The ACEC Cobra is a tracked

armored personnel carrier An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world. Acc ...

with

amphibious Amphibious means able to use either land or water. In particular it may refer to: Animals * Amphibian, a vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia (many of which live on land and breed in water) * Amphibious caterpillar * Amphibious fish, a fish ...

capabilities, similar in concept to the

BTR-50 The BTR-50 (BTR stands for ''Bronetransporter'' (БТР, Бронетранспортер), literally "armored transporter") is a Soviet amphibious armored personnel carrier (APC) based on the PT-76 light tank. The BTR-50 is tracked, unlike m ...

. It was developed by

Ateliers de Constructions Electriques de Charleroi SA Ateliers de Constructions Electriques de Charleroi (abbrev. ACEC) was a Belgian manufacturer of electrical generation, transmission, transport, lighting and industrial equipment, with origins dating to the late 19th century as a successor to th ...

(ACEC) along with the

Belgian Army The Land Component ( nl, Landcomponent, french: Composante terre) is the land branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The King of the Belgians is the commander in chief. The current chief of staff of the Land Component is Major-General Pierre Gérard ...

. The Cobra was the fifth vehicle prototype of an experimental project to create a vehicle with an electric transmission. The electric transmissions made the vehicle lighter and have more room than previous vehicles. The vehicle was completed in October 1985, but never made it into active service because the Cold War ended in 1989/1990. When the Cobra went through performance training in Detroit, the test drivers stated that the electric transmission gave the Cobra equal, if not better, performance and maneuverability than vehicles with mechanical transmissions. The vehicle provided its passengers with protections from small arms fire, small armour piercing projectiles, and shell splinters.

Variants

Of the Cobra, several versions have been developed, using identical automotive components: * Cobra APC: has a crew of two and carries up to 10 fully equipped infantrymen. Armed with a roof-mounted 12.7mm M2HB machine gun. Optionally, the .50cal machine gun could be replaced by cannons up to 25mm. Some versions had a bow-mounted 7.62mm machine gun MAG. This version could also be used as the basis for a mortar carrier. * Cobra AFV: with a crew of three and fitted with a turret for cannons up to 90mm. One prototype was equipped with an AK 90 E two-man electrical turret, armed with Cockerill's KEnerga 90/46 gun and fitted with the OIP LRS-5 fire control system with ballistic computer, day/night sight and a laser rangefinder. Another version had the Cockerill C-25 two-man turret with Oerlikon KBB 25mm gun and 7.62mm coax machine gun. It was also possible to fit the MILAN MBT turret. * Cobra LAU97: with a FZ 70 mm multiple locket launcher, tested in 1985. * Cobra 120:fitted with a Thomson-Brandt 120 mm mortar firing to the rear

External links

History and DevelopmentPhoto
Armoured personnel carriers of Belgium Armoured personnel carriers of the Cold War Military vehicles introduced in the 1980s Tracked amphibious vehicles Tracked armoured personnel carriers