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M10A1 Armored Gun System

47.8k Phantomium  6.7 years ago

*Mobile and multiplayer-friendly version here: https://www.simpleplanes.com/a/KMr6N9/M10A1-mobile-friendly

Took me quite some time to deliver this sexy beast to you. But I think it was well worth it. I especially recommend going offroad with it. Trust me, you won't be disappointed :)

--History--

Just after the cancellation of the M8 Armored Gun System in 1997, United Defense started work on a similar vehicle with improved combat capabilities.

The First Gulf War (1990-1991) revealed that the M1 Abrams - which was now 10 years old - was using too much fuel and, besides, was also inadequate for desert operations. Quite often, the heat caused engine malfunctions.

This is what the M8 AGS tried to solve yet it was rejected due to lack of funds (at that time, most of the budget was reserved for the further development of the M1). UD tried to find customers overseas yet no one expressed their interest in this light tank.

However, the project was not simply thrown to the trash bin and completely forgotten about. And so, in 1999, work on a new light tank which closely resembled the M8 started.

This would later culminate in late-2000 when two prototypes were tested at Aberdeen. The US Army Council was pleased by its performance, especially by its armament which was the same as on the M1. One thing bothered them: the very thin armor.

Even so, the green light was given for production in early 2001. It was designated as M10A1 AGS. Although it was, clearly, a light tank, the Council specified that it should be used as a medium to long-range support vehicle (pretty much a tank destroyer).

About 450 of those would successfully serve in the Second Gulf War (2003-2011). Just 2 were destroyed by Iraqi forces. It was praised by US tank crews for its mobility (reaching about 50 mph even in the harshest of conditions) and, above all, its powerful armament. The 120 mm smoothbore gun could easily penetrate any Iraqi armor. It is estimated that 30% of all the armor the Iraqis deployed was destroyed by these highly mobile gun platforms.

Even so, the M10 saw its last major combat use in 2014 during the Syrian Civil War. It was replaced by the new M1128 Mobile Gun System (MGS).

--Controls--

Pitch and Roll for steering. Also, thanks to secret bits of freedom, it can only go up to 51 mph on flat ground.
VTOL+Trim to rotate the turret and elevate the gun.
AG8 for activating the gun + stabilization system (yep, the gun is stabilized) (activated by default).
AG1 for lights. They only activate when using Pitch (aka going forward or backward).

Spotlights

General Characteristics

  • Successors 3 airplane(s)
  • Created On Windows
  • Wingspan 24.1ft (7.4m)
  • Length 80.4ft (24.5m)
  • Height 34.9ft (10.6m)
  • Empty Weight 22,312lbs (10,120kg)
  • Loaded Weight 57,762lbs (26,200kg)

Performance

  • Power/Weight Ratio 2.334
  • Wing Loading 3,462.2lbs/ft2 (16,903.8kg/m2)
  • Wing Area 16.7ft2 (1.5m2)
  • Drag Points 34506

Parts

  • Number of Parts 794
  • Control Surfaces 0
  • Performance Cost 3,241
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    47.8k Phantomium

    @crazymark2016 Thankerino :)

    6.6 years ago
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    This beast is SEXY

    6.6 years ago
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    1,230 Epicfail

    @GermanWarMachine i have Xbox 360 and Xbox one. I have battlefield4

    6.6 years ago
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    47.8k Phantomium

    @GermanWarMachine Right now I don't.

    6.6 years ago
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    47.8k Phantomium

    @GermanWarMachine Lol. I know. I never make my guns to scale. They look too small.
    A 75 mm, for instance, would be close to 0.075 m in length (it seems that the fuselage lengths IG are shown in meters, not feet).

    6.6 years ago
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    47.8k Phantomium

    @GermanWarMachine Go figure...
    It'd be about double the size of the 105 currently installed.

    6.6 years ago
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    47.8k Phantomium

    @GermanWarMachine 203 mm gun?
    Meh, sure.

    6.6 years ago
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    1,230 Epicfail

    O

    6.7 years ago
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    47.8k Phantomium

    @Epicfail TL;DR Bombs would not explode when hitting the ground at all. Doesn't matter which velocity they had. They would sink into it and do nothing.

    6.7 years ago
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    1,230 Epicfail

    @PhantomBladeCorp ok. What's the bug anyway.

    6.7 years ago
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    47.8k Phantomium

    @Epicfail It's not gonna work. I know how to do one myself but it simply won't work due to a game bug.

    6.7 years ago
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    1,230 Epicfail

    I made a gun that fires explosives that would fit this vehicle great tell me if you work like to see it. @PhantomBladeCorp

    6.7 years ago
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    2,558 asg

    I know I can't fit my awesome and useful bomb cannon (which I use on almost all my builds) on great builds like this :(

    6.7 years ago
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    Could you make a version of this with the 120mm gun mod?

    6.7 years ago
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    14.9k Rodrigo110

    Yes, I know. Some SP physics really need to be fixed, especially when they’re hindering great creations @PhantomBladeCorp

    6.7 years ago
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    47.8k Phantomium

    @Rodrigo110 It would've been even greater had it not been for that nasty bug that plagues bomb cannons.
    I originally planned to add a bomb cannon to this but, once I hit the 450 part mark, that bug kicked in and rendered it useless.

    6.7 years ago
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    14.9k Rodrigo110

    Nice! I love advanced suspension systems! I tried to incorporate one on my Strada “Passeggino” 2002 (over 600 parts!), I guess you can be the judge if it’s a good system or not, but it’s defintetly not up to par with these tracks. Incredible detail! Beautiful tank!

    6.7 years ago
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    21.6k F4f879

    Lol I used the mobile version btw thanks for that

    6.7 years ago
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    47.8k Phantomium

    @F4f879 Erhmmm... not at all ;)

    6.7 years ago
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    Love it!!

    6.7 years ago
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    147k Pilotmario

    @PhantomBladeCorp Nice! I've got a similar machine (the M9 Stingray).

    Basically a Stingray light tank with an AGS turret. In service with the Paternian Army as 105mm Self Propelled Gun M9 Stingray, since they have no light tank category (abolished when the M65 MBT was adopted in 1959, although the M41 Walker Bulldog was always referred as a light tank until its retirement in 1975).

    They were trying to use this to replace the M65, but that job went to Victoria (which is basically my version of the M1 Abrams) and supplemented the Victoria. Why?

    Victoria, for its logistical burden (70 ton tank!) was effective, available, and proven; the Indian Army used 150 of them against the Awwami Army in the Kashmir, successfully negotiating mountainous terrain with ease better than other designs, and establishing itself as the Kashmiri Queen due to its heavy firepower, armor, and mobility.

    6.7 years ago
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    21.6k F4f879

    Awesome!!! Can it fire? (I don't want to kill my device lol)

    6.7 years ago
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    @PhantomBladeCorp oh lol

    6.7 years ago
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    47.8k Phantomium

    @EternalDarkness The jerry cans are meant to be lost ;)

    6.7 years ago
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    It runs great. But some parts are clicking and some are falling off (I lost a gerry can). Nice gun stabilisation.

    6.7 years ago
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