Modernizing an M3 (M5A1) Stuart in the T2k setting.

[raketenjagdpanzer]

Let's say you have various and sundry parts laying around, and an operable museum-grade M3 Stuart light tank you'd like to turn into an armored reconnaissance vehicle.

Could you put a Bushmaster 25mm gun in the turret (along with ammo feed, etc)?

IR driving lights and upgraded radios are a must, too.

Applique armor (face-hardened whatever local steel you could get your hands on)?

re-engined with maybe a continental diesel scavenged from a bus or large truck?

Maybe even an M175 mount?

[Panther Al]

If you got a pretty serious machine shop and supply of various parts, don't see why not. The Bushmaster isn't that large, so should fit in the turret just fine.


Question becomes where and how are you gonna route your feeds?

[raketenjagdpanzer]

Originally Posted by Panther Al

If you got a pretty serious machine shop and supply of various parts, don't see why not. The Bushmaster isn't that large, so should fit in the turret just fine.


Question becomes where and how are you gonna route your feeds?

Some models featured a turret bustle; I'm not sure how flexible the linkage in the feeds is but alongside the turret inner wall would be about the only place I could think it could go, with the hopper in the bustle, where it wouldn't get in the way too much.

[Olefin]

The Stuart isnt bad as is if you can find shells for her gun - keep in mind that you could also go big and fit her with a 40mm AA gun as well or even decide to go with an open turret and do your own version of the 75mm M8. And the Stuart is very very dependable as well - there are armies in South America still operating them today.

[Brit]

If you can't rearm the turret or it's jammed, etc, you could always do what they did in WWII: Remove it. Some recce units did this. It lowered the silhouette and the point was to go look and see and not fight if you could avoid it.

Photo here http://www.armouruk.net/images/us10165.jpg and here http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3120/...4733f8.jpg?v=0 of re-enacters versions.

In Yugoslavia Allied supplied M3s or more likely I think M5s had their turrets removed and replaced with captured German guns. I can't get access to the photos from here but try Googling "stuart tank yugoslavia". 75mm anti-tank guns, quad 20mm AA, etc, were all fitted.

(Keep going down this page http://forum.heroesandgenerals.com/v...=8544&start=20 for a couple of photos).

I've also seen a line drawing of one with US quad .50'' AA guns.

[copeab]

Many years ago, Brazil extensively modernized some Stuarts and designated it the X1A/X1A1 (the X1A2 was not based on the Stuart). Most notably, it mounted a low-recoil 90mm gun in a new turret and a diesel engine. 80 were converted.

[James Langham]

Originally Posted by Brit

If you can't rearm the turret or it's jammed, etc, you could always do what they did in WWII: Remove it. Some recce units did this. It lowered the silhouette and the point was to go look and see and not fight if you could avoid it.

Photo here http://www.armouruk.net/images/us10165.jpg and here http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3120/...4733f8.jpg?v=0 of re-enacters versions.

In Yugoslavia Allied supplied M3s or more likely I think M5s had their turrets removed and replaced with captured German guns. I can't get access to the photos from here but try Googling "stuart tank yugoslavia". 75mm anti-tank guns, quad 20mm AA, etc, were all fitted.

(Keep going down this page http://forum.heroesandgenerals.com/v...=8544&start=20 for a couple of photos).

I've also seen a line drawing of one with US quad .50'' AA guns.

If you could find one I would go for an M134 with gunshield front and (possibly) MGs left and right plus smoke grenade dischargers on the front (multiple). Good for infantry threats but not too well armed to take on other armour.

Alternatively a RR in an open mount might be ideal.