Dream engines vs airborne kingdom7/31/2023 If selected by Turkey, the M8 would be manufactured under licence by FNSS Defense Systems which is a joint venture company established to build 1,698 Armoured Infantry Fighting Vehicles. The M8 is armed with a 105 mm M35 rifled gun, fed by an automatic loader, which fires the same natures of ammunition as all of the MBTs (Leopard 1, M48 and M60 series) currently in service with the TLFC. According to United Defense, the fuel cost of the M8 AGS is US$0.60 per km compared to US$5.35 per km of a MBT with spare parts per km being US$35 and US$137 respectively. In September 1997, the second of the six prototype M8 AGS built with the highest protection Level III was demonstrated in Turkey during which it undertook firepower and mobility demonstrations for the TLFC.Īccording to United Defense LP, the M8 AGS is well suited to peacekeeping operations, such as Bosnia, where the TLFC has been deployed, as well as being used in traditional roles of reconnaissance.Īs well as being less expensive to procure than an MBT, the M8 AGS has a much lower life cycle cost. Late in 1997, FNSS Defense Systems of Turkey and United Defense LP, teamed to offer the M8 AGS to the Turkish Land Forces Command (TLFC). United Defense continues to market the M8 AGS overseas, especially Asia, the Middle East and Europe and one of the six prototypes of the vehicle was shown in Europe in June 1996. This was followed by formal cancellation of the M8 AGS. However, on 5 February the US Army issued a Partial Stop Work notice to United Defense for the final phase of the EMD contract. The XM8 was Type Classified as the M8 Armored Gun System in October 1995 by the US Army and declared production ready. To reduce total life cycle costs, proven and in production subsystems have been used wherever possible, for example the engine is a derivative of that fitted to the M977 (8 x 8) truck, the transmission is from the Bradley, the commander's and gunner's hand controls are from the Bradley, the laser range-finder and crosswind sensor are from the M1A1 and the computer control panel is from the Challenger 2. Details of the M551 were given in Jane's Armour and Artillery 1996-97 pages 174-175. A number of these vehicles are still however used in the training role, especially at the National Training Center. The M551 has now been retired from the US Army without replacement. Following an international competition, in mid-1992 the US Army selected the FMC Corporation, Ground Systems Division (now United Defense LP), to build its Armored Gun System (AGS) to replace the M551 Sheridan light tanks used by the 3rd Battalion, 73rd Armor of the 82nd Airborne Division.
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