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     These are all used by the Tau Project.

Scout Buggy

     A military dune buggy, converted to diesel power and manufactured for the Tau Project.

Characteristics

• Length 3.8 meters

• Width 1.83 meters

• Height 1.53 meters over the roll cage
  

• Mass 880 kg empty
  

Specifications

     4 wheel drive off-road vehicles with 75 HP 1.7 liter 4-cylinder water-cooled turbo diesel Volkswagen Rabbit engines, fuel usage 5 liters per 100 kilometers, top speed 100 kph; two 40 liter fuel tanks (range 1600 km), torsion bar suspensions, open-topped 4-seat fiberglas bodies. Tires are 10.5x31 "Baja Belted". An optional 300 liter fuel bladder (300 kg when filled, 50 kg empty) can be carried in the two rear seats for 6000 km extra range. Empty weight (no weapons, cargo or passengers) 880 kg, payload capacity 600 kg.

Lockheed XM808 Twister

note this version is fitted with a .50 caliber machine gun, rather than the 20mm cannon

     A fast 8x8 articulated amphibious armored patrol vehicle, converted to diesel power and manufactured for the Tau Project. Video here.

Characteristics

• Length 5.65 meters

• Width 2.63 meters

• Height 2.36 over the cannon

• Mass 9.7 tons

Specifications

     Centrally-articulated 8-wheel armored car, with a 20mm low-profile turret. Two crew are carried, a driver and a gunner; there are three passenger seats (though one passenger might be carried to operate the radios). Fitted with two water-cooled 200 HP intercooled Cummins diesel engines; there are two sets of batteries and alternators, two 165 liter fuel tanks (with a interconnector between them) giving a range of 360 km, and in general the two engines have no mechanical connections; top speed 90 kph. It's amphibious, driven at 10 kph by a water jet while afloat.

     One advantage of this vehicle:  it can maintain its top speed over rough terrain, and can climb a meter-high wall. The tires are low-pressure radials, unique to this vehicle; no spare is carried.

     Armor is 6mm thick aluminum alloy. A military FM radio is fitted, along with a commercial CB radio.

     Equipped with a Hispano-Suiza HS.820 autocannon (M139 in US Army terms; note this uses the same 20x139mm cartridges as the Rh202), plus a coaxial 7.62mm machine gun.

     For armor-piercing ammo, the Tau Project uses 20mm DM63 ammunition. This is APDS-T, with a tungsten carbide core; it can penetrate 35mm of RHA steel (armor value 25) at 45 degrees inclination at 1000 meters.

     In comparison, the 'best' ammo of the Morrow Project is DM43 API-T, which can penetrate 32mm of RHA steel (armor value 24) at 90 degrees at 1 kilometer, or 8mm of RHA steel (armor value 15) at 30 degrees at 1000 meters.