercarriage) were borrowed from the Leopard 1 tank. The rollers have a torsion bar suspension; hydraulic shock absorbers are installed on the suspension nodes. Also, the new model uses rubber tracks from the American company Soucy Track. The characteristic feature of these rubber tracks is their soft, gentle impact on the road surface and very low noise effect. Because of these two factors, in urban conditions, it is much more profitable to use armored personnel carriers on rubber tracks. In the manufacture of tracks, modern materials are used that reduce the vibration level of equipment on rubber tracks by more than 80%. And this, in turn, reduces the wear of both the main units and the units of special equipment, which reduces the cost of performing maintenance.
It is worth noting that the heavily glazed driver's cab causes some bewilderment among the experts.
Representatives of the company FFG Flensburger Fahrzeugbau said that the armies of two European countries are already showing interest in the G5 model. Earlier, FFG Flensburger Fahrzeugbau carried out modernization for most European countries (in particular, Denmark) tracked armored personnel carriers of the M113 model with the development of a new version of the overhaul of the M113 model with a significant increase in protection, designated as Waran, interest in which immediately appeared from Denmark and Australia.
