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  #571  
Old 04-29-2020, 08:58 PM
Matt Wiser Matt Wiser is offline
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And the F-4's "Younger Brother", the F-15:


The F-15 Eagle in World War III


The McDonnell-Douglas F-15 Eagle served as the USAF's primary air superiority fighter during the Third World War, Although initially hampered by the need to relocate McDonnell-Douglas' F-15 production line from St. Louis to Long Beach, CA, the company was able to support the F-15 community, continue production of the C/D models, and continue development of the F-15E. In addition, license production by Mitsubishi in Japan for both JASDF and USAF continued during the war. Both F-15C/D and F-15E versions continue to serve in the USAF, with Active, Reserve, and Air National Guard squadrons. This work examines F-15 variants that saw service during the war and afterwards.

F-15A: Initial version; 382 produced 1972-1979. APG-63 radar, Pratt and Whitney F100-100 engine.

F-15B: Two-seat conversion trainer version with full combat capabilities. Originally designated TF-15, 61 built 1972-79.

F-15C: Improved single-seat version. 950 built at St. Louis and Long Beach 1979-1990. Additional production from Japan. Some built with APG-70 radar, all now carry APG-63 (V)2 radar.

F-15D: Two-seat training version of C. 180 built 1979-1990. Additional USAF procurement from Japan.

F-15E: Two-seat multirole fighter produced 1986-present. Conformal fuel tanks, LANTIRN FLIR/targeting pods, F110-229 engines. No Japanese production during the war.

F-15G: “Wild Weasel” version of E; produced 1995-2009. LANTIRN, APR-47 (V), F110-229 engines. No FMS sales.

F-15I: F-15E version for Israeli AF.

F-15J: Japanese license-built version of F-15C.

F-15DJ: Japanese version of F-15D. Built both in St. Louis and in Japan.

F-15K: ROKAF version of F-15E.

F-15S: Royal Saudi AF version of F-15E.

F-15SG: Version of F-15E for Republic of Singapore AF.


World War III Operators:

USAF (active and ANG); AFRES service postwar. Combat in East Asia, Cuban Intervention, Baja War, air defense sorties during fall of Rump USSR.

Israeli AF: IDF/AF operated A/B and C/D models during “Armed Neutrality period.” Frequent strikes into Lebanon during this period, and encounters with Syrian AF MiGs. F-15I delivered postwar.

Royal Saudi AF: RSAF C/D versions flew air sovereignty missions during the war. F-15S delivered in 1990s, with several attrition replacement C models. Upgrade to SA version ongoing by McAir.

Republic of Korea Air Force: F-15K selected as replacement for F-4D. Combat service in “War of Korean Unification” after fall of Rump USSR. Follow-on order for 30 additional aircraft not canceled to most observers' surprise. 65 aircraft ordered, 45 in service.

Republic of Singapore AF: F-15SG delivered as replacement for A-4SU Skyhawk. Deliveries continuing. Singapore AF operates joint training detachment (425th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron) at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho under the USAF's 366th Tactical Fighter Wing
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  #572  
Old 05-01-2020, 10:49 PM
Matt Wiser Matt Wiser is offline
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Originally Posted by RN7 View Post
Matt just remind me who is in this war as your write-up is now so vast it would take weeks to go back reading through it

Good Guys: USA, UK, Canada, South Korea.

I think Japan, China, Australia and Israel are also on the good side. Who else?

Bad Guys: USSR, East Germany, Cuba, Libya, Nicaragua and Mexico

Other baddies I think are Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Vietnam, North Korea. Are they also in North America and who else is on the Soviet side?

And what of the French?
As of May '87, this is the lineup:

Allies: U.S.; UK, Canada, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand

China's in a special category as there is no PRC government left after the RSVN (Strategic Rocket Forces) used China as a live-fire range for SS-18s and SS-20s. There are PLA elements in the field who are loyal to the idea of the PRC, but China has splintered. Tibet is now an independent nation, Taiwan has taken control of Fujian Province on the other side of the Straits, Hong Kong remains British, Macao is still Portuguese, and there's a dozen splinter states in between Hong Kong and Manchuria.

Pro-Allied but ostensibly neutral: Israel, Egypt, Japan, Turkey, Brazil, South Africa, Panama.

Neutralist (those countries that were part of NATO before it broke up for the most part): West Germany, Holland, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal (Though the Allies have use of Lajes Field in the Azores), Norway, Denmark. Iceland was seized by the Soviets on Day two of the war, and was liberated in Summer, 1987.

The Communist Bloc (ComBloc for short):

USSR, Cuba, Nicaragua, Mexico, East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, North Korea, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala.

Vietnam allows Soviet use of Cam Ranh Bay, but is otherwise sitting it out.
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  #573  
Old 05-06-2020, 06:21 PM
sofiaprimera124 sofiaprimera124 is offline
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Talking incredible!

well, i'm new, but i just entered this topic, hey girl is awesome, i would like to know where i can get those fanfics but i didn't know what else you wrote, it will help me learn more these days
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  #574  
Old 05-06-2020, 10:05 PM
Matt Wiser Matt Wiser is offline
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Here's the first armor fact file: the M-60 series...


The M-60 Patton tank in World War III


The M-60 Patton tank was, at the time of the outbreak of the Third World War, still the primary main battle tank of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, as well as National Guard and Reserve units, though the M-48 was still in Reserve service. Though being replaced by the M-1 Abrams in 1985, the M-60 served throughout the war, and is still in service (in the M-60A4 variant) in National Guard and Army Reserve units today. This work will cover those variants that saw service during the war and after:

M-60A1: Initial main production version with IR/White light searchlight, and M68 105-mm main gun. U.S. Army versions upgraded to M-60A3 standard. USMC M-60A1 RISE Passive version fitted with improved night vision equipment and reactive armor. USMC versions replaced by M-60A4 version during the war, with the M-1A1 replacing all USMC M-60s in the 1990s.

M-60A2: “Starship” version fitted with 152-mm gun/missile launcher for the Shillelagh missile. All converted to either M-60A3 standard or to bridgelayer vehicles.

M-60A3: Primary U.S. Army version during the war. TTS version began entering service in 1980. Thermal sight, laser rangefinder, and ballistic computer as standard. Production continued during the war, though secondary to the M-1 and M-1A1.. Reactive armor added to U.S. Army vehicles, and those in service with both the ROK Expeditionary Force and the Taiwanese 1st Mechanized Division. Most survivors converted postwar either to M-60A4 standard or to bridgelayers.

M-60A4: Final version for both U.S. Army and USMC. M-60A4-105 fitted with same turret as the M-1 Abrams with the standard 105-mm gun. M-60A4-120 fitted with same 120-mm gun as used on the M-1A1. Introduced 1987 for baseline version, early 1989 for the 120-mm armed version. Largely out of service by 2010, but some saw combat in the Baja War.

M-60AVLB: Bridgelayer version with a 60-foot scissors bridge.

