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44-517: The Stingray , sometimes known as the Commando Stingray , is a light tank produced by Textron Marine & Land Systems division (formerly Cadillac Gage ). The Stingray was a private venture project aimed at foreign countries. As of 2020, Textron has kept the Stingray name registered. It was exported for use by armed forces of Thailand , who remain the only user. The Stingray was developed in

88-501: A 105 mm rifled cannon. 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

132-473: A large vehicle to carry it. Gun weight is typically the product of caliber and muzzle velocity . Large caliber guns on light tanks often sacrifice muzzle velocity in interest of saving weight. These guns are effective against close-quarter targets but lack the power and/or accuracy to effectively engage heavier vehicles at a distance. Some light tanks such as the PT-76 are amphibious , typically being propelled in

176-419: A lengthened hull Commando Stingray with the U.S. Marine Corps LAV-105 turret. 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. This was armed with an XM35 105 mm gun, though an earlier proposed model mounted a Royal Ordnance L7 105 mm Low Recoil Force cannon. Propulsion

220-590: A light tank themselves but a developed version of the Carden Loyd tankette as the starting point for a series of British light tanks intended for use in imperial policing and expeditionary warfare. As the only tank fit for immediate manufacture, it was a key element in the expansion of the British Army in the period leading up to the outbreak of war. In general, French tanks of the 1930s were well-armored, innovative vehicles that owed little to foreign designs. However,

264-534: A maximum effective range of about 700 meters. However, this conflict would be instrumental in developing the famous T-34 medium tank. Germany's armored Panzer force was not especially impressive at the start of the war. In the invasions of Poland and France , the German forces were mostly made up of the Panzer I and Panzer II light tanks. The Panzer I was little more than a training vehicle armed only with machine guns;

308-480: A private-venture armored fighting vehicle (AFV) for the export market. The turret is the same that is mounted on the Cadillac-Gage V-600 . 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

352-508: A pure light tank. In World War I , industrial initiative also led to swift advances. The car industry, already used to vehicle mass production and having much more experience in vehicle layout, designed the first practical light tanks in 1916, a class largely neglected by the British. Renault 's small tank design, the FT , was the first tank to incorporate a top-mounted turret with a full rotation. The FT

396-559: 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. 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

440-467: Is angular frequency (or angular speed , the magnitude of angular velocity ), for which the SI unit is the radian per second (rad/s). Although they have the same dimensions (reciprocal time) and base unit (s ), the hertz (Hz) and radians per second (rad/s) are special names used to express two different but proportional ISQ quantities: frequency and angular frequency, respectively. The conversions between

484-568: Is a specialized light tank –amphibious with sufficient firepower to engage other reconnaissance vehicles, but very lightly armored. The US fielded small numbers of the M41 Walker Bulldog with a high velocity 76mm gun, and better armor, but it suffered from range limits, and its weight was too heavy for most air transport of the day. The US M551 Sheridan had similar strengths and weaknesses, but could also be airdropped, either by parachute or LAPES . The French had their AMX-13 light tank, which

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528-481: Is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency ) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to ⁠ 1 / 60 ⁠ hertz . ISO 80000-3 :2019 defines a physical quantity called rotation (or number of revolutions ), dimensionless , whose instantaneous rate of change is called rotational frequency (or rate of rotation ), with units of reciprocal seconds (s ). A related but distinct quantity for describing rotation

572-496: Is usually found on tanks. The gun has optional stabilization in two axes, and eight ready rounds, with another 24 rounds stored in the hull. 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). The Stingray II is fitted with 16 protective smoke grenade launch tubes, with 8 of them on each side. The optic system for

616-495: 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

660-567: The British firm of Vickers-Armstrong started promoting another design by John Carden and Vivien Loyd as the " six-ton tank ". Although rejected by the British Army, it was bought by a large number of nations in small numbers. It formed the basis of the Soviet T-26 (around 10,000 built) and the Polish 7TP tank and influenced the Italian Fiat M11/39 . The British Army did not use the design as

704-595: The Cold War era was the Swedish Ikv 91 (classified as an assault gun by Sweden). It had a low-pressure 90mm gun, strong armor against 20mm grenades, and it was fully amphibious. Light tanks, such as the PT-76 , continue to play a small role in tank warfare , although many are losing favor to cheaper, faster, and lighter armored cars . The light tank still fills an important niche in many armies, especially for nations with airborne divisions, Marine Infantry, or those without

748-668: The M2 with better armor. The new medium tank just entering production in 1940 was the M2A1. This was a poor design with thin armor and a high silhouette. The M3 Stuart saw use in the North African Campaign but was relegated to reconnaissance as soon as US-built medium tanks became available. Further light tank development in the war led to the improved M5 Stuart and then included the M24 Chaffee . Light tanks were issued to tank battalions (one of

