The Puma ( Hebrew : פומ"ה פורץ מכשולים הנדסי) is a heavily armored Combat engineering vehicle and armored personnel carrier that the Engineering Corps of the Israeli Defence Forces has used since the early 1990s. The vehicle can carry a crew of up to eight. The 50-ton vehicle's speed is 45 kilometers an hour.
41-524: The Puma uses the hull of the Sho't , which is itself a modified British Centurion tank . Some Pumas are equipped with the Carpet mine-clearing system. This consists of 20 rockets that the crew can fire singly or all together. The rockets contain a fuel-air explosive warhead which spreads a cloud of fuel fumes that are then detonated. The overpressure from the explosion destroys most mines. The Puma then advances behind
82-521: A fixed-mounted .50 caliber M2HB machine gun; Alefs could have as well been normally equipped with a regular western searchlight. The .50 caliber machine gun on the previous Meteor variants were removed from the mount attached to the commander's cupola in favor of a .30 caliber machine gun , this was decided to more effectively deal with anti-tank and infantry teams. In the Yom Kippur war, many Alefs frequently had their side skirt plates removed due to
123-459: A certain variant is the Gimel or beyond. A system was added which allowed for the tank to emit smoke from the engine exhaust, this would allow for a smoke screen to be created for the purpose of masking against ATGMs, masking and hiding allies, and withdrawing out of a combat area. Protection against HEAT projectiles was greatly increased due to the installation of Blazer (Baltan) reactive armor . ERA
164-548: A new turret rotating mechanism, a new gun stabilization system , a new fire-control system , preparations for the installation of the Blazer (Baltan) reactive armor , and more. Being the first version of the Sho't Kal series introduced in 1969, the tank only started to be referred as the Alef when the Sho't Kal Bet was introduced in 1975, with the Sho't Kal series annexing more variants. The Alef
205-501: A set of rollers that trigger any mines the fuel-air explosion did not destroy. There is also electronic equipment for detonating roadside bombs or jamming detonation signals. The Puma is capable of towing a mobile bridge for deploying over trenches and enemy land obstacles during battle. Unlike the M60 AVLB launching the bridge, the Puma pulls the bridge during combat and pushes the bridge over
246-417: A vertical axis, and the two-plane stabilizer stabilizes both the vertical and horizontal axis. The mechanism usually includes an angular reference device such as a mechanical or optical gyroscope and servomechanisms . In the case of a tank, one servo stabilizes the turret and another the elevation of the gun. This was experimented with in late 1944-1945, continuing after the war. In WWII only gun elevation
287-549: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Sho%27t Sho't ( Hebrew : שוט , lit. 'whip') is the Israeli designation of the 105mm L7 armed modified Centurion tank , which entered Israeli service in the 1960's. Sho't Meteors are made up of Mark 3, Mark 5, and Mark 8 Centurion tanks with the original Rolls-Royce Meteor engine upgunned to the 105mm Royal Ordnance L7 cannon . These tanks received minor additional upgrades and modifications by
328-404: Is forming a fourth Combat Engineer Battalion that will specialize in dealing with roadside bombs, mines and booby traps. As part of this effort, Israel will also upgrade its Pumas. The army is adding new equipment for dealing with roadside bombs and is training the crews to cope with the growing numbers of explosive devices encountered in regions such as Gaza. This military vehicle article
369-528: The Israel Defense Forces in earlier improvement programs for the tank. Bearing many original similarities to the British Centurions , they were not as heavily modified as the Sho't Kal would later be. Two main significant modifications were installed during Israeli Centurions' service that would make the Sho't Meteor: the replacement of the 84mm 20-pounder cannon with the 105mm L7 cannon, and
410-641: The Add-On Stabilization (AOS) upgrade package developed for the M60A1 in the early 1970s, though the M551 Sheridan light tank, introduced in 1967, was equipped with a gun stabilizer. In 1960, West Germany prototyped a unique proof-of-concept three-axis stabilized turret on a widened Leopard 1 chassis. The primary cannon remained stationary, while the turret rotated conventionally for horizontal aiming and employed oscillation for vertical alignment. Additionally,
