M48 Chaparral Roadrunner

[shrike6]

I was reading through an article on ADA plans and alternatives to those plans from the mid 90s to 2005 and came across the snip below. Does anybody know just what this potential upgrade all entailed and what it used for the anti armor capability?

[Louied]

Shrike6

Chapfire

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/thr...aparral.23105/

[pmulcahy11b]

Again, juicy!

[shrike6]

Originally Posted by Louied

Shrike6

Chapfire

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/thr...aparral.23105/

Thanks Louied!

[Silent Hunter UK]

Named after the cartoon character, one assumes?

[shrike6]

Maybe although Chaparral is plant that grows in the same ecosystem you find Roadrunners in fact an alternate name for the Roadrunner is the Chaparral Cock.

[pmulcahy11b]

Maybe someone from my alma mater, UTSA, came up with idea, We are the Roadrunners, after all...

[Silent Hunter UK]

Originally Posted by shrike6

Maybe although Chaparral is plant that grows in the same ecosystem you find Roadrunners in fact an alternate name for the Roadrunner is the Chaparral Cock.

Interesting, thanks!

[Ursus Maior]

Originally Posted by Louied

Shrike6

Chapfire

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/thr...aparral.23105/

Stumbled across the same link. It seems the MIM-72 was going to get a new propulsion system, specifically that of the XM8 Armored Gun System (AGS). Additionally, the Chaparral Chassis Service Life Extension Program (CCSLEP) identified additional weapon candidates for future integration, such as Stinger, Sparrow, AMRAAM, a lightweight version of the Line Of-Sight-Anti-Tank (LOSAT), a fire-and-forget version of TOW (once developed), as well as a version fitted with AMRAAM and Hellfire for export to Egypt.

That's not just an upgrade, that's a new fire support vehicle family. But with the end of the Cold War came the axe: AGS and army air-defense were slashed, so it's understandable that Roadrunner never saw the light of day.