ARMOR, January-February 1990 Edition

56 Pages·2007·2.56 MB·English

TankTracks
The most visible symbol of totalitarianism,
the raison d'etre for large, standing Western ar-
mies, has sprouted fissures large enough to
drive a tank through. The "Iron Curtain" has
seemingly transformed itself from within to a though a tad less survivable, think how many
curtain of loosely-woven lace. We have called you could get in a C-130. (Note the three-man
for this for three generations, and, now that it crew.)
has happened, we find ourselves contemplat-
ing our collective navel for answers about the 0 Like the Soviets do, convert tanks for use in
the agricultural sector. (The "farm implements"
future.
will come in handy here, as well.)
How ironic that as we ready ourselves to
celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Armored 0 Sell batches of vehicles and spare parts to
Force's creation, we find ourselves concerned the artistic community. They can weld them
with justifying its very existence. Exist it will. together in goofy ways to form modern sculp-
But in what shape? What will our primary ture to grace the lawns of large government
weapon systems be? What do we do with all and commercial office complexes.
the old new stuff we've received over the last
Sell tanks and CFVs to the people who
decade? There are certainly tough decisions 0
bring us monster truck challenges. The motor-
about force structure, stationing, and equip-
cycle guys could jump rows of them, too, and a
ment procurement that lie ahead. So, we offer
demolition derby might be interesting and make
a few suggestions.
for good TV.
0 The heavy force should volunteer for the
.The Patton Museum will take one of each of
drug war. Line the borders and known dealer
everything.
corners in major cities with tanks.
Though I have taken a tongue-in-cheek view,
0 Donate tanks to towns and villages for
this is not the time to exaggerate the rumors of
placement in town squares and near flag-
the death of the heavy force in prematurely-writ-
poles. That WWII stuff gets tiresome after a
ten obituaries, but a time to find new applica-
half-century.
tions for shock effect, firepower, and mobility.
0 Put our tanks and Bradleys in storage and The lighter organizations of our Army will tend
buy something like this - to make up a larger proportion of the force and
therefore a larger share of the burden in future
conflicts. So, perhaps the time is ripe to push
again the armored gun system, a lighter, more
easily deployed system than the Abrams. Fix
divisional cavalry. Light cavalry would fit the bill
nicely.
Whatever the future path, we cannot rotate on
our thumbs and give up the initiative. We must
take the attitude of the old cavalry trooper,
who, while gazing at a steaming pile of manure,
remarked, "There must be a pony in there some-
where." Happy 1990!
- PJC
By Order of the Secretary of the Army: Official:
CARL E. VUONO WILLIAM J. MEEHAN II
General, United States Army Brigadier General, United States Army
Chief of Staff The Adjutant General
The Professional Development Bulletin of the Armor Branch PB- 17-90-I
Editor-in-Chief Features
MAJOR PATRICK J. COONEY
7 120-mm Tank Main Gun Ammunition:
Managing Editor An Accident Waiting to Happen?
JON T. CLEMENS by CPT Charles J. Koehler
10 Directorate of Combat Developments comments on
Commandant
"120-mm Tank Main Gun Ammunition:
MG THOMAS C. FOLEY
An Accident Waiting to Happen"
~~
ARMOR (ISSN 0004-2420) is published 13 Fighting the Future
bimonthly by the US. Army Armor Center, 4401 by LTG John H. Cushman (USA, Ret.),
Vine Grove Road, Fort Knox, KY 40121. LTG Frederic J. Brown (USA, Ret.),
Disclaimer: The information contained in
and MG Thomas C. Foley
ARMOR represents the professional opinions of
the authors and does not necessarily reflect the 20 Letter from Chief of Air Defense Artillery
official Army or TRADOC position, nor does it
MG Donald M. Lionetti
change or supersede any information
presented in other official Army publications.
