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58-548: There were three primary entries into the AGS contest. Cadillac Gage offered its Stingray light tank with the traditional four-man layout. FMC offered the Close Combat Vehicle Light (CCVL) with a three-man configuration. Teledyne offered its Expeditionary tank which had a two-man layout with an unmanned turret. In 1992, FMC's design was selected and given the name M8 Armored Gun System . However, purchases of

116-506: A 105 mm rifled cannon. Its cruise speed is 44 mph (71 km/h). Maximum grade is 60%. The maximum vertical distance it can scale is 2.7 feet (82 cm). It can ford water up to 3.5 feet (107 cm). It is air transportable in a C-130 cargo aircraft. The original Stingray program was launched in 1983, with the first prototype vehicle ready in August 1984. The Stingray turret was also marketed separately for retrofit installation on

174-543: A 1996 low-rate order for the initial production vehicles. Only one year later, Defense Secretary William Perry instructed the Army to reduce manpower by another 20,000 as part of the FY1997 budget. The Army instead suggested reducing weapons programs and other efficiencies. The final budget left the troop count at 495,000, but AGS was one of the victims of the cuts. Stingray light tank The Stingray , sometimes known as

232-520: A Stingray design, which was too heavy for the U.S. Army's requirements. Cadillac Gage continued its work with the Stingray II. One prototype was completed in 1994, and the tank was marketed to Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and Taiwan up until 2003. In 2010, Federal Defense Industries announced that they entered into an agreement with Textron Marine & Land Systems in order to provide authorized aftermarket parts, support and other types of assistance for

290-751: A competitive engineering and manufacturing development phase in 2024, after which a decision will be made as to whether production will be pursued. Textron and GDLS were awarded Other Transaction Authority (OTA) contracts in July 2021 for prototypes to be built and evaluated over the next two years. BAE Systems will also participate in a separate technical study to see if a variant of its Amphibious Combat Vehicle can meet ARV requirements. There are planned to be six ARV variants: command, control, communications and computers -unmanned aerial system (C4/UAS); organic precision fire-mounted; counter-UAS; 30 mm autocannon and ATGM; logistics; and recovery. Developed from

348-630: A design that combined the firepower of a front-line tank while improving its survivability through very small size as opposed to heavy armor. The US Marine Corps were studying similar concepts as part of their efforts to replace the M50 Ontos , itself a former Army program whose rejection led to the M551 program. The two forces combined their efforts in 1978 as the Advanced Antiarmor Vehicle Evaluation (ARMVAL). One of

406-423: A lengthened hull Commando Stingray with the U.S. Marine Corps LAV-105 turret. This had a crew of three (the fourth crewmember was replaced by an Fairey Hydraulics automatic ammunition loader ). The AGS Stingray carried 30 rounds, with 16 in ready storage. This was armed with an XM35 105 mm gun, though an earlier proposed model mounted a Royal Ordnance L7 105 mm Low Recoil Force cannon. Propulsion

464-664: A light tank could carry a 105 mm gun. For the AGS, the Army sought a commercial off-the-shelf solution for the AGS. Several candidates emerged including the Cadillac Gage Cadillac Gage Stingray , the Teledyne Continental Motors AGS , FCM Corporation's Close Combat Vehicle Light, and Hägglunds IKV-91 . Funding for the AGS was curtailed by the Gramm–Rudman–Hollings Balanced Budget Act . While

522-502: A much larger group of light forces to be able to act as a stop-gap in Europe while the heavier forces arrived, as well as be ready for rapid deployment to brushfire wars . The ARMVAL tank, a militarized dune buggy and the new Light Helicopter Experimental helicopter, were required to give these forces the firepower they needed while the main forces arrived. In 1987, Carl E. Vuono was appointed Army Chief of Staff. At around this point,

580-491: A private-venture armored fighting vehicle (AFV) for the export market. The turret is the same that is mounted on the Cadillac-Gage V-600 . The light tank's baseline armor protects its occupants from armor-piercing, heavy machine gun rounds up to 14.5 mm in size. Additional armor appliqué can be fitted to increase ballistic protection. Operational range is increased 450 kilometres (280 mi) if one assumes

638-574: A reasonable range were too heavy to fit onto a lightweight chassis. The M551 solved this with the M81 gun/launcher, which fired HEAT shells at low velocity for short-range work, and the MGM-51 Shillelagh missile for long-range shots. In practice the M81 proved to be unreliable, and the guidance system for the missile was a source of continual failures. When tested during the Vietnam War ,

