ARES Rapid Deployment Force Light Tank
For AAI, the lessons learned during the development of their HSTV-L prototype resulted in the creation of a new Light Tank prototype in 1980. This vehicle was called Rapid Deployment Force Light Tank, abbreviated to RDF/LT.
The idea of having mobile protective firepower that can be delivered by air – whether air drop or air land – and get into the fight immediately enables the Army to retain the initiative we gain by jumping in. But if all the Army was doing was jumping in and then moving at the speed of a World War II paratrooper, they would rapidly lose the initiative gained by conducting a strategic or operational joint forcible entry. A force on the ground that’s mobile and has firepower can retain that initiative and achieve decisive results against the enemy. This type of mobile and lethal force with multiple methods of infiltration behind enemy lines is the true essence of the cavalry concept. The role of the tank in cavalry operations is to protect the reconnaissance elements.
Units that are small, flexible, and versatile fighting forces maximize the inherent characteristics of mobile firepower and reconnaissance. These units would be organized, equipped and trained with light vehicles, and prepared for rapid strategic deployment to arrive in a contingency area in a ready-tufight coni3guration. In keeping with the strategic and tactical imperatives of our new light forces, these light vehicles would not have the levels of armor protection found in heavier armor or cavalry units. This much lower level and, in some cases, absence of armor protection is a necessary tradeoff to provide the firepower and mobility required.
AAI's "Rapid Deployment Force Light Tank" or RDF/LT, armed with the 75mm ARES gun, was a 13.4t vehicle. The prototype originated in 1980 and was gradually rebuilt to carry three types of turrets. The AAI light tank for rapid deployment forces was a new concept in the development of a light tank. Inclined frontal armor provides sufficient protection with low weight. The main armament is a fully automatic 75-mm cannon, which allows firing armor-piercing feathered projectiles with separating leading parts with ultra-high initial speed or high-explosive fragmentation ammunition at a rate of 70 rounds per minute.
The original RDF/LT had a two-man crew positioned in the hull with dual controls so either capable of driving or operating the weapon systems. The vehicle used a "Hunter/Killer" targeting system. The primary sight was on an independently rotating head. When the commander founds a target it was acquired by the gun sight and the primary sight freed to look for other targets or threats.
The high tracking speeds of the fully stabilized gun guidance system provide effective anti-aircraft protection at elevation angles up to 40 °. A light tank of rapid deployment forces actually combines the capabilities of two vehicles in one: it provides combat against tanks and aerial targets. With a mass of 14.8 tons, the light tank is easily transported in air and sea in large quantities and can easily overcome light bridges, narrow tunnels and city streets.
The RDF / LT tank was armed with a 75mm automatic cannon capable of hitting any tank in the world. Auxiliary weapons is a 7.62-mm machine gun. The low weight and low recoil forces made the 75mm cannon ideal for installation on a light machine. Automatic loading provided selective delivery of kinetic shots (BPS) and multipurpose high-explosive fragmentation shots.
The gun has an elevation angle of up to 40 °, which allows effectively fights with enemy aircraft and helicopters, using ammunition with a proximity fuze. The gun fires either in single shots or bursts at a rate of fire of 70 rounds per minute. The length of the gun ARES 5,661m, weight 1144kg, resistance to pullback 136kN.
AAI developed a telescopic shots for the RDF / LT ; The shells are contained in the shell of the warhead of the liner. The tank can carry 60 shots of the caliber of 75 mm, 2600 pcs. 7.62-mm ammunition and 16 smoke grenades for setting a local smoke screen or protection from surveillance in the infrared range. The maximum range of the main 75-mm armament is more than 9000 m.
Light tank RDF / LT could be transported helicopters. Strategic and tactical advantages can be achieved by moving quickly to deploy tanks with the crew, fuel and ammunition. A C-5A can carry eight RDF / LT tanks per flight, a C-141 can carry two vehicles, and a C-130 one. Small volume and low weight make the RDF / LT tank ideal for transportation by sea vehicles.
The RDF / LT tank is based on the components of a number of US Army systems tested in combat: the improved M-113 BTR, the M-551 light tank and the modern M-1 main battle tank of the US Army. The 75mm cannon of this light tank is capable of destroying any existing tank at a combat range. And in a duel battle with a larger, heavier tank, this smaller machine has a twice higher probability of survival, since in a real battle a tank that hits first will destroy another tank.
The armor of the 14.8-ton RDF / LT tank provides protection against 90% of the attack assets of foreign divisions. Protection is provided by inclined aluminum armor with special steel extra armor plates. The RDF / LT tank is provided with armor protection equivalent to the BMP M-2.
The RDF / LT tank has advantages in terms of speed and mass of wheeled vehicles plus the ability to move where the wheels cannot pass. It has maneuverability in arctic snow, on muddy shores and in sandy desert, as well as in severe hilly terrain. Power density 24 hp / t allows the light tank to quickly move to a variety of unprepared firing positions, in which the low profile of the RDF / LT tank makes it the most difficult target.
Until 1997 and the closing of 3-73rd Armor Regiment (Fort Bragg, NC), the Army had a light armor capability in the M551 Sheridan. The tank proved its effectiveness in Vietnam in direct support of infantry. Its smaller size proved effective in Vietnam’s restrictive terrain. Most importantly, 3-73rd distinguished itself in two events during Operation Just Cause. First, it conducted a successful air land with one platoon into Howard AFB, Panama. The second was a heavy drop of 10 Sheridans in support of 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne. Eight Sheridans remained operational after the drop and provided more firepower for the brigade and conducted traditional cavalry operations. The Sheridan provided the commander flexibility and showed a true combined-arms team.
The Sheridan was slated to be phased out and replaced with a new X-M8 or Armored Gun System (AGS). The initial development started in 1978 and continued until a contract was awarded in 1992 to FMC Corporation. Critical design requirements included the need for the platform to 1) be deliverable by low-velocity air drop; 2) use a XM35 105mm as its main gun (with auto-loader); and 3) be able to fight immediately after de-rigging. All tactical heavy-lift aircraft in the inventory could deliver the platform: C-130s could carry two, C-17s could carry three and C-5s could carry five platforms. The U.S. Army purchased six XM-8s and began testing them in the early 1990s. The XM-8 was canceled in 1996 due to budget restraints.
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