22 120-mm Main Gun Zeroing: Some Ideas from CAT 1989
Official distribution is limited to one copy for
by CPT Michael W. Luttman
each heavy brigade headquarters, armored
cavalry regiment headquarters, armor battalion
25 The Mystery of "Tiger Jack"
headquarters, armored cavalry squadron head-
quarters, reconnaissance squadron head- by BG Albin F. lrzyk (USA, Ret.)
quarters, armored cavalry troop, armor com-
33 Battle Drills: Simplifying the Challenge
pany, and motorized brigade headquarters of
the United States Army. In addition, Army by CPT Jeffrey E. Phillips
libraries, Army and DOD schools, HQ DA and
38 EffectiveO p Orders
MACOM staff agencies with responsibility for ar-
mored, direct fire, ground combat systems, or- by CPT John L. Buckheit
ganizations, and the training of personnel for
such organizations may request two copies by 40 Tandem Ops: An Approach to Mounted Surveillance
sending a military letter to the editor-inchief. by CPT Walter F. Ulmer, Ill
Authorized Content: ARMOR will print only
those materials for which the U.S. Army Armor 44 The Scout-Emplaced Abatis
Center has proponency. That proponency in- by lLT(P) Steven G. Unfreid and lLT(P) Michael Eller
cludes: all armored, direct-fire ground combat
systems that do not serve primarily as infantry
carriers; all weapons used exclusively in these
Departments
systems or by CMF 19-series enlisted soldiers;
any miscellaneous items of equipment which
armor and armored cavalry organizations use 2 Letters 12 Armor Conference Agenda
exclusively; training for all SC 12A, 128, and
2 Contacts 21 Required Manuals List
12C officers and for all CMF-19-series enlisted
soldiers; and information concerning the train- 4 Commander's Hatch 47 Recognition Quiz Answers
ing, logistics, history, and leadership of armor 5 Driver's Seat 48 Bustle Rack
and armored cavalry units at the brigadelregi- 6 Recognition Quiz 52 Books
ment level and below, to include Threat units at
those levels.
Material may be reprinted, provided credit is
given to ARMOR and to the author, except
where copyright is indicated.
January-February 190, Vol XCIX No. 1
Comments on Cavalry The Army has managed to take a com- ber of different airframes in the division
bined arms organization, proven in com- and provide commonality wth the GS Tar-
Dear Sir: bat, and disassemble it to the point it can- get Acquisition Platoon already fielded.
not perform the doctrinal missions out- We could achieve this with rebuilt OH-58
The September-October 1989 issue of lined in FM 17-95. Cavalrv Doctrine. I think airframes.
included several thought-provoking several points made by MG Wagner re-
articles and letters concerning the or- quire additional emphasis, given the cur- Secondly, the concept of teamwork can-
ganization, training, and equipment of the rent state of funds in the Army. not be overstressed. Presently, heavy
Army's scoutskavalry. MG Robert E. Wag- divisions "rob Peter to pay Paul," Le.: com-
ner's "Division Cavalry: The Broken Sabre" First, the air troops by almost everyone's bat assets from the maneuver brigades
very adeptly pointed out key flaws in the definition are too small and lack staying are put together on an ad hoc basis to
division cavalry squadron. Two letters con- power. Further, they lack a true, dayhight allow the cavalry to conduct its missions.
cerning light scouts; however, missed the capability and the targeting systems to ex- Having been a part of an Organization
mark entirely. ploit our precision guided munitions or such as this for over 16 months now, the
TACRRE system. Replacing MG Wagner's only way this organization works is when
MG Wagner's article raises serious ques- 3 x 6 OH-58 platoons with a 3 x 6 AH-58D the division commander commits the en-
tions concerning the current division caval- system would put a formidable dayhight tire division to it. This includes all training,
ry organization. They are similar to the recon platform, equipped for selfdefense gunnery, training guidance, etc. As MG
comments made in this very publication and fire support coordination, in the caval- Wagner stated, we must train as we will
last year by Colonel (P) Jarrett Robertson. ry. Moreover, this would reduce the num- fight. Therefore, at a minimum, two four-
- (Note: Fort Knox AUTOVON prefix is 464.
DIRECTORY Points Of Contact
Commercial prefix is Area Code 502-624-x>000.