M-60MCLIC: Modified AVLB fitted with two MCLC (Mine Clearing Line Charge) launchers in place of scissors bridge.

M-728 CEV: Combat Engineer Vehicle with A-frame and 165-mm demolition gun used for bunker-busting and for urban warfare.

Wartime Users:

U.S. (Army, Marine Corps)

South Korea: ROK units with M-48 transitioned to the M-60A3 prior to being committed to combat. ROK purchased surplus M-60A3s to convert to A4 standard postwar.

Taiwan: Primary tank for the ROC 1st Mechanized Division serving with U.S. Sixth Army.
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  #575  
Old 05-06-2020, 11:34 PM
Matt Wiser Matt Wiser is offline
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The M-1 fact file:


The M-1 Abrams family in World War III

First produced in 1979, after a lengthy gestation period dating from the failed MBT-70 program, the M-1 Abrams withstood journalistic and Congressional skepticism to emerge from the Third World War as one of the two top main battle tanks in the world (the Challenger being the other). Seeing service in all theaters, and with extensive postwar service, the M-1 family still serves the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, and also serves with several foreign customers. This work will cover the M-1 family that saw service in the war, and in postwar conflicts.

M-1: Initial production version produced 1979-83. Armed with a 105-mm L7 gun with 55 rounds, Thermal sight, laser rangefinder, Chobham Armor.

IPM1: Upgraded M1 with M-1A1 turret, thicker armor, turret bustle. Retained 105-mm gun.

M1A1: Produced beginning 1985, with Rheinmetall L44 120-mm gun produced under license at Waterlivet Arsenal, New York. Pressurized NBC system, improved armor. Combat debut limited in 1986 with its major debut at Wichita in 1987.

M1A1HA: Improved Chobham armor (including Depleted Uranium inserts),

M1A1HC: 2nd Generation Depleted Uranium inserts, digital engine controls. Primary USMC version.

M1A1AIM: Older units reconditioned to near zero-hour condition; digital engine controls, Blue Force Tracker, tank-infantry phone, improved thermal sight. Standard Abrams variant in National Guard and Reserve service.

M1A2: First “Digital battlefield” version with commander's independent thermal sight, Blue Force tracker added, 2nd generation DU armor inserts.

M1A2SEP: System Enhancement Package: Third Generation DU inserts added to armor, upgraded thermal sight and Blue Force Tracker. Standard U.S. Army version.

M1A3: Prototypes under development, initial trials FY 16. Lighter 120-mm gun, added road wheels, lighter track, current wiring replaced with fiber optics, improved armor.

M1AGDS: Air Defense Gun System with radar, Thermal Sights and laser rangefinder. Twin 35-mm cannon and 12 ADATS missiles for either anti-armor or antiaircraft use. Primary U.S. Army battlefield air defense system.

M1 Grizzly CEV: Combat Engineering Vehicle with multirole arm, dozer blade/mine plow, In U.S. Army service.

M104 Wolverine Heavy Assault Bridge: AVLB on M1 chassis.

M1 Assault Breacher Vehicle: Version with mine plow/blade, and MCLIC line charges for dealing with minefields. In U.S. Army and Marine service; exported to Australia

M1 ARV: Armored Recovery vehicle: planned replacement for M-88 ARV. In prototype status, with service trials set for FY 16.

Users:

U.S. Army: Combat in Texas and Arizona from the beginning of the war (M-1 and IPM1). M1A1 in wide use beginning Battle of Wichita 1987. M1A2 series primary U.S. Army MBT, M1A1 series still in ARNG and Reserve service, alongside remaining M-60A4-120 tanks.

U.S. Marine Corps: M1A1 saw limited use in USMC: first combat in the Kola raid. Replaced M-60 series after the war, though USMC M1A1s saw combat in liberation of Guam. M1A1HC primary USMC version.

Australia: Australian Army adopted the M1A1 in 1994.

Egypt: M1A1 supplied to Egyptian Army in 1990s. Production continues in Egypt today.

Kuwait: Kuwaiti Army supplied with M1A2 in 1997, after competition with Challenger and Leopard II.

Saudi Arabia: Saudi Army supplied with M1A2 in 1995, after competition between Leopard II and LeClerc.

Taiwan: ROC Army was the only wartime allied user: with M1 series tanks supplied to the ROC 1st Mechanized Division in the Southwest. ROC upgraded to M1A1 for duty on mainland in anti-warlord operations.
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  #576  
Old 05-17-2020, 10:43 PM
Matt Wiser Matt Wiser is offline
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Here's the T-72 in the Red Dawn timeline:


The T-72 tank in World War III


The Soviet T-72 was one of the most widely used tanks in the Third World War, being built not only in the Soviet Union, but under license in both Poland and Czechoslovakia. Intended to replace the T-54/55 series as the workhorse of the Soviet armor force, as the “low” in the High-Low mix, with the T-64 and then the T-80 as the “High” end, the T-72 saw action in all theaters, and on both sides, with U.S., British, and Canadian forces making use of captured specimens. The tank naturally saw extensive service during the Second Russian Civil War, in conflicts in the Caucasus and Central Asia, and in the fall of the Rump USSR. This work will cover those versions of the T-72 that saw service during the war.


T-72 “Ural” Initial production version first seen in 1973. 125-mm D-81TM gun, coincidence rangefinder.

T-72K: Command version of T-72. Versions produced for company, battalion, and regimental commanders. Radio fit depended on specific commander's version.

T-72 Export: Export version sold to Iraq and Syria, also license-built in Poland.

T-72 Ural-M: Modernized version of T-72. New 2A46 125-mm gun, coincidence rangefinder removed and replaced with laser rangefinder, and smoke grenade launchers. .

T-72A: Further modernization of “Ural.” 2A46 gun, laser rangefinder, provision for reactive armor as available (though many in North America never had it installed), additional composite armor added to turret top and front-given the nickname of “Dolly Parton” by U.S. Army tankers.

T-72AK: Command versions of T-72A.

T-72M: Downgraded export version of T-72A. Produced under license in both Poland and Czechoslovakia. Main “monkey model” meant for wartime production in Soviet factories converted to manufacturing tanks.

T-72MK: Command version of T-72M.

T-72M1: Export version with thicker armor than T-72M.

T-72B: Most advanced T-72 version to see combat in North America. Much improved version over T-72A. 1A-40 fire control system, thicker armor with additional composite armor on turret front and top; codenamed “Super Dolly Parton” by U.S. Army; 2A46M main gun, AT-11 Sniper missile capability, and new engine.

BREM-1: Armored Recovery Vehicle based on T-72 chassis.

IMR-2: Combat Engineer Vehicle with telescoping crane, dozer blade, and mine-clearing system.

MTU-72: Bridgelayer based on T-72 Chassis.

Users:

Soviet Army: Standard tank used in Soviet Motor-Rifle Divisions and independent MR Brigades or Regiments. Also used in Cat 2 Tank Divisions.

