The Ulan infantry fighting vehicle is the combat vehicle of the Austrian armored infantry and is used by the 13th and 35th armored infantry battalions. It scores highly in terms of armor protection, mobility and firepower. Thanks to its powerful engine and a top speed of 70 km/h, the Ulan can easily follow the Leopard main battle tank in any terrain. Since the armored personnel carrier was first deployed by the Austrian army in 2003, the vehicle has undergone constant further development – for example, the implementation of an air conditioning system is currently being tested, as temperatures inside the Ulan can reach up to 50 degrees Celsius on hot summer days.
In the following, we take a look at some of the Ulan’s highlights and technical features:
Development
The infantry fighting vehicle was manufactured by Steyr Daimler Spezialfahrzeuge AG (now General Dynamics European Land Systems-Steyr) and developed together with the German army. The Spanish General Dynamics subsidiary Santa Bárbara Sistemas was also involved in the development; in Spain, the Ulan was introduced into the army under the name Pizarro. The UK has ordered a total of 589 units of the successor model Ascod in different variants, of which more than 100 vehicles have already been delivered.
View
The commander sits on the turret on the left in the direction of travel, with the gunner on the right. When the hatch is closed, they have a 360-degree view of the surroundings using a thermal imaging device and angled mirror.
Ventilation
Ventilation is currently provided by openable valves on the ceiling of the vehicle interior in the driver’s area, which act as small fans.
Number of units
The German army owns a total of 112 Ulan infantry fighting vehicles – some of which are used with a driving school cabin attachment.
Motorization
The Ulan is powered by an MTU 8V-199 diesel engine with eight cylinders, which is located next to the driver’s seat.
Crew
The vehicle crew itself consists of three soldiers: Driver, gunner and tank commander. In addition, the Ulan can transport an armored infantry group with up to eight soldiers and their combat equipment.
Advantage for grenadiers
The Ulan can also be used to perform all the tasks of the fighter force thanks to its high number of eight soldiers. The great advantage for the armored infantry, however, is that they can also fight with the infantry fighting vehicle and are highly mobile thanks to it.
Equipment
The Ulan has an NBC protection system, a fire warning and extinguishing system as well as a fire suppression system, a fire control system with thermal imaging device and an automatic target tracking system.
