Mowag Puma

The Mowag Puma is one of the armored personnel carriers produced by Mowag based in Switzerland.

Mowag Puma
Mowag Puma at Schweizerisches Militärmuseum Full
Place of origin	Switzerland
Service history
In service	never entered production
Production history
Designer	MOWAG motor car factory Kreuzlingen
Designed	1981
Manufacturer	Mowag
No. built	1
Specifications
Crew	7: driver, commander, gunner +4 passengers in the rear area
Main armament	Coaxial armament turret with 20mm machine gun, 7.62 mm MG3 HS
Secondary armament	6 smoke grenade cup 2x 76mm 9mm Uzi in spherical aperture
Engine	8 cylinder Mowag M8DV, 10.8 L displacement 235 kW
Transmission	MOWAG M13-16S 6 forward and 2 reverse
Suspension	6x6 wheeled
Operational range	400 km (250 mi)
Maximum speed	80 km/h (50 mph) on road 42 km/h (26 mph) off-road 12 km/h (7.5 mph) water

Design

Emphasized in the Puma vehicles were buoyancy, high payload, high maneuverability and ease of operation in nuclear/biological/chemical (NBC) contaminated areas.

The 6x6 Puma has steerable wheels on the first and the third axles, while the wheels of the middle axle are fixed, which enables a tight turning circle.

Behind the two rear wheels is a ship propeller. The motor is housed in the front.

Grenadiers leave the vehicle through a door behind the turret hatch in the roof or through a large double door at the rear of the vehicle.

History

The Puma was the first of a family of vehicles including the 4x4, 6x6 and 8x8, which were designed and built in the 4x4 and 6x6 versions with different weight divisions.

The Puma yielded important results for the 8x8 armored personnel carriers weapon carrier Mowag Shark.

A prototype of the Puma, which took part in various trials in Switzerland and at presentations at the Gurnigel, Bruggrugg and Oerlikon-Bührle premises Ochsenboden, is now in the Schweizerisches Militärmuseum Full. The Puma never went into series production.