SchützenPanzer II - Ocelot

The SchützenPanzer II, abbreviated SPz.II or by its nickname 'Ocelot', is an Infantry Fighting Vehicle designed by the German Democratic Republic. It was intended to succeed older BMP-line vehicles.

## **Development**

The SPz.II Ocelot is the result of two different and conflicting design strategies. In the aftermath of the 1991 failed coup in Berlin, the new Alscher government launched widespread development programs in all spheres of the East German armed forces. The primary objective of these programs was to provide indigenous weapon systems for the NVA to limit as much as possible reliance on foreign imports of components and whole systems, which was seen as a major threat to national security. The SPz program was unusual among those in that it was intended to be exportable to other Warsaw Pact nations and third party. As such, it kept a fairly high level of commonality with Soviet components overall. Introduced in 1997, the Ocelot was intended to be a modern but cost-effective IFV that gets infantry where it needs to be, alive, that is easy to produce, easy to maintain and holds well in the field. Subsequent modifications to the design have repeatedly increased its support and offensive capabilities at the expense of rising unit cost.

## **Design**

### **Maneuverability**

The Ocelot is a tracked Infantry Fighting Vehicle using a simple but rugged assembly with 6 road wheels. Its main drive and transmission are at the front, while the suspension makes use of twin torsion bar technology. The engine is also mounted at the front and is essentially a locally-produced copy of the UTD-29M Soviet 10-cylinder diesel engine in use in the BMP-3 and developing 500 horsepower. The Ocelot features lighter weapon systems but heavier armor, resulting in a comparable weight and agility profiles on road, cross-country and on water.

### **Protection**

Unlike many modern Infantry Fighting Vehicles, the Ocelot does not feature an Aluminum hull and is instead built of OM-S803 Steel alloy, which is optimized for toughness and resistance against impacts. The reasons for this choice include a general distrust of Aluminum alloys being able to protect soldiers adequately and the prevalence of the German Steel Industry making steel far more widely available and cheap than Aluminum. The Ocelot is also uncommon in its armor layout. It features a thickness of 35mm at the front, but also 25mm on the sides and rear as well as 15mm at the top, providing protection from small-arms up to heavy machineguns using Armor-piercing rounds from all angles except the top. The bottom of the hull features a double bottom to help in protecting against mine damage.

The interior of the vehicle features spall lining made of Stahlseide UHMWPE fibers to absorb debris from non-penetrating impacts. Smoke dispersers are mounted on the hull to break line of sight from guided weapons, while a Shtora electro-jammer is used to dazzle laser-guided SACLOS ATGMs. Finally, optional ERA bricks may be installed as a final level of protection against HEAT rockets and projectiles.

### **Armament**

The main armament of the Ocelot is the 4cm MK 70 high velocity Autocannon. The Design commission deemed the large cannons in use on the BMP-1 and -3 to be unnecessary and decided to downscale to an Autocannon which while larger than all then-contemporary NATO equivalent IFVs, remained lighter, cheaper, and with more ammunition capacity. It is considered adequate for taking out other IFVs at long-range and has limited anti-infantry support capability. Keeping in with the BMP-3 layout, it was initially equipped with one co-axial Kord 12.7mm heavy machinegun, and two more on the hull.

### **Reliability and Features**

The Ocelot is fully NBC-protected and capable of amphibious operations whether it be river crossing or shore assaults. It seats 8 infantrymen at the back, the size of the average NVA Section, and features a crew of 3. Its engine and air conditioning were given special attention due to reports of Soviet BMPs in Afghanistan encountering serious problems in hot and dusty conditions. It is rated for operations in both hot and cold environments as a result.

## **Variants**

### **Ausf.B**

The first update to the Ocelot concerns solely the weapon loadout and shortly followed the initial design. The two heavy machinegun in the bow have been removed, as more than 1 was needed unnecessary. Frontal space was freed, but not yet used. Two weapon systems were added to back of the turret, a launcher for 9M113 Konkurs missiles and an 8cm infantry mortar. Both of these weapons can be fired remotely from within the Ocelot, but not reloaded. They can also be detached from the turret to be used by a disembarked infantry squad, usually in urban environment.

### **Ausf.C**

The Ausf.C was the first major overhaul of the Ocelot in 2001. It reworks the frontal chassis of the Ocelot entirely, increasing its total length by increasing the angle of the glacis plates. The raw armor thickness was increased to 40mm and further supplemented by a layer of boron-carbide-laced fiberglass, allowing it to resist the main weapon of lighter IFVs. The Radio in the bow is upgraded to a FuG-KK-3 for increased security using the freed up space from the removed machineguns. Finally, the optional ERA bricks were exchanged for NxRA. The slightly decreased protection level was deemed acceptable in countering tandem-charge and two-strike vulnerabilities as well as in negating friendly fire threat to nearby infantry.

### **Ausf.D**

Further weapon modernization of the Ocelot introduced in 2003, the 40mm Autocannon was improved to its own Ausf.B version with enhanced stabilizer and the single-shot 9M113 launcher was replaced by a pair of two-tube launcher pods on each side of the turret, providing the Ocelot Ausf.D with significant anti-armor capabilities.

## **Service History**

* Early Ausf.A and Ausf.B Ocelots were used by East German forces while monitoring the 1998 Kosovo War, as a continuation of the 1992-1996 Yugoslav Wars in which NVA elements fought to prevent war crimes. They only saw limited peace-keeping action.
* Early Ocelots also saw action during the 1998-2003 Second Congo War during which East Germany provided a number of Ocelots to the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo at discounted premium prices. The Ocelots initially showed mixed results due to the lack of adequate tactical training of local Congolese officers fielding them and many were lost to guerilla warfare. Following the 2002 Pygmy massacre, the GDR officially joined the pro DRC coalition made of Angola, Nambia and Zimbabwe and sent a Volunteer force to the Congo including Ausf.C Ocelots. The Expeditionary force caused severe losses among the rebel forces thanks to its superior discipline and training and was largely feared.
* Ocelots of all Marks have been used in the Quarantine Zone of Site Charlie as the premier IFV for movement within the Red and Orange zones.