451-618: The IDF) Explosive Reactive Armor and IS-10 smoke launchers . Reactive armor covered most parts of the tank's front, turret, and upper sides. However, ERA was not used as commonly as it was with the Sho't Kal Gimel, due to certain Bets receiving it near the end of its service life. The Sho't Kal Gimel was manufactured in 1979 and used in service by the early 1980's, being fully equipped with Blazer (Baltan) Explosive Reactive Armor and two IS-10 smoke grenade launchers on each side of
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#1732845048961492-644: The M3A1 Light Tank and the M3 Medium tank in November 1941. Except for the 105mm-equipped M4 Sherman tanks, all U.S.-built tanks had a stabilization system for gun elevation usable at low speeds. All US tanks were stabilized at least by 1944. Some attempt was made to stabilize Soviet tank guns as early as 1938. U.S. tanks equipped with the single plane gun elevation stabilization were found to be more effective at engaging targets while moving at up to 10 mph using
533-532: The Sho't Kal Bet was the second variant of the Sho't Kal series and saw extensive usage in Operation Litani which occurred in 1978. The Sho't Kal Bet received a new hydro-electric turret traverse mechanism that was based on the mechanism in the M48 Patton tank due to the old electric British turret control system being concluded as problematic. The Cadillac Gauge fire control system was installed; however, it
574-470: The abbreviation of the engine manufacturer Continental , originally notated in Hebrew as "שוטקל" and transliterated as "sho'tqal". Kal in Hebrew as well means, "easy", since the modifications of the Sho't Kals made day-to-day life easier for the crew members serving in them. The names for the four main Sho't Kal variants are derivative from the Hebrew alphabet, with the four variants being the first four letters of
615-475: The addition of an exterior rear fuel tank which greatly improved the range of the Sho't. The Sho't Meteor would be distinct for these two main modifications. Sho't Meteors only started to be referred to as Meteors when the Sho't Kal was introduced, in order to differentiate the tanks. Before that, the normal name, "Sho't" would simply apply to the tanks. "Sho't" is still used as a standard common nickname when referring to any type of Sho't variant. The Sho't Meteor
656-492: The alphabet: Alef, Bet, Gimel, and Dalet. All the Sho't Kal variants are an upgrade and advancement of the previous version before them; keeping all previous components, with the only exception of them being replaced, or removed for a specific reason. The Sho't Kal entered service in 1970 with Alef, and by 1974 all Israeli Centurions and Sho't Meteors were upgraded to Sho't Kal standard. Subvariants indicate upgrades received by Sho't Kal tanks during their operational life, including
697-411: The ammunition compartment, the wind direction and speed where the firing tank was located measured by sensors on the turret roof, and barrel droop by measuring the location of a barrel mounted reference system near the muzzle. Barrel droop was also limited by insulating the barrel so it expands and contracts evenly along its length. This enables the modern tank using the current stabilization systems to hit
738-730: The crews swore by it; in others, they removed the system. Post-war, British and then Soviet tank designers developed improved gun stabilizers. In 1948, the British Centurion Mk. 3 featured the first two-plane stabilization system in a production tank, while 1954 saw the introduction of the STP-1 stabilizer complex for the T-54A , and similar systems would be implemented on virtually all Soviet tanks from then on. The US would not utilize gun stabilization in any of their Medium and Main Battle Tanks until
779-642: The end of the battering ram. The Sho't Kal Hey was an attempt to install the Gal fire-control system into the Sho't Kal Dalet. It was a prototype that never entered service. The Sho't tank served in the Six-Day War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973; one of them (Sho't Kal Alef), belonging to the 188th Armored Brigade , was operated by Captain Zvika Greengold , an Israeli tank ace . However, as all tanks in
820-408: The gun movement based on the input from one gyro system, for the gun, or two, also for the turret. This type of system with an ability to almost equal the accuracy of firing the gun from a full halt was introduced into the U.S. M60A1 tank in the early 1970s. An alternative system was also developed where instead of stabilizing the gun the gun sights were stabilized and the gun fired when its aim matched
