BAE Sabre

     Country of Origin: Great Britain

     Notes: This vehicle does not exist in real life; I don't know if it was a concept vehicle or a product of the imaginations of the designers at GDW, however.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This British heavy antiaircraft vehicle is the hull of a Chieftain main battle tank topped with a modified and more heavily armored version of the turret from a French AMX13 DCA antiaircraft vehicle. In this role, the turret is well protected and has large external ammunition bins for the greater ammunition supply carried. The Sabre proved to be a very difficult target for enemy aircraft, being well protected, supplied with large amounts of ammunition, and having an excellent fire control system. Perhaps its only failing was the slow speed of its Chieftain chassis. Unfortunately, only about 40 of them made it to war with the British Army. The driver’s position is retained, and to the right and rear of the driver’s position is the commander’s position. On the turret roof is the gunner’s hatch.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$167,713

D, A

500 kg

50 tons

3

32

Radar, Passive IR, Image Intensification

Shielded

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

102/72

26/18

950

265

Trtd

T6

TF34 TS11 HR7 HF84Sp HS18Sp HR10

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+3

Fair

2x30mm 30mm Giat 30 M 781

2400x30mm

 

BAE Warrior ADATS Vehicle

     Country of Origin: Great Britain

     Notes: This is the chassis of the British Warrior ICV fitted with the same turret as the US M924 ADATS vehicle. It has not been fielded, and probably will never be fielded in the form presented here.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This vehicle was a latecomer to the Twilight War, being initially fielded in late 1997. Few of these vehicles, perhaps less than 40, were actually built, and most were retained for use in the British Isles, with perhaps a quarter making it to the European mainland. All hatches except for the rear deck hatch are retained.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$322,774

D, A

200 kg

25.5 tons

4

22

FLIR, Passive IR, Radar

Shielded

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

126/88

32/22

770

190

Trtd

T4

TF8 TS4 TR4 HF10 HS3 HR3

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+3

Basic

8xADATS launchers

16xADATS missiles

 

BMY M975A3 Roland II

     Country of Origin: United States

     Notes: This is the same turret and fire control system as fitted to the German Marder-based Roland surface to air missile system, but fitted for US use to the chassis of an M109 self-propelled howitzer. The missile system is automatically reloaded when the launchers are empty from a magazine and reloader at the rear of the vehicle; this system may also be used manually if only one launcher is expended. This vehicle was never put into production.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: These systems began production in the late 1980s and were fairly common during the Twilight War, though they were used only by the US Army and Air Force.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$214,025

D, A

400 kg

26 tons

4

24

Radar, Thermal Imaging

Shielded

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

101/71

24/17

511

143

Trtd

T4

TF2 TS2 TR2 HF10 HS3 HR3

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+2

Basic

2xRoland II Launchers

12xRoland SAMs

 

Boeing M21 Laser ADA

     Country of Origin: United States

     Notes: This vehicle does not exist in real life; it was invented by the designers of Twilight 2000 at GDW, along with its companion vehicle, the M22 LGW, below.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This is the actual weapon-carrying component of the M21/22 antiaircraft system. Like the M22, it is based on a LAV-75 chassis; instead of a standard turret, the vehicle has one with a long, cherry picker lift mounting the 300Mw laser. The M21 has a capacitor that can store the energy needed for three shots; to make further shots, the M21 must be hooked up to the M22 LGV.

     The laser in the M21 follows special fire rules. A die roll is made to hit; the laser hits on any number except for a 20 if a lock is made first. Making a lock on requires one phase and is an Easy: Electronics or Average: Heavy Gun task. Without this lock-on, hitting with the laser is an Average: Electronics or Difficult: Heavy Gun task at short range. The accuracy of the laser is degraded by two places in light fog, rain, or snow, and three places in heavy fog, rain, or snow; with the lock on, accuracy under these circumstances allows the laser to hit on every die roll except a 18-20 in light precipitation or 13-20 in heavy precipitation. There are three hatches on the front deck of the vehicle; these are for (from right to left) the commander, gunner, and driver. The commander’s hatch has a weapon mount.