Cuban Army: Main tank used by Cuban Motor-Rifle Divisions and by Independent Tank Brigades. Many of which had to revert to T-62s due to war losses.

East German Army: Standard MBT in first-line Panzer and Panzergrenadier divisions. Encountered both in North America and in the campaign in East Germany in 1989.

Czech Army: Standard MBT of Czech Tank divisions and in tank regiment of MR divisions. Encountered in both North America and Eastern Europe.

Polish Army: Used in first-line Tank and MR Divisions. Also seen in North America and in Europe.

Libyan Army: Libyan T-72s encountered in Colorado during reduction of Pueblo Pocket, 1987, and by ROK Expeditionary Force in Texas, 1988.

Captured Vehicles:

Several captured T-72s of varying types were captured by both U.S and British forces, and sent to various centers for evaluation in both the U.S and Britain. A number were captured by guerillas in Arkansas and Oklahoma in 1986-7 and saw combat during the liberation of both states during Operation PRAIRIE FIRE. The 83rd Mechanized Infantry Division (the “Rag-Tag Circus” of WW II fame) captured enough T-72s to form at least one battalion entirely equipped with the vehicle, and tried to ensure that enemy supply and parts depots in their line of advance were not attacked by artillery or air strikes. Many of the division's T-72s were manned by female soldiers due to their small stature and being able to fit more comfortably inside the tank than many male soldiers. Canadian and British forces using captured T-72s followed suit. Due to the unpredictability of acquiring 125-mm ammunition during the war, samples of captured 125-mm rounds were provided to Egypt, where a production line for 125-mm HE-FRAG and HEAT rounds was set up. Also, 125-mm SABOT rounds were obtained via Yugoslavia, where the M-84 license-built version was being built for the Yugoslav Army.
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  #577  
Old 05-18-2020, 08:43 AM
cawest cawest is offline
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I remember seeing a pick of a tiger II with a big white star and used by an US crew. to bad they did not make a homemade canaster round for those captured tanks
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  #578  
Old 05-18-2020, 12:46 PM
cawest cawest is offline
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I have an idea for a WW or RF-4. How about replacing the W79s with F-100s-PW229 or the like

the J79 has 11905ibf and about 17800 wet (afterburner)
dry weight 3850 pounds
38 inch around at its widest.

the F100 PW229 has a dry of 17800 and more at afterburner
dry weight is 3230 pounds
34.8 to 46.5 inch around.

this would make the parts more compatible with other units and frees up parts for the other F4 units.

the lower weight would help with WW mission and the engine power would help the RF-4s. I would not put them in front line f-4s the airframe mods would take awhile. 8inchs on each side of your ears is not something that would be easy to deal with.

what do you think?
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  #579  
Old 05-18-2020, 11:23 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cawest View Post
I have an idea for a WW or RF-4. How about replacing the W79s with F-100s-PW229 or the like

the J79 has 11905ibf and about 17800 wet (afterburner)
dry weight 3850 pounds
38 inch around at its widest.

the F100 PW229 has a dry of 17800 and more at afterburner
dry weight is 3230 pounds
34.8 to 46.5 inch around.

this would make the parts more compatible with other units and frees up parts for the other F4 units.

the lower weight would help with WW mission and the engine power would help the RF-4s. I would not put them in front line f-4s the airframe mods would take awhile. 8inchs on each side of your ears is not something that would be easy to deal with.

what do you think?
The Israeli's did exactly that with one Phantom.

As a test bed for what they called the "Super Phantom" they put the F4 on a diet by replacing old bulky and heavy wiring looms with newer lighter ones, a modern state of the art (Mid 80's) radar, digital cockpit, all the agility upgrades they could think of, improved bits and pieces throughout, Conformal Fuel Tanks with more fuel and less drag than the standard drop tanks as an option, and most importantly, new engines.

They talked to Pratt and Whitney and had them make a more compact F100 series engine that was currently in use in their F15's, The same amount of thrust, 70% parts commonality, and all in a somewhat smaller package and called it the PW1120.

With both engines installed the Super Phantom had a T:W ratio of 1.04. Yes, more thrust than weight, with the conformal tanks, allowing it to break the sound barrier without burners and super cruise. It had a roughly 36% faster climb rate, and a 15% improvement in sustained turns. It could fly further, accelerate faster, and use a shorter runway than the then brand new F15E Strike Eagle.

In 87, they demo'd the Super Phantom at Paris, to the amazement of all that saw it with its insane performance.

However, it wasn't meant to be. The cost of upgrading an F4E to "0" Hours and with all the upgrades was estimated to be 12 million dollars: to buy a then brand new F18, you would be looking at about spending 30 million for an admittedly newer, but inferior aircraft. And since MacDonald Douglas built both the F4 and the F18, it is widely rumored that they pushed P&W to kill the FW1120 program to kill any chance of such a package being on the market to outsell its own F18.
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  #580  
Old 05-19-2020, 10:05 AM
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Default Wargaming aside

I think I've mentioned that I am enamored of the wargame "Red Storm", a raid-level hex & counter air game set in May-June 1987. I'm deep in a PBEM scenario (my 3rd) in which I planned a NATO strike on the 1st day of the war.

Plotting the roles for the F-4s in the strike was interesting, since there were so many options for air-ground loads. The "main body" of the mission is 16 Belgian F-16A, the escort is 8 W.German F-4F, and the SEAD element is USAF 4 F-4E and 4 F-4G. The F-4Es are the utility infielders, as I loaded them with Mavericks and EOG bombs, but they also have Sparrows for beyond-visual-range air-to-air, which the CAP fighters do not

I now return you to your regularly-scheduled Red Dawn
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Old 05-19-2020, 10:50 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt Wiser View Post
Users:

U.S. Army: Combat in Texas and Arizona from the beginning of the war (M-1 and IPM1). M1A1 in wide use beginning Battle of Wichita 1987. M1A2 series primary U.S. Army MBT, M1A1 series still in ARNG and Reserve service, alongside remaining M-60A4-120 tanks.

U.S. Marine Corps: M1A1 saw limited use in USMC: first combat in the Kola raid. Replaced M-60 series after the war, though USMC M1A1s saw combat in liberation of Guam. M1A1HC primary USMC version.

Australia: Australian Army adopted the M1A1 in 1994.

Egypt: M1A1 supplied to Egyptian Army in 1990s. Production continues in Egypt today.

Kuwait: Kuwaiti Army supplied with M1A2 in 1997, after competition with Challenger and Leopard II.

Saudi Arabia: Saudi Army supplied with M1A2 in 1995, after competition between Leopard II and LeClerc.