ARMOR Editorial Offices U.S. ARMY ARMOR SCHOOL
Editor-in-Chief Commandant (ATZK-CG)
Major Patrick J. Cooney 2249 MG Thomas C. Foley 2121
Managing Editor Assistant Commandant (ATSB-AC)
Jon T. Clemens 2249 BG J. B. Taylor 7555
Editorial Assistant Deputy Assistant Commandant (ATSB-DAC)
Vivian Thompson 2610 COL Claude L. Clark 1050
Production Assistant Command Sergeant Major
Mary Hager 2610 CSM John M. Stephens 4952
Contributing Artist Maintenance Dept. (ATSB-MA)
SPC Jody Harmon 2610 C'OL James R. Joy 8346
Command and Staff Dept. (ATSB-CS)
MAILING ADDRESS ARMOR, ATTN: ATSB- COL A. W. Krenier 5855
AM, Fort Knox, KY 40121-5210. Weapons Dept. (ATSB-W P)
COL George R. Wallace I11 1055
ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS: To improve speed and Directorate of Training & Doctrine (ATSB-DOTD)
accuracy in editing, manuscripts should be originals or COL Donald E. Appler 7250
clear copies, either typed or printed out in near-letter- Directorate of Combat Developments (ATSB-CD)
quality printer mode. Stories can also be accepted on COL Edward A. Bryla 5050
5-1/4" floppy disks in Microsoft WORD, MultiMate, Dir. of Eval. & Standardization (ATSB-DOES)
Wordperfect, Wordstar, or Xerox Writer (please in- Mr. Duane Wolff 3446
clude a printout). Please tape captions to any illustra- Training Group (ATZK-TC-TBF)
tions submitted. LTC William C. Malkemes 3955
NCO Academy/Drill Sergeant School (ATNCG)
PAID SUBSCRIPTIONS Report delivery problems CSM Donald L. Baker 5150
or changes of address to Ms. Connie Bright, circula- Director, Reserve Component Spt (ATZK-DRC)
tion manager, [phone]. COL Charles W. Davis 1351
Omce of the Chief of Armor (A TZK-AR)
UNIT DISTRIBUTION Report delivery problems LTC Ricky M. Rowlett 7809
or changes of address to Ms. Mary Hager, AV 464- TEXCOM Armor & Engineer Board (ATZK-AE)
2610; commercial: [phone]. Requests to be COL Dan E. Deter 7850
added to the free subscription list should be in the TRADOC Sys Mgr for Tank Systems (ATSB-TSMT)
form of a letter to the Editor-in-Chief. COL Eugene D. Colgan 7955
2 ARMOR - January-February 7990
tank platoons should be added to each Cav Needs "Hardening" not precisely the answer to the divisional
ground troop. When funding becomes cavalry squadron structure, It's not far off,
available, the third ground troop is a and I've not seen a better, more workable
Dear Sir:
must. If combat forces need to be reallo- solution! Lots of really talented and
cated due to fiscal constraints or man- seasoned cavalrymen have indicated for
Every time a surrogate Soviet-equipped
power, so be it. It was done for the nearly a decade that the current divisional
and organized reconnaissance unit
needed light forces, it can be done for the cavalry squadron structure was broken.
develops good intelligence about my dis-
division cavalry. Finally, should these They're right. It is. MG Wagner's article
positions and then hangs around, if un-
changes take place, we must fix the caval- detected, to kick my butt, I wonder at the captures the essence of the problem and
ry logistical system. it must be aug- organization of the divisional cavalry poses a super solution.
mented now to the point where fuel squadron because of its positioning and
tankers, aid vehicles, cargo vehicles, and k J. BERGERON
lack of tanks. MG Wagner has it right in
additional maintenance assets are re- Colonel, Armor
your September-October issue as he dis-
quired due to TO&E shortages. Given our Cdr, 3rd Me, 91D (MTZ)
cusses the organization of that all-impor-
modern equipment, logistics will be a war tant entity. Ft. Lewis, Wash.
stopper!
-
Task Force Scouts
The current squadron's positioning in
As for SGT Johnston and the flaws he the combat aviation brigade is clearly Another Opinion
sees in the "Light Scout" concept. he has
wrong. I suspect that the aviation main-
missed the mark. First, the scouts are not
tenance boogeyman drove this. The
"light." The premise is that scout platoons Dear Sir:
squadron is a key divisional force and
at TF and brigade need a "stealthy"
vehicle to perform certain recon functions, therefore should be commanded and con- I read with great interest the article
in addition to the M3. The OPFOR used to trolled by the division. This represents a "HMMWVs and Scouts: Do They Mix" by
use motorcycles for this role, until safety logical train-to-fight scenario. Major Scmribner .i n the July-August 1989
issue of As a tank battalion com-
considerations caused them to be Fundamental to reconnaissance opera-
removed. Further, according to data tions, which are the cornerstone of all mander, I feel he has many very valid ob-
servations. The most precious commodity
gained during the 24th ID test rotation, cavalry operations, has always been the in war is information, and the most
the combined M3IHMMWV organization
fact that the force conducting reconnais- dangerous soldier on the bafflefield is a
wmoernkte, d" Wqhuaitte g owoedll . Is Miot rteoo vhearv, et heex ceclolemn-t sance must be prepared to fight to get in- well-trained scout with a pair of binoculars
overwatch when everyone knows you're formation. Hence the clear need for tanks and a radio.
