Type 62 Light Tank

The Norinco Type 62 is a Chinese light tank developed in the early 1960s and is based on the Chinese Type 59 with a reduced main gun caliber, lighter armour and a smaller suite of electronics and other equipment to help reduce weight. The Type 62 is still used by the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces and other nations. It has recently been upgraded to modern standards and provides the PLA with a dedicated light tank. It is also known under its industrial designation, WZ132.

The Type 62 light tank was designed to be a downscaled Type 59 main battle tank, armed with a smaller 85 mm Type 62-85TC rifled main gun and with a much simpler gunner sight and thinner armour in order to reduce overall weight. As such it has a typical tank layout: steering compartment at the front, fighting compartment in the center and the engine compartment in the back. Although the Type 62 light tank is similar to the Type 59 main battle tank in appearance, it has a smaller hull and turret. The Type 62 light tank was given a four man crew configuration, with the driver seated on the left hand side of the front of the hull, the tank commander and gunner seated on the left side of the turret in a tandem formation and the loader on the right hand side of the rear of the turret. The driver's hatch is located on the left hand side of the front of the hull, directly in front of the turret. It has three periscope vision blocks which provide the driver with forward vision. The center vision block may be removed and replaced with a low-light periscope with a 50 m vision range. The left hand side turret hatch also has a periscope vision block on top of it and is most probably used by the commander. There's another periscope vision block in the front of each turret hatch. Apart from his usual duty of reloading the gun after it has been fired by the gunner, the loader is also responsible for operating the 12.7 mm Type 54 anti-aircraft heavy machine gun mounted on the turret's roof.

Type 62
Type	Light tank
Place of origin	People's Republic of China
Service history
In service	1963 - present
Used by	See Operators
Wars	See Combat History
Production history
Manufacturer	674 Factory (Harbin First Machinery Building Group Ltd)
Produced	1963 - 1989
Number built	More than 1,499
Specifications
Weight	21 tonnes
Length	7.9 m overall 5.6 m hull only
Width	2.9 m
Height	2.3 m
Crew	4
Armor	35 mm (max hull) 15 mm (min hull) 50 mm turret
Main armament	85 mm Type 62-85TC rifled main gun (47 rounds)
Secondary armament	7.62 mm Type 59T coaxial medium machine gun 7.62 mm Type 59T bow mounted medium machine gun 2,000 7.62 machine gun rounds 12.7 mm Type 54 anti-aircraft heavy machine gun (1,250 rounds)
Engine	12150L-3 V-12 liquid cooled diesel 430 hp (321 kW) at 1,800 rpm
Power/weight	20.5 hp/tonne (15.3 kW/tonne)
Suspension	torsion bar
Operational range	500 km (road)
Speed	60 km/h (road) 35 km/h (cross country)

Primary armament consists of 85 mm Type 62-85TC rifled main gun with fume extractor almost at the end of the barrel. It is the same gun as the one used in Type 63 amphibious light tank and can fire AP, APHE, HE, Frag-HE, HEAT, APFSDF-T and smoke rounds. The gun has maximum range of 12,200 m and maximum aimed range of 1,870 m and has a rate of fire of 3 to 5 round per minute. The HEAT projectile can penetrate 495 mm of armour at 1,000 m while the APFSDF-T projectile can penetrate 360 mm of armour at 1,000 m. The Type 62 light tank is characterized by having poor accuracy, given the primitive optical gun sights that the gunner has to use and lack of a gun stabilizer (which differs it from Chinese main battle tanks), a fire control system and night vision equipment. As a secondary armament the Type 62 light tank was given the 12.7 mm Type 54 anti-aircraft heavy machine gun (Chinese copy of Soviet 12.7 mm DShK 1938/46 heavy machine gun) mounted on a rotatable mount on top of the loader's hatch on the right hand side of the roof of the turret and two 7.62 mm Type 59T medium machine guns, one mounted coaxially with the main gun and the other one mounted at the bow of the tank. Also a 7.62 mm Type 59T anti-aircraft medium machine gun can be additionally fitted to left hand side turret hatch. The cast turret features the Soviet-style half-egg shape. The tank carriers 47 rounds for the 85 mm Type 62-85TC rifled main gun, 2,000 rounds for the two Type 59T medium machine guns and 1,250 rounds for 12.7 mm Type 54 anti-aircraft heavy machine gun.