Taiwan: ROC Army was the only wartime allied user: with M1 series tanks supplied to the ROC 1st Mechanized Division in the Southwest. ROC upgraded to M1A1 for duty on mainland in anti-warlord operations.
What no Canada?
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Old 05-19-2020, 10:17 PM
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They used the Leo Is and Challenger during the war, and replacements of Leo Is lost in combat showed up in Canadian ports with their serial numbers sanded off. Turns out that as the Bundeswehr replaced the Leo I with the Leo II, Leo Is not sent to their Territorial Army units wound up in Canada. Postwar, the Canadian Army adopted the Challenger.
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Old 05-23-2020, 10:43 PM
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And the M2 Bradley:


The M-2 Bradley in World War III



The M-2 Bradley was the U.S. Army's answer to the Soviet BMP, and though criticized by Congressmen and “defense” correspondents in the prewar years, served with distinction during the Third World War. First fielded in 1983, the vehicle saw combat from the first days of the war to the last, and has served in several postwar conflicts in both U.S., as well as foreign, service. This fact file covers the Bradley's wartime variants, as well as its postwar service.

Variants:


M2: The initial production variant, produced by FMC (later United Defense) at its San Jose, CA plant. Armed with an M242 25-mm Bushmaster cannon firing APDS-T and HEI-T ammunition, TOW missile launcher (two ready rounds plus five reloads), M240 Coax 7.62-mm machine gun, and six M231 firing port weapons. Thermal sight fitted as standard . Cummins 600 HP engine with HPMT hydro-mechanical transmission. Crew of three plus six infantry.

M2A1: Improved version fitted with TOW II ATGM, Gas Particulate Filter Unit NBC system, and improved fire-suppression system. Seat for a seventh infantryman added behind turret.

M2A2: Entered service in 1988 based on wartime experience. Troop number reduced to six, with armor improvements added. Kevlar spall liners added, side firing ports blocked by additional armor, and ability to carry reactive armor, and considered able to withstand 30-mm rounds.Troop number reduced to six.

M2A2A1: Final wartime version in 1989, but too late for combat. Eye-safe laser rangefinder installed, thermal sight for driver, combat indentification system, and TACNAV system for commander. Primary version used by ARNG and Army Reserve.

M2A3: Fielded in FY 2000. Fully digital combat system for commander, gunner and driver. Improved thermal sights, Commander's independent thermal sight, Force XXI Battlefield Command Information System, and GPS/INS all standard. Improved reactive armor and mine protection installed, and improved NBC system. Standard Regular Army version, with some now being issued to ARNG and Army Reserve units.

M2A4: Final version with improved engine, transmission, lightweight shock absorbers. Armament and electronics same as A3 version. Fielded beginning FY 15.

M3: Cavalry version of M2, with two dismounted scouts instead of infantry squad. Improved versions designated M3A2, M3A3, M3A4, respectively with same improvements as M2. Increased TOW missile capacity (12 reloads plus two in launcher).

M4 Command Vehicle: Command vehicle based on MLRS chassis, which is based on the M2 Chassis. Augments, but does not replace, M577 CP vehicle. Used as Corps and Division mobile TAC CP, and TOC at Brigade and Battalion.

Warhammer Bradley: M2A3s fitted with twin Javelin missile launcher in place of TOW-II.

M6 Bradley Linebacker: Air defense version with four-round Stinger launcher. Replaced by M105 ADGS, and vehicles converted to M2A3 standard.

M7 Bradley FIST: Version used by artillery FIST teams for fire direction. FIST equipment replaces the TOW launcher, but cannon and machine gun retained.

M270 MLRS: Multiple-launch rocket system (see later fact file)

M993: Tracked cargo carrier based on MLRS.


Service History:

In service with the 1st Cavalry and 2nd Armored Divisions at the outbreak of war, the vehicle gave excellent service during the initial invasion, and in the campaigns that followed. Production continued at San Jose, and at a second plant in DeKalb, IL during the war. The Bradley became the primary infantry vehicle used by the Army, but it did not replace the M-113 APC until the late 1990s. Crews found that they easily outshot the BMP-1 and BMP-2, and easily outgunned the BTR series. Enterprising crews even used the 25-mm gun to take enemy armor from the flanks and rear, with the T-55 and T-62 being vulnerable, and even T-72s were killed on occasion. Combat service postwar in the Baja War, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

The Bradley also saw service with Canada, the ROC, and the ROK Army during the war and after.


Users:

U.S. Army: Combat throughout the war, in both Southern and Northern Theaters and in Eastern Europe.

Canadian Army: Fielded along with the Warrior in Canadian Army mechanized infantry units. Adopted by the Canadians postwar as their primary IFV in Regular Army units.

ROC Army: Main IFV used by 1st Taiwanese Mechanized Division, and later used on the mainland in anti-warlord campaigns.

ROK Army: Used by ROK Expeditionary Force in Southwest, and later on, by ROK Capital Corps in place of KIFV infantry vehicle. Used in peacekeeping operations in former North Korea after fall of the Rump USSR and nuclear strikes on North Korea.


Postwar:

Australia: Adopted by Australian Army in 1990s to replace the M-113.

Saudi Arabia: Adopted in 1995 as M-113 replacement for Royal Saudi Army.

UAE: Adopted 2000 by UAE Ground Forces to replace French VCI series.


Captured Vehicles: A number of captured Bradleys were taken to the USSR by the Soviets during the war for evaluation. One found at the Kubinka Tank Museum in Moscow, while several others were discovered at various Soviet Army test and training grounds.

One additional example was found at Havana's Museum of the Revolution after the fall of the Castro Regime, and has since been returned to the U.S.
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Old 06-07-2020, 11:49 PM
Matt Wiser Matt Wiser is offline
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And an aircraft that would've been a familiar sight in the Red Dawn TL and over Twilight War battlefields prior to the nuclear exchanges-and still a common sight in the Gulf Theater....


The A-10 Warthog in World War III


The Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, more popularly known by the men and women who fly or maintain it, along with the general public, as the Warthog, had a distinguished career in the Third World War, as well as in the Cuba Intervention and the Baja War. Indeed, the aircraft's war service was enough to promote export sales, as South Korea, Israel, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey became operators of the A-10 postwar, along with Canada. The following are the variants of the A-10 that saw service, initially with the USAF, and later on, with overseas customers.

A-10A: Initial production version for the USAF. Deployed to England, South Korea, and Alaska prewar as well as to wings in the Continental United States. Production continued during the war at the Fairchild-Republic plant in Hagerstown, MD, with production for FMS customers postwar.

A-10B: Prototype Night/All Weather two-seat variant. Initially rejected by the USAF prewar, the aircraft was put into production as a Forward Air Control platform in 1986. The aircraft was fitted for, but not with, the avionics for the Night and All Weather mission, until the LANTIRN pod system became available in 1989. Two squadrons so fitted flew against the Brownsville Pocket and also against Cuba, attacking Cuban transportation targets as prelude to the planned invasion.

A-10C: Upgraded A-10A with LANTIRN and digital avionics. JDAM capability added in 2005-7. Aircraft saw combat in both Cuba and Mexico. FMS upgrades continuing.

A-10D: Upgraded B with full LANTIRN and digital avionics as per the A-10C.


