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Expeditionary tank
Type Light tank
Place of origin United States
Production history
Manufacturer General Dynamics
Specifications
Mass 19 tons, 30 tons with Appliqué armor
Length 7 meters
Width 3.6 meters
Height 2.8 meters
Crew 2

Main
armament
105 mm M68 gun
Secondary
armament
MAG, M-60D (C)
Engine Cummins VTA-903T 8-cylinder diesel
Transmission HMPT-500 hydromechanical transmission




The Expeditionary tank was a United States light tank developed for the Armored Gun System competition in the 1980s by Teledyne Vehicle Systems (now L3 Communications Combat Propulsion Systems).

Development[]

In the late seventies Teledyne Vehicle Systems carried out several studies on a highly mobile light tracked vehicle, which could be used for a variety of tasks. The in-house trials lasted from 1980 to 1981. In 1982, a detailed design had been decided on. This vehicle competed in the Armored Gun System (AGS) competition. The first prototype was completed in December 1983, the turret was completed mid-1984. In October of the year took place in the Nevada test center mobility and reliability testing, in April 1985 the chassis and turret were united. A month later, in May, the vehicle was presented for the first time at the U.S. Army Armor Conference at Fort Knox. A 1986 test firing took place. In 1992, the Expeditionary tank lost the AGS competition to United Defense's CCV-L which was type classified as the M8 Armored Gun System. The Expeditionary tank was later solicited to other nations by Teledyne and later General Dynamics but was never bought.

Design[]

Mobility[]

The tank would have been transported by a C-130 Hercules or C-141 Starlifter. To ensure a high level of protection despite the low weight of the front end of the vehicle there was an armored crew chamber, behind which the drive block was placed. The vehicle was operated by a two-man crew, all sitting in the chassis. The driver sits at the front left. The tank was to be equipped with a double bottom to increase the probability of survival in mine attacks.

Legacy[]

The turret developed for this vehicle is used on the M1128 Mobile Gun System. The autoloader was problematic and required a redesign.

Notes and references[]

All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at Expeditionary tank and the edit history here.