General characteristics
Crew 4 (pilot, gunner, loader, commander)
Length 6.24 m (9.15 m with gun)
Width 2.78 m
Height 2.56 m
Mass in battle 15 to 17 t
Armament
Main armament 1 x 105 mm F2 BK MECA L/48 gun (38 shells)
Secondary armament 1 AA 7.62 NF1 machine gun twinned to the gun (4000 cartridges), another on the roof.
Mobility
Engine Hispano-Suiza HS-115 or Baudouin Diesel 6F11 SRX
Power 250 hp (186 kW) at 3200 rpm and 280 hp (206 kW) respectively
Suspension hydropneumatic adjustable
Road speed 85 km/h on road, 25–30 km/h off-road
Power-to-weight ratio 16.67 hp/ton
Tank 525 ℓ
Range 800 km
Service Since 1981 (in the Army)
Production
Designer Atelier de Construction d'lssy-les-Moulineaux
Year of design 1976
Manufacturer GIAT
Production 4571
The AMX-10 RC is an armored reconnaissance-fire vehicle (to recognize and retaliate in the event of an attack) built by Giat Industries today Nexter Systems (Ateliers de construction d'Issy-les-Moulineaux - AMX), class 20 tons, wheeled and cannon (RC means “Wheels-Canon” and not “Reconnaissance” as one can sometimes read, it is indeed the name that has always been used by the manufacturer). The project began in 1970 and mass production began in 1976.
The study of the new reconnaissance machine began in 1961 and, two years later, released a prototype called FRAC (combat amphibious reconnaissance machine) which was more of a test bench than a machine intended to be produced. serial ! In 1965, the idea of a family of armored vehicles which would replace that of the AMX 13 and within which would be found, in addition to a V.T.T. and a missile launcher, would be the reconnaissance vehicle. To determine whether this family should be fitted with tracks or wheels, in 1970 the prototype AMX 10 P with tracks and the AMX 10 RP (wheels-personnel) with wheels were confronted.
It was decided to adopt the caterpillar for the mountain bike and the wheel for the reconnaissance machine, henceforth called AMX 10 RC (cannon-wheels), while keeping common elements such as the engine. The prototype was released in 1973 and tested in 1974-1975. The first production vehicle was delivered at the end of 1979.
Currently, only the 2nd regiment of hussars stationed in Sourdun is re-equipped. But Morocco has ordered a hundred copies...
The AMX 10 RC is a 6 x 6 machine, which weighs 15.8 tons in combat order. It is amphibious without preparation and propels itself on water thanks to hydrojets. He is protected N.B.C. by overpressure of air inside the vehicle and filtering.
Its Hispano-Suiza HS-115 engine, eight cylinders in V, water-cooled, develops 260 hp.
A hydraulic cutting converter and a pre-selective mechanism box play the role of gearbox and steering system. The AMX 10 RC steers like a tank by skid steering, that is to say by skidding on its wheels and not by turning them.
The rotation of the vehicle on the spot is therefore possible by reversing the direction of each set of tyres.
The speed on the road reaches 85 km/h and its autonomy allows it to cover 800 km or carry out 26 hours of combat without refueling. An oleo-pneumatic suspension makes it possible to vary the ground clearance and the attitude of the vehicle. There are four different heights:low when the AMX 10 RC is on the prowl and needs to hide, normal for road walking, high for off-roading, and maximum for amphibious crossing, which helps with buoyancy and makes it easier to out of the water.
However, the most extraordinary feature of the AMX 10 RC is its firepower. It is, in fact, the only wheeled machine in the 16-ton category to have a 105 mm gun firing hollow charge projectiles at a practical range of 1,200 meters and piercing 150 mm of armor at an incidence of 60°. . The Cotac fire control, automated and with laser ranging, ensures excellent precision, with a high probability of hitting the first shot on a moving target. Finally, the AMX 10 RC is suitable for night combat thanks to its T.V.B.N.L. (low light level television) which operates on the principle of light intensification, which cannot be detected because it is totally passive, unlike infrared which is active.
Its speed on the road, its great autonomy and its firepower allow it rapid and distant interventions, to mass powerful guns in the face of an enemy breakthrough or to intervene throughout the territory in the face of airborne operations or landings. We can however blame it for its exorbitant price, higher than that of an AMX 30, a price which is explained by the high technology used; we can also regret its dimensions much larger than those of the EBR, even if they are partly compensated by the variable suspension; Above all regrettable, the absence of a pilot-reverser, therefore the impossibility of resuming instantly in the event of an unexpected encounter with the enemy, even if a slower U-turn on the spot is always possible.
After the 2nd Hussars, it is the 31st demi-brigade, created in the south-east of France to provide heavy means to the Rapid Assistance Force, which will be equipped primarily with AMX 10 RC. It is planned to put 400 AMX 10 RC into service by 1985.
in staffing since at the RICM, 2nd RIMA, 1er REC, among others