and the "hard combat capability" MG Wag-
there?," really is not germane. That very
ner refers to. To blow this off with an After having the opportunity to observe
tsshiavemer, e to htpheei nrkaget yico onisu ltsdht eabate lt uhss aaeidns dao buvoseiurnwtg aa tnthcyhe .o vfFeferuntri--- -hsraoorccei als yto epludot swioitinitvh he aa. dzIf a hwrdoesc t trshuoelly uy teiioexnlpdse ,n coat rndmdiv aitshlliyao tan sias-l wpscliatohcu etts ha egd aeOisnPe)F,r vOIe R a msap te ctcohinaevl iNnccToeCnds (itdthheaertra ett'ihso ent h TaiFnt
cal plan, not dashing "extremely fast over cavalry to do reconnaissance, security,
the TOE and training, regardless of where
unfamiliar terrain." and economy of force, it must have the the TF will fight. Also, the lessons learned
day-in and dayout structure to train to do
SSG Jett's comments, though not far this. It is interesting to note that every at Ft. Irwin prove the importance of the
off, still miss the target. First, 1 do not other major army in the world currently recon/counter-recon battle. The success
of the OPFOR recon efforts at the NTC,
believe the Armor School is reinventing
provides organic tanks with its reconnais- using wheeled and dismounted recon ele-
"light scouts." The concept was first used
in WWll when jeeps armed with machine sance units. Certainly, all of our potential ments, should make us look and question.
foes do this and doctrinally stress the
guns or recoilless rifles were used in caval-
ry recon and still later (1970s) as gun need to fight to gain information. Can we Many studies, and some tests as dis-
readily expect our divisional eyes and cussed by Major Scribner, have been
jeeps in cavalry platoons. Next, if the ears to do less? done on the proper vehicles of the TF
Stinger missile can be used by relatively
uneducated guerrillas in Afghanistan, SSG A recent excellent and insightful study smceonuttss. oIf w Milla njoort Srecsrtiabtnee trh, eb euxt cseullbemnti tc othma-t
Jett's 19Ds should be able to learn quick- by the Armor School indicates that we must also look beyond the NTC to
ly enough. Moreover, there is never divisional cavalry squadrons can expect to other deployment areas of the world,
enough ADA, given the odds we may face receive combat missions which doctrinally
namely Europe.
in any future conflict. Finally, 19Ds are not require tanks about 70 percent of the
primarily armor oriented. The MOS is time. The guard mission features In my opinion, the scout platoon should
scout, not armor or infantry scout. The prominently in the list of security and be equipped with four HMMWVs and four
primary focus again is on stealth, using economy of force missions a squadron Light Armored Vehicles/25mm (LAV25s)
the vertical plan, reporting, and being the could expect to receive. A driving opera- with a crew of five in each vehicle (40 sol-
eyes and ears of the commander. The tional consideration here is that no other diers). This would allow the scout platoon
unit may be different, a HMMWV may be combat arms battalion regularly trains for to man up to eight dismounted teams
used instead of an M3, or the mission this mission, which makes it all the more and eight mounted teams in the battalion
may be the DMZ in Korea, but the prin- vital to the squadron's repertoire. It's real- sector (16 dedicated sets of eyes and
ciples remain the same. If we train a sol- ly kind of basic: when scout fights tank, ears). MElT-T would dictate the actual
daibeor uct orhriesc tMly,O wSe -wo u1ldlD n ootr h1a9vDe. toB wy otrhrey sacnodu ht alonsdess .o Wff htoe nta snckosu tw fhinicdhs a eren eam pya trat nokf msioann n(inthge acnodm mbiinx aotifo tnesa marse foarl meoascth emnids--
way, the SQT will be METL driven some- his platoon, scout does much better, and less).
