As reported by Waldemar Geiger in Soldat und Technik, the German company Armored Car Systems GmbH (ACS) has developed an anti-tank variant of the airborne vehicle Enok AB (AB stands for Airborne) called Tankhunter and is now starting series production, as Sebastian Schaubeck, Managing Director of ACS, has confirmed to S&T. Based on a request from a European customer, the vehicle variant was developed to series maturity in just twelve months, so that production of the 60 vehicles ordered could now begin.
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Armored Car Systems GmbH (ACS) has developed an anti-tank variant of the airborne vehicle Enok AB (AB stands for Airborne) called Tankhunter (Picture source: ACS)

Sebastian Schaubeck, Managing Director of ACS, points out that the self-developed modular aluminum frame for the Mercedes-Benz G-models was the reason for the rapid development of the quite demanding conversion kit. The ACS aluminum frame, which ensures weight reduction and offers flexibility for the development of conversion kits, is not only used in the Enok AB, which is based on the previous G model platform G 461, but can also be used in combination with the latest version of the G platform - the G 464. The Caracal airborne vehicle family, for example, is based on this, with which the trio of ACS, Rheinmetall and Mercedes entered the competition for the future airborne vehicle of the German and Dutch parachute troops. According to Schaubeck, all Enok AB conversion kits developed by ACS are also available for the Mercedes Caracal family.

The Tankhunter is built on the Mercedes G 461 platform with a long wheelbase, Waldemar Geiger details. The long wheelbase is necessary in order to be able to offer the vehicle a sufficiently dimensioned loading area, as the Spike anti-tank missile system used in the conversion kit from the Israeli company Rafael (a member of Eurospike) can fire both Spike LR and the longer Spike ER.

The crew of the Tankhunter consists of four soldiers: the driver, the commander, the gunner and the loader/ammunition gunner. The gunner operates the Spike weapon system from a rotating ring carriage with the appropriate adapter. Important for an airborne vehicle, the anti-tank conversion kit is fully air-transportable. After unloading from the aircraft, the weapon system can be brought from the transport state to the combat state by the crew in just a few movements using hinges within a very short time.

The vehicle can be covered with a fireproof folding roof. According to Schaubeck quoted by Waldemar Geiger, the fire resistance in combination with the slanting of the rear part of the body is necessary for safety reasons and serves to protect the vehicle and the crew. In the unlikely event of a misfire and the missile failing to leave the launcher, the Spike's rocket motor propulsion jet would otherwise damage the vehicle.

The Tankhunter can be covered with a fireproof folding roof (Picture source: ACS)

Possible anti-tank guided missile armaments for the Tankhunter

Spike LR: 1 4km
Spike LR 2: 5.5 km
Spike ER: 8 km
Spike ER 2: 10 km

The aluminum frame used for the Enok AB follows a modular concept and therefore not only allows the easy use and development of different conversion kits, but it also enables the same vehicle to be used open, closed or ballistically protected.

Armored Car Systems GmbH (ACS) demonstrated its Enok AB in Austria, in September 2021. This long-wheelbase chassis forms the basis of the Tankhunter (Picture source: Army Recognition)

Defense News April 2023