M551 Sheridan tank

M551 Sheridan Light Tank (documentary)

Tanker's Tuesday: M551A1 Armored Reconnaissance Airborne Assault Vehicle (Sheridan)

 The M551 Sheridan was developed to provide the US Army with a light armored reconnaissance vehicle with heavy firepower. The main armament consists of an 152mm M81 gun/missile launcher capable of firing conventional ammunition and the MGM-51 Shillelagh antitank missile (20 conventional rounds and 8 missiles). Due to problems with the gun-tube-launched antitank missile, the Sheridan was not fielded widely throughout the Army. The gun would foul with caseless ammuniton, gun firing would interfere with missle electronics, and the entire vehicle recoiled with unusual vigor when the gun was fired, since the 152mm gun was too big for the light-weight chassis. The Shillelagh missles were evidently never used in anger. In addition to the main gun/missile launcher, the M551 is armed with a 7.62mm M240 machine gun and a 12.7mm M2 HB antiaircraft machine gun. A Detroit Diesel 6V-53T 300hp turbo-charged V-6 diesel engine and an Allison TG-250-2A poweshift transmission provide the Sheridan's power. Protection for the four-man crew is provided by an aluminum hull and steel turret. Although light enough to be airdrop-capable, the alumninum armour was thin enough to be pierced by heavy machine-gun rounds, and the vehicle was particularly vulnerable to mines.
Initially produced in 1966, the M551 was fielded in 1968. 1,562 M551s were built between 1966 and 1970. The Sheridan saw limited action in Vietnam, where many deficiencies were revealed. The missle system was useless against an enemy that employed tanks, though the Sheridan saw a lot of use towards the end of the war because of its mobility. Sheridan-equiped units participated in Operation Just Cause in Panama (1989), and was deployed to Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Shield. As projectile technology advanced, the Sheridan's potential declined and it was phased out of the US inventory beginning in 1978.

 However, up till 1996 the M551 was still used by the 82nd Airborne Division. Some 330 "visually-modified" Sheridans represent threat tanks and armored vehicles at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California till the early 2000s.

Specifications
Weight (pounds)	17 tons
Length	22'4"
Width	13'6"
Height	12'6"
Forward speed	45 mph
Reverse speed	10 mph
Engine	Detroit Diesel 6V-53T 300-hp water cooled turbocharged 2-stroke V-6 diesel. Allision TG-250-2A powershift cross drive transmission with 4 forward /1 reverse
Vertical obstacle climb	49 in
Maximum width ditch	108 in
Fording Depth	48 in
Main Gun	152mm cannon/Missile Launcher with 20 HEAT-T-MP rounds and 8 Shillelagh missile rounds
Coaxial machinegun	M240 - 7.62mm
Commander's machinegun	M2 - .50 cal
Sensors and Fire Control	M129 gunner's telescope, magnification 8x 8� field of view (FOV), M44 gunner's IR night sight magnification 9x6� FOV, IR SACLOS data link

Some 15mm Battlefront Miniatures

I use ROCO Sheridan in my scout platoons in M60 tank Companies

British - Vehicles C15TA Armored Truck

When the Americans decided to phase out the White Scout Car, the British decided a replacement was needed as the White Scout Car had proven indispensable in its role of an armoured lorry. The value of the White Scout Car was not lost on the Canadian either, who set out to design replacement based on the Otter LRC (Light Reconnaissance Car).

The completed design was designated the C15TA was powered by a 270 cid six-cylinder engine with a two ratio gearbox. The British placed a contract for 3000 vehicle in late 1943 and during the period between 1944 and 1944 to replace the American half-tracks and White Scout Cars they had previously been reliant upon. The demand for the vehicle was so high that General Motors Canada built close to 4000 vehicle at their Oshawa planet alone.

The C15TA proved popular where it serves and could fill the role of flat-bed truck, eight-man personnel carrier or ambulance. This versatility meant the C15TA stayed in service well into the post-war years.

New GZG 15mm Troops

Hi all,

I've just posted the latest EIGHT packs of SG15 figures to the webstore, they are all AVAILABLE NOW, moulds are made and they are awaiting your orders!

This time we have TWO new packs for the PAU - the horse-mounted scouts in soft jungle caps rather than helmets, and a mixed pack of SAWs and other squad special weapons, also carried by troops in the jungle caps.
There are FOUR new packs for the CDF (Colonual Defence Force), one of the most popular of our SG armies - as with the PAU, these are all packs of troops with soft headgear rather than helmets - in this case the standard CDF field caps.
Then we have TWO more packs of the new MERCS range - like the four earlier releases, these are great as professional mercenaries/PMCs, irregular forces (geurillas and resistance fighters) or as typically "scruffy" but efficient Special Forces units!