time in the near future. the three traditional cavalry missions are
eminently more executable. The proposed Use of an off-the-shelf vehicle such as
DOUGLAS J. MORRISON squadron discussed by MG Wagner is a the LAW5 means lower cost and faster
CPT, Armor compilation of a number of operational im- fieldina. The LAW5 aives the scouts
Sqdn S3,lst Sqdn, 4th Cav peratives which have the considerable ad-
Fort Riley, Kan. vantage of having worked over time. If it's
Continued on Page 50
-
ARMOR January-February 7990 3
MG Thomas C. Foley
Commanding General
US. Armv Armor Center
%
Thunderbolts
for the 1990s
Some say the cold war is over. If The year 1990 is a particularly im- of the Armored Force and the great
not, to use a football analogy, it portant year for the total armor difficulties the visionaries who
looks like we are nearing the end of force. We will celcbrate the 50th an- preceded us faced in convincing our
the 4th quarter. In any event, world niversary of the creation of nation of the need for such a force.
events are spurring a fundamental America's Armored Force that We paid dearly for our shortsighted-
review of America's defense fought in WWII. We will also honof ness. We paid again, ten years later
strategy and priorities. Questions the 40th annivcrsary of the estab- in 1950, having disarmed and dis-
abound concerning the role and lishment of the Armor Branch and banded much of our Army. Thus it
makeup of our forces. the start of the Korean War. Many is also fitting, as we prepare to look
activities and events are planned. back on the creation of Armor
It is, of course, a coincidence that Branch, that we recall our Amy's
all this is occurring as we move into To look back 50 years can be most inability to stop the enemy Pdnks
the decade of the 1990s. The start instructive. We in Armor can be that spearheaded the attack on
of a new decade is always a fitting very proud of our role in shaping South Korea.
time to reflect on the past as we the outcome of WWII and the 45-
move to the future. We recall these year, post-war period. After all, we So, it is important, as we review
past years as a time of major chal- are the force that conceived and em- our role and makeup and forge the
lenge and great accomplishment. bodied the concept or combined thunderbolt for the 1990s, that we
This is especially true for Armor arms. Our motto "Forge the heed the lessons of the past. Our
and Cavalry - in terms of our Thunderbolt" has one very simple world is still a dangerous place.
sound doctrinal concepts and train- meaning - create a powerful force Many hostile nations possess strong
ing, capable wartighting organiza- of all arms that can strike with the armored forces that can threaten
tions, modern equipment, and, speed of lightning. So it was that, our security and national interests.
above all, our quality soldiers of all starting in 1940, 16 armored And so we have a need for strong
ranks. The unraveling of the Com- divisions were formed. Each was a and ready, mobile, armored, com-
munist vision has been the work of thunderbolt, built on the notion of bined arms forces. The tank
many forces over time. All of all arms and services working remains their centerpiece.
America's military forces joined in together as a team. Each was led by
holding the line for 45 years, while leaders imbued with the soundness We must not look just at our heavy
these events evolved. Yet we must of mission-type orders and forces, but at our light forces as
remember that the very forward thoroughly schooled in thc applica- well. The total armor force has a
edge of this has been a combined tion of the factors of MET"-T. role in each part of our Army - be
arms team effort, especially of our it forward deployed, contingency,
own Armor and Cavalry soldiers. All of us are familiar with the
That is no coincidence. basic facts concerning the creation Continued on Page 51
4 ARMOR - January-February 7990
Some Candidates Still Arrive Unprepared
For New, Small-Group ANCOC
A Guest Column by
Master Sergeant Donald L. Rogers
As the small-group concept of fide and demanding jobs, they can group environment, using sand
teaching armor advanced noncom- tend to affect a soldier’s proficiency tables for platoons, SIMNET, and
missioned officers continues to if he does not take steps to stay Field Tactical Exercises for
grow, I feel the need to address abreast of current information while platoons and companies. During-ac-
some problcms still inherent within performing such duties. tion reviews and after-action
the program. First, since the incep- reviews evaluate students
tion of the course in August 1988, it The student will be surprised if he throughout the exercises.
