The Jaguar 2 is a tank destroyer which follows the traditional casemate design of German tank destroyers. It is a pretty light vehicle based on the "leichte Fahrzeugfamilie"-chassis, which was also used by the SPz Marder and the Jaguar 1. It is an all-welded steel construction, which has maximum thickness of 50 mm.
| Jaguar 2 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Tank destroyer |
| Place of origin |  West Germany |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1965 - 1993 |
| Used by | West Germany |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Henschel and Hanomag |
| Produced | 1983 - 1985 |
| Number built | 162 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 24.8 |
| Length | 6.61 |
| Width | 3.12 |
| Height | 2.55 |
| Crew | 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver) |
| | |
| Armor | 50 mm steel + applique armour |
| Main armament | 1 x manually reloaded TOW launcher, 12 missiles |
| Secondary armament | 1 x 7.62mm MG3 machine guns 8 x smoke discharger |
| Engine | 29,4 liter MTU MB 837 Aa V8 water-cooled multi-fuel diesel-engine 500 hp (368 kW) |
| Suspension | torsion bar |
| Operational range | 400 km |
| Speed | 70 km/h |
Protection
The base armour is formed by the Kanonenjagdpanzer chassis. It was made of welded steel and had a thickness of 10 to 50 mm steel. When the Kanonenjagdpanzers were upgraded, applique armour, consisting of perforated steel plates coated in a rubber-like substance, were fastened shock-mounted on the front of the vehicle and the side of the casemate structure. Leopard-like side-skirts were also added. Further protection is provided by eight smoke dischargers, which are now installed on the glacis instead of behind the casemate. The survivability of the Jaguar 2 is still mainly relying on its low profile, high speed and long combat range, which exceeded the combat range of contemporary tanks.
Armament
The Jaguar 2 is armed with a TOW-launcher, an anti-aircraft MG3 and a MG3A1 in the hull. The TOW missile allows to fight enemy tanks on long ranges, the maximum combat range was considered to be 3750 m. In 1989 the TOW missiles were replaced by the stronger TOW-2 missiles. Twelve missiles and 2100 7.62mm rounds are stored inside the vehicle.
