Rhino Heavy Armoured Car
Encyclopedia
Car, Armoured, Heavy, also known as Rhino, was an armoured car designed in Australia
during the Second World War. Due to enemy action and design problems the project never got beyond a prototype stage.
for armoured fighting vehicles. It led many Commonwealth countries to develop their own AFVs.
In mid to late 1941 a specification for a heavy armoured car was issued to the Australian Directorate of Armoured Fighting Vehicles Production. Two prototype hulls and turrets were built and tested on the same chassis 1942. The vehicle suffered from excessive weight and in 1943 the project was cancelled.
The vehicle utilised a CMP
chassis and engine produced by General Motors Canada, the rear-engined model 8446, the same chassis as used for the Canadian "Fox" armoured car
. To this a welded armoured body fabricated from Australian Bullet-proof Plate (ABP-3) of 30 mm thickness to the front and 11 mm to the sides and rear was fitted. The vehicle was completed by a welded turret with 30 mm all-round protection similar in design to that of the Crusader tank
. The armament consisted of a QF 2 pounder Mk IX
gun and a coaxial .303 inch Vickers machine gun.
A pilot model of an armoured personnel carrier
with an open-topped hull and without a turret was also built.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
during the Second World War. Due to enemy action and design problems the project never got beyond a prototype stage.
History and description
At the outbreak of World War II the United Kingdom was unable to meet the needs of the CommonwealthCommonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
for armoured fighting vehicles. It led many Commonwealth countries to develop their own AFVs.
In mid to late 1941 a specification for a heavy armoured car was issued to the Australian Directorate of Armoured Fighting Vehicles Production. Two prototype hulls and turrets were built and tested on the same chassis 1942. The vehicle suffered from excessive weight and in 1943 the project was cancelled.
The vehicle utilised a CMP
Canadian Military Pattern truck
The Canadian Military Pattern truck was a class of military truck made in large numbers in Canada during World War II to British Army specifications for use in the armies of the British Commonwealth allies. CMP trucks were also sent to the Soviet Union following the Nazi invasion of Russia, as...
chassis and engine produced by General Motors Canada, the rear-engined model 8446, the same chassis as used for the Canadian "Fox" armoured car
Fox Armoured Car
The Fox Armoured Car was a wheeled armoured fighting vehicle produced by Canada in the Second World War.- History :Built by General Motors, Canada, based on the British Humber Armoured Car. The four man crew consisted of the vehicle commander, the driver, a gunner and a wireless operator. 1506...
. To this a welded armoured body fabricated from Australian Bullet-proof Plate (ABP-3) of 30 mm thickness to the front and 11 mm to the sides and rear was fitted. The vehicle was completed by a welded turret with 30 mm all-round protection similar in design to that of the Crusader tank
Crusader tank
The Tank, Cruiser, Mk VI or A15 Crusader was one of the primary British cruiser tanks of the early part Second World War and perhaps the most important British tank of the North African Campaign...
. The armament consisted of a QF 2 pounder Mk IX
Ordnance QF 2 pounder
The Ordnance QF 2-pounder was a British anti-tank and vehicle-mounted gun, employed in the Second World War. It was actively used in the Battle of France, and during the North Africa campaign...
gun and a coaxial .303 inch Vickers machine gun.
A pilot model of an armoured personnel carrier
Armoured personnel carrier
An armoured personnel carrier is an armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.APCs are usually armed with only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortars...
with an open-topped hull and without a turret was also built.