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TM-170 - Wikipedia

️Wed Aug 22 2018

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TM-170^[1]
TM-170 of the German federal police
Type	Armoured personnel carrier
Place of origin	West Germany
Service history
Used by	See Operators
Production history
Designer	Thyssen-Henschel (acquired by Rheinmetall Landsysteme)
Manufacturer	Germany: Thyssen-Henschel (acquired by Rheinmetall Landsysteme) South Korea: Hanwha Defense Shinjeong Korea Vehicle Corporate
Produced	1979
No. built	370 (est.)
Specifications
Mass	8.8 - 11.9 tonnes
Length	6.14 m
Width	2.47 m
Height	2.32 m
Crew	2+10

Armor	8mm steel
Main armament	optional
Engine	Daimler-Benz OM366 EURO 1 (final production model - 1993) 214 hp
Suspension	coil sprung portal axles (Unimog)
Operational range	870 km
Maximum speed	100 km/h (road)

The TM-170 is an armoured personnel carrier was announced for the first time in 1978 and entered production in 1979. It was originally designed primarily for use as an APC or an internal security vehicle, but could be adapted for a wide range of other roles.^[2]

The TM 170 was originally developed by Thyssen Henschel which subsequently became part of Rheinmetall Landsystem. Today, the TM-170 is considered a legacy product of Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles, part of Rheinmetall's Vehicle Systems Division.

The equivalent vehicle in the current RMMV portfolio is the Survivor R.

Around 370 TM-170 were produced in total. The TM 170 was selected by the German Border Guard (Bundesgrenzschutz) and state police forces to replace the old MOWAG MR 8 series of APCs, designated the SW1 and SW2.^[3] The TM 170 was designated the SW4 (Sonderwagen 4 for Special Vehicle 4), the SW3 being the armoured version of the Mercedes-Benz 4 × 4 light vehicle.^[3] The first order for 87 vehicles was placed in July 1982 with deliveries running from 1983 onwards.^[4]

The TM-170 is mainly used by Public Order and Crowd Control Police (Bereitschaftspolizei) of the state police forces and airport security enforcement of the Federal Police (Bundespolizei). The former Bundesgrenzschutz which was renamed into Bundespolizei in 2005 had a total of 121 TM 170, but these have now been phased out of service.

South Korean production

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South Korean companies Doosan Infracore Defense Products BG^{[note 1]} (an affiliate of Hyundai), Shinjeong ^{[note 2]} , and Korea Vehicle Corporate^{[note 3]} offer near-copies of the TM-170. It is not clear what, if any, licensing arrangements exists between Rheinmetall and Doosan/Shinjeong/Kovico. Doosan offers the Barracuda, while Shinjeong offers the S-5, and Korea Vehicle Corporate offers the Black Shark.

South Korean-made APCs are in service with Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea and Vietnam.

The TM-170 is based on Mercedes-Benz Unimog chassis and components.^[5] The hull of the TM 170 is of all-welded steel providing protection from small arms fire and shell splinters.

The vehicle is modular, and can be fitted with the following optional equipment: auxiliary heater, fire warning and extinguishing system, hydraulically operated 5,000 kg capacity winch with 40 m of 13 mm diameter cable, public address system, police flashing lights, radio, NBC filtering system and run-flat tyres. As well as the standard version a fully amphibious version was developed and marketed, but none are thought to have been sold.^[1] Armament on the TM-170 is optional and it is capable of being equipped with a pintle- or ring-mounted 7.62 mm machine gun, a turret armed with twin 7.62 mm MGs, or a turret armed with a 20 mm cannon.^[1]