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696-407: A tracked vehicle, or 49,500 lb (22,453 kg) for a wheeled submission. The main gun was to be the 105mm XM35. In 1992 four teams submitted bids for the AGS. Although the AGS program was intended to be non-developmental, (i.e. using completely commercial off-the-shelf designs), the Army determined that all four entries would require some modification to meet its requirements. This raised

754-517: A travel speed of about 48 kilometres per hour (30 mph). The 8V-92TA engine on the Stingray II has been uprated to 550 hp (410 kW) at 2,300 rpm , and a 650 hp (480 kW) version is also available. The Stingray's main armament is a low recoil force (LRF) version of the British Royal Ordnance L7 105 mm rifled gun installed in a well-angled and electro-hydraulically powered turret having manual backup as

812-533: A vehicle with a tethered unmanned aircraft system (UAS) and an open architecture approach allowing for integration of capabilities including battle management systems and communications suites, weighing less than 18.5 tons and being small enough to fit four on a Ship-to-Shore Connector . Vendors that submitted proposals include General Dynamics Land Systems, Textron , and BAE Systems . The Marine Corps plans to make up to three awards for ARV prototypes for testing and evaluation, then choose up to two to continue into

870-529: Is approximately 12 km/h (7.5 mph) using equipped propellers. The current Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) modifications will hinder or eliminate amphibious operations. Typical land speeds are approximately 100 km/h (62.5 mph) in either 4- or 8-wheel drive; however, fuel economy decreases in 8-wheel drive. The vehicles operate on diesel fuel . They are equipped with a 25 mm M242 Bushmaster autocannon, two 7.62 mm M240 machine guns , and two four-barrel smoke grenade launchers located on

928-548: Is ready for use. 150 rounds are ready for use from one stowage bin, 60 from another stowage bin, the other 210 rounds are stowed elsewhere in the vehicle. A coaxial M240C machine gun is mounted alongside the M242, and a pintle-mounted M240B/G machine gun, with 1,320 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, is mounted on the turret roof. The Canadian Army uses an upgraded version of this chassis for its Coyote Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicle. The vehicle has been through many changes through

986-500: Is usually found on tanks. The gun has optional stabilization in two axes, and eight ready rounds, with another 24 rounds stored in the hull. Complementing the main gun is an M240 7.62 mm co-axial machine gun with 2,400 rounds (400 ready), as well as a 12.7 mm M2 Browning anti-aircraft machine gun with 1,100 rounds on the commander's hatch (100 ready). The Stingray II is fitted with 16 protective smoke grenade launch tubes, with 8 of them on each side. The optic system for

1044-601: The 82nd Airborne Division was activated and equipped with ex-USMC LAV-25A2s for test and evaluation; the unit was deactivated in September 2020 differing to wait for the creation of the U.S. Army's Mobile Protected Firepower units planned for 2025/2026. In January 2019, General Dynamics was awarded a $ 37.2 million contract to upgrade the Marine Corps' LAV fleet. Designated the LAV A3, upgrades include improvements to

1102-504: The AVGP family built by General Dynamics Land Systems, the LAV-25 is powered by a 6V53T Detroit Diesel turbo-charged engine, they are four-wheel drive (rear wheels) transferable to Eight-wheel drive . These vehicles are also amphibious, meaning they have the ability to "swim" but are limited to non-surf bodies of water (no oceans). While engaged in amphibious operations, the maximum speed

1160-559: The Commando Stingray , is a light tank produced by Textron Marine & Land Systems division (formerly Cadillac Gage ). The Stingray was a private venture project aimed at foreign countries. As of 2020, Textron has kept the Stingray name registered. It was exported for use by armed forces of Thailand , who remain the only user. The Stingray was developed in the 1980s as a private venture by Cadillac Gage Textron . It

1218-678: The United States Marine Corps and the United States Army . During the 1980s, the U.S. Marine Corps began looking for a light armored vehicle (LAV) to give their divisions greater mobility. In April 1981, the United States Department of Defense opened submissions to the LAV program. Three contractors were downselected. The Marine Corps evaluated the three LAV submissions. In September 1982,

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1276-650: The War in Afghanistan . The table of organization and equipment for a USMC light-armored reconnaissance battalion includes 56 LAV-25s, 16 LAV-ATs, 12 LAV-Ls, 8 LAV-Ms, 4 LAV-Rs, 4 LAV-C2s, and an unknown number of LAV-MEWSS vehicles. The LAV platform is planned to remain in service with the Marine Corps until 2035. The Marines aimed to have prototypes for the LAV's replacement, dubbed the Armored Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV), by 2023. The ARV