792-656: 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. 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. 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

836-501: The Panzer II with a 20 mm cannon. The Panzer division also included some Czech designed light tanks—the Panzer 35(t) and the Panzer 38(t) . American light tank development started with the M2 light tank series. These light tanks were mechanically very reliable, with good mobility. However, they had a high silhouette, and only a few saw combat. The M3 Stuart series was an improvement of

880-400: The Stingray since FDI maintains a technical library for spare parts. In 2011, Napco entered into an agreement with Textron to provide authorized aftermarket parts, support and other types of assistance for the Stingray. 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: The Stingray has

924-513: The armor in contemporary light tanks is modular, sometimes up to three configurations. The flat hull necessary for amphibious light tanks to plane across the surface of the water is not nearly as blast-resistant as the V-shaped hull. It has been suggested that underbelly armor appliqué could be applied after the light tanks come ashore and before they encounter explosive devices. A gun capable of defeating modern tanks at reasonable ranges requires

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968-416: The development of the main battle tank —in which technological advancements have rendered all previous weight variants obsolete—and has seen use in a variety of roles including the support of light airborne or amphibious forces and reconnaissance. Modified IFVs are assuming these roles in many militaries due to their immediate availability, and as a cheaper versatile alternative to developing and fielding

1012-539: The fact that light tank platoons were not expected to function as a reconnaissance unit, they could be used for reconnaissance purposes. In this role, they were expected to remain behind the main reconnaissance force as the support element and augment the firepower whenever enemy contact was made. The British withdrew their light tank designs from their armored divisions early in the war, but used some later designs for minor amphibious operations and airborne operations. In general they used armored cars for reconnaissance and

1056-459: The few better examples, but the US Army acquired only three Christies and did not pursue the idea any further. Budget limitations and the low priority given to the army meant that there were few resources for building tanks. The US Army instead developed and tested tank components such as suspensions, tracks, and transmissions. This paid off when production had to be initiated on the outbreak of war. At

1100-544: The field in two to four hours. This involves installing a wider track. Two Stingray IIs were made to showcase its weapons and equipment for demonstration to potential customers. Background: History of the tank , Tank classification , Tanks in the Cold War Light tank The fast light tank was a major feature of the pre– World War II army buildup, where it was expected they would be used to exploit breakthroughs in enemy lines created by slower, heavier tanks, with

1144-778: The four companies was a light tank company), light tank battalions and cavalry reconnaissance squadrons. The original role of the light tank in these formations was similar to medium tanks and they were expected to engage enemy armor with AP rounds and enemy positions with HE rounds. As a result, tank gunnery training for light and medium tankers was common. US Army Field Manuals written before 1944 clearly show that light tanks were to be part of an armored assault on enemy positions, and examples of fire on enemy armor were in these manuals. When pursuing an enemy, Light Tank Battalions were expected to move parallel with enemy columns and, together with accompanying infantry and engineer units, seize "critical terrain that will block hostile retreat". Despite

1188-422: The goal of disrupting communications and supply lines. Numerous small tank designs and " tankettes " were developed during this period and known under a variety of names, including the " combat car ". Early light tank designs were generally better armed and armored than armored cars , but used tracks in order to provide better cross-country mobility. The light tank has been one of the few tank variants to survive

1232-456: The gunner is composed of a stabilized Hughes HIRE day/thermal night sight together with a laser rangefinder. The main improvements offered in the Stingray II are a more capable digital fire-control system (from the M1A1 Abrams ). 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

1276-474: The hatch. Some light tanks, such as the M551 Sheridan , ZTQ-15 and 2S25 Sprut-SD armored reconnaissance vehicle, could be rigged for low- velocity airdrops from transport aircraft . With this method the tank is pulled out of the aircraft by brake chutes and skids to a stop. The crew does not ride in the tank during extraction, but parachutes from another plane. Upon landing, they go to their tank, release

1320-583: The hull of the M41 , M47 or M551 tank or on the V600 armored car. Its armor was made from CG's Cadaloy armor. The Stingray can be upgraded with the CG Fire Control and Stabilization Upgrade Kit as an affordable solution to upgrade its fire control systems. 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

1364-542: The last of the light tank designs, the light tank Mk VIII "Harry Hopkins", was produced only in small numbers. The Japanese made extensive use of light tanks that were much better suited to jungle warfare than larger designs, such as the Type 95 Ha-Go light tank. Light tanks continued to be built, but for very limited roles such as amphibious reconnaissance, support of airborne units , and in rapid-intervention forces that were not expected to face enemy tanks. The Soviet PT-76

