Broom
 

Here's another, of what appears to be a separate vehicle. According to the online picture caption, "Ural4320 with a part of BRDM’s hull on a trunk, with UB-32-57 rocket launcher mounted on its turret." This particular vehicle was nicknamed "Broom" by its builder.

Beauty! One has to wonder whether they didn't consider IF with that bad boy. It would be a shock to be on the receiving end of a concentrated barrage from the business end of that pretty girl.

Been a while since I looked at this thread but here's a couple of observations...

The Ural trucks with BRDM hull sections look like two different trucks or at the very least, if it is the same truck then at very different periods of time (irrespective of the unit markings etc. I'm looking at the damage on the bumper bar that isn't present in the other photo).

As for the M113, it looks to me like the turret from a Panhard AML90, it's certainly sporting the muzzle brake of the 90mm gun found on the AML90... M113 with 90mm, gonna have me some fun!

If you haven't checked it out before, the site War is Boring contains a bevy of articles on all sorts of military history and tech, as well as current affairs, updated regularly. I spotted this article there today:

https://warisboring.com/in-1940-the-...ebb#.ip3p5x4xu

This strikes me as something that both MilGov and CivGov would be doing soon after The Exchange, if not before.

Of a similar nature were some other emergency military vehicle designs in the same period, also designed to minimize the use of strategic materials:

• Standard Beaverette - Named for Lord Beaver, British Minister of Aircraft Production in 1940, who requested it. Basically, a mid-size sedan with minimal armor (11mm) on the front and sides of the driving compartment, backed by 3-in of oak, armed with a Bren LMG.
  
• Bison - a mobile pillbox made using a heavy truck chassis walled with concrete. It was not meant to be used while driving, but could be driven to (for example) an airfield suffering from an attack by German airborne troops, parked, and then used as a defensive strong point. The concrete would stop small arms fire, protecting MG crews inside firing out through open ports.
  
• Bedford OXA - a lightly armored (9mm steel) 1.5t truck armed with a Bren LMG and a Boys ATR

All of these were built quickly for home defense following the Fall of France and the withdrawal from Dunkerque, where the British Army lost most of its heavy equipment and vehicles.

Certainly, something like the Beaverette or the Armadillo could be concocted in any automobile plant. Homemade versions similar to the Armadillo built up on the bed of a pickup truck should be easy enough.

Light armor vehicles with limited off-road capability and/or portection work fine - if your opponent has none.

Uncle Ted

The killdozer was built by one guy
 

A single (mentally unstable) guy was able to design and build an armored bulldozer, equipped with video cameras and gun ports in his garage.

The number of places capable of doing this in the U.S. has to number in the thousands. I know of two local 'performance motorsports' buisnesses locally that I'm sure could design and produce the vehicles.

I think that it would be common to use commercial dump trucks (which already have heavily built chassis) and/or bulldozers as the basis of gun trucks and field expedient "tanks." This does not require a massive industrial basis, since the core component of the vehicles are already existing. If the designers are smart they will use VERY common vehicles (catapiller D-7 dozers and Oshkosh Dump trucks sinces there are lots of parts that can be scavenged).

Yup, my Great-Grandad had his "tank" whipped up at a railway workshop.

Saw this video about Vietnam era gun trucks - enjoy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkc_...ature=youtu.be

Saw this article and had all kinds of ideas for players and GM's to turn Toyota trucks into very effective fighting machines including examples from Somalia, Chad and Libya.

Got to love the following paragraph from the story

"The Libyans weren’t the best soldiers, or the best tacticians, but they were the most innovative engineers. They attached armor plate-mated office chairs with ZPU AA guns, sawed off the roof to increase the arc of fire for the recoilless rifle in the bed. They produced hundreds of trucks armed with huge S-5 Soviet rocket pods, intended for aircraft. They even cut the turret off of a BMP-1 Soviet Armored Personnel Carrier and mounted it on the back of a Toyota."

https://warontherocks.com/2014/02/th...ra-of-warfare/

My philosophy on vehicles in T2k is this:if you can, put a gun on it

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Just one? :o
Seriously though the better idea is to try and keep the opposition well away from the vehicles, or better yet totally unaware you even HAVE vehicles!
Until it's too late for them of course and you're already driving over the top of their splattered corpses. :tank:

Hey! I resemble that remark! :D

Don't we all?

This is why we cannot have nice things in the US Army!

https://taskandpurpose.com/army-jltv-rollover-photo

"alright, I want to take this awesome new vehicle for a drive! "
"okay, roll for WVD"
"100"

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It took them four days? That's three days more than usual!

this one was on face book from the Ukraine.

https://www.facebook.com/defensionem...type=3&theater

"I just want the machine gun mounted on the BMP"
*Roll: 1*
"miraculously you find the whole cannon fits into the bed"

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All I can say is...why? You can buy real BMP-2s from some countries in Africa or the FSU these days, cheap.

Like the BMD-2 above in VietNam some gun trucks were simply M113s in the bed of a truck.

There's a couple of reasons you would do something like that.
I believe one of the M113 guntrucks from Vietnam was made because they had a surplus 113 hull (or that the 113 had been damaged in some way but the hull was still intact). So in that situation, it's simply a case of making use of something that was not usable in its normal form.
Maybe the BMD has damaged running gear/engine or tracks etc. etc.

