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Stingray light tank

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The Stingray, sometimes known as the Commando Stingray,[3] is a light tank produced by Textron Marine & Land Systems division (formerly Cadillac Gage). It was designed to use as many existing components of other American armored fighting vehicles as possible to keep costs down. The Stingray was a private venture project aimed at foreign countries. As of 2020, Textron has kept the Stingray name registered.[4]

Stingray
A Stingray tank at Cobra Gold 2019 exercise in Sukhothai, Thailand
TypeLight tank
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service1989–present
Used byThailand
Production history
ManufacturerCadillac Gage
No. built106
Specifications
Mass22.6 tonnes
Length9.3 m (30 ft 6 in) with gun forward
Width3 m (9 ft 10 in)
Height2.7 m (8 ft 10 in)
Crew4 (commander, driver, gunner, radio operator/loader)
Main
armament
L7 LRF 105 mm rifled tank gun
Secondary
armament
7.62 mm co-axial machine gun, 12.7 mm M2 Browning heavy machine gun[1]
EngineDetroit Diesel Allison 8V-92TA,[2] liquid cooled turbo charged 2-stroke V-8 diesel engine
535 hp (399 kW) at 2300 rpm[2]
TransmissionSNT Dynamics/Allison Transmission XTG411-2A[2]
4 forward, 2 reverse
SuspensionIndependent trailing arm torsion bar
Operational
range
300 miles (480 km)
Maximum speed 70 km/h (43 mph)

It was exported for use by armed forces of Thailand, who remain the only user.

History

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The Stingray was developed in the 1980s as a private venture by Cadillac Gage Textron. It was primarily developed for the export market. Cadillac Gage Textron began design work in 1983. The hull and turret were finished separately in 1984. The turret was first mated to the American M551 Sheridan hull for trials. The first prototype was completed in 1985, and debuted in public later that year. A second prototype was produced in 1986. The first prototype was sent to Thailand in 1986, then Malaysia in 1987.[5] The Stingray was evaluated in Ecuador in 1988,[6] and Chile in 1992.[7]

In 1987, the Royal Thai Army purchased 106 Stingrays from Cadillac Gage for US$150 million.[8] These were delivered from 1989 to 1990.[6][5] Cadillac Gage provided assistance in repairing Stingrays with cracked structural components.[3]

In 1992, the U.S. Army solicited bids for a replacement for the M551 Sheridan under the Armored Gun System program. Cadillac Gage submitted a Stingray design, which was too heavy for the U.S. Army's requirements.[3] Cadillac Gage continued its work with the Stingray II. One prototype was completed in 1994, and the tank was marketed to Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and Taiwan up until 2003.[3]

In 2010, Federal Defense Industries announced that they entered into an agreement with Textron Marine & Land Systems in order to provide authorized aftermarket parts, support and other types of assistance for the Stingray since FDI maintains a technical library for spare parts.[9]

In 2011, Napco entered into an agreement with Textron to provide authorized aftermarket parts, support and other types of assistance for the Stingray.[10]

Design

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Main armament

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The main armament is the low recoil force variant of the 105 mm Royal Ordnance L7 gun. The tank's ammunition capacity has been variously reported as:

  • 32 rounds, with eight rounds stowed in the turret, and three of these ready.[5]
  • 36 rounds, with eight rounds ready.[1]
  • 44 rounds, with eight rounds stowed in the turret, and three of these ready.[3]

Variants

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Stingray

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The Stingray has a 105 mm rifled cannon.[11] Its cruise speed is 44 mph (71 km/h). Maximum grade is 60%. The maximum vertical distance it can scale is 2.7 feet (82 cm). It can ford water up to 3.5 feet (107 cm). It is air transportable in a C-130 cargo aircraft. The original Stingray program was launched in 1983, with the first prototype vehicle ready in August 1984. The Stingray turret was also marketed separately for retrofit installation on the hull of the M41, M47 or M551 tank or on the V600 armored car.[12] Its armor was made from CG's Cadaloy armor.[3]

The Stingray can be upgraded with the CG Fire Control and Stabilization Upgrade Kit as an affordable solution to upgrade its fire control systems.[13]

Armored Gun System

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Stingray AGS proposal

In 1992, the U.S. Army solicited bids for a successor to the M551 Sheridan light tank under the Armored Gun System competition. Cadillac Gage Textron submitted a lengthened hull Commando Stingray with the U.S. Marine Corps LAV-105 turret.[14][15] This had a crew of three (the fourth crewmember was replaced by an Fairey Hydraulics automatic ammunition loader). The AGS Stingray carried 30 rounds, with 16 in ready storage.[16] This was armed with an XM35 105 mm gun,[17] though an earlier proposed model mounted a Royal Ordnance L7 105 mm Low Recoil Force cannon. Propulsion was provided by a Detroit Diesel 6V92 DDEC TA engine developing 550 hp (410 kW) at 2300 rpm with a General Electric HMPT-500-3 transmission.[16] Cadloy steel armor protected the vehicle from 14.5 mm machine gun fire over the frontal arc in its base configuration.[18] Cadillac Gage lost out to the FMC Close Combat Vehicle Light.[19]