Users:

USAF

RCAF

Postwar users:

Israel

Republic of China

Saudi Arabia

Turkey


Seven A-10 pilots (four posthumously) won the Medal of Honor during the war. An additional seventeen others won the Air Force Cross (six posthumously) for wartime heroism.
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  #585  
Old 06-08-2020, 10:05 AM
cawest cawest is offline
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liked the a-10 love. does anyone remember if they fit harpoons to the A10. I know that they test fitted 4 to the Ah-64 at Fort Rucker AL.
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  #586  
Old 06-13-2020, 09:36 PM
Matt Wiser Matt Wiser is offline
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To use Harpoon, you need a radar, and the A-10 has none. Not to mention the anti-ship mission is not the A-10's bread and butter. CAS and RESCAP are.
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Old 06-14-2020, 01:03 AM
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There was talk last year of fitting A-10s with synthetic aperture radar pods. Not sure if anything came of it.
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Old 07-07-2020, 10:15 PM
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Given the hostility the AF brass has had towards the A-10? Not a surprise that the SAR pod idea died. They were so fixated on F-35 that it took Congressional intervention to get them to retain the aircraft; finding out the AF was cooking the books to favor F-35 as a CAS platform didn't help their cause.

Will be posting a couple more fact files before going back to stories. So, in honor of Satellite Down, here's one on the Virginia-class CGNs:



The Virginia Class Cruisers in World War III




The Virginia class guided-missile cruisers were the largest class of nuclear surface combatants built for the U.S. Navy, until the postwar Puget Sound class strike cruisers. At the outbreak of war, they were the most capable nuclear cruisers in the U.S. Navy, primarily being employed as escorts for carrier battle groups. Planned as a five-ship class, only four were built, while the fifth, which was hoped to be equipped with AEGIS, was never funded.

The ships had an active war, escorting carrier battle groups, protecting their charges from air and submarine attack, and all four survived the war.


U.S.S. Virginia (CGN-38): Commissioned in 1976, she was active in the Atlantic Fleet at the beginning of the war, she had escorted the Eisenhower battle group on its last peacetime deployment. She remained with Eisenhower throughout the war, seeing combat during raids against Soviet-occupied Iceland, the liberation of Iceland, the Kola Raid, and operations in the Gulf of Mexico (GULF HAMMER and the reduction of the Brownsville Pocket). A brief yard period in 1986 had the “Fem Mods” (accommodations for female officers and crew) added. Virginia participated in the sinkings of three Soviet submarines: the Victor-I class SSN K-147 off Norfolk on 27 November 1985, the November-class SSN K-60 during the Liberation of Iceland in May, 1987, and the Tango-class SS B-319 on 8 June 1989, during the transit from Norfolk to the Gulf of Mexico. Virginia, during Gulf of Mexico operations, also took SAM shots at Soviet aircraft engaged in the airlift to Texas and Mexico, scoring several kills in the process. She was overhauled and refueled from 1994-1997, and after routine deployments with both the Sixth Fleet and the Fourth Fleet in the Caribbean, Virginia was decommissioned and stricken in 2014, and has been sold for scrap after defueling and all nuclear components removed.


U.S.S. Texas (CGN-39): Commissioned in 1977, she was active in the Pacific Fleet at the outbreak of war, as part of the Carl Vinson Battle Group. The group had returned from a WestPac deployment when war began, and as soon as war began, deployed to protect the California coast, and conducted carrier air strikes against targets in Baja California. Later, Texas participated in operations against Soviet convoys on the Alaska run, and in strikes against occupied Alaska and the Kamchatka Peninsula, protecting the carrier from Soviet air, submarine, and missile attack on several occasions. A brief yard period at San Diego followed, with the “Fem Mods” being added. Later, as part of the Vinson group, Texas also participated in the final reduction of the Soviet base at Cam Ranh Bay, before taking part in further raids against Kamchatka, the Kuriles, and Alaska, as well as covering the movement of forces into Alaska after the Soviet surrender in the Northern Theater in October, 1989. During the war, she sank three Soviet submarines: an unknown Whiskey-class SS on 24 March, 1986, the Juliett-class SSG K-63 during the Cam Ranh Bay strike, and the Charlie-I class SSGN K-25 on 6 October, 1989. (This was the last Soviet submarine sunk by USN surface vessels in the war) Overhauled and refueled in 1995-98, Texas resumed WestPac and Indian Ocean deployments with the Abraham Lincoln carrier group, before being decommissioned and stricken in 2015. She will be scrapped after defueling and all nuclear components have been removed.


U.S.S. Mississippi (CGN-40): Commissioned in 1978, she was part of the Nimitz carrier battle group in the Mediterranean when the war began, and she, along with the other escorts, was able to successfully defend the carrier against a “First Salvo” attack by the Soviet Mediterranean Squadron. The battle group then attacked the Soviet squadron, sinking several ships, before being diverted to attack targets in Libya, after the Soviet/Libyan occupation of Gibraltar. Mississippi then participated, with the battle group, in operations in the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean for much of 1986-7, taking part in the Liberation of Gibraltar and strikes against Libya and Soviet naval facilities in Syria. She also participated in strikes against both Cuba and Occupied Iceland, before the Liberation of Iceland and the Kola Raid, serving as AAW “Gatekeeper” to Nimitz. After Kola, a brief yard period followed, where she received the “Fem Mods” for female officers and crew. Mississippi then served with the carrier during operations against Cuba, before the Nimitz shifted to the Pacific Fleet, but she remained in the Atlantic Fleet. During her time with the Nimitz group, she sank three Soviet submarines: the Juliett class SSG K-67 on 6 September 1985, the Echo-II SSGN K-22 during the Iceland campaign, and the Foxtrot-class SS B-2 on 7 August 1987. She next provided AAW cover for the amphibious force in Operation GULF HAMMER, and again during the reduction of the Brownsville Pocket. After supporting the Cuba Blockade, she was part of the Theodore Roosevelt battle group, before her nuclear refueling and overhaul from 1997-2000.

After her yard period, Mississippi became part of the America battle group, seeing combat in the Cuba intervention and in the Baja War, supporting operations against the Mexican Gulf Coast. During the fall of the Rump USSR, the America battle group went to sea after DEFCON-3 was called, but saw no action. Mississippi is expected to decommission in FY 2017, and then she will be defueled, have her nuclear components removed, and then scrapped.


USS Arkansas (CGN-41): Commissioned in 1980, she was active in the Pacific Fleet as part of the Carl Vinson battle group. She participated in all of the Battle Group's actions in the initial part of the war, before being shifted to the Enterprise Battle Group in 1987, and the “Fem Mods” added during a brief yard period in San Diego. Arkansas participated in operations against Alaska, Kamchatka, and the Kuriles, and also covered the movement into Alaska after the Soviet surrender in October, 1989. The Enterprise group then participated in Operation FORAGER II, the Liberation of Guam from North Korean occupation in November-December, 1989. After the war, she resumed normal deployments to WestPac and the Indian Ocean, with occasional anti-piracy operations in both Indonesian and Chinese waters. During the war, she participated in the sinking of two Soviet submarines: the November-class K-11, on 5 June 1987, during a raid on Alaska, and the Echo-I class SSN K-259 during the Kamchatka Raid. Arkansas also fired Tomahawks in that operation, and during FORAGER-II, sank an unidentified North Korean Romeo-class SS.

