But at that time, what was placed in front of them was a mess that was in ruins. Although its army armored forces had more than 200 medium-sized tanks and 150 light tanks on paper, they basically came from the Allied forces. The medium-sized tanks were mainly American-made M47 Xi

[Military Martial Plane] Author: FriedrichLau

When World War II ended, the Austrian defense force, which had lost its independence and autonomy since Germany annexed Austria in 1938, was reborn, and after a series of reforms, it became a powerful armed department of a country again. But at that time, what was placed in front of them was a mess that was in ruins. Although its army armored forces had more than 200 medium tanks and 150 light tanks, they basically came from the Allied forces to aid. The medium tanks were mainly made by the US-made M47 Xiafei. In addition to the French AMX-13, there were also some US-made M41 and M24, as well as the British modified Cromwell cruise tanks. In order to realize the upgrade plan of the tank of its own country as soon as possible, Austria then started the process of localization of the chariot, which is also the background of the birth of SK-105, the protagonist of this article.

▲US M41 tank

In 1956, Saurer Werk in Austria completed the design of the first armored personnel carrier and put it into production in 1961. The new armored vehicle was named Saurer 4K4FA. In 1967, after some consideration, the Austrian Army finally decided to upgrade and transform based on the legal AMX-13 light tank . In order to increase firepower, the new tank planned to use a 105mm caliber artillery to replace the original vehicle's 75mm artillery. Since there was no suitable domestic tank chassis at that time, the 4K4FA chassis was simply included in the scope of consideration. After some changes, the new tank began mass production in 1967 and was named SK-105, nicknamed breastplate cavalry (Kürassier), a famous heavy cavalry unit in the medieval era, and it can also be seen that Austria has high hopes for this tank.

▲Saurer 4K4FA personnel carrier

▲AMX-13 tank

Since it was upgraded from the legal AMX-13, SK-105 also borrowed from the big brother's solution in many designs. The tank adopts the FL-12OS-type swing turret upgraded from the legal FL-12. The high and low machines and direction machines are hydraulically driven. The main gun is a legal CN-105-57 105mm caliber rifled gun, which uses a magazine-type ammunition conveyor to supply ammunition, with a maximum rate of fire up to 12 rounds per minute. However, due to the size of the tank, the SK-105 can carry a total of 32 shells, including ammunition loaded in the magazine. After the early SK-105 was shot out, the crew members needed to protrude out of their bodies in the magazine for loading work. This defect was subsequently corrected by the improved A2 model. In addition, technicians also installed two-way artillery stabilizers for the A2 model to achieve accurate shooting during travel.

▲SK-105A2 tank equipped with CN-105-57 rifled gun

Although the main gun fire of the SK-105 can effectively penetrate most of the main battle tanks of the contemporaries including the Soviet T-54/55, its protection ability is relatively weak because it is improved from personnel carriers. Its front can only withstand direct shots of 20mm small-caliber shells, and the side can only barely resist the shooting of light weapon . Although the frontal protection was strengthened in the later stage, it could still withstand the attack of 35mm shells. This extremely unbalanced firepower and protection design can only be compensated by the tank's maneuverability. Thanks to the 320 horsepower surging power provided by a rear-mounted 7FA 6-cylinder diesel engine produced by Steyer, the tank's maximum driving speed can reach 70 km/h.

. In view of the mountainous characteristics of Austria, the tank has excellent climbing capabilities and can effectively adapt to the landform characteristics of the Alps. In actual testing, the SK-105 can effectively climb a 75° slope, adapt to a 40° side slope, and can normally cross a 0.8m vertical step or a 2.4m wide trench.Due to its small size and similar to the AMX-13, the SK-105, as a light tank, can be remotely delivered by the C130 Hercules transport aircraft, so it is particularly suitable for rapid deployment of airborne troops.

Since mass production in 1971, in the decades of service, the total production of SK-105 has exceeded 700 vehicles. Except for the 285 vehicles (133 A1 and 152 A2 models) used by the Austrian Army, the rest of the tanks are used as export countries in Africa and South America that do not have too high demand for heavy equipment, including Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia , Tunisia , Morocco , and Botswana . Argentina purchased the most, with a total of 118 vehicles. After the modernization was completed in 2005, these tanks were nicknamed "Patagón" by the Argentines.

▲In May 2008, the "Batago" tank

at the Argentine Army Exhibition