     This was a rather rare vehicle in the Twilight War; despite it having been okayed for production status in 1996, production was done at a very low rate, and perhaps only 40 sets (M21 and M22) were made. 10 of these were retained for use in the continental US, 15 to the Middle East, 10 to Europe, and 5 to Korea. It is possible that another example was produced before all these, and tested in Israel just prior to Twilight War; the disposition or even existence of these vehicles was never proven.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$415,620

D, G, AvG, A

500 kg

16 tons

3

24

Image Intensification, FLIR, Radar

Shielded

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

142/100

33/23

520

78

CiH

T2

TF4 TS4 TR4 HF12 HS4 HR4

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+5/Special

Fair/Special

300Mw Laser, MAG (C)

Special, 2000x7.62mm

 

Boeing M22 Laser Generation Vehicle

     Country of Origin: United States

     Notes: This vehicle does not exist in real life; it is a product of the designers at GDW.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The M21 LADA was the only operational production laser vehicle produced during the Twilight War. The laser in this vehicle requires a great deal of power for sustained use; the M22 Laser Generation Vehicle (LGV) was used to generate the power for the M21’s laser. Like the M21, only about 40 were produced; 10 of them were retained along with M21s for homeland defense in the US, and about half of the rest were deployed to the Middle East, with 10 being sent to Europe and 5 to Korea. It is also rumored that the system was combat tested in Israel just prior to the Twilight War, though the existence or disposition of this system is not known to this day. The M22 uses a modified LAV-75 hull; in this hull is installed a large generator instead of the turret and ammunition. The vehicle commander has a hatch on the front right deck with a weapon mount, with the generator operator in the center and the driver to the left.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$49,660

D, G, AvG, A

500 kg

17 tons

3

12

Passive IR

Shielded

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

142/100

33/23

520

78

Stnd

T2

HF12 HS4 HR4

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

None

None

MAG (C)

2000x7.62mm

 

Boeing XM12 Laser ADA

     Country of Origin: United States

     Notes: This vehicle does not exist in real life; it was made up by the designers at GDW, though I have added some back-story.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: As denoted by its designation, the XM12 was an experimental system produced on a limited basis for the US Army starting in late 1994. Low-rate production ensued for test vehicles, but the dozen prototypes were taken to war in 1996 and acquitted themselves well, even intercepting tactical ballistic missile warheads with good results. The vehicle consists of an early M1 main battle tank hull topped with a turret mounting a 300 Mw laser on a cherry picker lift. Coupled with the vehicle’s advanced fire control system, the result was a very accurate air defense system able to intercept even supersonic aircraft operating at treetop level. The M1 hull is large enough to house the generator and capacitor in the same hull, without the need for a generator vehicle. A small number of additional XM12s were built between 1996 and 1998; at least two were sent to Korea, another 6 to Europe, 4 to the Middle East, and two were retained at the Air Defense Artillery School at Fort Bliss in Texas for further testing and development.

     The laser in the XM12 follows special fire rules. A die roll is made to hit; the laser hits on any number except for a 20 if a lock is made first. Making a lock on requires one phase and is an Easy: Electronics or Average: Heavy Gun task. Without this lock-on, hitting with the laser is an Average: Electronics or Difficult: Heavy Gun task at short range. The accuracy of the laser is degraded by two places in light fog, rain, or snow, and three places in heavy fog, rain, or snow; with the lock on, accuracy under these circumstances allows the laser to hit on every die roll except a 18-20 in light precipitation or 13-20 in heavy precipitation. It was discovered that the gunner of the XM12 could allow the charge to build up in the laser unit for 5 seconds, allowing for a single massive discharge capable of destroying or damaging light vehicles as well as aircraft, causing more damage. Firing the laser in this way causes minor damage to the laser on a roll of 1 on 1D10; if the laser is fired when damaged by this effect, it is destroyed.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$776,600

D, G, AvG, A

700 kg

44 tons

3

36

FLIR, Radar, Passive IR

Shielded

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

204/130

48/33

1900

566

CiH

T6

TF6 TS6 TR6 HF150Cp HS24Sp HS16

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+5/Special

Fair/Special

300Mw Laser, M2HB (C)

Special, 600x.50

 

GDLS FAAD-M1 Liberty

     Country or Origin: United States

     Seen In: Part of the (still) continuing attempts to produce a successful FAADS vehicle.  (From time to time, this vehicle is still experimented with, with new systems and improvements.)

