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Commando V-150 General Specifications

Page history last edited by Michael 4 years, 1 month ago

back to the Index, or to the Vehicles page

 



Development

 

     The Commando (4 x 4) vehicle was developed as a private venture by the Cadillac-Gage Company with the first production models being completed in 1964. These were designated the V-100 and were followed a few years later by the larger V-200. Current production is based on the V-150 which has many improvements over the earlier V-100. Over 3000 Commando vehicles of all types have now been built and a similar vehicle called the Chaimite (V-200) is built in Portugal, but not under license from Cadillac-Gage.

 

Description

 

     The hull of the Commando is of all welded steel construction which provides the crew with protection from small arms fire. The driver is seated at the front of the hull on the left side with the co-driver/observer on his right. Both are provided with vision blocks and a single piece hatch cover that opens to the left or right. There is a further vision block on either side of their positions. The driver's seat can be adjusted up sufficiently for the driver to control the vehicle by viewing through the overhead hatch.

     Other crew members have either full seats, bench seats, or small fold-down seats depending on the particular model.

     There is a door on each side of the hull, and a third door in the rear on the right side, all with a vision block and a firing port. These doors are in two parts, top and bottom, the bottom part opening downwards to form a step and the top part opening left or right. There is a further firing port and vision block on each side forward of the side doors. There is also a two part roof hatch to the right of the engine compartment.

     The center of the roof will, depending on the model, have a turret, cupola, simple hatch, or large opening.

     The engine and transmission are mounted at the rear of the hull on the left side with access hatches in the roof and side of the hull. The engine compartment is provided with a fire suppression system which is operated by the driver.

     A heavy-duty hydraulic winch is fitted inside the nose of the vehicle. It can apply 4500 kg of pull (yes, yes, 44,100 newtons); maximum line speed is 3.6 meters per minute. A snatch block is furnished, which doubles line pull for heavy winching requirements. The winch cable is 40.6 meters long, 9.5mm diameter, and weighs 12.9 kg.

     The suspension is of the solid axle type with semi-elliptical springs and heavy duty shock absorbers at each wheel station; the vehicle has hydraulic power brakes and power-assisted steering. The axles have automatic silent positive locking differentials. The Commando is fully amphibious, propelled in the water by its wheels; two electric bilge pumps are provided. The tubeless radial-ply run-flat tires have a self-cleaning tread, and come in right- and left-hand patterns; each 14R20 tire weighs 68 kg, the internal beadlock weighs 5.9 kg, and the actual steel wheel weighs 68 kg -- total, 142 kg.

 

Specifications

 

Crew:  varies by model

Weight:  empty, 6670 kg; loaded, not more than 9900 kg; payload is thus 2930 kg

Length:  5.7 m

Width:  2.26 m

Height:  varies by model (2 meters to top of normal hull)

Ground clearance:  0.65 m (under hull)

Turning radius:  8.4 m

Track width:  2.2 m

Wheelbase:  2.7m

Ground pressure:  1.5 kg/square centimeter

Max speed: 

(road) 88 kph

(water) 4.8 kph

Range:  482 km

Fuel capacity:  303 liters

Fording:  amphibious

Gradient:  60%

Vertical obstacle:  0.6 m

Trench crossing:  0.5 m

Engine:  Chrysler 361 CID V-8 petrol engine developing 210 bhp at 4400 rpm (similar to that in the early M113 armored personnel carriers)

Transmission:  manual with 5 forward and 1 reverse gears (an automatic transmission with 3 forward and 1 reverse gears is also available)

Electrical system:  24 V

Batteries:  two 100 Ah

Armament:  varies by model

 

Status

 

     In production. Users of the Commando include Bolivia, Ethiopia, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Oman, Peru, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey, the USA and Vietnam.

 

Manufacturer

 

     Cadillac Gage Company, PO Box 1027, Warren, Michigan 48090, USA

 

- from Jane's Combat Support Equipment 1978-79


 

a Cadillac-Gage spec sheet from the late 1980s; probably a V-150 S model, given the 6.27m length


Variants

 

     The V-150 has been produced with the following variants:

 

  • armored personnel carrier (cupola mount or open 'pod' top); can carry eight troops

  • armored personnel carrier (one-man MG turret, 34" ring); can carry seven troops

  • armored personnel carrier (7.62mm Minigun turret, 34" ring) with 3000 rounds ammo

  • 20mm cannon vehicle (two-man turret, 54" ring)

  • 90mm cannon vehicle (two-man turret, 54" ring)

  • 81mm mortar carrier (there's also a version with a 107mm M30 mortar, and a V200 version with a 120mm mortar)

  • armored recovery vehicle

  • command vehicle

 

this is probably a command version of a V-150S

 

  • TOW launcher vehicle

  • ambulance

  • firefighting vehicle

  • police riot control/raid vehicle

  • anti-aircraft with 20mm Vulcan cannon

  • V-150 S; stretched by 0.46 m, with improved suspension and brakes, and available in pretty much every configuration that the regular V-150 appears in. Can carry two more troops, and 726 kg more payload. First appeared in 1981, sometimes known as the LAV-150 S after 1994. The Morrow Project has at least some of these as armored personnel carriers.