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1408-519: The light tanks lacked firepower and almost all French tanks were handicapped by their one-man turrets, even the larger tanks such as the Char B1 , which overworked the commander who, besides directing the vehicle, or even a troop, had to load and aim the turret gun. The lack of radios with the light tanks was not seen as a major drawback, since French doctrine called for slow-paced, deliberate maneuvers in close conformance to plans. The role of small unit leaders

1452-575: The lines, and drive it away. Background: History of the tank , Tank classification , Tanks in World War I Background: History of the tank , Tank classification , interwar period Background: History of the tank , Tank classification , Tanks in the Cold War Background: History of the tank , Tank classification Revolutions per minute Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm , RPM , rev/min , r/min , or r⋅min )

1496-462: The most advanced in the 1930s, extremely fast and mounting high velocity 45 mm cannons. Their only drawback were their petrol engines which caught fire often and easily during the Nomonhan fighting, which lasted from about May through September 1939. The Japanese Type 95 Ha-Go light tank was equipped with a diesel engine , and although mounting a 37 mm cannon, it was a low velocity gun with

1540-821: The preferred choice for infantry support in Equatorial nations. Post–Cold War light tanks include the Stingray , ZTQ-15 , M8 Armored Gun System and Kaplan MT / Harimau . Light tanks based on infantry fighting vehicles chassis include the CV90 105T, 2S25 Sprut-SD , Tanque Argentino Mediano , ASCOD LT 105 , and Sabrah . The modern light tank supplements the main battle tank in expeditionary roles and situations where all major threats have been neutralized and excessive weight in armor and armament would only hinder mobility and cost more money to operate. They have also been used for reconnaissance and, in some cases, infantry support. Typically,

1584-468: The resources and funding for main battle tanks . They have important advantages over heavier tanks in Southeast Asia and other nations in the Equatorial region. Their compact dimensions and short-to-nonexistent barrel overhang lets them maneuver through thick rain forests, and their weight reduces the risk of getting stuck in mud, and simplifies recovery of stuck or damaged tanks. This makes the light tank

1628-540: The start of World War II, the majority of all of the great powers' tank forces consisted of light designs. The most common were the British Light Tank Mk VI , French Renault R35 , German Panzer I , Italian L3/35 (classified as a light tank by the Royal Italian Army , a tankette by others), Japanese Type 95 Ha-Go light tank , Soviet T-26 , and American M2 light tank . The Soviet BT tanks were

1672-402: The war, over 3,700 (mostly in 1918), and was more numerous than all British and German tanks combined. The Carden Loyd tankette and its derivatives were adopted by several nations as small tracked vehicles carrying a machine gun for armament. At a time of limited military budgets, tankettes were relatively cheap and functioned as reconnaissance vehicles and mobile machine gun posts. In 1928,

1716-417: The water by hydrojets or by their tracks. Most amphibious light tanks weigh little and often utilize aluminum armor. Some light tanks require no modifications for river crossings. Crews simply raise the easily accessible cloth sides around the hull, cover the hatches, turn on the bilge pump and shift the transmission to water operations. Often, a fold down trim vane is erected to stop water from flooding into

1760-515: Was designed for its capability to be quickly air-dropped for use with paratroopers and also able to support lightly armed infantry and perform force-reconnaissance effectively. The British FV101 Scorpion , the fire support variant of the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) series of vehicles that replaced armored cars in British service, has been described as a light tank and was sold to many smaller nations. Another light tank in

1804-424: Was in many respects the first truly modern tank having a layout that has been followed by almost all designs ever since: driver at the front; main armament in a fully rotating turret on top; engine at the rear. Previous models had been "box tanks", with a single crowded space combining the role of engine room, fighting compartment, ammunition stock and driver's cabin. The FT had the largest production run of any tank of

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1848-503: 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. Cadloy steel armor protected the vehicle from 14.5 mm machine gun fire over the frontal arc in its base configuration. Cadillac Gage lost out to the FMC Close Combat Vehicle Light. The Stingray II is an upgrade version of the Stingray, developed by Cadillac Gage as

1892-516: Was sent to Thailand in 1986, then Malaysia in 1987. The Stingray was evaluated in Ecuador in 1988, and Chile in 1992. In 1987, the Royal Thai Army purchased 106 Stingrays from Cadillac Gage for US$ 150 million. These were delivered from 1989 to 1990. Cadillac Gage provided assistance in repairing Stingrays with cracked structural components. In 1992, the U.S. Army solicited bids for a replacement for

1936-454: Was to execute plans, not to take the initiative in combat. In 1939, a belated effort was made to improve flexibility and increase the number of radios. Throughout the interwar period the US produced only a few hundred tanks. From the end of World War I to 1935, only 15 tanks were produced. Most were derivatives or foreign designs or very poor quality private designs. The Christie designs were among

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