     Notes: The Liberty Program was first designed in 1987 to replace the defunct Sergeant York AAA gun, as well as provide a vehicle with more capability, including missile armament for longer-range interceptions, as well as a defense against helicopters, slow and fast-moving aircraft, and cruise missiles.  There were several iterations of the Liberty System, as the System evolved through time.  The Army eventually wanted 562 Libertys, with 166 of those being Liberty 1s and the remainder being Liberty 2s. Eventually, the GAO conducted a study which found that the Liberty, in all iterations, was too expensive compared to similar AAA systems, and the Congress decided to kill it in the late 1990s, without having seen even field testing, only a few controlled tests.

     Most of the Liberty Series used the hulls of retired M1 tanks, along with a special turret housing autocannons and missiles in side sponsons, along with advanced ranging and detection equipment, including advanced FLIR, laser rangefinder, and surveillance radar and tracking radar.  It also had long-range LLTV and integrated IFF. The Liberty had robust fire control computers that provided tracking, detection, and identification of threat aircraft, with a computer for both the guns and missiles.  The guns were for close-in defense, with the missiles providing medium-range air defense. They could not be fired at the same time, nor could the guns be fired at the same or nearby targets with a missile in the air, as a danger existed that shells from the autocannons would hit the missile(s).  The guns could be depressed enough to fire at ground targets, with the targeting computer and laser rangefinder operating for ground fire.

     The initial Liberty prototype, also known as the Liberty White Sands Prototype, was used primarily for firing and detection tests, and was mounted on a French AMX-30 MBT chassis and had a turret mounting two M3M .50-caliber machineguns and six Shahine missiles, three in each sponson.  This was primarily used in the initial White Sands feasibility study and was never meant to be a production vehicle, used only for firing, detection, and threat identification tests.  Liberty 1 used the same systems, on an M1A1 MBT hull; it was originally envisioned as a production vehicle, but the development of improved sensors and missiles led the Liberty 1, if the Liberty System was OK’d, to be an LRIP version until the Liberty 2 was available.  Later, the hulls of the Liberty 1 and some of the sensor and computer suite were used in the Liberty 2, and the Liberty 1 became a developmental vehicle for the Liberty 2.

     The Liberty 2 featured the new Liberty SAMs (based on the Crotale) in six-round sponsons on either side of the turret.  The guns were upgraded to 25mm Bushmaster Chain Guns.  The turret otherwise primarily housed the sensor suite, which included the TSR 2630 radar, which combined the functions of tracking, detection, identification, and IFF interrogation.  Tracking had a range of 30 kilometers and could track 24 targets; detection had a range of 40 kilometers and automatically interrogated the aircraft via IFF; identification had a range of 20 kilometers. The FLIR was upgraded, and improved image intensification was added along with longer-range LLTV for positive aircraft identification.  None of the crew was housed inside of the turret; instead, all crewmembers were housed inside the hull, with the driver, gunner, and sensor operator being in the front hull, along with the fire control computers and downlinks to the weapons and sensors.

Vehicle

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

Liberty

$1,227,389

D, G, AvG, A

400 kg

30 tons

3

40

Surveillance Radar (30 km) (G, S), Tracking Radar (20 km) (G, S), IFF (30 km) (G, S), 2nd Gen FLIR (G, S)

Shielded

Liberty 1

$1,830,372

JP8, D, A

700 kg

26.76 tons

3

37

Surveillance Radar (30 km) (G, S), Tracking Radar (20 km) (G, S), IFF (30 km) (G, S), 2nd Gen FLIR (G, S), 2nd Gen LLTV (G, S), Image Intensification (D)

Shielded

Liberty 2

$2,946,701

JP8, D, A

700 kg

27.2 tons

3

39

TSR 2630 Tracking/Detection/Identification/IFF Radar (G, S), 3nd Gen FLIR (G, S), 3rd Gen Image Intensification (G, S), 3rd Gen LLTV (G, S), Thermal Imaging (D), Backup LLTV Camera (D)