1334-510: The ARES gun with a new chassis with more armor. HIMAG was further modified with an eye to allowing the gun to be used in the anti-aircraft role. This version lost the OHG elevation system and replaced it with a somewhat more conventional turret, but had a well in the chassis that the breach could depress into, allowing the gun to elevate to 40 degrees. The HIMAG chassis was further upgraded with armor on

1392-616: The ARES to the LAV-25 . Following the end of the MPGS joint project, the Army initiated the XM4 armored gun system project. In December 1985, Army Vice Chief of Staff Maxwell Thurman called for the Army to purchase 500 AGS systems. The Naval Surface Weapons Center mated a M68 105 mm gun (with the recoil system of the Sheridan) to a Sheridan chassis. Testing of this test bed validated the idea that

1450-620: The ARMVAL program was ongoing, in 1979 Jimmy Carter ordered the formation of the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force , or RDF. Until this time the US's focus was almost entirely on a "heavy" war in Europe, but the Vietnam War and a number of events in the early 1970s led to concerns that they were completely unprepared in case war began anywhere else. This point was driven home during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis , when it

1508-465: The Army had spent about $ 30 million on light tank programs to replace the Sheridan. In June 1987, Vuono announced his intention to field a gun system. Around the time, Vuono indicated that the light divisions would require about 700 of the new design by the 1990s. The Army grew concerned that the initial request for proposals were too stringent. In April 1991 the Army relaxed its requirements, raising

1566-629: The General Motors submission was selected. GM was awarded initial production contract for 969 LAVs. The Army type designated the 25 mm gun variant as the M1047. The Army sought 2,350 of the 12.7 mm (.50) caliber-armed light squad carrier variant, and at one point was expected to be the LAV's biggest buyer. Congress canceled funds for the LAV-25, causing the Army to drop out of the program. The Marine Corps managed to secure enough funding to buy 758 LAVs in six variants. The LAV entered service with

1624-632: The Generation II standard. Phase II upgrades include replacing the turret hydraulics with an electric drive system and replacing the thermal sight with an improved model incorporating a laser range finder for aircraft. To reflect the improved significant survivability and capability enhancements occurring today, the LAV is being renamed as the LAV-A2. The LAV-A2 project involved developing and installing an internal and external ballistic protection upgrade package, developed by Armatec Survivability, for

1682-503: The Improved Thermal Sight System (ITSS) developed by Raytheon . The ITSS provides the gunner and commander with thermal images, an eye-safe laser range finder , a fire-control solution and far-target location target grid information. The new armor will provide protection from 14.5 mm armor-piercing rounds, and include an anti-spall lining on the inside to further protect crew members. It will be similar to

1740-635: The LAV-105 turret stipulation, saying the requirement would discourage competitors that could not integrate the turret on their design. By 1992, with the deferment of the Armored Systems Modernization Block III tank and the Comanche helicopter , the AGS emerged as the top priority procurement program for the Army. The relatively low cost of the program—about $ 600 million—amid shrinking procurement budgets contributed to

1798-553: The Light Armored Vehicles, an automatic fire suppression system for the interior of the vehicle and a Generation II suspension upgrade to support the added weight of the new armor. The suspension upgrade includes new struts/steering knuckles, torsion bars, shocks and mounts and driveshaft. The three-kit armor system provides the LAV with additional survivability against improvised explosive devices (IED) and direct-fire kinetic energy weapons . The LAV-25A2 includes

M551 Sheridan replacement process - Misplaced Pages Continue

1856-768: The M8 were cancelled in 1997. The role was ultimately filled by the Stryker M1128 mobile gun system , which was retired in 2022. In 2017, the Army requested proposals for the Mobile Protected Firepower requirement. The Army downselected BAE Systems ' variant of the M8 AGS and General Dynamics Land Systems Griffin II . The Army reportedly disqualified BAE's proposal in March 2022. The GDLS Griffin II light tank

1914-592: The Marines in 1983. The Army borrowed at least a dozen LAV-25s for use by the 82nd Airborne Division , 3 squadron-73rd Armor for a scout platoon during the Gulf War . These LAV-25s were returned to the Marine Corps after the conflict. The USMC ordered 758 vehicles of all variants. LAVs first saw combat during the invasion of Panama in 1989 and continued service in the Persian Gulf War , Iraq War , and

1972-402: The Stingray since FDI maintains a technical library for spare parts. In 2011, Napco entered into an agreement with Textron to provide authorized aftermarket parts, support and other types of assistance for the Stingray. The main armament is the low recoil force variant of the 105 mm Royal Ordnance L7 gun. The tank's ammunition capacity has been variously reported as: The Stingray has

