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Stingray tank with 90mm gun

Development

     The Stingray light tank was developed beginning in 1983 as a private venture by the Cadillac Gage Company, with the first prototype (without a turret) being completed in 1984. A bit more than a hundred were sold, almost all to Thailand fitted with 105mm guns; several dozen more were produced covertly for the Morrow Project, fitted with 90mm guns. Delivery of the "normal" tanks to Thailand was made beginning in 1988, at a price of about $1.5 million; the first fusion-electric versions were delivered to the Project in late 1987.

     Many components were taken from existing American combat vehicles, to speed up development -- especially the M109 howitzer, M41 Walker Bulldog, M47 Patton, M551 Sheridan and the Commando V300 and V600 armored cars.  The 90mm gun is also used by some versions of the V150 armored car.

Description

     The Stingray is a turreted, tracked armored fighting vehicle. The main gun is chosen and intended for the destruction of armored targets.

     There are six road wheel positions on each side of the tank, carried on a torsion bar suspension, and three return rollers on each side. The fusion generator, electric motor, radiator, brakes, drive sprocket, and other powertrain systems are all at the rear of the tank. A towing pintle, tow cable, track jack and pioneer tools are mounted on the hull.

     The four-man crew consists of a driver, gunner, loader and commander. The driver sits in the middle front of the hull; the loader and gunner sit to the left and right of the cannon, with the commander behind the gunner. The turret is electrically traversed; the main gun (and the coaxial weapon) are dual-axis stabilized. Both the gunner and the commander have firing controls for the main gun and coaxial weapon; a Morrow Project Autonav is fitted, and can be used for accurate indirect fire.

      The gunner's primary sight is the M36E1 day/night periscopic 8X sight; the commander's hatch episcopes include an NV52 day/night sight. The driver's central episcope can have a passive night-vision scope fitted when needed.

      Fire-fighting systems are installed in the engine compartment and the ammunition bays, along with hand extinguishers in the hull and turret.

      A complete nuclear-biological-chemical filtering system is fitted, along with a heating and air conditioning system, and crew plug-in stations for personal gas masks. An intercom system, PRC-70 radio, Autonav, and vehicle CBR sensor are carried.

     However, unlike many Project vehicles, there is no computer, oven, or stove. There is a water filter system and a water tank, which stores 16 liters of fresh water and 16 liters of water to be filtered; the filtered water is available "room temperature" or heated.

Specifications

Crew:  four

Weight:  19 tons

Length:  0.3 m

Width:  3 m

Height:  2.7 m prepared for transport

Ground clearance:  0.46 m (under hull)

Max speed: 

(road) 70 kph

Fording:  the Stingray can travel briefly underwater with minor preparation (though it's not recommended, since there's no air supply)

Gradient:  60%

Vertical obstacle:  0.75 m

Trench crossing:  1.7 m width

Powerplant:  Mk 1 fusion generator, which feeds a 550 HP electric motor

Electrical system:  24 volt

Batteries:  two 240 volt Morrow Project vehicle batteries

Armament:   90mm Mk II cannon, coaxial MAG58 machine gun, .50 cal M2HB commander's hatch weapon, two six-barrel Mk 9 smoke grenade dischargers (one on each side). The coaxial MAG58 is solenoid-fired; a buttstock and regular trigger assembly are stored in the vehicle, to allow it to be used in dismounted action. Two spare barrels are carried for each machine gun.

Ammunition:  3 immediate use 90mm rounds, 5 ready rounds of 90mm in the turret, plus hull racks (below the turret ring) with 24 rounds of 90mm, 400 ready rounds of 7.62mm NATO linked, 2,000 rounds of 7.62mm NATO stored in hull, 1,100 rounds of .50 cal, 12 smoke grenades

Armor Protection

      The hull and turret front are made of 23mm thick "Cadalloy" steel; the hull sides, rear, floor and top are 12.7mm thick. Vision ports have 50mm thick glass blocks in them. Spall curtains of Resistweave line the entire hull interior.

     Game effects:  armor value 25 on hull, turret, and vision ports; 22 on the sides, top and rear. Effective armor value on the front of the hull and turret can be as high as 46 due to sloped armor surfaces.