Shielded

 

Vehicle

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

Liberty

165/116

     46/32

     970

268

Trtd

T6

TF27Sp  TS21Sp  TR10  HF58  HS12  HR8

Liberty 1

202/141

41/29

1911

963

Trtd

T6

TF27Sp  TS21Sp  TR10  HF67Cp  HS26Sp  HR10

Liberty 2

200/140

41/29

1911

971

Trtd

T6

TF27Sp  TS21Sp  TR10  HF67Cp  HS26Sp  HR10

 

Vehicle

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

Liberty

+2

Basic

2xM3M Machineguns, 6xShahine SAM Launchers

5000x.50, 6xShahine Missiles

Liberty 1

+2

Basic

2xM3M Machineguns, 6xShahine SAM Launchers

5000x.50, 6xShahine Missiles

Liberty 2

+3

Fair

2x25mm M242 Autocannons, 12xCrotale or VT-1 Liberty SAM Launchers

3000x25mm, 12xCrotale or Liberty Missiles

 

 

GDLS LAV-PIVAD

     Country of Origin: Canada

     Notes: Though this would seem to be a natural modification of the LAV-25, this vehicle does not seem to actually exist; it may have been studied by the US Marines, but I think it was probably an invention of the designers at GDW.  There is a LAV-based antiaircraft vehicle, the LAV-AD, but this is not it.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This rare modification of the LAV-25 was an interim antiaircraft vehicle development first used until the LAV-AD was ready. Though designed as an antiaircraft vehicle, the Marines in the Middle East equipped with them soon realized its utility against personnel and light vehicles, and that is how the Marines primarily used them after the LAV-AD arrived on the scene, since the LAV-AD was superior against light vehicles. This utility was helped by the fact that, unlike the LAV-AD, the LAV-PIVAD retains its firing ports. Later in the war, US Army light infantry divisions were equipped with them in small numbers, and the Saudi Arabian Army and Qatari National Guard also received a few. The turret of this vehicle is the same as mounted on the M163 PIVAD vehicle.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$151,982

D, A

400 kg

12.5 tons

3

10

Passive IR, Radar

Enclosed

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

142/56

36/14/4

300

80

Trtd

W(6)

TF6 TS3 TR2 HF6 HS4 HR4

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+1

Fair

20mm M61 Vulcan, MAG (C)

1800x20mm, 750x7.62mm

 

GDLS M-691 Diana

     Country of Origin: United States

     Notes: This vehicle does not exist in real life; a similar system was studied in the mid-1980s by the US Army, but this particular version of that idea seems to be the product of GDW.  I have embellished the story considerably, however.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This vehicle was developed on the fly in response to a US Army requirement for a heavily armored, highly survivable self-propelled antiaircraft gun. The system uses a small turret mounting twin Bushmaster autocannons on top of the hulls of retired M1 Abrams main battle tanks, coupled with a newly-developed LIDAR (Laser Imaging raDAR) system that gives the Diana excellent accuracy. Despite the popularity of the Diana, the system was in somewhat short supply, as it was felt that the older M1 tanks were needed more to return to service as main battle tanks than to be used to produce new weapon systems.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$377,989

D, G, AvG, A

700 kg

44 tons

3

30

FLIR, Passive IR

Shielded

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

204/143

48/33

1907

566

Trtd

T6

TF30 TS7 TS6 HF150Cp HS24Sp HS16

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+5

Good

2x25mm M242 Bushmaster Autocannons

500x25mm

 

GDLS M757 Blazer

     Country of Origin: United States

     Notes: Studied intensely for many years, this vehicle was never actually placed into production, though many prototypes were built.  (The nomenclature "M757" is something I made up myself.)

