Steel Beasts Recognition Guide By James Sterrett Andrew Romaniuk Ssnake Tankboy Vasiliy Fofanov PDF Formatting by Burner Table of Contents U.S. Vehicles Page M1A1 Abrams MBT 3 M2A2 Bradley IFV 5 M113 APC 7 M113 Medivac 9 M901 ITV 11 M981 FIST-V 13 HMMWV (Hummer) 15 German Vehicles Leopard 2A4 MBT 19 Marder 1A3 IFV 21 M113 Artillery Spotter 23 Truck 25 Jaguar 2 ATGM Veh 27 Soviet Vehicles T80U MBT 30 T72BV MBT 32 BMP-1 IFV 34 BMP-2 IFV 36 BMD-2 IFV 38 BTR-80 APC 40 BRDM-2 ATGM Veh 42 BRDM-2 Recce 44 MT-LB 46 2 U.S. Vehicles 3 FRONT SIDE TOP M1A1HA MBT Crew: 4 Armament: 120mm cannon, 7.62mm coax MG, 12.7mm AA MG, 7.62mm A MG Ammunition: 40 x 120mm; 1,000 x 12.7mm; 11,400 x 7.62mm Armour Protection: max approx. 1300mm vs HEAT, approx. 650mm vs KE Armour Type: Chobham and steel Length: 9.845 meters Width: 3.657 meters Height: 2.375 meters Combat Weight: 62.6 tons Engine: Textron Lycoming AGT 1500 gas turbine Max Road Speed: 67 km/h Max Water Speed: sinks [can ford 1.219m, or 1.98 with preparation] Max Cruising Range: 498 km One of the stars of our show! Like the Leopard 2, the M1 was undertaken after the MBT-70 project collapsed in disarray. Also like the Leopard 2, the used a combination of advances in armor and powerplants to deliver a notably advanced vehicle, once teething troubles were ironed out. Early M1s were armed with a 105mm rifled cannon, like the one that graced its M60A3 predecessor. The M1A1 (featured in Steel Beasts) improved the armor and upgraded the 105mm rifle to a 120mm smoothbore cannon. Recently, the M1A2 model has been provided, adding various improvements to fire and command control, and more armor. The M1 is built in the US, as well as being assembled in Egypt, and is in service with the US Army and Marines, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The M1 is the first really good tank the USA has built. The M1's biggest shortcomings are high cost and a very thirsty engine - it drinks 50 gallons of fuel an hour, whether idling or running flat out - but these are made up for by a very good package overall. Mobile, heavily-armed, and well- 4 protected, the Americans have tweaked the M1 from a good basic design into a tank they can rightly be proud of. The M1A1HA (Heavy Armor) refers to the up-armored version, which incorporates a layer of depleted uranium mesh in the armor package. It basically doubles the protection of the original M1 against both shaped-charge and kinetic energy warheads. However, as you'll soon discover in Steel Beasts, "excellent tank" doesn't mean "invincible tank". Your frontal armor may be nearly impenetrable to most enemy tanks at ranges over 1500 meters - which means it is penetrable at ranges under 1500 meters, and also penetrable from the sides. Lots of OPFOR vehicles carry ATGMs that will knock out critical systems even if they don't achieve a catastrophic hit. Your cannon is worth a lot less once all the fancy fire control gear is shaken to bits by a non-penetrating hit! Play it smart, go slowly and carefully, coordinate with your supporting infantry and artillery, and you should find that it dominates the battlefield. If you try the "tank rush" tactics from an RTS game, you'll soon be commanding a burning wreck. At some point after initial release, the mine clearing equipment will be implemented in the game, and it will be used by both sides. In the meantime, have a sneak peak at what's in store for an upcoming SB upgrade. James Sterrett 5 FRONT SIDE TOP M2A2 Bradley IFV Crew: 3 plus 6 dismounts (TC is squad CO, and usually stays with vehicle) Armament: 25mm autocannon, 7.62mm coax MG, twin TOW ATGM launcher Ammunition: 900 x 25mm, 2,200 x 7.62mm, 7 TOW ATGM Armour Protection: 300 max hull vs HE, 40 max vs KE Armour Type: Aluminum, Laminate, & Steel - spaced and ERA Length: 6.55 meters Width: 3.61 meters Height: 2.565 meters Combat Weight: 22,940 kg Engine: Cummins VTA-903T turbocharged 8-cylinder diesel Max Road Speed: 66 km/h Max Water Speed: 7.2 km/h [amphibious with screens erected; takes a fair bit of work] Max Cruising Range: 483 km The M2 Bradley had a long and tortured development. The program was initiated in the early 1960s, seeking a vehicle to complement the M113. The first two prototypes did not appear until 1978 - the better part of two decades - while the M113 steadily fell into obsolescence as a battlefield vehicle. The Bradley finally entered production in 1981, a year before the BMP-2. Regardless of the acquisition process, the M2 turned out reasonably well. It is fast enough to keep up with the M1 and packs a good punch (although the TOW is outranged by the heavier Russian ATGMs). It is taller than the BMP, which makes it easier to hit, but also allows it to fire in support of its own squad more easily. The armor has been upgraded over the years. Its amphibious ability is limited by the time needed to prepare the vehicle, unlike the BMP which needs only a minuscule amount of preparation, but arguably the cost savings is worth it. Perhaps the biggest debate surrounding the Bradley also surrounds all other ATGM-armed infantry fighting vehicles. 