4x4s.org NAMED MODEL · 1981–83
NAMED MODELMilitary · OtherSwitzerland

Shark.

Experimental low-hulled eight-wheel amphibious weapons carrier with a two-man autocannon turret.

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Shark — MOWAG Shark frontKobel · CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗
BUILT BYMowag AG, KreuzlingenIN SERVICE1981–83OPERATED INSwitzerland, Germany, CanadaPRODUCTION3 prototypesLAYOUT8 wheels

The record

Three prototypes were constructed, with trials reported in Switzerland, Germany and Canada; these were trials, not service adoption. The German reference dates all three to 1981, while the English account dates the later two to 1983. The hull is reconstructed from the supplied museum front and ADATS side photographs; the missile turret is excluded. The requested GDD-BOE turret is reconstructed from original Oerlikon GDD-B brochure drawings, a related two-man installation shown on a different chassis. That brochure explicitly specifies 35 mm, while the supplied German account calls the Shark installation 30 mm. The requested 30 mm gameplay autocannon is retained, with the precise prototype turret configuration unresolved.

The eight shared Zander wheel assemblies are scaled around their pivots, with front and rear axles steering oppositely and the middle two fixed. The hull dimensions and 390 kW/100 km/h/22-tonne figures follow the supplied record. Wheel spacing, track, turret scale, rear engine deck and rear lamps are photographic/proportional reconstruction, not verified engineering dimensions. Torque 1490 Nm is the calculated equivalent at 390 kW and 2500 rpm, not a sourced peak-torque measurement. Grip 0.84, drag 4.1, steering 1 and acceleration 1 are gameplay tuning. The shared mass validation ceiling was raised to 25 tonnes to retain the researched 22-tonne mass. Manufacturer brochure rear smoke dischargers are represented as three per bank with the normal shared reload. Camouflage is a photographic approximation, not a factory stencil.

Specification

MANUFACTURERMowag AG, Kreuzlingen
MANUFACTUREDThree prototypes; conflicting 1981 versus 1981–83 accounts
ENGINEDetroit Diesel 8V-71T turbocharged two-stroke V8 diesel
PRODUCTION RUN3 prototypes; no series production
COUNTRY OF ORIGINSwitzerland
OPERATED INSwitzerland, Germany, Canada
STATUSout of production
OVERALL DIMENSIONS7520 × 3050 mm, hull height 1900 mm
ENGINE OUTPUT390 kW
ROAD SPEED100 km/h
MASS22 tonnes including weapon installation
STEERINGFirst and last axles; middle axles fixed
RANGE500 km
TORQUE1490 Nm calculated power-equivalent at 2500 rpm; peak torque unverified
RECORD KINDNamed model
FAMILYshark
WHEELS8
BODY STYLEturret
CATEGORYMilitary · Other

Catalogue fields describe the vehicle's structure and body as this registry records it. They are not certified factory measurements, and no performance figures are published here.

Variants & colours

Factory colours

  • NATO Olive

Codes on hover. Hex values are representative approximations of period paint unless a source states a measured value.

AI rendering impression

An AI rendering impression starts from a 3D model of this vehicle, which an image model then paints into a scene. It is an artist's impression of the type, made to give a feel for the vehicle in its element — not a photograph, and not a record of any particular vehicle.

Proportions, fittings, markings, colours and the setting can all drift from the original in the process. For the vehicle's actual details, rely on the specification, the photographs and the cited sources on this page.

Sources

  1. 1Supplied vehicle account and dimensional specifications ↗SOURCE
  2. 2Family context ↗SOURCE
  3. 3Museum hull front photograph ↗SOURCE
  4. 4ADATS prototype hull and wheel reference; missile turret excluded ↗SOURCE
  5. 5Original Oerlikon GDD-B brochure: front view and description ↗Oerlikon (scan reposted on forum)SOURCE
  6. 6Original Oerlikon GDD-B brochure: turret front, side and rear ↗Oerlikon (scan reposted on forum)SOURCE
  7. 7Original Oerlikon GDD-B brochure: gun and related chassis installation ↗Oerlikon (scan reposted on forum)SOURCE
  8. 8https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mowag_Sharkhttps://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mowag_Shark ↗REFERENCE

Registry record updated 2026-09-28T22:04:44.554Z · status: researched