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The Blazer is the basic M2 Bradley chassis fitted out for an antiaircraft role with a triple-barreled 30mm Chaingun system and two quadruple Stinger launchers.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$361,940

D, A

200 kg

29.5 tons

4

26

Thermal Imaging, Image Intensifier

Shielded

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

155/109

36/25/3

662

221

Trtd

T4

TF6 TS4 TR4 HF8 HS4Sp HR4

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+2

Good

8xStinger Launchers, 30mm-3 ChainGun, MAG

16xStinger SAMs, 1800x30mm, 1200x7.62mm

 

GDLS M759 Blazer

     Country of Origin: United States

     Notes: This was another one of the weapons systems being studied to replace the M163A1 PIVAD; several prototypes were built, but it was not picked up for duty.  (Again, I made up the nomenclature myself.)

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This is an M113A2 or A3 with a Blazer antiaircraft turret installed in the rear. The rear passenger area is taken up with the turret and ammunition and fire control mechanisms. The Blazer installation on the M113 chassis has one Stinger box, with a radar unit being added instead of the second box. This vehicle was a substitute standard within the US Army (and was mostly employed in National Guard units), and was also found in many countries also using the M113 series.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$290,882

D, A

200 kg

12.8 tons

4

16

Thermal Imaging, Image Intensification, Radar

Shielded

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

110/77

26/18/3

360

96

Trtd

T2

TF6 TS4 TR4 HF6 HS4 HR4

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+2

Good

4xStinger Launchers, 30mm-3 ChainGun, MAG

12xStinger missiles, 1200x30mm, 1200x7.62mm

 

GDLS M924 Bradley ADATS Vehicle

     Country of Origin: United States

     Notes: This is one of those systems developed to utilize the Canadian ADATS system. It was not placed into production. (I made up the nomenclature myself for this one, too, as well as for the M925 below.)

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Starting in 1995 as an experiment, an ADATS system was fitted to an M2 Bradley chassis. When the Twilight War picked up, some 75 more of these vehicles were ordered for mechanized and armored divisions being posted to the Middle East. These vehicles gave a good accounting of themselves against both aircraft and armored vehicles, and were well liked by their crews, as they offered somewhat more protection than the M113-based ADATS vehicle. The turret is identical to that fitted to the M113-based ADATS, with upgraded sensors.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$366,097

D, A

300 kg

29 tons

4

13

FLIR, Image Intensification, Radar

Shielded

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

157/110

37/26/4

662

221

Trtd

T4

TF5 TS4 TR4 HF8 HS4Sp HR4

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+3

Basic

8xADATS Launchers

16xADATS Missiles

 

GDLS M925 Bradley ADATS Vehicle

     Country of Origin: United States

     Notes: This experimental ADATS system was developed mostly as a proof-of-concept vehicle, and never really meant for production.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This is a more heavily armed variant of the M924, with an autocannon and twin machineguns supplementing the ADATS missile system. This enabled it to engage closer-ranged targets as well as personnel. In this vehicle, the ADATS turret is topped with a superstructure containing the autocannon and twin machineguns. This vehicle was considerably more rare than the M924, being produced for only about a year and a half at a low rate starting in 1996. Most were also sent to the Middle East, but some were retained and took part in the fighting in the American Southwest. Its crews liked the firepower, but the high silhouette made them very vulnerable.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$409,775

D, A

200 kg

31 tons

4

13

Thermal Imaging, Image Intensification, Radar

Shielded

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

150/105

35/25/3

662

221

Trtd

T4

TF5 TS4 TR4 HF8 HS4Sp HR4

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+3

Fair

8xADATS Launchers, 25mm Bushmaster autocannon, 2xM2HB

12xADATS missiles, 500x25mm, 2000x.50

 

GDLS M990 Chamberlain

     Country of Origin: United States

     Notes: This vehicle does not exist in real life; it is an invention of the designers at GDW.  I did, however, christen the fictional vehicle the "Chamberlain," as well as add in some back story.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This is a limited production vehicle for use by US Army light divisions. It is a LAV-75 chassis topped with a turret armed with twin 30mm Bushmaster II autocannons, aimed by radar. The turret has a very effective stabilization system that allows the autocannons to fire accurately even when traveling at full speed. This, combined with its speed and agility, made it a hated commodity among the pilots that had to fly against it. The hull has two hatches on the front deck for the driver and gunner, and the commander has a hatch on the turret deck.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$182,350

D, G, AvG, A

500 kg

15 tons

3

24

FLIR, Radar, Passive IR

Shielded

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

153/107

36/25

520

106

Trtd

T2

TF10 TS5 TR5 HF12 HS4 HR4

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+4

Good

2x30mm Bushmaster II Autocannons, MAG (C)

500x30mm, 1200x7.62mm

 

GDLS M1002 Miller AGDS

     Country of Origin: United States

     Notes: The M1002 is based on an article by Asher Sharoni and Lawrence Bacon in the Jul-Aug 1996 issue of Armor magazine.