has become apparent that the in- arrives expecting the “old hat”
dividual soldier does not adequately method of instruction, where an in- In summarizing the Advanced
prepare himself to arrive and attack structor preached for a length of Noncommissioned Officers Course,
the course with the same vigor and time and expected the student to it is imperative that everyone who is
enthusiasm that he would for other recite the material on a test. The involved with the operation - from
major events like his battalion small-group method, in its most per- notification to completion - under-
ARTEP or Table fect form, requires the student to ac- stands that only the motivation and
tually teach himself the material extreme dedication of each and
Many times, wb the through interaction with the rest of every soldier attending the course
v,, IblIIIIIubU
Armor commun iity that a solc dier his group. The small-group instruc- will allow successful completion and
selected to atteri d the course nl ust tor merely facilitates this process graduation.
start preparing ki _im. sei_f i_mm. ediat. ely. and ensures that all students meet
This includes, bui iIs- no1 i1i:-r.:n.-3i ieu to, the standards of the learning objec- In this never-ending process, the
his weight control, proficiency up tives. This is a very difficult task! force’s goal is to ultimately develop
through the Skill Level Three tasks, the professional attitude of
and physical fitness. Each group of 16 students learns everyone involved, and this goal is
from a small-group instructor, who what makes qualified platoon ser-
The introduction of the new is the subject-matter expert on all geants and the future senior NCO
ANCOC course brought a complete- phases of training. The subject-mat- leaders of our Armor Force.
ly different approach to the school ter expert is an NCO selected for
environment. The small-group in- his extensive background and ex-
struction technique quickly iden- perience, both as a platoon sergeant Master Sergeant Donald L
tilied those armor soldiers who and/or platoon leader in armor and Rogers joined the Army in
were not up to date in the field, and Cavalry TO&E units. The small- 1974. He served with the
also pointed out many factors that group instructor leaves the student 1 lth Armored Cavalry Regi-
contributed to substandard perfor- with the rewarding feeling that he - ment for five years, as a drill
mances at the platoon level. and he alone - has achieved the sergeant for three years,
course standard and meets all the and with the 1st Armored
As an effective armor force leader, characteristics of a professional non- Division for three years. He
many of you have been selected to commissioned officer in today’s is currently the supervisor of
move into branch-related duties, Army. small group leaders in the
such as the Master Gunner ANCOC course. He and the
Program and drill sergeant assign- The course is tactics-oriented, instructors wrote the POI for
ments, as well as recruiting and ad- with numerous examinations. Stu- the current course in late
visor duty. Although these are borta dents execute tactics in a small- 1987.
-
ARMOR January-February 7990 5
Armored Vehicle Recognition Quiz
Cornpiled by Dodd L. Caudill,
Threat Division, DCD
1.
I
3.
2.
4.
5.
Answers on Page 47
6 ARMOR - January-February 7990
120-mm Tank Main Gun Ammunition:
An Accident Waiting to Happen?
by Captain Charles J. Koehler
The combustible canisters on 120-mm ammunition
aren't durable enough in the field, posing a danger
to crews and combat readiness
Is our 120-mm tank main gun am- HEM", with the openings facing
munition an accident waiting to hap- outward. This configuration was
pen? I argue that it is. specifically designed to significantly
decrease the uploading time from
I was an armor battalion support truck to tank. In order to upload,
platoon leader in Kirchgoens, West two tanks would pull simultaneously
Germany, for 22 months. During my alongside the HEMTT, the crews
tour, the battalion transitioned to would then merely open the
the MlAl Abrams tank with its 120- canister ends, and pull out the
mm combustible sidewall canister rounds. In theory, this is an in-
ammunition. genious idea that could significantly
dccrease the work and time re-
In my experience of transporting, quired to upload a tank company.
handling, uploading, and download- However, 1 experienced a discourag-
ing both the service and training ver- ing problem.
