The Stingray, sometimes known as the Commando Stingray,[2] is a light tank produced by Textron Marine & Land Systems division (formerly Cadillac Gage). It was specifically 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.[3] As of 2020, Textron has kept the Stingray name registered.[4]
The Stingray was developed in the 1980s as a private venture by Cadillac Gage Textron. The first prototype was completed in 1985.[5]
In 1988, the Royal Thai Army pressed the Stingray in service with 106 tanks purchased.[3] The contract was for $150 million.[6][7] Cadillac Gage provided assistance in repairing some of them after they obtained reports of cracked hulls.[6]
In 1992, development of the Stingray II Started.[2] Its production was complete in 1994 with marketing promoted to friendly countries like Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and Taiwan up until 2003.[2]
Cadillac Gage Textron submitted a version of the Stingray for the U.S. Army's Armored Gun System program. This was a Stingray hull mated to the former joint Army–Marine Corps LAV-105 turret.[8][9] It had the fairly conventional layout with a four-man crew.[9] The AGS Stingray carried 36 rounds, with eight in ready storage.[1] In June 1992, Cadillac Gage lost to a proposal from FMC.[10]
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.[11]
In 2011, Napco entered into an agreement with Textron to provide authorized aftermarket parts, support and other types of assistance for the Stingray.[12]
Variants
Stingray
The Stingray has a 105 mm rifled cannon.[3] 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.[13] Its armor was made from CG's Cadaloy armor.[2]
The Stingray can be upgraded with the CG Fire Control and Stabilization Upgrade Kit as an affordable solution to upgrade its fire control systems.[14]
Stingray II
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 light 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 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.[2]
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,[2] together with duplicate turret controls for the gunner and the commander, providing redundancy. Dimensions of the turret were deliberately designed to allow it to be refitted to M41 Walker Bulldog and M551 Sheridan vehicles as an upgrade. 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.[2] 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.[15] The Stingray II also improves the armor to provide protection from 23 mm rounds.[15]
Two Stingray IIs were made to showcase its weapons and equipment for demonstration to potential customers.[2]
Armored Gun System
AGS-Stingray
Stingray modified for the Armored Gun System competition but lost to the FMC Close Combat Vehicle Light which became the type-classified M8 Armored Gun System.[16]
^"CADILLAC GAGE SIGNS DEAL FOR $150 MILLION IN TANKS SHORT BRIEF RAN IN METRO PAGE B-1 – Orlando Sentinel".
^"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. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
^ ab"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. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
^"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. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
Jackson, Robert (2010). 101 Great Tanks. The Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN978-1-4358-3595-5.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stingray light tank.
January 07, 2023
stingray, light, tank, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, apri. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Stingray light tank news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2010 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Stingray sometimes known as the Commando Stingray 2 is a light tank produced by Textron Marine amp Land Systems division formerly Cadillac Gage It was specifically 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 3 As of 2020 Textron has kept the Stingray name registered 4 StingrayA Stingray tank at Cobra Gold 2019 exercise in Sukhothai ThailandTypeLight tankPlace of originUnited StatesService historyIn service1989 presentUsed byThailandProduction historyManufacturerCadillac GageNo built106SpecificationsMass22 6 tonnesLength9 3 m 30 ft 6 in with gun forwardWidth3 m 9 ft 10 in Height2 7 m 8 ft 10 in Crew4 commander driver gunner radio operator loader Armor23 mmMainarmamentL7 LRF 105 mm rifled tank gunSecondaryarmament7 62 mm co axial machine gun 12 7 mm AA machine gun 1 EngineDetroit Diesel Allison 8V 92TA 1 liquid cooled turbo charged 2 stroke V 8 diesel engine535 hp 399 kW at 2300 rpm 1 SuspensionIndependent trailing arm torsion barOperationalrange300 miles 480 km Maximum speed70 km h 43 mph It was exported for use by armed forces of Thailand who remain the only user 3 Contents 1 History 2 Variants 2 1 Stingray 2 2 Stingray II 3 Armored Gun System 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksHistory EditThe Stingray was developed in the 1980s as a private venture by Cadillac Gage Textron The first prototype was completed in 1985 5 In 1988 the Royal Thai Army pressed the Stingray in service with 106 tanks purchased 3 The contract was for 150 million 6 7 Cadillac Gage provided assistance in repairing some of them after they obtained reports of cracked hulls 6 In 1992 development of the Stingray II Started 2 Its production was complete in 1994 with marketing promoted to friendly countries like Malaysia Saudi Arabia and Taiwan up until 2003 2 Cadillac Gage Textron submitted a version of the Stingray for the U S Army s Armored Gun System program This was a Stingray hull mated to the former joint Army Marine Corps LAV 105 turret 8 9 It had the fairly conventional layout with a four man crew 9 The AGS Stingray carried 36 rounds with eight in ready storage 1 In June 1992 Cadillac Gage lost to a proposal from FMC 10 In 2010 Federal Defense Industries announced that they entered into an agreement with Textron Marine amp 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 11 In 2011 Napco entered into an agreement with Textron to provide authorized aftermarket parts support and other types of assistance for the Stingray 12 Variants EditStingray Edit The Stingray has a 105 mm rifled cannon 3 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 13 Its armor was made from CG s Cadaloy armor 2 The Stingray can be upgraded with the CG Fire Control and Stabilization Upgrade Kit as an affordable solution to upgrade its fire control systems 14 Stingray II Edit 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 light 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 applique can be fitted to increase ballistic protection Operational range is 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 2 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 2 together with duplicate turret controls for the gunner and the commander providing redundancy Dimensions of the turret were deliberately designed to allow it to be refitted to M41 Walker Bulldog and M551 Sheridan vehicles as an upgrade 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 2 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 15 The Stingray II also improves the armor to provide protection from 23 mm rounds 15 Two Stingray IIs were made to showcase its weapons and equipment for demonstration to potential customers 2 Armored Gun System EditAGS Stingray Stingray modified for the Armored Gun System competition but lost to the FMC Close Combat Vehicle Light which became the type classified M8 Armored Gun System 16 AGS Sheridan The AGS Sheridan was a mating of the standard M551 Sheridan hull with the turret of the Stingray light tank 16 better source needed See also EditTH 301 TAM References Edit a b c d Hunnicutt Richard Pearce 2015 1995 Sheridan A History of the American Light Tank Vol 2 Novato CA Presidio Press ISBN 978 1 62654 154 2 a b c d e f g h Forecast International Intelligence Center a b c d Stingray Light Tank military today com STINGRAY Trademark of TEXTRON INNOVATIONS INC Registration Number 2741975 Serial Number 78151910 Justia Trademarks Foss Christopher S 2006 Tank Recognition Guide HarperCollins Publishers pp 116 117 ISBN 978 0 00 718326 5 a b Army Equipment globalsecurity org CADILLAC GAGE SIGNS DEAL FOR 150 MILLION IN TANKS SHORT BRIEF RAN IN METRO PAGE B 1 Orlando Sentinel 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 Retrieved 24 January 2022 a b 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 Retrieved 23 January 2022 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 Retrieved 23 January 2022 Federal Defense Industries Cadillac Gage Archived from the original on 15 June 2019 http www napcointl com Napco 20General 20Presentation pdf bare URL PDF Jackson 2010 p 100 Textron bfbreakthroughdesign com a b Stingray light tank fas org a b Stingray light tank globalsecurity org Further reading EditJackson Robert 2010 101 Great Tanks The Rosen Publishing Group ISBN 978 1 4358 3595 5 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stingray light tank Archived Textron brochure Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Stingray light tank amp oldid 1124984167, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