     Notes: This rare modification of the M1 Abrams was named for Seaman Dorie Miller, an African-American cook aboard the USS West Virginia during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor; Miller, despite having no antiaircraft gunnery training, shot down several Japanese aircraft with a deck-mounted M2HB in the face of withering enemy fire. (It also marks the only time that an Army system was named after a sailor.)  The Army felt this was an appropriate name due to Miller’s prowess in antiaircraft gunnery as well as his heroism; however, naming an Army system after a Naval hero did generate a firestorm of controversy for a while.  AGDS simply stands for “Air-Ground Defense System,” noting that the M1002 was meant to be an effective system for attacking ground targets as well as being an air defense system.  The Miller was first proposed as the late 1990s, and put into limited production in 1994; however, when hostilities erupted, it was felt that tanks were needed more than a heavily-armored AAA vehicle, and production was halted in mid-1996, after only 52 Millers were produced.  Some 30 M1002s were assigned to the 24th Infantry Division and went to the Middle East; most of the rest were sent to Europe, except for five that went to the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea, and two that were somehow acquired by the Texas Army National Guard’s 49th Armored Division and remained in the US.  They acquitted themselves quite well in all cases, and half of them survived the Twilight War in a more-or-less intact condition, eventually becoming museum pieces or (in a few unlucky cases) becoming range targets or being stripped.

     The hull of the Miller is based on that of the IPM1 Abrams I chassis.  The turret is enlarged and extends almost to the rear end of the chassis, but is also about 50mm shorter in height than that of the M1; it is, however, a little wider than that of the M1.  The new turret is also heavily armored, though not as much as that of the M1.  Despite the large turret, the interior is still rather cramped, as the turret contains the sophisticated fire control suite, a decent amount of ammunition for its weapons, and its pop-up missile box.  The M1002 has not only antiaircraft fire control and tracking equipment, but equipment for ground engagements as well. Though the M1002 is equipped with a pair of autocannons, it’s primary weapon system is considered to be its ADATS missiles.  The launchers are contained in a pair of six-round boxes, one of each side of the turret; the front end pops up before launch to a 45-degree angle; inside the turret on each side is a loading door which allows the launcher to be reloaded from under armor.  The ADATS system is not only useful against aircraft and helicopters, but can engage the heaviest armored vehicles as well, making the M1002 quite the threat. 

     The secondary weapon system of the M1002 is its pair of 35mm Bushmaster III autocannons. The autocannons can use a small phased-array radar on the right front of the turret or the primary radar, or use a laser rangefinder with an advanced fire control computer.  The guns’ radar has a range of 10 kilometers against air targets or low-flying aircraft and helicopters, or 5 kilometers against ground targets. The pair of autocannons have the unusual ability to be fired either both together or one at a time; single-gun fire can be done to conserve ammunition, and the dual-feed capability of the Bushmaster III is present on both guns.  The autocannons can be elevated up to 90 degrees or depressed up to -5 degrees.

     Both weapons systems are linked to a radar tracking/targeting system with a range of 25 kilometers against air targets, 15 kilometers against low-flying aircraft and helicopters, and 10 kilometers against ground targets.  The radar has integrated IFF capability. The M1002 can also link itself via a digital radio link to other friendly air defense radars within 5 kilometers instead of using its own radar, reducing its vulnerability while extending target detection range.  M1002s operating within 5 kilometers of each other can also share their radar information via the same sort of link. (The ADATS missiles themselves are laser-guided, however.)  Ground and air targets can also be detected by a high-resolution LLTV system with a range of 9 kilometers or an advanced FLIR seeker with a range of 6 kilometers.  Though there is only one radar dish, this dish and its mount are somewhat armored. The radar mount also has the LLTV and FLIR for the ADATS missiles, and is on an extendible mast that can extend the sensors up to 1.5 meters above the turret.  The autocannons have their own sensors, fire control computer, and a separate laser rangefinder.  Both the ADATS missiles and autocannons can be firing at the same time, each using their own sensors and fire control suite; note, however, that any ADATS targets must be within 30 degrees on either side of the front of the turret.  If necessary, the fire control system of one weapon can be used to guide the other weapon system; however, this cuts the Fire Control modifier to +2.