After her refueling and overhaul from 1998-2001, she returned to the Pacific Fleet, joining the Nimitz Battle Group. Arkansas participated in the Baja War in 2010, supporting the blockade of Mexico's Pacific Coast, and firing Tomahawk Cruise Missiles against targets in Mexico. The battle group put to sea during the fall of the Rump USSR, but saw no action. Arkansas is expected to decommission in FY 2018. She will be defueled, have all nuclear components removed, and then scrapped.


Class statistics:

Displacement: 11,300 full load

Length: 585 feet

Beam: 63 feet

Draft: 29.5 feet

Propulsion: 2 steam turbines driving two shafts for 60,000 shp

Reactors: 2 GE D2G Pressurized Water Reactors

Speed: 30+ knots

Crew:

CGN-38: 565 (45 Officers and 520 Enlisted)

CGN-39: 572 (39 Officers and 533 Enlisted)

CGN-40: 613 34 Officers and 579 Enlisted)

CGN-41: 562 (39 Officers and 523 Enlisted)

Missiles:

2 twin Mk 26 launchers for Standard-MR SAM

2 quad Mk 141 Harpoon SSM launchers

2 quad ABL launchers for Tomahawk SSM/TLAM

Guns:

2 single 5-inch 54 Mk 45 guns

2 20-mm Phalanx CIWS

Several pintle mounts for .50 caliber machine guns or Mk 19 AGL

ASW Weapons:

ASROC fired from forward Mk 26 launcher

2 triple Mk 32 torpedo tubes for Mk 46 torpedoes

Radars:

SPS-40B air search

SPS-48A 3-D search in GGN-38, 39, SPS-48C in CGN-40, 41

SPS-55 surface search

Sonar: SQS-53A bow-mounted

Helicopter: VERTREP area only: helicopter hangar with elevator originally provided. Issues with elevators and keeping the hangar watertight resulted in the hangar being sealed, and Tomahawk ABLs installed.

Fire-Control:

1 SWG-2 Tomahawk FCS

1 Mk 13 Weapon-direction system (replaced by Mk 14 WDS)

1 Mk 86 GFCS with SPG-60 and SPQ-9A radars

1 Mk 74 Missile FCS

1 MK 116 ASW FCS

2 SPG-51D radars

EW:

SLQ-25 Nixie

SLQ-32 (V)3 EW
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  #589  
Old 07-08-2020, 02:14 PM
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pmulcahy11b pmulcahy11b is offline
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To use Harpoon, you need a radar, and the A-10 has none. Not to mention the anti-ship mission is not the A-10's bread and butter. CAS and RESCAP are.
They did build an A-10 with radar (the ill-fated A-10B/NAW), but the radar and the WSO positions ate up a lot space for the cannon ammunition and fuel. A-10 drivers did not like this, and basically vetoed the radar and the second seat.
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Old 07-08-2020, 05:59 PM
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Any kid for the 70's or the 80's had a love or hate relationship with the A-10. Air to mud is not sexy but is a needed mission. I am sure that there would have been a way to "pod" a surface search/surveillance radar and make the Harpoon a part of the inventory. Might not be the most agile, however, the standoff capability would be worth it. Barring that, the Penguin would be a useful option (as it is an infrared seeker) and perhaps at a stretch could be used like the Maverick AGM as a poor man's night vision.
Always loved the platform and it was a neat stable mate for Phantom. Both ugly mothers that got the job done.
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Old 07-08-2020, 09:22 PM
Matt Wiser Matt Wiser is offline
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Paul, here's the A-10's history in the Red Dawn timeline. Note the A-10B was built during the war and retained in the force structure after.


The A-10 Warthog in World War III


The Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, more popularly known by the men and women who fly or maintain it, along with the general public, as the Warthog, had a distinguished career in the Third World War, as well as in the Cuba Intervention and the Baja War. Indeed, the aircraft's war service was enough to promote export sales, as South Korea, Israel, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey became operators of the A-10 postwar, along with Canada. The following are the variants of the A-10 that saw service, initially with the USAF, and later on, with overseas customers.

A-10A: Initial production version for the USAF. Deployed to England, South Korea, and Alaska prewar as well as to wings in the Continental United States. Production continued during the war at the Fairchild-Republic plant in Hagerstown, MD, with production for FMS customers postwar.

A-10B: Prototype Night/All Weather two-seat variant. Initially rejected by the USAF prewar, the aircraft was put into production as a Forward Air Control platform in 1986. The aircraft was fitted for, but not with, the avionics for the Night and All Weather mission, until the LANTIRN pod system became available in 1989. Two squadrons so fitted flew against the Brownsville Pocket and also against Cuba, attacking Cuban transportation targets as prelude to the planned invasion.

A-10C: Upgraded A-10A with LANTIRN and digital avionics. JDAM capability added in 2005-7. Aircraft saw combat in both Cuba and Mexico. FMS upgrades continuing.

A-10D: Upgraded B with full LANTIRN and digital avionics as per the A-10C.


Users:

USAF

RCAF

Postwar users:

Israel

Republic of China

Saudi Arabia

Turkey


Seven A-10 pilots (four posthumously) won the Medal of Honor during the war. An additional seventeen others won the Air Force Cross (six posthumously) for wartime heroism.
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  #592  
Old 07-09-2020, 09:20 AM
Olefin Olefin is offline
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I drive by the old Fairchild production plant every day to get to work and I still can’t believe that they shut down production on the A-10. It’s probably been the single best attack aircraft of all time and has shown over and over again how useful it can be. We haven’t needed the F-22’s or F-15’s in quite a while but the A-10’s are still kicking ass everywhere we have been.
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Old 07-09-2020, 01:09 PM
lordroel lordroel is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt Wiser View Post
Paul, here's the A-10's history in the Red Dawn timeline. Note the A-10B was built during the war and retained in the force structure after.


The A-10 Warthog in World War III


The Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, more popularly known by the men and women who fly or maintain it, along with the general public, as the Warthog, had a distinguished career in the Third World War, as well as in the Cuba Intervention and the Baja War. Indeed, the aircraft's war service was enough to promote export sales, as South Korea, Israel, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey became operators of the A-10 postwar, along with Canada. The following are the variants of the A-10 that saw service, initially with the USAF, and later on, with overseas customers.

A-10A: Initial production version for the USAF. Deployed to England, South Korea, and Alaska prewar as well as to wings in the Continental United States. Production continued during the war at the Fairchild-Republic plant in Hagerstown, MD, with production for FMS customers postwar.