All packs are at the usual SG15 price of 3.00 per pack (inc VAT) in UK and the rest of the EU, or 2.50 GBP excluding VAT for those of you outside the EU.


PAN-AFRICAN (PAU):

SG15-P18      Pan-African Union (PAU) Mounted Scouts in Jungle caps on terran-stock horses - pack contains 2 horses (different poses) and 2 riders (different poses).
SG15-P19      Pan-African Union SAWs and support weapons, troops in Jungle caps - 8 figures, 2 each of 4 poses - two SAW gunners (kneeling and advancing), one with sniper rifle, one with rocket launcher.

COLONIAL DEFENCE FORCE:

SG15-C21    CDF (Colonial Defence Force) troops in field caps, with short assault carbine/autoshotgun. 8 figures, 2 each of 4 different poses.
SG15-C23    CDF (Colonial Defence Force) Command and Comms in field caps. 8 figures, 2 each of 4 different poses.
SG15-C24    CDF Autocannon teams, crew in field caps (2 weapon teams, each of cannon, tripod, gunner and observer/loader)
SG15-C25    CDF Mortar Teams, crew in field caps (2 weapon teams, each of mortar, baseplate and two kneeling crew)

MERCS/IRREGULARS:

SG15-M05    Mercs squad support pack with RPGs/LAWs - 8 figures, 2 each of 4 sculpts: mix of male and female figures in various soft headgear, two with RPGs and two with Light Antitank Weapons.
SG15-M06    Mercs snipers/marksmen pack - 8 figures, 2 each of 4 sculpts: mix of male and female figures in various soft headgear, all carrying sniper rifles.


Don't forget that our GZG 30th BIRTHDAY SPECIAL is still running until the 31st JULY, so please pop over to the webstore and check out the details, plus all the new figure codes!

http://groundzerogames.co.uk/index.php?_a=category&cat_id=3

Thanks for reading!

Jon (GZG), 21st July 2015

Tanker's Tuesday:Tank Maneuvers

ZAS Infantry By : Critical Mass Games

The ZAS miniatures was created with support of Kickstarter Backers are now available for order. This page is dedicated to those who helped make this project happen. Click on the images for Larger Pictures, pack contents and more details. All miniatures are supplied unpainted.

Happy to have done my small part!

ZAS

Tankers Tuesday:Leopard 1-German-Main Battle Tank

Tanks-The Leopard I Main Battle Tank-German Army Bundeswehr-105mm rifle gun-More than 6000 vehicle have been exported to nine NATO countries-Despite it's age the Leopard 1 is still in service with a number of export operators-Armored Fighting Vehicle (AFV).

Yak-1B (1/144th Scale By True North)

 

Specifications (Yak-1b)

Yakovlev Yak-1 fighter.

General characteristics

• Crew: One
• Length: 8.5 m (27 ft 11 in)
• Wingspan: 10.0 m (32 ft 10 in)
• Height: 2.64 m (8ft 6in)
• Wing area: 17.2 m² (185.1 ft²)
• Empty weight: 2,394 kg (5,267 lb)
• Loaded weight: 2,883 kg (6,343 lb)
• Max. takeoff weight: kg (lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Klimov M-105PF V-12 liquid-cooled engine, 880 kW (1,180 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 592 km/h at altitude (368 mph)
• Range: 700 km (435 mi)
• Service ceiling: 10,050 m (32,972 ft)
• Rate of climb: 15.4 m/s (3,038 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 168 kg/m² (34 lb/ft²)
• Power/mass: 0.31 kW/kg (0.19 hp/lb)

Armament

• 1 × 20 mm (0.8 in) ShVAK cannon, 1 × 12.7 mm (0.5 in) Berezin UBS machine gun. One-second salvo weight of fire 2 kg (4.4 lb) with both the cannon and the machine gun using high-explosive ammunition. 

Movie Cuts Review Representing Thousand Year...

The moral of the story, you always run out of bullets before you run out of Chinese !

Tanker's Tuesday: JGSDF Type 74 Tank

The Type 74 (74式戦車, nana-yon-shiki-sensha^?) is a
main battle tank (MBT) of the Japan Ground Self-
Defense Force (JGSDF). It was built by Mitsubishi
Heavy Industries as a replacement for the earlier
Type 61. It was based on the best features of a
number of contemporary designs, placing it in the
same class as the US M60 or German Leopard 1.
Like these  designs, it mounts the Royal Ordnance
L7 105 mm gun. The design did not enter widespread
use until 1980, by which point other western forces
were starting the introduction of much more capable
designs.

I got to see this tank in action on a training exercise
with the JGSDF twice\in the  late 80s, very small
target as tanks go.

ARMORED TROOPER VOTOMS PF-01-1

Omaha Beach With Robots!

Happy 4th!