Hello Armored Brigade fans. Back in July we had the first ground vehicles trailer, featuring Soviet main battle tanks (MBT), armoured personnel carriers (APC), infantry fighting vehicles (IFV), and self propelled anti-aircraft guns (SPAAG). This month we have a trailer on American ground vehicles and a short article to help you follow along.
Like last time, this is just a small snapshot of key vehicles that are featured in the United States arsenal in Armored Brigade II, stretching from the 1960’s to the late 1980’s.
M48 Patton
The M48 Patton is one of the first American main battle tanks, a true workhorse of the early Cold War.
The M48 Patton was introduced in 1952, just missing the Korean war due to the usual teething process that comes with developing and introducing a new vehicle. If any American tank could be considered a “break” with World War II designs, the M48 is a pretty decent place to draw the line. The bow machine gun, common in WWII tanks, has been deleted, reducing the crew requirement to four men. The vehicle also features a stereoscopic rangefinder and fire control system, significantly improving accuracy and reducing the time it takes to put accurate rounds downrange. The commander also has an armoured cupola that provides excellent visibility and protection while manning his 50 cal. The M48 is the main American MBT of the early Cold War.
Like the T54/T55 the M48 has similar problems, it is an early Cold War vehicle. It’s 90mm gun becomes anemic against more modern Soviet MBT’s like the T-72 or T-80. It’s cast steel hull is also very vulnerable to shaped charges from RPG’s and ATGM’s. Don’t forget that this is still a full-blooded tank. Even if it’s showing it’s age by the 1970’s, if it runs into BTR’s or BMP’s in the open, it will slaughter them. Old MBT’s are still a major hazard on the battlefield.
M60
The M60 is the primary U.S. MBT for the middle and late Cold War. Upgrade variants are in service all the way to the 1990's featuring laser rangefinders and thermal imaging.
The M60 is also – somewhat confusingly – often referred to as the Patton. The reason for this naming tradition is that the M46, M47, M48, and M60 all share a design legacy, with each successive vehicle iterating on the previous design. Technological and design advances were introduced very rapidly in the 1950’s and 60’s, prompting the need for these very rapid upgrades and design changes to counter new Soviet tanks. The M60 still has conventional steel armour, limiting her survivability against HEAT warheads.
That being said, her fire control system and rangefinder are very advanced for the 1960’s, her crew ergonomics are good for the period, and her tall profile allows her to fight very effectively from hull-down positions. The 105mm gun is also very effective against most Soviet tanks, although it will have some issues frontally penetrating T-72’s or T-80’s. The M60 also has a huge number of variants and upgrades such as the AOS, RISE/PASSIVE, A2 Starship, and A3. The A3 in particular is a deadly tank all the way to the end of the Cold War. As an upgraded M60 it features a laser rangefinder, improved fire control system, and upgraded armour package.
IPM1 Abrams
The Abrams is a massive qualitative leap from the M60. With composite armor and an advanced fire control system, she will usually get an accurate shot off before her Soviet counterparts.
The Abrams is a break with the Patton series, a completely new design that incorporates material improvements that make the vehicle leap ahead of anything that came before it. Compared to the M60 the Abrams is much faster, heavier, has a lower profile, and incorporates more electronic interfaces for crew use. The default Abrams still has a 105mm gun that may have issues getting through the front of modern Soviet MBT’s. That being said the fire control system is so good you are almost guaranteed the first hit, vastly improving the odds of a successful engagement. Composite armour also give the Abrams significant protection against both tank shells and HEAT warheads.
The IPM1 is one of the first design improvements over the original M1. The big difference is in the turret, the IPM1’s is longer, features a bustle rack, and has better armour protection. The IPM1 is one of the best tanks in the world circa 1984, but it still is a tank, an expensive commitment of resources that you don’t want to waste in foolish attacks. You don’t want to trade rounds with dug-in ATGM teams or drive your tanks into an urban environment without infantry support.
M551 Sheridan
The Sheridan is heavily armed for her weight and armor. A 152mm low velocity gun can fire both HEAT/HE shells and the Shillelagh ATGM.