861-426: The gun sight's position. This allowed the gun to elevate or depress free from the gun sight allowing the use of auto-loaders where the gun moves to be loaded, then back to match where the gunsight points. Gun stabilization in both elevation and traverse added to other improvements. These included range finding through stereoscopic, then coincidence visual range finders, then laser range finders, which were introduced in
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#1732845048961902-450: The late 1970s. An analog and later digital computer was added which had the range input. Also input was the rate the turret rotated. The computer took the range input to use the rate of the turret rotation to determine the lead needed to hit a moving target by calculating its speed. Added to this was the barrel wear determined by the number of and types of ammunition fired, the temperature of the ammunition propellant measured by thermometers in
943-600: The move without needing to stop the tank. The tank saw combat in Operation Peace for Galilee, more famously known as the 1982 Lebanon War . The Gimel featured an upgraded engine, the Continental AVDS1790-2AG. The old 350-amp dynamo electric generator was replaced with a 650-amp alternator which was oil-cooled. Two additional exhausts were added to the engine deck, which is a notable external difference between Sho't Kal variants—allowing for ease to determine if
984-576: The necessity for infantry support to armored groups, culminating in the Merkava main battle tanks being equipped with rear troop bays. The Sho't was also used in the 1978 and 1982 invasions of Lebanon . Gun stabilizer A gun stabilizer is a device that facilitates aiming an artillery piece by compensating for the motion of the platform on which it is mounted. For naval applications see ship gun fire-control system . Moving land-based systems tend to require more specialized stabilization. Due to
1025-522: The need to fire while in motion, tanks in World War II made some use of stabilization, but it became commonplace in later decades during the Cold War . The gunner of the early Matilda II tank elevated and depressed the gun by hand, and had a shoulder pad by which he could support it steadily as the tank moved while he stood. The primary armament of most US tanks was stabilized in elevation starting with
1066-400: The obstacle, allowing tanks and infantry personnel carriers to maneuver quickly in the battlefield. Armament consists of three 7.62 mm FN MAG general-purpose machine guns , including one in a remote turret that the crew can control from within the cabin by a Rafael Overhead Weapon Station (OWS). The vehicle also has a 60 mm mortar and two launchers for smoke grenades. Israel
1107-601: The opening days of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, it proved exceedingly vulnerable to Soviet-made weapons such as the RPG-2 , RPG-7 , and briefcase Sagger guided missile, weapons which the Egyptians used in large numbers in the crossing of the Bar Lev line . It is estimated that the Israeli armed forces lost up to 40% of their southern armored groups during the first two days of the war, highlighting
1148-539: The stabilization system. However, its use in the war was limited as the British did not use it in their US Lend-Lease vehicles, and American forces lost their proficiency as less-trained crewmen replaced the crews that had trained on their vehicles for years in the US before deployment. The crews did not know how to use stabilization; also, most U.S. tanks fired while stationary. Lack of maintenance also reduced its use. In some units
1189-437: The transition to the Alef, though smoke launcher mounts were still attached to the turrets of some tanks. It was decided smoke was no longer needed to hide tanks in battle; this was greatly regretted in the Yom Kippur War . There were many opportunities in combat where smoke could have been used to mask against ATGMs. Sho't Kals were later equipped with modern smoke grenade dischargers in the future variants. Introduced in 1975,
1230-400: The turret could tilt left or right along a third axis to accommodate aiming corrections on uneven terrain. All turret movements were exclusively powered, lacking manual controls. Design was cost ineffective and was ultimately not adopted, but lessons learned were carried over to other FCS research. There are many forms of gun stabilization. The simple single-plane stabilizer only stabilizes on
1271-522: The turret front. The Sho't Kal Gimel fully received the Cadillac Gauge fire control system , which was only previously installed in a single brigade of Sho't Kal Bets. Along with the new fire control system , a new modern stabilizer was added to the traverse system which eased the process of the main gun staying on target while engaging—providing stability for aiming the cannon while traveling at high speeds on rough terrain, and giving high accuracy on