A-10B: Prototype Night/All Weather two-seat variant. Initially rejected by the USAF prewar, the aircraft was put into production as a Forward Air Control platform in 1986. The aircraft was fitted for, but not with, the avionics for the Night and All Weather mission, until the LANTIRN pod system became available in 1989. Two squadrons so fitted flew against the Brownsville Pocket and also against Cuba, attacking Cuban transportation targets as prelude to the planned invasion.

A-10C: Upgraded A-10A with LANTIRN and digital avionics. JDAM capability added in 2005-7. Aircraft saw combat in both Cuba and Mexico. FMS upgrades continuing.

A-10D: Upgraded B with full LANTIRN and digital avionics as per the A-10C.


Users:

USAF

RCAF

Postwar users:

Israel

Republic of China

Saudi Arabia

Turkey


Seven A-10 pilots (four posthumously) won the Medal of Honor during the war. An additional seventeen others won the Air Force Cross (six posthumously) for wartime heroism.
Nice, i remember a novel by Larry Bond called red phoenix where South Korean also operated the A-10.
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  #594  
Old 07-09-2020, 08:22 PM
Matt Wiser Matt Wiser is offline
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OTL Fairchild-Republic tried to sell the aircraft to FMS customers, but a big problem was a crash at the '77 Paris Air Show. Imperial Iran, West Germany, Britain, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, Israel, were all potential operators, but no orders came. After DESERT STORM there was some renewed interest, with a possible sale to Turkey of up to 50, but it fell through.
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Old 10-22-2020, 09:46 PM
Matt Wiser Matt Wiser is offline
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Guys, after a sabbatical that included being evacuated from the Creek Fire in California, the thread will resume in the coming days. One or two fact files will show, then more stories.
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  #596  
Old 10-23-2020, 09:16 PM
cawest cawest is offline
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hope you and yours is okay.
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Old 10-29-2020, 09:35 PM
Matt Wiser Matt Wiser is offline
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Everything's fine at the house: was evac'd for ten days, but I've been busy with work.

And to get things started, a fact file on a vehicle introduced in the U.S. Army Vehicle Guide: the Cadillac-Gage Stingray:



The Cadillac-Gage Stingray in World War III


The Cadillac-Gage Stingray light tank was originally designed to meet a specification for a light, airportable tank that would be primarily used by units of the U.S. Army's Rapid Deployment Force as a replacement for the M551 Sheridan. Designed to be transportable by C-130 aircraft, but not air droppable, the program began in 1983 and the first prototypes were ready in 1984. Though the vehicle eventually lost out to what became the postwar M8 Buford Armored Gun System, the needs of wartime meant that the vehicle was put into production as a Sheridan replacement, and serving with U.S. Army Armored Cavalry Units during the Third World War, and was also used by several Canadian Army reconnaissance units when it was realized that heavier firepower was needed when dealing with Soviet and North Korean reconnaissance units.


Variants:

Stingray I: The baseline vehicle, adopted as a war emergency measure in 1985. The vehicle is equipped with a 105-mm L7A3 gun, with coaxial 7.62-mm and commander's M2 Browning .50 Caliber machine guns. Fire control consists of a gunner's sight with two-axis stabilization, a thermal imaging sight and laser rangefinder. Armor can withstand machine-gun rounds up to 14.5-mm.

Stingray Junior: A number of V-600 armored cars were fitted with the Stingray's turret when production of turrets outpaced that of the chassis. These vehicles were used mainly for rear-area security duties and convoy escort in areas where Spetsnatz attacks could be expected. The turret could also be installed on the M-41 Walker Bulldog, M-47, and M-551 chassis, but none were so fitted during the war. Cadillac-Gage offered it to foreign M-41 and M-47 users after the war, and a number of sales did follow.

Stingray II: An improved version developed to go against the M8 Buford when that competition was reopened after the war. Improved armor (capable of withstanding 30-mm cannon fire) with fitting for reactive armor, a new digital fire control system, and full NBC protection for the crew. Lost out (again) to the United Defense entry, which became the M8 Buford. Export sales to Thailand, Malaysia, Kuwait, and Jordan, though, did follow, along with customers for refurbished vehicles (see below).


Users:

U.S. Army: The Stingray was used by all of the Armored Cavalry Regiments activated during the war, as well as by the Army's Light Infantry Divisions to give them some armored firepower, especially in difficult terrain and in urban combat situations. Notable users included the 12th ACR (Light), which formed in 1986 as part of XVIII Airborne Corps, the reformed 150th ACR, which had one squadron operational prewar with the West Virginia NG, and the (in)famous 13th “Hell's Angels” ACR, which used the Stingray alongside the LAV-25. The Stingray served for the rest of the war and for a number of years afterwards, being replaced beginning in 1999 by the M8 Buford AGS, but still served in the National Guard until 2010. The Stingrays were placed in storage, but Cadillac-Gage has refurbished a number to Stingray II standard for FMS sales to Morocco, Tunisia Brazil, and Taiwan (interim pending new production Stingray IIs)

Canadian Army: Canada adopted the Stingray in 1986, and several Canadian Army reconnaissance units used the vehicle alongside the Lynx as the lack of heavy firepower was apparent when confronting Soviet reconnaissance units equipped with not just the PT-76 or the BMP-1R, but MBTs in the divisional reconnaissance battalions. The 105-mm gun and the top speed of 43 MPH made the Stingray a valuable addition, and the vehicle served with the Canadian Army for a number of years after the war, being replaced by the M8 Buford beginning in 2005.
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Old 03-12-2022, 09:09 PM
Matt Wiser Matt Wiser is offline
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Guys, after a longer than expected sabbatical, the stories will be resuming shortly. First, though, a fact file about the Des Moines class cruisers in the war:

The Des Moines Class Heavy Cruisers in World War III



The Des Moines class were the last heavy cruisers built by any navy, were the only heavy cruisers in existence in 1985, and were the largest non-missile cruisers afloat. The class was originally planned as a 12-unit class, and only three were completed. The three units built were too late for World War II service, but saw extensive postwar service. Two were decommissioned in 1959-61, while the third unit was decommissioned in 1975 after extensive service in the Vietnam War. Two units were in Mobilization Category B, which meant available for reactivation within 180 days. The third unit had suffered an explosion in its No. 2 main turret in 1972, and had been stricken in 1978, but was retained in storage as a potential parts source for the other two in the event of their reactivation. A plan had been considered in 1981-2 to reactivate the two survivors as part of the initial defense buildup begun by the Reagan Administration, but had been turned down by Congress. However, once war began, orders were quickly issued to the Philadelphia Navy Yard to reactivate the two available ships.


