Mike1158 Posted September 29, 2022 Share Posted September 29, 2022 From the Vault: T-72B Turret Armor Exposed – Tank and AFV News Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alejandro_ Posted September 29, 2022 Share Posted September 29, 2022 On 9/17/2022 at 6:58 PM, EasyE said: I had an interesting talk with an American tanker recently. I work on the engineering side of things, and he was a consultant, and he was retired US Army from the mid 1970s until the early 2000s. Served on M60A1/A3, M1, M1A1, M1A1HA, M1A2, and exposure to the M1A2SEP. The opinion of former Spanish tankers about the thermal sight of M60A3TTS is also very good, better than that of Leopard 2A4. One of them stated that at 400 meters he could see people inside tents. On another occasion his gunner told him that he thought the camera was broken because he could a darker layer in the upper part of the sight. It turns out it was pollution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renegade334 Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 So hybrid drive, better internal digital network and no direct vision or periscopes (at least in the demonstrator. Not entirely sure about the last part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damian Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 4 minutes ago, DB said: So hybrid drive, better internal digital network and no direct vision or periscopes (at least in the demonstrator. Not entirely sure about the last part. There are direct vision periscopes around crew hatches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 14 minutes ago, Damian said: There are direct vision periscopes around crew hatches. So there are. To be honest, I don't associate top hatches like those with a driver position, but one of them could be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damian Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 3 hours ago, DB said: So there are. To be honest, I don't associate top hatches like those with a driver position, but one of them could be. One of them is for driver, driver position changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renegade334 Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 (edited) Curious to see how the Leonidas and the Stryker LFX would work together if ever fielded. One for medium-to-long range engagements, the other for SHORAD? Edited October 10, 2022 by Renegade334 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alejandro_ Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 Interview with a former M48A1 commander in the National Guard of the US http://alejandro-8en.blogspot.com/2022/10/interview-with-former-m48-commander-in.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shep854 Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 (edited) 13 hours ago, alejandro_ said: Interview with a former M48A1 commander in the National Guard of the US http://alejandro-8en.blogspot.com/2022/10/interview-with-former-m48-commander-in.html Nice! I didn't know gassers lasted that long (I presume he was talking about the late '60s-early '70s) but that's the Guard for you... Edited October 19, 2022 by shep854 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alejandro_ Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 Thanks, readers also found strange that the tank platoon was commanded by a platoon sergeant. In Spain a senior NCO or Lt would be assigned to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKTanker Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 1 hour ago, alejandro_ said: Thanks, readers also found strange that the tank platoon was commanded by a platoon sergeant. In Spain a senior NCO or Lt would be assigned to it. When the unit is short of lieutenants then it is typical that a platoon sergeant would command the platoon. I grant you that the senior NCO in a platoon is considered the Platoon Sergeant and the NCO rank associated with platoon sergeant is Sergeant First Class (SFC / E-7). A senior NCO rating. It isn't mentioned what rank he was at each level of experience so he may well have been a Staff Sergeant (SSG / E-6) platoon sergeant. And, depending how short handed they may have been he might even have been simply a sergeant (SGT / E-5). During the time period under discussion (late Vietnam War) the state national guards were being pressured by the federal government to keep manning levels low so as not to be havens for men avoiding the draft. After re-reading the interview it would seem his unit was severely understrength given that he was assigned to be a tank commander as a young and unexperienced enlisted man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alejandro_ Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 On 10/19/2022 at 2:58 PM, DKTanker said: During the time period under discussion (late Vietnam War) the state national guards were being pressured by the federal government to keep manning levels low so as not to be havens for men avoiding the draft. After re-reading the interview it would seem his unit was severely understrength given that he was assigned to be a tank commander as a young and unexperienced enlisted man. I double checked with him and he served from March 1972 (in high school) until March 1978. Somehow I thought he had served way earlier (maybe mid 60s) as I assumed M48 petrol variants were phased out quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shep854 Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 3 hours ago, alejandro_ said: I double checked with him and he served from March 1972 (in high school) until March 1978. Somehow I thought he had served way earlier (maybe mid 60s) as I assumed M48 petrol variants were phased out quickly. Wow! That is a long run indeed for the gassers...shows how starved the Guard was in the days before Total Force. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKTanker Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 3 hours ago, alejandro_ said: I double checked with him and he served from March 1972 (in high school) until March 1978. Somehow I thought he had served way earlier (maybe mid 60s) as I assumed M48 petrol variants were phased out quickly. Okay, draft was over or nearly so and the US military was much maligned at the time. I enlisted in 1977 as a young wide eyed patriotic soul that found himself cast into the lot with the dregs of society. Manning strength was quite low, no doubt lower still in the National Guard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKTanker Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 6 minutes ago, shep854 said: Wow! That is a long run indeed for the gassers...shows how starved the Guard was in the days before Total Force. Indeed. When states had to buy their own equipment there would have been little incentive to swap out gassers for diesel versions when the only significant upgrade would have been the engine type. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiedzmin Posted October 24, 2022 Share Posted October 24, 2022 XM1 assembly from USAHEC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shep854 Posted October 24, 2022 Share Posted October 24, 2022 On 10/21/2022 at 7:15 AM, DKTanker said: Indeed. When states had to buy their own equipment there would have been little incentive to swap out gassers for diesel versions when the only significant upgrade would have been the engine type. Especially when the Feds saw the Guard as makework and a source of at reasonably trained replacements Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damian Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 M109A6+ from 2001, among many upgrades it had upgraded M284 gun with L52 barrel. Right now US Army is seeking new gun for M109A7, probably also with L52 barrel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renegade334 Posted November 7, 2022 Share Posted November 7, 2022 (edited) Apparently, JPEO-A&A developed its own unmanned turret for the Abrams. It appears to have the old Meggitt Compact Autoloader, judging by the orientation of the shells in the cassette (the new variant in the AbramsX reportedly does not require a 180° reorientation of the round between extraction and chambering). The gun is still a M256 rather than the XM360 favored by GDLS. https://ndiastorage.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/ndia/2022/future/Tues_Grassano.pdf (page 18) ^--- page 17 also shows the difference in size and geometry of the M109A7 and XM1299 SPH turrets. Edited November 7, 2022 by Renegade334 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damian Posted November 8, 2022 Share Posted November 8, 2022 Ok, so this unusual paint used on M1A2SEPv3's, it seems to be TALON CVCS (Combat Vehicle Coating System), which reduces both thermal and radar signature of the vehicle. This is probably one of several variants of camouflage pattern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWB Posted November 9, 2022 Share Posted November 9, 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damian Posted November 9, 2022 Share Posted November 9, 2022 So, ex-USMC M1A1FEP's will be rebuild and upgraded in to M1A2SEPv3's fielded by US Army. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bichri001 Posted November 10, 2022 Share Posted November 10, 2022 What is that thing circled in red? Our country has just started to use JLTVs and I haven't seen any other operators using this add-on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB Posted November 11, 2022 Share Posted November 11, 2022 Also shown in the main picture here. https://www.leonardodrs.com/news/in-the-news/leonardo-drs-chief-talks-taking-out-drone-swarms-and-what-integrated-sensing-has-in-common-with-tesla/ Still doesn't help with identifying what it is, but it looks like an optical sight (with a cap on the optical tube). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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