The Type 62 light tank uses the torsion bar suspension which consists of five road wheels on each side with a prominent gap between the first and second road wheel and an even space between second, third, forth and fifth road wheel. The road wheels are smaller and lighter than those from the Type 59 main battle tank. The track is driven by a drive sprocket at the rear, with an idler at the front. There are no return rollers. In effort to reduce the overall weight of the tank the original 12150L 12-cylinder liquid-cooled diesel engine from Type 59 main battle tank was powered down from 523 hp (390 kW) to 430 hp (321 kW). This modified version of the 12150L engine weights considerably less and was designated 12150L-3. This new engine gave the Type 62 a maximum road speed of 60 km/h, maximum cross country speed of 35 km/h, maximum road operational range of 500 km and power to weight ratio of 20.5 hp/tonne (15.3 kW/tonne). The tank can cross 0.8 m high vertical obstacles, 2.85 m trenches, 30° side slopes and ford 1.4 m deep water obstacles (5 m when equipped with a snorkel).

The Type 62 light tank is protected by steel armour. The front armour on the turret is 50 mm thick while armour thickness on the hull armour varies from 15 mm to 35 mm. The armour of the Type 62 is so thin that any light anti-tank weapon (like hand-held rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launchers) can perforate the frontal plate.

the Type 62 light tank is equipped with a radio for which it has an antenna on the left hand side of the turret, in front of the left hand side turret hatch. It is also equipped with a dome shaped ventilator on the right hand side of the turret in the front of the loader's hatch. The tank can be fitted with Type 762 light mine clearance system and Type 762A light multi-purpose mine-clearance system in the front of the hull. There are spots for stowage boxes and additional duel tanks on both fenders. Four on the right hand side fender and three on the left hand side fender. Like the Type 59 main battle tank the Type 62 light tank has a capability to make its own smoke screen by injecting raw diesel fuel into the exhaust manifold.

M551 Sheridan

The M551 Sheridan was a light tank developed by the United States and named after Civil War General Philip Sheridan. It was designed to be landed by parachute and to swim across rivers. It was armed with the technically advanced but troublesome M81/M81E1 152mm gun/launcher which fired conventional ammunition and the MGM-51 Shillelagh guided anti-tank missile.

It entered U.S. Army service in 1967. Under the urging of General Creighton Abrams, the US Commander of Military Forces in Vietnam at the time, the M551 was rushed into combat service in Vietnam in January 1969. In April and August 1969, M551s were deployed to units in Europe and Korea, respectively. Now retired from service, it saw extensive combat in Vietnam, and limited service in Operation Just Cause (Panama), and the Gulf War (Kuwait).

At the time of the M551's acceptance into service production in 1966, the United States Army no longer used the heavy, medium, and light tank classifications. In 1960, with the deactivation of its last (M103) heavy tank battalion, and the fielding of the new M60 series tank, the U.S. Army had adopted a main battle tank (MBT) doctrine; a single tank filling all combat roles. The U.S. Army still retained the M41 Walker Bulldog light tank in the Army National Guard, but other than the units undergoing the transitional process, the regular army consisted of MBTs. Partly because of this policy, the new M551 could not be classified as a light tank, and was officially classified as an "Armored Reconnaissance/Airborne Assault Vehicle".

The Sheridan was retired without replacement by an airborne tank that could swim. While missiles fired out of guns would prove a disappointment, the wire-guided BGM-71 TOW would give infantry fighting vehicles like the M2 Bradley the firepower to destroy armored targets along with the ability to carry troops. Though other light tanks were evaluated, the wheeled M1128 Mobile Gun System currently provides an armored 105mm gun platform that is lighter than a battle tank for fire support.

M551 Sheridan
Type	Light tank
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1969–1996
Wars	Vietnam War Operation Just Cause Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm
Specifications
Weight	15.2 tonnes (34,000 lb)
Length	Overall: 20.6 ft (6.3 m) (6.3 m)
Width	9.1 ft (2.8 m) (2.8 m)
Height	7.5 ft (2.3 m) (2.3 m)
Crew	4 (Commander, gunner, loader, driver)
Armor	Aluminum armor
Main armament	M81E1 Rifled 152 mm Gun/Launcher 20 rounds 9 MGM-51 Shillelagh missiles
Secondary armament	1× .50 cal (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine gun with 1,000 rounds 1× .30 cal (7.62 mm) M73/M219 co-axial machine gun (later replaced by the M240C) with 3,000 rounds
Engine	Detroit Diesel (General Motors) 6V53T, 6 cylinder, supercharged diesel 300 hp (220 kW)
Power/weight	19.7 hp/tonne
Suspension	Torsion bar suspension
Operational range	348 mi (560 km)
Speed	Road: 70 km/h (43 mph) Swimming: 5.8 km/h (3.6 mph)

Armament

Building a vehicle lighter than the T-92 required an innovative solution for the main armament. A gun firing kinetic energy penetrators to defeat modern tanks at reasonable range was too large for the XM551; gun weight was typically dependent on caliber and muzzle velocity. This was solved by arming the XM551 with a 152 mm. gun firing low velocity M81 HEAT rounds. The large caliber ensured a powerful shaped charge capable of killing tanks; the low velocity did not impact on HEAT effectiveness and kept gun weight down.

