Rear view of T-55 Marksman self-propelled anti-aircraft gun.
Source: Finnish army -
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The Marksman is a modern self-propelled anti-aircraft gun of UK origin. It was developed for the export market but sales have been limited to Finland only. The Marksman is a powerful system with similar performance as the German Gepard and Japanese Type 87.
The Marksman system uses a large box shaped two man turret. On each side a 35mm KDA autocannon is mounted and a radar is fitted on top. The turret can be used on a variety of chassis types. All production models were built on the T-55AM tank chassis.
The Marksman is armed with two 35mm Oerlikon KDA autocannon. Each gun fires at 550 rpm and is supplied with 220 HE rounds plus 20 AP rounds for use against ground targets. The effective anti-aircraft range is 4 km. In a normal engagement 20 to 40 rounds are fired at a single target.
Fire control is provided by a single Marconi Series 400 I/J-band radar. This has a surveillance range of 12 km and tracking range of 10 km. Additionally a gyro-stabilized optical sight is fitted for manual use against aerial and ground targets.
The Marksman is operated under full armor protection. The steel armor protects against small arms fire and shell splinters. Smoke grenade dischargers are fitted and an NBC system is optional.
The T-55AM chassis provides for a good cross-country mobility albeit at limited speeds. The 620 hp diesel engine provides a maximum road speed of 45 km/h and range of 400 km. The refit of the turrets onto the Leopard 2 chassis provides a massive boost in mobility.
The Marksman system was only adopted by Finland. It is believed that up to 10 turrets have been delivered and 7 systems are in use. The Marksman system is no longer marketed. The Marksman on T-55AM chassis was put in long term storage in 2010. Recently the turret were refitted onto the Leopard 2 chassis and put back in service.
The Leopard 2 Marksman is fitted with the turrets taken from the T-55 Marksman, after several years of storage.
The ItPsv 90 is based on the chassis of the Soviet T-55AM main battle tank.
Armament of the T-55 Marksman consists of two Oerlikon KDA autocannon, which fire the 35x228mm round.
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