Cadillac Gage Textron Commando Ranger / Peacekeeper
The Cadillac-Gage Ranger (known as the Peacekeeper with the USAF) was a 4×4 light wheeled armored armoured vehicle personnel carrier (essentially an armored truck) developed as a private venture to meet an Air Force requirement for a low-cost armored vehicle capable of transporting personnel at a high road speed while still retaining at least some off-road capability. The vehicle is commonly called the Peacekeeper but it was produced by the Cadillac Gage Company and originally called (Cadillac Gage) Ranger.
The US Air Force has a large number of bases scattered throughout the world which had become the target of terrorists [and Soviet SPETZNAZ] because they contained not only aircraft and missiles at a very high cost, but even radar and other surveillance devices, fuels and all kinds of artillery pieces ranging from munitions and convention bombs to nuclear charges. To protect its equipment, the US Air Force expressed a need for a vehicle that was called a Security Police Armored Response/Convoy Truck, to carry patrols on air bases and escorting convoys to bases or leaving, or else rolling stock from the warehouse to the aircraft.
After studying a number of proposals, the US Air Force at the beginning of the year 1979, opted for the Cadillac Gage Commando Ranger troop transport. The first copies were delivered the following year and deliveries continued thereafter. The first Peacekeeper was delivered in April of 1980. By early 1981, 560 vehicles had been ordered by the US Air Force and Navy (most of the Navy vehicles being operated by USMC personnel) [other sources report 700 vehicles]. By 1994, 708 Ranger (Peacekeeper) APCs had been built for US forces with 20+ vehicles being transferred to Indonesia. In 1996, some of remaining US Navy/USMC Rangers were deployed to Bosnia for operations with (IFOR). By the late 1990s nearly all Peacekeepers-Rangers had been replaced in US service, with many taking up new duties as SWAT vehicles with local police departments.
Commando Ranger uses a standard truck Chrysler chassis modified for the needs of the vehicle, with a shorter than usual wheelbase [the distance between the first and the last axle). The fully armored body protects the crew from individual firearms and shrapnel. The engine, located at the front, is coupled to an automatic transmission with three forward gears and one reverse. The steering and the rear suspension is provided by spring blades and hydraulic shock absorbers double effect.
Commando Ranger contains six soldiers who enter the vehicle by two doors at the rear of the cabin and take place in groups of three on the sides. Each of these doors has a slot shot and the left also includes a periscope. On the roof is a haatch that can accommodate various arms, including a simple shield with a 7.62 mm machine gun or even a twin 7.62 mm machine gun turret.
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