Us Sp-Aaa Pursuits.

[Mr King]

 

[rmgill]

SAM system based on the M109's hull. That makes too much sense.

Edited December 20, 2014 by rmgill

[Panzermann]

As already mentioned in this thread, Roland SAM on M109 chassis was not really successful.

[rmgill]

It just seems to make more sense insofar as the chassis used vs the M48 hull for the Sgt York.

[Colin]

agreed

[Gavin-Phillips]

It just seems to make more sense insofar as the chassis used vs the M48 hull for the Sgt York.

 

Weren't there more modern tank hulls available at the time than the M48 which could have been used for the chassis of the Sgt York system? It may have solved some mobility issues if nothing else.

[Harold Jones]

Not much to choose mobility wise between M48 and M60 chassis, since M48s were being withdrawn from service there would be plenty of chassis available. I'm guessing an M1 chassis would have added too much cost and taken away from M1 production. Naturally foreign stuff need not apply.

[Gorka L. Martinez-Mezo]

How capable would a Gepard/Roland system have actually been in combat? Would some version of tracked Rapier have been better? What about Croatale? ADATS was pretty late, and I imagine suffered from being a dual use system.

 

The Gepard seems to have worked reasonably well, although it has never seem combat. Same for Roland. In fact, when the US Army adopted Roland it was probably the best low altitude SAM system available. Roland 2 had radar mode and visual mode guidance for use in high ECM scenarios, 360º coverage day or night (unlike Chaparral) plus proximity fuze and a reasonable range/altitude limits. Plus, it was self contained and mobile. Problem is US spec Roland 2 became a different weapon, killing commonability and raising costs. The procurement was axed but not because it was a bad system. I also remember to read the USAF paid for a number of truck mounted Roland 2 systems for airbase defence manned by German personnel, and the Turkish Rapiers.

 

Rapier had a lousy combat debut in the Falklands (unlike the Roland, much feared by British airmen). It had no proximity fuze and needed a direct hit; IIRC, postwar analysis showed it got no kills, something glossed out to avoid affecting sales inmediatly after the war.

 

Crotale was a heavier system, which needed separe radar/launcher vehicles and was thus not directly comparable with Roland. Earlier models had to ECCM capability and the French AF was horrorized to realize in the 1970s (when they started to introduce ECM systems on their tactical aircraft) how easy to jam Crotale was. Later models were much, much better and the VT-1 was on the Roland size class and fully self-contained, but as mentioned came much later. As the Chinese still produce their evolved early model series, surely they would consider it good enough.....

[Jim Warford]

When I was in high school, I combined my 1:35 scale Gepard turret with my 1:35 scale M60A1 hull...the two fit together very well. I took a photo of the resulting hybrid vehicle and sent it to ARMOR magazine (not knowing who else to send it to). I never heard back...

[rmgill]

Was Dynamic Para not active yet?

[Panzermann]

When I was in high school, I combined my 1:35 scale Gepard turret with my 1:35 scale M60A1 hull...the two fit together very well. I took a photo of the resulting hybrid vehicle and sent it to ARMOR magazine (not knowing who else to send it to). I never heard back...

The British made Marksman turret would have been another option, but NIIP (not invented in Pentagon). Just like a simple boy that was not in the ring does not understand the complicated nature of adult things. How dare you think logical and straight!

Edited January 5, 2015 by Panzermann

[Kentucky-roughrider]

I wonder what vehicles that would accept the Marksman turret that are in US service or at least we have in storage. and how would the Marksman turret equipped vehicle compare with the Gepard. if I am not mistake the Germans designed a vechile with the turret of the Gepard but built on the Spähpanzer Luchs body for export customers .

[BansheeOne]

You probably think of the Wildcat 30, which had a twin 30 mm Mauser turret on a Fuchs chassis.

 

[Kentucky-roughrider]

That is the vehicle I was thinking about, it was designed for countries who couldn't afford the Gepard or similar vehicles or at least that was the idea i had gotten.