Notes: These two semi-tractors were designed as a private venture in hopes of sales to the US military. They did not enjoy such sales, but reportedly 200 of these two semi-tractors, along with FWD 3ST50 tank transporter semi-trailers, have been sold to an undisclosed country. They are conventional-layout trucks, with an engine compartment up front, a central cab with seating for three (and little else), and a fifth wheel at the rear. A winch is mounted at the rear of the cab, with a capacity of 45.36 tons and 76 meters of 25mm cable. The cab is equipped with a heater, defroster, dual air horns, and a rotating light on top of the cab, in a color of the buyer’s choice. Both trucks have power steering. The suspension is 6x6 and designed for off-road use and equipped with air brakes and parking brakes (on the rear axle only). Twin tow hooks are located on the front and rear of the vehicle. Other equipment present on these trucks include an air compressor with 7.5 meters of hose and tipped for use in inflating tires, a spare tire on the left side of the vehicle next to the winch, a 20-ton-capacity hydraulic jack, and a set of basic tools. The two versions are essentially the same in size and appearance, but the 66TT60 version uses a more powerful engine, fuel tanks almost double the size of the 66TT50, a strengthened frame and fifth wheel, and a greater towing capacity.

Notes: This Mack design was introduced in the early 1950s, and is basically a version of the M-125 cargo truck. The design was later bought by Consolidated, but production stopped long ago. It was replaced in the US military in the mid-1970s by the M-911, and taken out of service; Spain, the only other user, still keeps some of them in reserve, but it is no longer in active service in that country.

The M-123 is conventional-layout semi-tractor with a engine compartment under a hood up front, a central cab, and a rear area with winch and fifth wheel. The cab is simple, with seating for three (and room for very little else), a removable canvas roof, and a forward-folding windshield. Behind the cab is a winch with a capacity of 20.55 tons; this winch is powered by the truck’s engine and when it is in use the throttle of the truck is controlled from the winch platform. Suspension is 6x6 and designed for off-road use; the suspension is equipped with differential braking to help the M-123 make tighter turns, and the wheels are also equipped with air brakes. There is a towing pintle in the rear of the M-123, enabling it to tow standard trailers if necessary. The engines have an intake manifold heater to assist in starting the engine in cold weather; the M-123 can be started up from a cold start in temperatures as low as -10 degrees Celsius. The standard M-123 is compatible (and can actuate) trailers with air brakes, but a conversion kit is available to allow the M-123 to actuate brakes on trailers using electrical brake connections.

Variants of the M-123 include a model with dual winches behind the cab (also called the M-123), the M-123C, with a single winch but with the fifth wheel mounted low (the fifth wheel on the standard M-123 and the dual-winch M-123 are mounted high), the M-123D, which is the same as the M-123C but has dual winches, the M-123A1 which uses a diesel engine instead of the M-123’s gasoline engine, and the M-123A1C, which is an M-123A1 with a low-mounted fifth wheel.

Notes: The M-746 HET (Heavy Equipment Transporter) design goes all the way back to the abortive US/West German MBT-70 tank design. The M-746 was the US candidate for the semi-tractor portion of the tank transporter for the MBT-70. The M-746 was originally a joint design between Chrysler, Faun, and Krupp, but when the MBT-70 project fell through, Chrysler finished the M-746 design but sold the design to Ward LaFrance, who sold them first to the US Army in between 1975 and 1977. Later, sales to Morocco followed.

The M-746 is a rather large truck with a forward-control cab. The cab has a hatch on the roof over the right side of the cab, but it has no weapon mount and the roof is not reinforced to accept one. The cab itself is very small and has little enough room for its three crewmembers, let alone any of their personal equipment (which is normally strapped to the outside of the vehicle). To the rear of the engine compartment are a pair of winches, each with a capacity of 27.22 tons and 45.72 meters of 25mm cable. The suspension is 8x8, off-road capable, and has power steering and a transmission with power-assisted shifting (though it is a manual transmission). The rear axles have locking differentials. The brakes automatically adjust to the traction conditions and also have antiskid features. The M-746 has twin spotlights mounted forward of the winches, alongside the engine compartment which is located just to the rear of the cab.

Notes: This semi-tractor is based on the Oshkosh F-2365 civilian semi-tractor, and is basically a militarized version of that vehicle. The M-911 was introduced in 1976, and is in service with about ten countries around the world, including the US. In addition to duties as a tank transporter, the M-911 is used by those countries for duties ranging from bulk trailer transport to towing missile launchers.