Puma armored engineering vehicle - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-420: The turret pointed in the direction the gunner placed it regardless of the direction of the hull. With both the gun and turret stabilized the gun would remain pointed where the gun sight was pointed regardless of the movement of the tank unless the elevation or depression limits were exceeded. This was a mechanical, then electrical system inputting to mechanical, then electrical or hydraulic motor systems controlling
1353-478: The winter creating a high quantity of heavy mud in the Golan Heights, making the mud pack to the suspension and causing mechanical issues. Many tank crews were ordered by battalion commanders to find their plates when the first cease fire was declared, some crews could not find their side skirt plates due to them being left at numerous places when they removed them. An additional 44mm thick frontal glacis armor plate
1394-409: Was a major upgrade from the Sho't Meteor, which was factored mostly by the new Continental AVDS1790-2AC engine and new Allison CD-850-6A transmission. The Sho't Kal Alef was used in the 1973 Yom Kippur War along with Israeli Magachs and Sho't Meteors. Alefs were commonly equipped above the main gun mantlet with a captured Soviet Luna L-2 infrared searchlight taken from enemy tanks, or either
1435-520: Was added to the Dalet, the name of this FCS is called, "Nachal Oz". All else from the Gimel was transitioned with the Dalet, such as the ERA and IS-10 smoke launchers . The ERA layout and placement of the bricks was the same as the Gimel. Battering rams started to become a much more common addition with the Dalet, they were attached to the top of frontal lower glacis plate, sporting a spare road wheel facing upwards at
1476-623: Was common to older Centurion Mark 3's upgraded to Sho't Kal standard, however, not all Alefs were equipped with this plate, as some can be seen in photos without the additional glacis plate. The additional plate mainly originates from the Centurion Mark 5/1, which was an upgrade for Mark 5's that included the 44mm plate—these upgraded Mark 5's were mainly in service with Australia. The armor was originally innovated to ensure protection against Soviet 100mm cannons. The smoke grenade launchers on base Centurion tanks were unfortunately removed with
1517-472: Was much more common to see. The loader's machine gun from the Bet as well transitioned into the Gimel. The Sho't Kal Dalet started production in 1984, being the last production variant of the Sho't Kals. The 105mm L7 cannon received a thermal sleeve . The previous .30 caliber M1919A4 machine guns were replaced by Belgian-made FN MAG 60-40's as seen in many photographs. A new, more advanced fire-control system
1558-421: Was not limited to, but was used extensively in the Six-Day War , and as well saw partial combat in the Yom Kippur War . The Sho't Kal variants consist of modernized Centurion Mark, 3, 5, and 8 tanks with all the variants including significant mechanical upgrades, such as the new engines ( Continental AVDS1790-2AC and 2AG diesel engines), and a new Allison CD-850-6 transmission. The addition "Kal" refers to
1599-531: Was only implemented in one brigade, with it being a partial solution. The Sho't Kal Bet begun the trend of the loader receiving a .30 caliber machine gun mounted closely to the loader's hatch, which is apparent on many pictures and videos of the Bet in Operation Litani. Some Bets initially came with IS-10 smoke launcher mounts, and most came with mounting point preparations for ERA ; by the end of its service, most Bets were equipped with Blazer (called Baltan in
1640-416: Was placed numerously around the tank; orthodox placement of Blazer consisted of being on the frontal glacis plate, hull roof, turret mantlet , frontal turret roof, turret sides, and upper hull sides. Reactive armor was not seen mounted on the side skirts or rear of the tank. The fixed-mounted .50 caliber M2HB machine gun mounted above the main gun mantlet became more prominent with the Gimel and Dalet and
1681-414: Was stabilized using a gyro. The input was directly to the gun. The aiming is then done by control input to the mechanism, rather than directly on the gun. The control mechanism usually has other functions, such as applying super-elevation and leading the target according to its velocity, making it a fire-control system , and some guns are entirely automatic. Stabilization was added for the turret, keeping