U.S.S. Des Moines (CA-134): Laid down in 1945 and commissioned in 1948, she often served as a Fleet Flagship before being decommissioned in 1961. Placed in reserve at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, she was maintained as a mobilization asset available for reactivation within 180 days. The order to reactivate her was issued only three days after the outbreak of war in September, 1985. Recommissioned in April, 1986, the ship initially saw service escorting convoys from the Mediterranean to the East Coast, and in one famous incident, was covering Convoy AHN-30 (Alexandria/Haifa-Norfolk) when a Soviet convoy en route to Cuba was encountered, and escorts from both convoys engaged each other. The Soviet escorts were distracted by the American and British destroyers and frigates long enough for Des Moines to get into the Soviet convoy and sink five ships. She saw action supporting the Liberation of Iceland in 1987, and also supported the Kola Raid in company with her sister ship Salem, often getting in close to shore to engage Soviet defenses and formations at nearly point-blank range.

After the Kola Raid, Des Moines put into the Philadelphia Navy Yard for a brief refit. The 3-inch 50 AA guns were removed and two quad Mark-141 Harpoon launchers and two Super RBOC Chaff launchers being installed in place of the amidships guns. Two new lattice masts were installed to house new radars and ECM equipment, along with NTDS. The Phalanx system was also installed with two mounts taken from damaged ships, and CEC was installed in the former Flag spaces to control the Harpoons and the ECM equipment. In addition, the “Fem mods” (crew spaces for female officers and crew) prepared. The ship was ready for sea in January, 1988, and Des Moines resumed convoy duty.

Her next combat was in support of Operation GULF HAMMER in 1988, providing Naval Gunfire Support to Marine landings along the Texas coast, and in support of Army and Marine forces operating within range of her guns. Des Moines then saw service interdicting shipping between Cuban ports, Brownsville, and Mexico, and also provided fire support during the final reduction of the Brownsville Pocket. She then participated in several bombardments of targets in Cuba that were intended as preparatory to the planned invasion of Cuba, and was tasked to provide fire support for Marines landing at Tarara Beach, east of Havana, but Castro's acceptance of the Armistice rendered the invasion plan moot.

Though considered for deactivation in 1991, events in the Middle East and Africa reared their head, and Des Moines was retained in service indefinitely. Deployments to Yemen and off the Somali coast followed, escorting shipping threatened by local pirates, and on occasion, bombarding pirate strongholds with her 8-inch guns. In one incident in 1996, a group of Somali pirates at night mistook the cruiser for a tanker, and tried to board her. The pirates were swiftly dealt with, and their mother ship (a captured fishing boat) was destroyed with 5-inch gunfire. Des Moines made her home port in San Diego, switching places with her sister, Salem, in 2000. Her most recent combat duty was in the Baja War in 2010. She is still in service, and when retired, it is planned to donate her to either Seattle or San Francisco as a war memorial.


U.S.S. Salem (CA-139): Laid down in 1945 and commissioned in 1949, Salem served not only as a Fleet Flagship at times during her active service, but also played the German Pocket Battleship Graf Spee in a 1956 movie about the Battle of the River Plate. She was decommissioned in 1959, and maintained at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in Mobilization Category B alongside her sister ship Des Moines. She, too, was considered for reactivation in the early 1980s, but remained in mothballs until the outbreak of war, when she was reactivated in September, 1985. Receiving the same minor upgrade as her sister, Salem was recommissioned in May, 1986, and after working up with her sister ship, began duty as a convoy escort. She escorted convoys from the Mediterranean to the East Coast, before taking part in the Naval Gunfire Support Force for both the Liberation of Iceland and the Kola Raid. Salem was so close to shore that at one point, her 3-inch 50 AA guns were used against Soviet ground troops and light armor. After Kola, the ship received a refit identical to her sister, Des Moines.

Salem did not participate in Operation GULF HAMMER, as she was needed in the Pacific, and transited the Panama Canal to join the Pacific Fleet in January, 1988. She took part in several bombardment runs along the Alaska coast, and provided Naval Gunfire Support to the raid on the Kamchatka Peninsula, along with raider hunts in the North Pacific. Salem also took part in a raid on Itirup Island in the Kuriles, bombarding a minor Soviet naval base and a PVO airfield, with SEALS calling in the naval gunfire. She then participated in several bombardment missions along the Mexican Pacific Coast, before once again transiting the Canal and rejoining the Atlantic Fleet for the planned invasion of Cuba. After the Castro Regime's acceptance of the Armistice, Salem was sent back to the Pacific, for anti-piracy operations along the China Coast and in Indonesian waters.

Salem made several deployments to WestPac, with her Home Port at Pearl Harbor, before returning to the East Coast in 2000. She was involved in a number of anti-piracy operations, bombarding a number of pirate strongholds in her WestPac cruises. When she returned to the East Coast, Salem returned to deployments with the Sixth Fleet, with occasional service off of Somalia and Yemen. Salem did not see combat in the Cuban Intervention, or in the Baja War, but was at sea during the Fall of the Rump USSR, though she saw no action. She is still in service, and when she is retired in 2020, she will be donated to the city of Quincy, Massachusetts, as a war memorial, and close to her namesake city.


U.S.S. Newport News (CA-148): Laid down in 1945 and commissioned in 1949, she was the last heavy cruiser in commission anywhere when she was decommissioned in 1975. Serving as a fleet flagship, she saw service in the Sixth Fleet and during both the Cuban Missile Crisis and the 1965 Dominican Republic Crisis, then had three deployments to Vietnam between 1967 and 1972. An accidental explosion in her Number Two turret, resulting in the center gun being blown out, and nineteen men were killed and ten wounded. The damage was not repaired, and the turret was sealed off for the remainder of her service. Decommissioned in 1975, she saw no further service, and was used as a parts source for her two sister ships when they were reactivated in 1985. Newport News is still retained as a parts hulk, and is expected to be scrapped when the cruisers are retired. A request from the Mariner's Museum in Norfolk to retain parts of the ship, such as her bridge, as a memorial to the ship and crew is likely to be granted by the Navy.


Ship statistics:


Displacement: 17,000 tons standard, 21,500 full load

Length: 716.5 feet

Beam: 76 feet

Draft: 26 feet

Propulsion: Four GE steam turbines producing 120,000 Shaft Horsepower; 4 shafts.

Boilers: 4 Babcock and Wilcox at 600 psi each

Range: 10,500 Nautical Miles at 15 Knots

Top speed: 32 Knots

Crew: 1,800 (115 Officers and 1,685 Enlisted)

Armament (World War III):

9x 8-inch 55 Mark 16 guns in three triple turrets

12x 5-inch 38 DP Mark 32 guns in six twin turrets

12x 3-inch 50 AA Mark 27 in six twin mounts (removed Fall 1987)

8x Harpoon SSM launchers Mark 141 in four quad mounts (installed Fall 1987)

2x 20-mm Phalanx CIWS mounts (installed Fall 1987)

Several mounts for .50 caliber machine guns or Mark 19 Automatic Grenade Launchers

Helicopters: Pad only with no hangar. UH-1N or SH-2F embarked on occasion.
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