The Sheridan has a bit of a controversial history. The big defining factor of the design was to make a tank that could be para-dropped, using a pallet to help cushion the fall. This requirement set weight and size limitations to the design (it needed to fit in the back of a transport aircraft). Rather than a long-barrelled high velocity gun, the army opted for a short 152mm low velocity cannon. This gun could fire shaped charge HEAT shells, high explosive rounds, and the Shillelagh ATGM.
This missile/gun hybrid system ran into serious issues, especially in regards to it’s caseless ammunition. The tank had very little armour and when hit, had a tendency to catastrophically explode. The gun breach was also temperamental and prone to venting toxic gasses back into the crew comparmtent. The army had fast-tracked the vehicle into service before ironing out many of these issues. While many of these problems were eventually fixed via upgrades and retrofitting, the army began to phase out the Sheridan in the late 1970’s after less than a decade in service. Finding a replacement proved a challenge however, and Sheridan’s eventually saw further service in Panama and Iraq as a part of the US Army.
With all that said, the Sheridan is still a useful vehicle. It’s a lightweight platform faster than an M60, and with the Shillelagh launcher she can knock out MBT’s at 2-3 kilometers. The 152mm gun, loaded with high explosive shells, can also wreck infantry. Low velocity guns can after all fit far more explosive filler into their shell.
M113 APC
Lightly armed and armored., the M113 is nevertheless highly regarded as a fast and reliable battle taxi.
The M113 is one of the most prolific armoured vehicles ever designed, with over 80,000 units produced as of 2008. Introduced in the early 1960’s, the M113 was innovative for featuring an aluminum hull and armour, leading to weight savings over traditional steel hull designs. Capable of reaching road speeds of over 60 km/h and carrying a large squad of infantrymen, the M113 is the quintessential “battle taxi”, delivering infantryman to the fight quickly.
The M113 is not designed to fight in the main line of battle. Her 50 calibre machine gun is better suited for self-defence than as an offensive weapon. The hull of the vehicle is only really proofed against shell fragments and rifle calibre weapons. For example, the BTR’s KPV 14.5mm machine gun can rip through the M113 without much issue.
Along with the immense mobility granted by this fast tracked vehicle, protection from small arms and shell fragments is still a huge plus. You can quickly maneuver your infantry through harassing fire into defensive positions. The speed the M113 gives you is an essential component to modern mechanized warfare. Infantry without the ability to maneuver are of extremely limited use on the Cold War battlefield.
M2 Bradley
Inspired by the Soviet development of the BMP, the Bradley is both heavily armed, and capable of carrying infantry. Her TOW launchers and autocannon give the Brad immense firepower, capable of smashing tanks and infantry alike.
Finally we get to the Bradley. Some of you may have seen a certain movie starring Kelsey Grammar about this vehicle. While a very funny film satirizing the foibles of the Pentagon’s procurement system, the Bradley was far from a poor vehicle as the film implied. It is still arguably one of the best IFV’s in existence. Introduced in the early 1980’s, the Bradley is armed with a 25mm bushmaster autocannon, two TOW launchers, and a coaxial 7.62mm machine gun. With a reasonable road speed of 60+ km/h she is a premier infantry fighting vehicle.
The 25mm autocannon has a dual feed, allowing it to use HE against infantry targets and AP against BMP’s, BTR’s, and even against the sides and rear of Soviet tanks. The TOW is the real killer against tanks however, and with a range of 3,750 meters it can really reach out and hurt Soviet armour. The Bradley is not very heavily armoured however. While capable of defeating lighter cannon fire in her frontal arc, she is not especially well protected against shaped charges or anything heavier than a 30mm auto cannon.
Like many American vehicles her optics, spotting, and ergonomics are far superior to her Soviet counterparts. Getting the first spot and first shot matters a lot in armoured warfare, and the Bradley’s tall profile, good ergonomics, and adequate optics make that a far better chance than their opponents in BMP’s.
Summary
American vehicles have some major advantages over their Soviet counterparts, namely in terms of spotting, ergonomics, and survivability. With careful placement and manoeuvring you can get the first accurate shot off, which is decisive in an armoured engagement. Even if the first shot doesn’t kill the enemy, it will rattle the crew and degrade their vehicle, forcing them to either respond with panicked and rushed fire, or try to seek cover. A plus either way for your side.