6 In Steel Beasts, as in real life, the Bradley poses a conundrum to commanders: is it a battle taxi for the squad, or is it a heavy ATGM carrier that happens to have some infantry inside? The battle positions most effective for the TOW (maximum range: 3,750 meters) are far from those best for the squad, whose maximum effective range is likely to be under 600 meters. A squad armed with manpack ATGMs makes the problem easier given the increased punch from the dismounted squad, but this simply raises again the purpose of the vehicle: is it A) an armor killer or B) a leg infantry support vehicle? In the end, of course, the answer is C - "both"; and for all the difficulty of deciding how best to employ the Bradley in a given tactical situation, it is doubtful it would be as valuable if the options were fewer. Just remember - the Bradley packs one helluva punch, but it's limited armor means it can't go toe-to-toe with heavy opposition. Keep them moving most of the time, and if they aren't the center of attention, they should be able to take care of themselves. James Sterrett 7 FRONT SIDE TOP M-113 Crew: 2 plus 11 dismounts Armament: 12.7mm HMG Ammunition: 2,000 x 12.7mm Armour: 44mm maximum Armour Type: Aluminum Length: 4.863 meters Width: 2.686 meters Height: 1.85 meters Combat Weight: 11,253 kg Engine: Detroit 6V-53 6 cylinder water-cooled diesel Max Road Speed: 60.7 km/h Max Water Speed: 5.8 km/h amphibious Max Cruising Range: 480 km On those occasions that World War II infantry rode anything other than their boots, it was usually a truck or a halftrack. Both of these have the problem of a soft top, making them vulnerable to shell fragments from artillery HE. The M-113 was designed to overcome this problem, encasing the troops inside light armor as a "battle taxi" - a vehicle that could move troops safely through HE shellfire and up to the battlefront. Developed in the 1950s, the M-113 first saw the light of day in 1960. While the M- 113 soon became obsolescent with the introduction of the BMP in the middle 1960s, it was long in US service (eventually replaced by the M-2 Bradley). This long service resulted from its simple, robust design, and a vast array of variants - ranging the gamut from ATGM launchers (such as the M-901) to ambulances. Over 76,000 M- 113s have been built. The M-113 is in service with at least 47 countries, and is built in the USA, Italy, and Belgium. The basic M-113 is not heavily armed, and is vulnerable to any available AT weapon or 8 heavy machine guns. Few if any variants improve the armor, but some improve the striking power dramatically. James Sterrett 9 FRONT SIDE TOP M-113 Medevac Crew: n/a Armament: none Ammunition: none Armour: 44mm maximum Armour Type: Aluminum Length: 4.863 meters Width: 2.686 meters Height: 1.85 meters Combat Weight: 11,253 kg Engine: Detroit 6V-53 6 cylinder water-cooled diesel Max Road Speed: 60.7 km/h Max Water Speed: 5.8 km/h amphibious Max Cruising Range: 480 km Well, not much to say about an ambulance...yes, it's yet another M-113 Variant! Once you have the basic vehicle model set up, it's not so difficult to arrange for lots of functions. The ambulance is exactly what it sounds like - a lightly-armored casualty evacuation vehicle. A bumpy ride is always better than a shrapnel-filled one. James Sterrett 10 11 FRONT SIDE TOP Front - Stowed Side - Stowed Top - Stowed Stowed for Travel M-901 ITV (Improved TOW Vehicle) Crew: 4 or 5 Armament: Twin TOW Launcher, 7.62mm MG Ammunition: 2 TOW plus 10 reloads, 1,000 x 7.62mm (fires basic TOW, I-TOW, and TOW-2 series) Armour: max 38mm Armour Type: Steel and Aluminium Length: 4.83 meters Width: 2.686 meters Height: 2.91 meters (3.35m with TOW launcher erected) Combat Weight: 11,794 kg Engine: Detroit Diesel 6V-52 6-cylinder water-cooled Max Road Speed: 67.59 km/h going downhill with a tailwind Max Water Speed: 5.8 km/h when the fishies help push (Ed.