The second reason would be the portee concept. Using the truck to carry the BMD to save wear and tear on the BMD engine, tracks etc. etc. It also uses less fuel to cart the thing around on the back of a truck.

And there's one other idea, maybe it was a tactical choice - the autocannon of the BMD is much higher above ground level than it would normally be. In the back of that truck, it looks as though it's at a good height to fire over walls and gates like you see in the background.

As I think has already been said the gun trucks of Viet Nam had a different mission to the Middle Eastern technicals and the Donbass 'thingys'.

In Viet Nam the firebases needed supplying (72% of the war effort was in the maintenance of the firebases) and the supply columns had a chance of being ambushed at extremely close range. The way the frankly courageous men manning the convoys responded was with overwhelming automatic fire to suppress the enemy, stop the enemy maneuvering and make the convoy the master of its surroundings.

The wandering nature of Twilight 2000 soldiers, they are either ensconced in a canton or on the road, means that the Viet Nam model really suits T2k. When surprised they can lay down massive automatic fire and dominate the ambush at the outset. It's hell on the ammo but who wants to die with a full ammo pouch anyway.

Well hell I'd never thought about that

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Carrying the BMD around on the back of a truck not only reduces wear and tear on the motor, tracks, etc. etc., it also makes it still useful without needing to have a qualified driver. In terms of Twilight, I imagine this would be a reasonable option for keeping a heavy weapon available when the vehicle normally carrying the weapon is not mobile but still usable.

Good point, but keep in mind that lugging around an AFV hull is going to dramatically increase wear and tear on the truck's various components, so it's a bit of a trade-off.

Absolutely and I think the way to alleviate some of the negative connotations of this is to make it a part of the gameplay - as in, the group discusses their options and decides which option is better for them, running the armoured vehicle as it was intended, or carrying it portee style on a truck (or evern abandoning one vehicle or the other!)
Depending on the model of truck, it's probably far easier to source spare parts for it than it is to get spares for the armoured vehicle. Trucks typically require less maintenance than armoured vehicles and you can sometimes get away with using non-standard components on the truck e.g. using wheels/tyres from a similar vehicle.

It should be noted you'd probably have to use a crane to get the AFV onto the truck. It's about 12 tons+ for a BMD from memory

A crane would be helpful and probably quicker, but not vital. Any combat engineer / assault pioneer can rig up the necessary apparatus using trees, logs, steel beams, rocks, ropes, chains and so on.
Just sitting here writing this post I can think of three ways to do it without using equipment heavier than a chainsaw.

If you have the time (and you will want plenty of it) and some shovels, you can always use the old trick of digging a hole that's only as deep as the rear tray is high and reverse the truck in. Then it's a simple enough task to drive the BMD onto the truck bed.

[QUOTE=StainlessSteelCynic;80699... old trick of digging a hole that's only as deep as the rear tray is high and reverse the truck in.[/QUOTE]

Explosives do the job too. Using time delay detonators properly you not only dig your hole, but toss the spoil out in a suitable direction too. Drop a few planks in for your wheels, and you're good to go!

Our PCs were using an A-frame to put a ZSU-23-2 onto the back of a truck when we fumbled and the zoo landed on my character
:squish:

Just a few of the available lifting options, all fairly easy to construct out of (usually) locally sourced materials.

Attachment 4200

Attachment 4201

Attachment 4202

Very true.

[QUOTE=Legbreaker;80707]Just a few of the available lifting options, all fairly easy to construct out of (usually) locally sourced materials.

a Gin Pole is found on the M88 Recovery Vehicle/ M88A2 Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lifting Extraction Systems

Not surprising really given it's it the simplest of all the lifting methods, although does require a significant amount of rope or chain, and some strong anchor points (three will work, four is better).

War Trophies
 

So, the Russians have a travelling [rail-] roadshow of war booty from Syria, including some pretty creative gun-trucks. Check them out here:

http://thedrive.com/the-war-zone/266...rossing-russia

-

Return of the Tachanka
 

And now, based on their combat experiences in Syria, the Russians are developing their own light gun truck forces.

https://southfront.org/russian-groun...TfabNbmc2ZMTM0

There's an interesting point made in the discussion section of that page about the increased use of drones. I can understand the appeal of light & fast vehicles as some enemy forces make more use of drones for spotting and even anti-vehicle attacks.
Many drones are still rather noisy but not noisy enough to be heard inside a typical armoured vehicle. Arguably people in an open vehicle would have a better chance of detecting a drone and thus avoiding or destroying it.

The light vehicle would likely have enough spare room to accommodate some sort of anti-drone tech or comms jamming system. Even if you had it installed in say one in every three vehicles.
Just bouncing some thoughts around. I'm certainly not saying the gunned-up pickup is the ultimate answer, but I can see the appeal... plus they're plenty cheap not just in purchase cost but also in regards to sourcing spare parts.

Proof that resourceful civilians- albeit criminally-minded ones- can also produce functional gun-trucks:

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...-el-chapos-son

Why do I immediately start thinking CIA?