The Spähpanzer Luchs is a German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 8x8 amphibious

Amphibious vehicle

An amphibious vehicle , is a vehicle or craft, that is a means of transport, viable on land as well as on water – just like an amphibian....

 reconnaissance

Reconnaissance

Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....

 armoured fighting vehicle

Armoured fighting vehicle

An armoured fighting vehicle is a combat vehicle, protected by strong armour and armed with weapons. AFVs can be wheeled or tracked....

 (Spähpanzer) in service since 1975 by the German Army

German Army

The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...

, who used a total of 408 in their armoured reconnaissance battalions. It was developed by Daimler-Benz

Daimler-Benz

Daimler-Benz AG was a German manufacturer of automobiles, motor vehicles, and internal combustion engines; founded in 1926. An Agreement of Mutual Interest - which was valid until year 2000 - was signed on 1 May 1924 between Karl Benz's Benz & Cie., and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, which had...

 between 1968 and 1975, replacing the M41

M41 Walker Bulldog

The M41 Walker Bulldog was a U.S. light tank developed to replace the M24 Chaffee. It was named for General Walton Walker who died in a jeep accident in Korea...

 and the Schützenpanzer SPz 11-2 Kurz

Schützenpanzer SPz 11-2 Kurz

The Schützenpanzer SPz 11-2 Kurz armored reconnaissance vehicle was developed for the West German army and was a minor modification of a French designed vehicle . During the period between 1958 to 1962, the West German army received some 2,374 of these light armoured vehicles with the SPz 11-2 Kurz...

.

The all-wheel drive Luchs made by Thyssen-Henschel

Thyssen-Henschel

Thyssen Henschel was a German industrial firm and defense contractor. Its products include the TAM medium tank for Argentina, the Mexican Henschel APC and the Marder infantry fighting vehicle....

 (now: Rheinmetall

Rheinmetall

Rheinmetall AG is a German automotive and defence company with factories in Düsseldorf, Kassel and Unterlüß. The company has a long tradition of making guns and artillery pieces...

) is well armoured, has an NBC

Weapons of mass destruction

A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...

 protection system and is characterized by its low-noise running. The eight large low-pressure tyres have run-flat properties. At speeds up to about 50 km/h all four axles can be steered. As a special feature the vehicle is equipped with a special rear-facing driver with his own driving position. Up to the first combat effectiveness upgrade in 1986 the Luchs was fully amphibious and could surmount water obstacles quickly and independently using propellers at the rear and the fold back trim vane at the front.

The 20 mm Rheinmetall MK 20 Rh 202

Rheinmetall MK 20 Rh 202

The Rh202 is autocannon with a calibre of 20 mm designed and produced by Rheinmetall.The cannon is used on military vehicles of German origin, like the Marder infantry fighting vehicle, the Spähpanzer Luchs and some variants of the Wiesel AWC...

 gun in the turret

Turret

In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...

 is similar to the one in the Marder

Marder (IFV)

The Marder is a German infantry fighting vehicle operated by the German Army as the main weapon of the Panzergrenadiere from the 1970s through the present day. Developed as part of the rebuilding of Germany's armoured fighting vehicle industry, the Marder has proven to be a successful and solid...

 IFV. The upgrade to the Luchs A1 starting in 1986 included the incorporation of a thermal observation and gunnery system, which replaced the original infrared

Infrared

Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...

/white light night vision system

Night vision

Night vision is the ability to see in low light conditions. Whether by biological or technological means, night vision is made possible by a combination of two approaches: sufficient spectral range, and sufficient intensity range...

 mounted to the left of the turret. The incorporation of the new SEM 80/90 radio system gave it the designation SpPz 2 Luchs A2. The Luchs was replaced by the Fennek

Fennek

The Fennek, named after the fennec , or LGS Fennek, with LGS being short for Leichter Gepanzerter Spähwagen in German , is a four wheeled armed reconnaissance vehicle produced by the German company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Dutch Defence Vehicle Systems...

 in Bundeswehr

Bundeswehr

The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...

service.