2030-447: The common 7.62x39mm M1943 ball used by Kalashnikov rifles such as the AKM , to achieve the lowest possible weight and cost. The standard LAV is fitted with a turret with 360° traverse, armed with an M242 25 mm chain gun with 420 rounds of 25 mm ammunition, both M791 APDS-T (Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot-Tracer) and M792 HEI-T (High Explosive Incendiary-Tracer), of which half

2088-614: The field in two to four hours. This involves installing a wider track. Two Stingray IIs were made to showcase its weapons and equipment for demonstration to potential customers. Background: History of the tank , Tank classification , Tanks in the Cold War LAV-25 The LAV-25 ( Light Armored Vehicle ) is a member of the LAV II family. It is an eight-wheeled amphibious armored reconnaissance vehicle built by General Dynamics Land Systems and used by

2146-404: The first products of the ARMVAL program was a new gun system known as the "over-head gun" or OHG. This consisted of a tank gun mounted on a remote-control turret with the gun itself on a rotating arm. Normally the gun was close to flush with the top of the chassis, but when the tank stopped, the arm could be rotated upward, elevating the gun about a meter (yard) to allow it to be fired while the tank

2204-455: The forward left and right sides of the turret. The crew is three; vehicle commander, gunner, and driver; and four passengers (scouts) with combat gear. The LAV-25 is a lightly armored vehicle. The base model is protected by light gauge high hardness steel armor (MIL-A-46100), varying in nominal thickness from 4.71 mm to 9.71 mm. This level of high-hardness steel armor is intended only to offer protection against small arms rounds such as

2262-583: The front to allow it to absorb frontal hits and included a newer "hunter/killer sight" and laser rangefinder . In this form, it became the High Survivability Test Vehicle/Light (HSTV/L). However, by the time the HSTV/L was being tested, the Army concluded that the ARES gun would not be effective against newer Soviet tanks. The Royal Ordnance L7 105 mm gun was now considered the bare minimum, and there were concerns that

2320-501: The gun's recoil would be too much for the lightweight chassis to handle. The Marines were not convinced the ARES would not be effective, especially for their beach-landing role. The Marine Corps continued developing the concept under the name Mobile Protected Weapons System (MPWS) an amphibious ship-to-shore vehicle. The Army joined the Marine Corps effort in 1981, but the two services ultimately ended their collaboration. The Marines continued looking for light weapons systems, including adding

2378-464: The gunner is composed of a stabilized Hughes HIRE day/thermal night sight together with a laser rangefinder. The main improvements offered in the Stingray II are a more capable digital fire-control system (from the M1A1 Abrams ). The Stingray II also improves the armor to provide protection from 23 mm rounds over the frontal arc and side skirts. An appliqué armour kit can be applied in

M551 Sheridan replacement process - Misplaced Pages Continue

2436-730: The hull of the M41 , M47 or M551 tank or on the V600 armored car. Its armor was made from CG's Cadaloy armor. The Stingray can be upgraded with the CG Fire Control and Stabilization Upgrade Kit as an affordable solution to upgrade its fire control systems. In 1992, the U.S. Army solicited bids for a successor to the M551 Sheridan light tank under the Armored Gun System competition. Cadillac Gage Textron submitted

2494-617: The ire of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, who voted to de-fund the project. With the support of Senate defense appropriators, the House restored this funding. In June 1992, the Army selected the FMC proposal. FMC was awarded $ 27.7 million to begin phase 1 work. The total value of the procurement program was expected to earn FMC about $ 800 million. Four evaluation vehicles were built and tested at Fort Bragg , leading to

2552-460: The late 1990s. The new modification or SLEP has changed the LAV-25 to the LAV-25A1 standard and has been completely fielded. Funding has been approved for continued upgrades to the LAV family to bring them up to the LAV-A2 standard. Phase I improvements include increased external and internal ballistic armor upgrades, improved fire suppression equipment, and upgrading the vehicle's suspension to

2610-534: The missile system was simply not fit for use and the tank was used primarily in the anti-infantry role. Reviews were mixed; it was praised for its mobility and resistance to getting stuck in mud, but was also prone to destruction by mines and RPG-2 rounds that larger tanks would shrug off. By the early 1970s the limitations with the M551 were clear, and in 1976 the Army began the Armored Combat Vehicle Technology program to come up with

2668-400: The need for a new light tank in order to allow the forces to be airlanded and still be able to last until the heavier forces arrived by ship. In 1982, RDF essentially consisted of the 82nd Airborne and 101st Airborne , still equipped with the M551. The desire to add further power to their mobile forces was the impetus for a sweeping series of changes known as Air Land Battle . This called for