Stingray II

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The Stingray II is an upgrade version of the Stingray, developed by Cadillac Gage as a private-venture armored fighting vehicle (AFV) for the export market.[3] The turret is the same that is mounted on the Cadillac-Gage V-600.[20] The light tank's baseline armor protects its occupants from armor-piercing, heavy machine gun rounds up to 14.5 mm in size. Additional armor appliqué can be fitted to increase ballistic protection. Operational range is increased 450 kilometres (280 mi) if one assumes a travel speed of about 48 kilometres per hour (30 mph). The 8V-92TA engine on the Stingray II has been uprated to 550 hp (410 kW) at 2,300 rpm, and a 650 hp (480 kW) version is also available.[3]

The Stingray's main armament is a low recoil force (LRF) version of the British Royal Ordnance L7 105 mm rifled gun installed in a well-angled and electro-hydraulically powered turret having manual backup as is usually found on tanks.[3] The gun has optional stabilization in two axes, and eight ready rounds, with another 24 rounds stored in the hull.[21] Complementing the main gun is an M240 7.62 mm co-axial machine gun with 2,400 rounds (400 ready), as well as a 12.7 mm M2 Browning anti-aircraft machine gun with 1,100 rounds on the commander's hatch (100 ready).[21] The Stingray II is fitted with 16 protective smoke grenade launch tubes, with 8 of them on each side.[3] The optic system for the gunner is composed of a stabilized Hughes HIRE day/thermal night sight together with a laser rangefinder.[21]

The main improvements offered in the Stingray II are a more capable digital fire-control system (from the M1A1 Abrams).[21] The Stingray II also improves the armor to provide protection from 23 mm rounds over the frontal arc and side skirts. An appliqué armour kit can be applied in the field in two to four hours. This involves installing a wider track.[21]

Two Stingray IIs were made to showcase its weapons and equipment for demonstration to potential customers.[3]

Users

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Current users
Prospective bids/States that previously expressed interest
  • United States Army, Cadillac Gage entered a variant of the Commando Stingray with a LAV-105 turret in a competition to replace the M551 Sheridan.[14] This was not selected.[19]
  • Royal Thai Marine Corps, the Royal Marines had expressed interest in acquiring 15 units, however another system was chosen in 2000.[3]
  • Malaysia, in the Commando Stingray[3]
  • Taiwan, in both the Commando Stingray and Stingray II[3]
  • Saudi Arabia, in the Commando Stingray[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Hunnicutt & 1995 167.
  2. ^ a b c Hunnicutt & 1995 168.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Forecast International: Intelligence Center".
  4. ^ "STINGRAY Trademark of TEXTRON INNOVATIONS INC. - Registration Number 2741975 - Serial Number 78151910". Justia Trademarks. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Foss, Christopher F, ed. (2011). "Light tanks". Jane's Armour and Artillery 2011–2012 (32nd ed.). Surrey: Janes Information Group. pp. 208–210. ISBN 978-0-71062-960-9.
  6. ^ a b Foss, Christopher F, ed. (1989). "Light tanks". Jane's Armour and Artillery 1989–1990 (10th ed.). Surrey: Janes Information Group. pp. 173–175. ISBN 0-7106-0885-3.
  7. ^ Foss, Christopher F, ed. (1992). "Light tanks". Jane's Armour and Artillery 1992–1993 (13th ed.). Surrey: Janes Information Group. pp. 182–184. ISBN 0710609973.
  8. ^ "CADILLAC GAGE SIGNS DEAL FOR $150 MILLION IN TANKS SHORT BRIEF RAN IN METRO PAGE B-1 – Orlando Sentinel". Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  9. ^ "Federal Defense Industries : Cadillac Gage". Archived from the original on 15 June 2019.
  10. ^ http://www.napcointl.com/Napco%20General%20Presentation.pdf Archived 24 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine [bare URL PDF]
  11. ^ "Stingray Light Tank". military-today.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  12. ^ Jackson (2010), p. 100.
  13. ^ "Textron". bfbreakthroughdesign.com. Archived from the original on 16 October 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  14. ^ a b "Army, Marine Corps Told to Join Forces and Develop New Armored Vehicle". Inside the Pentagon. Vol. 7, no. 30. Inside Washington Publishers. 25 July 1991. p. 5. JSTOR 43987311. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  15. ^ "The Contenders: Four Teams Compete for Armored Gun System Contract". Inside the Pentagon. Vol. 8, no. 11. Inside Washington Publishers. 12 March 1992. p. 12. JSTOR 43987850. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  16. ^ a b Hunnicutt & 1995 180.
  17. ^ Bolte, Brig. Gen Phillip L. (May 1992). "Army's Light Forces Take on New Muscle". Armed Forces Journal International.
  18. ^ Stephen J., Mraz (6 December 1990). "Lightweight, fights great". Machine Design. Vol. 62, no. 25. p. 22+. Archived from the original on 20 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  19. ^ a b "FMC Selected to Build Armored Gun System: Army's AGS to Feature All-Welded Aluminum Hull, Detroit Diesel Engine". Inside the Pentagon. Vol. 8, no. 24. Inside Washington Publishers. 11 June 1992. p. 13. JSTOR 43988110.
  20. ^ "V-300/V-600 Commando - Archived 8/2004". Forecast International. August 2003. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  21. ^ a b c d e Foss, Christopher F, ed. (1997). "Light tanks". Jane's Armour and Artillery 1997–1998 (18th ed.). Surrey: Janes Information Group. pp. 173–174.

Bibliography

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