The gun was ideal for infantry support. The large, low velocity, gun could fire a large explosive shell or canister shot. In comparison, kinetic anti-tank guns over-penetrated soft targets, while smaller caliber weapons could not carry as great a payload.

Where the gun was not ideal was in medium- and long-range tank engagements. The low velocity produce extended flight times, and made it difficult to lead moving targets. In response, the gun was also designed to fire MGM-51 Shillelagh anti-tank missiles. The low launch velocity against longer-ranged targets was not an issue for the missile. However, the MGM-51 was considered a risky project.

A number of existing vehicles already mounted only ATGMs, or alternately recoilless rifles like the M50 Ontos, but these typically had limited utility in the infantry support role, or in the case of Ontos could not be reloaded from within the vehicle. The XM551 appeared to offer a superior balance between anti-tank and infantry support.

Mobility

Tactical mobility

The Sheridan was powered by a large 300-hp (224 kW) Detroit Diesel 6V53T diesel engine. The XM551 thus had an excellent power-to-weight ratio and mobility, able to run at speeds up to 45 mph, which at that time was unheard of for a tracked vehicle. However, the vehicle proved to be very noisy and unreliable under combat conditions.

The Sheridan could swim about a fifty-yard-wide river. Tanks in the Patton series (M46, M47, M48), as well as the M60 main battle tank could not perform these operations; they would have to crawl along the river bottoms using snorkels. Not by design, it was found that the swimming hardware acted to reduce the effectiveness of RPG rocket hits, as it was rarely used in Vietnam.

Strategic mobility

The Sheridan can be rigged for low-velocity airdrop from C-130 (42,000 lb max load) and C-141 aircraft (38,500 lb max load). Many films exist showing the Sheridan being pulled out of a C-130 Hercules transport by brake chutes and skidding to a stop. The Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System (LAPES) is a somewhat risky maneuver which allows accurate delivery onto a field when landing is not possible. The tank is strapped down to a special pallet which absorbs most of the landing impact. The crew does not ride in the tank during extraction, but parachutes from another plane. Upon landing, they go to their tank, release the lines, and drive it away.

Stingray Light Tank

The Stingray Light Tank is a light tank produced by Textron Marine and Land Systems Division (formerly Cadillac Gage). It was originally developed for the U.S. Army's Armored Gun System competition. Thailand is the only user.

Stingray has a 105 mm bore cannon. Its cruise speed is 44 mph (71 km/h). Maximum grade is 60%. Its vertical obstacle limit is 2.7 feet (82 cm). It can ford water up to 3.5 feet (107 cm).

The original Stingray program was launched in 1983, with the first prototype vehicle ready in August 1984. As of 2004, the only country to have purchased the Stingray is Thailand, which ordered approximately 100 tanks that were delivered between 1988-1990.

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. The light tank's baseline armor, while thin, is adequate for a cavalry, reconnaissance or light infantry fire support role; it 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 in increased by about 25 miles (about 40 kilometers) if one assumes a travel speed of about 30 mph (48 km/h). In addition, the engine on the Stingray II has been upgraded to 410 kW (550 horsepower) at 2,300 rpm.

The Stingray's main armament is a low recoil force (LRF) version of the British L7 series 105 mm rifled gun installed in a well-angled and electro-hydraulically powered turret having manual backup as is usually found on tanks, together with duplicate turret controls for the gunner and the commander, providing redundancy. The gun has optional stabilization in two axes, and eight rounds, with another 24 rounds stored in the hull. Complementing the main gun is a 7.62 mm co-axial machine gun with 2,400 rounds, as well as a 12.7 mm M2 Browning anti-aircraft machine gun with 1,100 rounds on the commander's hatch. The Stingray II is fitted with 16 protective smoke grenade launch tubes, with 8 of them on each side. The optic system for the gunner is composed of a two-axis stabilized day/night thermal imaging system called 'Hughes Hire,' made by the company then known as Hughes Electronics, together with a laser rangefinder. For the commander, there is another optical system that has seven different periscopes, and there is also a repeater display for the same thermal image seen by the gunner.