2726-436: The powerpack to improve reliability, cooling capacity, diagnostics, and fuel economy, a new drivetrain for improved towing capability, a steering dampener to improve road feel and usability, and a digitized drivers' instrument panel. The initial contract was for 60 hardware kits which are planned for installation by 2021. Five variants of the LAV-25 were originally envisioned. Only six were initially production ready. Other than

2784-477: The protection found on the U.S. Army's LAV III " Stryker " variant. Tests by the U.S. Army's Operational Test Command (OTC), Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate at Fort Bragg demonstrated that the LAV-25A2 could be airdropped from transport aircraft, a capability of interest to Army airborne units. In October 2018, Alpha Company, 4th Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment , 1st Brigade Combat Team of

2842-472: The service's good will towards the project. The request for proposals specified that the AGS be built in two variants. One variant was to be capable of low-velocity air-drop from a C-17, and to weigh no more than 49,500 lb (22,453 kg). The other variant was to have roll-on, roll-off capability from the C-130 , C-141 , C-17 and C-5 . This was to weigh no more than 44,000 lb (19,958 kg) for

2900-494: The weight limit and removing the requirement that the AGS be air-droppable from a C-130 . The Army required that 70 of the 300 vehicles be built to be air-droppable from the larger C-17 . A requirement for radiation hardening of electrical systems was also removed. The Army also delayed the initial operating capability by two years, from 1995 to 1997. In 1991 the Pentagon canceled the Marine Corps' LAV-105 gun system. Funding

2958-457: Was completely under cover. The original gun was later replaced by the ARES 75 mm smoothbore rapid-fire hyper-velocity gun , and the system was renamed ELKE, for Elevated Kinetic Energy Vehicle. The ARES concept was to fire multiple rounds at a target in order to break down its composite armor. The final vehicle of the ARMVAL series was HIMAG, for High Mobility/Agility test vehicle. This combined

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3016-613: Was evaluated in Ecuador in 1988, and Chile in 1992. In 1987, the Royal Thai Army purchased 106 Stingrays from Cadillac Gage for US$ 150 million. These were delivered from 1989 to 1990. Cadillac Gage provided assistance in repairing Stingrays with cracked structural components. In 1992, the U.S. Army solicited bids for a replacement for the M551 Sheridan under the Armored Gun System program. Cadillac Gage submitted

3074-509: Was however restored by the Senate Armed Services Committee under the stipulation that the services integrate the turret and EX-35 gun of the LAV-105 with the AGS chassis. And work to ensure "maximum practical commonality" between the LAV-105 and AGS. This move garnered consternation among both services who believed that the LAV-105 and heavier armored AGS were mismatched. The Senate Appropriations Committee nixed

3132-522: Was initially planned to be a networked family of wheeled vehicles capable of performing various mission sets, with 500 to be procured. In April 2021, the Marines revealed they had shifted focus to new capabilities for performing reconnaissance rather than specific types of platforms, and that the LAV-25 replacement may not be a new armored vehicle. Nevertheless, proposals for Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle prototypes were due in May 2021; requirements were for

3190-510: Was primarily developed for the export market. Cadillac Gage Textron began design work in 1983. The hull and turret were finished separately in 1984. The turret was first mated to the American M551 Sheridan hull for trials. The first prototype was completed in 1985, and debuted in public later that year. A second prototype was produced in 1986. The first prototype was sent to Thailand in 1986, then Malaysia in 1987. The Stingray

3248-518: Was provided by a Detroit Diesel 6V92 DDEC TA engine developing 550 hp (410 kW) at 2300 rpm with a General Electric HMPT-500-3 transmission. Cadloy steel armor protected the vehicle from 14.5 mm machine gun fire over the frontal arc in its base configuration. Cadillac Gage lost out to the FMC Close Combat Vehicle Light. The Stingray II is an upgrade version of the Stingray, developed by Cadillac Gage as

3306-606: Was realized there was very little the U.S. could do if the Soviets invaded Iran; the first troops could not arrive for weeks at a minimum, and air power in the area was limited to the B-52 Stratofortress flying from bases in the Indian Ocean , Naval air power could not reach the northeastern areas where the Soviets would operate. The RDF concept, although short-lived in its original form, once again demonstrated

3364-569: Was selected in June 2022. The initial contract is for 96 vehicles with first delivery by the end of 2023. The first units are expected to be equipped with it by 2026. The need for a new light tank for the US Army was an ongoing concern that stretched into the 1950s. A series of experiments ultimately led to the M551 Sheridan entering service in 1967. The designers of the M551 faced a difficult problem; guns capable of destroying main battle tanks at

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