sions of the 120-mm combustible
canister ammunition, I argue that The cargo bed of the M977
this ammunition is not packaged for HEM" is exactly 18 feet long and
efficient transport and transfer, nor 92 inches wide. Straps fasten the
is the combustible canister durable cargo to metal eye hooks on the
enough to survive in a field environ- cargo bed. This reduces the usable
ment. The ammunition is too suscep- width of the cargo bed from 92 inch-
tible to damage that will severely es to 87.5 inches. Each 30-round,
degrade its ballistic performance, 120-mm pallet is 38.75 inches
and unnecessarily exposes our sol- wide, 46.5 inches high, and 44.5
diers to fatal danger. inches long. When placed side by
side with the openings facing out-
When packaged for bunker ward, the total length of the two pal-
storage or transportation, the am- lets is approximately 90 inches. The
munition is individually packaged in pallets cover up the eye hooks, and
a round airtight metal canister that therefore cannot be properly
opens at one end. There are 30 secured to the truck during
packaged metal containers, stacked transport. The remaining space
six high and five wide, banded available on each side of the truck
together on a metal platform. Eight does not provide enough room for
of these pallets were designed to fit soldiers to properly and safely trans-
side-by-side on an M977 cargo fer the ammunition to the tank. This
-
ARMOR January-February 7990
"I believe that the vulnerability of the 120-mm combus-
tible canister to absorb moisture when the protective
shell is damaged severely degrades the ballistic per-
formance of the round."
~ ~ ~~~
problem defeats the purpose of the the inside of the ammunition limited assets, Using its own assets,
quick downloading design of the storage areas attacked the scratched the time it takes a battalion to be
120-mm pallets. This means that the rounds. The rounds absorbed the ready to fight will be lengthened
ammunition has to be downloaded, moisture and were damaged. In one substantially.
which is time consuming, or recon- particular instance, one tank round
figured with fewer pallets of main in another battalion absorbed mois- The vulnerability associated with
gun ammunition. However, this ture to the extent that the combus- the combustible canister is not sole-
slight logistical problem is insig- tible canister could easily be ly a characteristic of the service ver-
nificant compared to the following. pressed in. The thousands of dollars sion of the 120-mm ammunition. I
worth of damage associated with have seen more pronounced effects
As you know, tanks in Germany the easily-damaged 120-mm combus- when handling the 120-mm training
are uploaded with main gun am- tible canister ammunition in Ger- round, due to the increased frequen-
munition in order to be prepared many initiated the major decision to cy of use during gunnery ranges at
for war at any time. When my bat- download many tank battalions. Grafenwoehr, Baumholder, and Ber-
talion received new MlAls and 120- gen.
mm combustible canister amrnuni- I believe that the vulnerability of
tion, we followed suit and uploaded the 120-mm combustible canister to The 120-mm training round is pal-
our new tanks. absorb moisture when the protec- letized in wooden boxes and metal
tive shell is damaged severcly containers. Both types of palletized
We initially discovered defects in degrades the ballistic performance packaging pose the same HEMTT
30 percent of the rounds and had to of the round. If the propellant ab- placement problems as the 120-mm
turn them back to the ammunition sorbs moisture, I argue that the dis- service rounds. They would not fit
supply point. tance and penetrating ability of the properly on the HEMTT when
120-mm ammunition will be sig- placed side by side with the open-
We also discovered that the com- nificantly altered. This effect would ings facing outward. This was not a
bustible canister was not durable, obviously degrade our tank-killing problem, because gunnery ranges
and scratched very easily. Over capability. provide ammunition pads.
time, with the normal uploading and
downloading associated with ser- Logistically, the decision to The severe problems associated
vices, borescope and pullover, an- download the main gun ammunition with the combustible canister oc-
nual ammunition inspections, and posed a serious problem. An armor curred during normal handling of
rotations to Grafenwoehr and battalion support platoon in Ger- the round during uploading, load-
Hohenfels, we noticed that the com- many has 15 M9?7 cargo HEM'ITS ing, firing, and downloading. During
bustible canisters were getting to transport ammunition and sup- the handling, I observed big
scratched and worn. Particular plies. Because all of the main gun scratches, gouges, and - in at least
-
areas of wear developed where the ammunition is now stored in two instances holes that
round rested in the ammunition bunkers, we can't transport a bat- penetrated through the case to the
rack. This occurred in approximate- lalion's worth of war stock ammuni- propellant. (The propellant did not
ly one third of the battalion's tion in one lift. leak out of the combustible canister
rounds, in less than a year. due to the protective cloth packag-
A support platoon now has to ing surrounding the propellant.)
The wear appeared to be due to make several trips to the bunkers,
the normal vibration of the moving which are very vulnerable to enemy The scratches and holes made the
tank. Initially, these scratches did attack, or must request additional rounds very vulnerable to moisture,
not seem to be a problem. The real transportation from division and which is abundantly present in
problem came when moisture from corps, both of which have very ammo storage compartments and
8 ARMOR - January-February 1990