The M-911 has the standard truck layout of a front-mounted engine under a hood, a central cab, and a rear area with the fifth wheel. The cab includes an adjustable seat for the driver and a bench seat beside it. The cab may have a removable hard top or a canvas roof. The windshield wipers are equipped with a hot water spray supplied by 22,000-BTU hot water heater and there is also a defroster. All wheels on the three axles have airbrakes; the front wheels and the rear two sets of wheels have separate air systems, so that the vehicle still has brakes if one system fails. Each system is capable of braking at up to 80% power. The transmission is fully automatic, with automatic systems which prevent an upshift or downshift at speeds where it would be dangerous. The suspension is 6x6 and off-road capable. Behind the cab are two winches, each with a capacity of 20.41 tons. In addition, there are rear decklights, a spare tire in a carrier, a towing hook, for standard trailers, a hydraulic jack, and a tire inflation hose that is fed by an internal air compressor. The M-911 also includes a pair of spotlights and fog lights. Air conditioning for the cab is optional.

Notes: The M-1070 HET (Heavy Equipment Transporter) was specifically designed to transport tank transporters carrying the M-1A1 Abrams, with deliveries starting in 1992, and production continuing to this day. In addition to the US Army, Egypt also uses the M-1070 to transport its M-1A1as and other semi-trailers. The M-1070 is an 8x8 vehicle with an off-road capable suspension and central tire inflation. The transmission is automatic. The axles are grouped with one at the front and three at the rear, each with single tires. The cab is of a semi-cabover type, with a short hood (though the engine is under the crew compartment; the engine is accessed through the front of the vehicle and the short hood, however. The cab has two rows of seats, with the front having individual seats for the two crewmembers of the truck and the rear having a bench seat usually occupied by the crew of the tank being transported, along with a space behind the seats for crew and passenger equipment. The standard tank transporter trailer which is towed is the M-1000, though the M-1070 is capable of towing other military semi-trailers. The M-1070 has two 25-ton-capacity winches behind the cab, along with a spare tire carrier.

In 1997, the M-1070E1 variant was developed, with a more powerful engine, and other improvements. This version was not accepted for use by the US Army due to budgetary reasons (but is included below for completeness), but was offered to the British to fulfill their need for a semi-tractor to transport the Challenger 2 tank (along with the M-1000 trailer. Unfortunately, the engine did not meet the needs of the British (it was judged to not be powerful enough, considering the Challenger 2’s eventual weight), and so Oshkosh developed the M-1070F. This version has an even more powerful engine, coupled to an automatic transmission with 7 gears instead of the five of the M-1070, as well as a manual override for the transmission. It has also been modified to British left-hand drive. The M-1070F has antilock brakes and traction control. This version was accepted by the British Army, where it partially replaced the Scammell Commander, with deliveries starting in 2002 and finished by 2004.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The M-1070F does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline. The M-1070E1 was placed into production as the M-1070A1 in late 1995, but few examples actually were built, and even fewer made it overseas, all to US units.

Notes: This is a militarized version of the civilian Mack RM6006S range of semi-tractors. It is not capable of carrying some of the world’s heavier tanks, but may tow most tanks in the world, in addition to a wide variety of other semi-trailers. The standard military cab has an individual driver’s seat (which has its own suspension to reduce driver fatigue), and a bench seat beside it for passengers. A second row of seats or a sleeper cab is an option. The truck also has an adjustable steering wheel and a very civilian-like instrument panel. The engine is up front under a hood, with the fifth wheel to the rear. The suspension is 6x6, with an off-road suspension. Other options for this truck are too numerous to mention. It is in service in many of the world’s militaries.

Notes: Navistar (originally International Harvester) developed the F5070 as military semi-tractor version of its International Paystar 5000 series. As such, it is better-appointed than the standard military truck, often being equipped with cab air conditioning, heating, more comfortable seats (though not as comfortable as civilian seats), and sometimes even civilian commercial and/or CB radios in addition to military radios. Otherwise, the F5070 has the minimum modifications to suit it to military use. The transmission may be a Fuller manual transmission (with several models of Fuller transmission available, with different gear ranges), or one of several Allison automatic transmissions. The cab is designed for three people and has a small space behind the seat for personal equipment, though most such equipment must be strapped to the outside of the vehicle. In front of the cab is the engine compartment (the F5070 has a conventional configuration), and behind the cab are twin winches, each with a capacity of 29.5 tons and equipped with 45.72 meters of cable. The standard suspension is 6x4 and designed primarily for road use, but a 6x6 version is also available with slightly better off-road performance and somewhat better towing capabilities. The primary military users of the F5070 are various unnamed Middle Eastern countries, but sales have been made to other countries as well as some civilian agencies.