     The ammunition for the autocannons as well as the ADATS missile reloads is kept in separate armored compartments behind blast doors, and have blow-off panels like those of the M1.  The compartments for the autocannon ammunition are on each side of front of the turret, and the blow-off panels blow upwards.  The compartment for the ADATS reloads is at the rear of the turret, and again blows off upwards. The ADATS missile boxes also have blow-out panels in case they are hit and the missiles explode. As with the M1, if an ammunition hit calls for the vehicle to be destroyed, the M1002 is not destroyed. Instead (in game terms), the ammunition in the compartment is destroyed, the armament, sensors, and electronics each take minor damage, and each member of the crew except the driver takes 30 points of concussion damage.  As the ammunition of the M1002 is contained in three separate armored compartments, an ammunition blow-out in one compartment does not mean that all ammunition on board is destroyed; instead, the compartment hit will depend upon the angle at which the enemy fire is coming from; there is a 33/34/33 chance that an ammunition hit will take out the autocannon ammunition on one side or the missile box on that side or the ADATS missile reloads compartment. 

     The driver is in his customary position in the hull front, and has the same controls as on the M1.  The turret crew consists of a gunner, who has control over both armament systems and both sets of sensors and fire control systems via LCD screens, and the commander.  The commander has a hatch on the turret deck in the center, which is also used by the gunner, and the commander has a pintle-mounted weapon for use against close targets or assaulting infantry.  The commander can control the autocannons and use the autocannons’ fire control suite and sensors via LCD screens, but his ADATS fire control sights are relatively rudimentary and give only a Fire Control modifier of +3.

     The M1002 uses the same 1500-horsepower AGT-1500 gas turbine engine that the M1 uses.  This is a multi-fuel engine, capable of burning gasoline, diesel, an ethanol/gasoline or diesel mix of up to 20%, JP-4 or JP-8 jet fuel, or kerosene; in extremis, the AGT-1500 can also burn pure ethanol or methanol with some modification.  It is coupled to an automatic transmission.  The driver has a conventional gas and brake pedal, and steers the M1002 via a T-shaped yoke.  The suspension is the same as that of an M1 and is excellent, giving a good ride on and off roads and contributing to the stabilization of the M1002’s autocannons as well as reducing crew fatigue.  The M1002 is rather heavy, however, which somewhat negates the advantages of the power of the engine. On each side of the turret are a cluster of six smoke/flare grenade launchers.  The M1002 has the same 5.6kW APU as found on the M1A2 and some M1A1s, as well as an air conditioner and a heater; the APU uses 11 liters of fuel per hour, and uses fuel from the M1002’s fuel tanks.  A small hot plate is tucked into a small space in the left front corner of the turret, as well as a 10-liter water tank.  The M1002 is equipped with a GPS navigation system with a mapping/navigation computer.

     The M1002 was often nicknamed the “Combat Cadillac” by US troops due to the plethora of armament and features it carries.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$2,466,323

D, G, AvG, A

630 kg

63 tons

3

34

Image Intensification (D), Advanced Image Intensification (G, C), Advanced FLIR (G, C), Radar (G, C)

Shielded

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

152/107

32/23

1911

1255

Trtd

T6

TF60Cp  TS24Sp  TR15  HF220Cp  HS26Sp  HR19*

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+5

Good**

2x35mm Bushmaster II Autocannons, 12xADATS Launchers, M2HB (C)

1100x35mm, 18xADATS Missiles, 600x.50

*The mount and mast for the main radar has an AV of 7; the dish itself has an AV of 3.

