Light tanks where we were, where we thought we were going and where we think the future lies.
Part I
Where we were...
Our last operational "
light tank" (Of which we did some work on a few years ago, was corrected and I believe we added one based on feedback.) was the
M551 Sheridan you loved it or hated it, but, it ended up having a
long service life despite it's many faults.
http://www.military-today.com/tanks/m551_sheridan.htm
Where we thought we were going...
A little on the heavy side for a light tank (41T) it's not out of line for that class even by todays standards. The
JAGUAR was a joint project between U.S. and China, when the U.S. saw China's role as a "
buffer state" against the Soviet Union. It "melded" the technologies of all 3 nations and successfully "pulled it off" until the Cold War ended and the market was "
over run" with high quality cheaper MBT options. This was for it's time a very advanced tank whose armor is still classified and never been released.
http://www.military-today.com/tanks/jaguar.htm
The next was a private venture from
Cadillac Gage intended for the export market. However articles started to appear that the U.S. Army was looking at the
STINGRAY as a possible replacement to
SHERIDAN under the
AGS Program. It was dropped.
Thailand is currently the only operator of this tank. We also updated this tank and after presenting enough at least some
anecdotal and
other evidence, we also decided to enter the
STINGRAY II as well for a variety of reasons you can research in this thread and Patch one.
http://www.military-today.com/tanks/...light_tank.htm
The following two also competed in the U.S. Army
AGS Program. I'll start with the
Expeditionary Tank Prototype with an
Electronics Pkg. that was considered one of the
most advanced in the world on a tank at that time. Though it would lose in the final pairing, it
still lives on today as the
turret used on the
M1128 Stryker MGS.
http://www.military-today.com/tanks/...onary_tank.htm
Who won the
AGS competition, one of the most
controversial tanks I ever heard about as it was in the news quite a bit at the time. The United Defense (Later
FMC) tank
CCV-L/then
XM8 and finally the
M8 BUFORD. Though the winner, it would ultimately be a loser as it's two predecessors were when Congress told the Army to cancel the AGS Program for a
variety of budget and design issues associated in the costs and development in trying to launch a tank program. What is amazing is this tank is
still viable in todays conflict environments and is still being offered. It had so pluses and minuses as taken from the below ref.
On the
plus side:
1) M8 Buford uses combined aluminum and steel armor. Modular titanium add-on armor, including ERA packages can be added if necessary.
2) A
fully-stabilized M68A1 105 mm rifled gun, or a
Rheinmetall XM35 gun, fitted with an autoloader and fire control system.
Fire control system is
similar to that, used on the
M1A2 Abrams main battle tank. Autoloader holds 19 to 21 rounds and provides a
maximum rate of fire in 12 rounds per minute. Other projectiles are stowed near the driver. Gun can be loaded manually in case of emergency.
3) The
M8 Buford can be
airdropped from a
C-130 transport aircraft or larger. The
C-130 can carry
one vehicle, while the
C-141 (Mine-Now retired.), C-17 and C-5 can carry
two, three and five respectively.
On the minus side:
1) The
M8 Buford is a
relatively thin-skinned vehicle, designed to support infantry from
covered position and
to fight in areas where it is
not going to run into main battle tanks.
2) During the
trials it appeared that the ammunition compartment
failed to contain the reaction of the ammunition, when
hit by anti-tank weapons.
Now what? Well part of that future still lies with this tank, however in an improved version which I hope to update with as a
Part II. But before I go I'll leave you with something I didn't know and a "glimpse into the future" in order...
A
similar design was the
British VFM 5 light tank, developed by Vickers.
It was based on the XM8. The VFM 5 was a
simplified alternative of the XM8, intended for export customers. However it received no production orders.
http://www.military-today.com/tanks/vfm_5.htm
In
2015 an updated version of the M8 was revealed by
BAE Systems. This light tank is still being proposed for various customers.
http://www.military-today.com/tanks/m8_buford.htm
And we now know it's been updated again for the current Army Light Tank competition. All I have on that by later tonight hopefully. And I have a lot.
Have a
good whatever today and a great weekend!
Regards,
Pat