     

the V-150 S, in the APC configuration

 

     Not all the variants are in use by the Morrow Project; and no doubt there are a few Project variants not seen elsewhere. The similar V-100, V-200, and V-300 are not employed by the Project. In 1974, the "police emergency" version was priced at $65,154.

 

a command version of the V-150 with double doors on the sides

 

Armor Protection

 

      The hull, turret, hatches, etc. are constructed of 6.4mm "Cadalloy" steel, except for the floor, which is 12.7mm thick -- the floor thickness is partly because the vehicle has no separate frame. Vision ports have 50mm thick glass blocks in them.

     Game effects:  armor value 16 on hull, turret, and vision ports; 21 on the underside. Effective armor value on hull can be 18 due to sloped armor surfaces.

 

Further Development by the Project

 

     As the coaxial weapon for turreted versions of the V-150 the Morrow Project uses the Stoner 63A belt-fed machine gun. Flexible weapons are typically the MAG-58 or M2HB machine guns.  

     Project V-150 vehicles include the optional siren/public address system, heating/air conditioning/NBC filter system, rear hatch ring mount and gun shield, wipers for driver's vision block, spare vision blocks, air compressor with hose, and blackout covers. In addition, after 1985, space was made in part of the former engine compartment (alongside the passage to the rear hatch) for a microwave oven and electric stovetop, and mounting plates were welded onto the lower hull for hi-rail conversion sets.

     Two 150 liter water tanks replace the original fuel tanks; they fill from outside (through the former fuel filler caps over the forward wheel wells). One tank is 'dirty', and two ceramic filters connect from that tank to the 'clean' tank; each filter can treat 10 liters of water per hour. Keep in mind that the filters will not remove chemical contaminants, viruses, and other small things.

 

how often should we clean the filters?

     Each filter gets "blocked up" when it has a kilogram of not-water stuck in it. For sea water, that's after about 60 liters of filtering, you have to clean the filters. Cleaning requires, among other things, a few liters of relatively clean water.

 

     Two GHT water taps are fitted in the rear passage, feeding from the 'clean' water tank; one provides 65o C hot water.

 

Gasifier V-150

     Before 1985, the V-150 vehicles used by the Morrow Project had a gasifier system installed inside the hull, on the right side opposite to the engine compartment. Fuel, in the form of wood, coal or charcoal, would be loaded through the former rear hatch; the gasifier protruded upwards through what had been the rear roof hatch, with a prominent air intake and exhaust vent. A solid, insulated bulkhead was built behind the side doors, to prevent air contamination from the gasifier, and to keep the crew compartment temperatures reasonably low. Some V-150 "gasifier" models had a wide, low-sided fuel basket built atop the rear deck. Engine power was reduced a bit, internal storage was reduced a lot, and range was considered barely acceptable.

 

     The Project realized that the gasifier conversion of the V-150 was only a stopgap, and once the fusion pack was developed, all production switched over to an electrically-powered version of the V-150. Removal of the engine, transmission, batteries, fuel tank, oil tank, and radiator reduced the vehicle weight by 1400 kilograms. Installed in their place was a fusion pack with integral fuel supply, "dry" radiator, advanced batteries, and an electric motor. Road speed is governed to 100 kph (remember, the steering, suspension, drive train, and tires are those of a 5 ton Army truck).

     The hydraulic-assist power steering has been replaced with TRW Powertronic electric power steering. Electric actuators have replaced the vacuum-assisted hydraulic brakes; the hydraulic motor for the winch is likewise replaced by a high-torque electric motor.

     The Mk 1 fusion pack has a maximum rating of 500 kilowatts output power; only about 200 kilowatts of that is used for propulsion. Output power is available at 24 V DC (for vehicle accessory systems), 12 V DC, 120 V AC and 240 V AC (for the motor and external accessories); outlets are available within the crew compartment and under the side engine hatch. The electric motor has a special 240 volt, 850 amp connection to the reactor. When fully-fueled, the reactor can run at full power (more than the vehicle needs to operate) for about 8 years. The reactor itself is a cylinder, 0.3 m diameter by 1 m long, and weighs 250 kg, including fuel. The Morrow Industries data plate describes it as "Electrical Generator, 500 kW". 