The main improvements offered in the Stingray II are a more capable digital fire-control system, NBC equipment, enhanced mobility and superior target-engagement capabilities. The Stingray II also improves the armor to provide protection from 23 mm rounds.

Stingray
Type	Light tank
Place of origin	United States
Service history
Used by	Thailand
Specifications
Weight	22.6 metric tons
Length	(With gun forward) 9.3 meters
Width	3 meters
Height	2.7 meters
Crew	4 (commander, driver, gunner, radio operator/loader)
Armor	23 mm
Main armament	L7A3 105 mm rifled tank gun
Secondary armament	7.62 mm co-axial machine gun, 12.7 mm AA machine gun
Engine	Detroit Diesel Allison 8V-92TA 535 hp (399 kW), liquid cooled turbo charged 2 stroke V-8 diesel engine 550 hp (410 kW)
Suspension	Independent trailing arm torsion bar
Operational range	300 miles (480 km)
Speed	70 km/h

Tosan Light Tank

The Tosan (Also written Towan, meaning Wild Horse or Fury) is an Iranian light tank, for unconventional warfare. Production started in 1997, but the tank was only produced in small numbers. Mass production started in 2008. Colonel Nasser Arab-Beigi, head of the self-sufficiency unit of the IRGC ground forces announced the mass-production of this 'Quick Reaction' tank on June 30, 2008, as part of the country's campaign for defense self-sufficiency. Iran calls it a 'Quick Reaction' tank because the tank is said to be capable of rapid response and is built for strategic missions. It appears to be based on the British FV101 Scorpion (where Iran has 80 in service), the tank is fitted with a 90 mm gun, Toophan missile launchers and an improved firing and targeting systems. The tank can drive long distances on its tracks and does not need to be carried on trucks.

Tosan
Type	Light tank
Place of origin	Iran
Service history
In service	1997-
Used by	Iranian Army IRGCGF
Production history
Produced	1997
Number built	~20
Specifications
Weight	~ 8 tonnes
Length	4.9 m
Width	2.2 m
Height	2.1 m
Crew	3
Armour	12.7 mm
Main armament	90 mm gun
Secondary armament	Toophan
Engine	diesel
Suspension	torsion-bar

M8 Armored Gun System

M8 Armored Gun System was a light tank that was intended to replace the M551 Sheridan in the 82nd Airborne Division, as well as being expected to replace TOW-equipped Humvees in the 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment (2nd ACR). The M8 project was eventually canceled. Its role in the 2nd ACR was eventually taken by the Stryker.

The basic hull of the M8 is made of welded aluminum alloy, with a unique modular armoring system that allows the vehicle to be equipped according to requirements. The Level I (basic) armor package is designed for the rapid deployment role and can be airdropped from a C-130 Hercules and protects the vehicle against small-arms fire and shell splinters. The Level II armor package can still be carried by C-130, but must be airlanded and is designed for use by light forces in a more serious threat environment, while level III armor is designed for contingency operations and is supposed to provide protection against light handheld anti-tank weapons. Level III armor cannot be carried by C-130. All versions are air-transportable by C-5 Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster III (five and three respectively).

The M8 is armed with the M35 rifled autoloading 105 mm cannon main gun with an M240 7.62 mm machine-gun mounted co-axially. The M35 has a rate of fire of approximately 12 rounds per minute, with a ready capacity of 21 rounds with 9 more in stowage. Power is provided by a Detroit Diesel 6V-92TIA diesel developing 580 hp.

M8 Armored Gun System
Type	Light tank
Place of origin	United States
Specifications
Weight	19.25 tons (Level I Armor) 22.25 tons (Level II Armor) 24.75 tons (Level III Armor)
Length	8.9 m
Width	2.69 m
Height	2.55 m
Crew	3 (Commander, Gunner, Driver)
Armor	Titanium
Main armament	Rheinmetall XM35 105 mm rifled gun (30 rounds)
Secondary armament	7.62 mm Coaxial MG (4500 rounds) Commander: 12.7 mm M2 Browning (210 rounds)
Engine	Detroit Diesel Corporation DDC 6V 92TIA 550 hp at 2400 rpm (JP-8), 580 hp at 2400 rpm (diesel)
Power/weight	29.1 hp/ton (32.1 hp/tonne) (Level I)
Suspension	Hydropneumatic
Fuel capacity	150 gal.
Operational range	280 mi (451 km)
Speed	Road: 45 mph (72 km/h) Off road: 30 mph (48 km/h)