TRACKPADSHistory Wins the Future
A TRACKPADS COLLECTIONARMOR ARCHIVE
West Germany / Cold War

Kanonenjagdpanzer

The Kanonenjagdpanzer was developed for the Bundeswehr as a mobile antitank system emphasizing a low silhouette, high road speed, and a conventional 90 mm gun rather than a turret.

Kanonenjagdpanzer
Kanonenjagdpanzer. Primary reference image for this archive profile. Source date: June 1965 date QS:P571,+1965-06-00T00:00:00Z/10.Berretty; CC BY-SA 3.0 deImage source
Roletracked gun tank destroyer
Main weapon / system90 mm rifled gun
Platform / layoutpurpose-built low tracked chassis
MediaPrimary image integrated

Development and design

Its layout reflected wartime German tank-destroyer experience but used a modern suspension, powerpack, optics, and NBC-era design assumptions. The same basic chassis also supported missile-armed Raketenjagdpanzer development. 1, 2

Operational use

The vehicle entered service in the 1960s, but improvements in Warsaw Pact tank protection quickly reduced the growth potential of the 90 mm gun. Many hulls were later converted or repurposed as missile carriers and observation vehicles. 1, 2

Role and significance

Its short front-line career captures the technological pivot from gun-armed postwar tank destroyers toward guided missiles for dedicated antitank units. 1, 2

Sources and further reading

Representative source set used for this profile. Primary image source and reuse terms are listed with the image.

  1. Bundeswehr historical collection, Jagdpanzer Kanone
  2. Deutsches Panzermuseum collection overview