     The solid-state radiator consists of about two hundred vanes, about 10 cm by 10 cm, and a heavy fan to blow air over them. When the vehicle is driving along at top speed, heat output from the radiator is about 400 kilowatts. The air intake is a low armored hood on the engine deck; hot air is exhausted through the armored vent behind the engine compartment. The radiator cools the reactor and the electric motor; a damaged radiator can quickly bring the vehicle to a stop. If the radiator is completely destroyed or disconnected, the reactor can only produce about 5 kilowatts of electrical power while remaining at safe operating temperatures. The radiator is made by Morrow Industries; an Electrical Repair or Electronics skill roll will identify the solid-state vanes as being futuristic technology.

     A pair of heavy, sealed 240 V batteries store a total of 3 kilowatt-hours of electrical power, or enough electricity to run the motor at full power for a minute -- or the crew compartment heater and minor accessories all night. The reactor has a built-in battery for starting from shut-down; this power can't be drained down by vehicle systems or accessories. The batteries have Morrow Industries data plates; their name is given on the plates as "Vehicle Battery, 240 Volt". An Electrical Repair or Electronics skill roll will identify the batteries as being futuristic technology.

     The 200 kilowatt electric motor weighs about 100 kg, and is mounted just ahead of the reactor. Its output shaft faces forwards, and is connected to a simple transmission, which also functions as a shock absorber between the engine and the drivetrain. The original parking brakes, slightly modified, are still in place (just after the transmission). The electric motors are expensive but contemporary, coming from various American manufacturers.

 

     The Morrow Project uses these fusion-powered variants of the V-150:

    • armored personnel carrier (cupola mount), either V-150 or V-150S

    • armored personnel carrier (MG turret), ditto

    • 20mm cannon vehicle

    • armored recovery vehicle -- not on Recon or MARS teams

    • command vehicle -- not on Recon teams

    • 90mm cannon vehicle -- MARS teams only

    • 81mm mortar carrier -- MARS teams only

    • TOW launcher vehicle -- MARS teams only

 

Maintenance and Installed Equipment

 

     Since the internal combustion engine has been entirely replaced, keeping the vehicle operating is much easier -- but it still needs preparation and maintenance.

  • Lubrication:  the differentials, axles, transfer case, springs, steering system, wheel bearings, need regular lubrication -- say, at least every six months. Less essential but still in need of lubricating are the tow pintle, door hinges, control clevises and pins, cables, seat moving parts, winch barrel and cable, turret rings, elevation and traverse gearboxes, etc. The largest amount of lubricant is in the two differentials, which each contain about 10 liters of gear oil. Chassis grease, gear oil and lubricating oil are needed. After fording or amphibious operations, lubricate all exposed chassis points, the winch cable, and inspect axles for water.

  • Tires:  the four 14.50 x 20 tubeless "Commando Special" tires are self-cleaning, off-road runflats, with a steel inner rim. At zero inflation pressure they can still be used for up to 80 kilometers of travel. Each wheel has ten lug nuts; note that lug nuts for the left and right sides of the vehicle have different handedness. Tires should be rotated from time to time, however this is not easy as they must be fitted properly to the left or right sides to allow efficient amphibious speed; while tires may be dismounted from the wheel and reversed, this may not be possible in the field. Regular military tires of the same size can be used, but they reduce (perhaps entirely) the amphibious speed of the vehicle, and are almost never runflats.

  • Bilge pumps:  two electrically-powered bilge pumps are installed -- one in the engine compartment, one in the crew compartment. Each pumps 189 liters per minute. Note the interior volume of the hull is about 10 cubic meters. Check for leaks around the drive train, bilge pumps, doors, hull drain plugs, and other openings in the lower hull during amphibious operations.

  • Fire extinguishers:   a dry chemical fire extinguishing cylinder is installed in the engine compartment, and is controlled from the driver's position; it should be checked and recharged if necessary. Portable fire extinguishers within the vehicle must also also be tested.

  • Air filter and NBC system:  the NBC system has a washable filter; it should be cleaned after any suspicion of exposure to toxic agents, or to excessive dust. Note that the system doesn't know whether the vehicle is sealed or contaminated. It does have the equivalent of an M1 CBR Kit, connected to an M42 chemical alarm (a loud noise, blinking light kinda thing). The chemical alarm is on a simple "field telephone" two-wire cable, 5 meters long (but longer cables could easily be arranged).

  • Water filter:  the two drinking water tanks each have a washable ceramic filter; they should be exchanged with the spares at regular intervals, or if the local water supply is known to be contaminated, and washed thoroughly with clean water.

  • Padlock and chain:  neither the doors nor the "ignition" on the V-150 have locks. The doors can be secured from the inside; but for "long term parking" a heavy chain and "railway switch lock" are provided, along with 10 identical keys.

     


 

     While the player-characters may not realize it, in the usual game scenario their vehicle is good for about 8 million kilometers of driving around before needing refueling.

 


 

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