The armored MOWAG 3M1 Pirat was a prototype for an
armored
Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or fr ...
personal carrier developed by the
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
*Swiss, North Carolina
* Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
* Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internati ...
company
Mowag
MOWAG is a Swiss company which develops, designs and produces armoured vehicles for military applications in both land-only and amphibious configurations. These vehicles have gross vehicle weights ranging from 9 tonnes to 30 tonnes. The compan ...
.
History and development
Initiated by the development project of the future German
Marder infantry fighting vehicle, which was evaluated and tested in the various test series, Mowag developed the 3M1 Model 1 - 6 infantry fighting vehicle in 1966, which was based on the
Mowag Pirat
The MOWAG Pirat is an armored Infantry tank made by the Swiss company MOWAG.
History and development
Eleven prototypes in different versions were built from 1960 to 1975. Together with the Saurer Tartaruga the MOWAG Pirat was tested by the Sw ...
18.
The 3M1 was not procured. However, the development resulted in the Mowag gun carriage, 2000 of which were manufactured in Kreuzlingen for the Marder series, and the ball screens (gas-tight spherical firing flaps) used on the Marder, 8000 of which were supplied.
A special feature was the arrangement of the drive unit in the engine compartment, which was located in the center of the vehicle. Another innovation was the complete production of all drive components such as the engine, transmission, side-feed and cooling system at Mowag.
The 3M1 is now on exhibit in the
Military Museum Full.
[Militärmuseum Full Switzerland]
[Marcus Bauer, Nutzfahrzeuge der MOWAG Motorwagenfabrik AG, Fachpresse Goldach, Hudson & Company, 1996 ]
References
{{Reflist
Armoured fighting vehicles of Switzerland
Abandoned military projects of Switzerland