**Stabilization for the ADATS missile system is Basic.

 

IOC Ze’ev MAGS AA

     Country of Origin: Israel

     Notes: This vehicle does not exist in real life; it was invented by Frank Frey of the former GDW.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This is an antiaircraft variant of the basic system that mounts two 35mm autocannons in a remote turret and fittings for mounting a hypervelocity rocket pod on each side of the turret.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$264,054

D, A

400 kg

18 tons

3

20

Thermal Imaging, Image Intensifier

Shielded

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

164/116

41/29

650

179

CiH

T4

TF7 TS7 TR4 HF16 HS12Sp HR6

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+4

Good

Twin 35mm autocannons, twin LOSAT tubes

600x35mm, 10xLOSAT ADATS missiles

 

JSC 2S38 Derivaciya

     Country or Origin: Russia

     Seen In: Experiments to produce a more effective defense gun for Tunguska SAM sites.

     Notes:  The 2S38 is a new Russian concept vehicle, to replacer the AAA vehicles used to protect various SAM installations (The Tunguska is most often mentioned.)  The autocannons are also often mentioned to replace the autocannons on the Pantsyr gun/missile system.  As of 2020, the 2S38 has tentative approval from Russian MoD, but the current 2S38 is definitely a test vehicle, primarily due to the lack of advanced sensors and the miniscule amount of ammunition onboard, as well as the small turret, barely large enough for the autocannon, a coaxial, and the gunner, who has a big job contorting himself to use all the AAA sensors and lack of a collating-type computer to bring the information.  Nonetheless, the 2S38 is expected to yield a final vehicle by 2022, and be in full production and service the following year.

     The 2S38 is based on a BMP-3 chassis, with the turret replaced with (a rather small) turret mounting a long-barreled 57mm autocannon (some say it was derived from the S-60, and some say the ammunition was based on that of the S-60, and others say it is a development from the ground up with only a nod and wink to the S-60.)  The current turret is essentially a large RWS, with the gunner well down in the turret basket, the driver in the usual place, and the commander also having a place in the turret basket, though he can access a hatch at the top right of the turret.  Currently, there is no provision for a commander’s weapon, though the “coaxial” weapon is in fact mounted on an independent-operating RWS, which is on top of the main RWS. The 2S38’s job is to intercept helicopters, cruise missiles, UAVs, low, slowly-flying aircraft, and supposedly some artillery rockets and air-fired ATGMs.  The 2S38 is able to use the rest of the SAM site’s radar and IR detection systems.  A secondary target of the autocannon is light armor, unarmored vehicles, and troops in the open.

     The 2S38 dispenses with onboard radar, using advanced FLIR to detect targets instead.  In addition, advanced image intensification is also used to acquire targets. The 2S38 has automatic lock-on and gun-bearing systems, which lay the gun to intercept the selected target.

     The hull is essentially a BMP-3 chassis, and has the same armor level as a BMP-3; the turret is said to provide protection against 30mm AP rounds from front and 14.5mm rounds from the sides and rear,  Protection of the chassis may be increased with the addition of ERA. The 2S38 is also equipped with NBC Overpressure protection.  Like the BMP-3, the 2S28 is fully amphibious, propelled by waterjets in the water.  The chassis uses the same 500-horsepower engine of the BMP-3.  The transmission is manual. The suspension is hydropneumatic and can be raised and lowered (normally done in cases of air transport or when needing to assume a hull-down position). The 2S38 inherits the BMP-3’s self-entrenching blade. 

     There is a cramped space in the rear of the 2S38, enough for a MANPADS team to ride along with a few reload missiles.

     The 2S38, in its current iteration, carries only 148 rounds for its main gun.  The 7.62mm gun has likewise a small amount of ammunition available. This is the most telling feature that marks it as a development vehicle than an active-service vehicle.

     The 2S38’s 57mm autocannon has several new types of ammunition to fire.  The fire control system has an extended-range, fast-response laser designator, because one of the 2S38’s primary rounds is a laser-guided smart HE-FRAG smart shell.  The new gun is not limited to the ammunition of the old S-60, and the gun is dual-feed belt-fed rather than being clip-fed like the S-60.  (It is potentially capable of handling much larger amounts of ammunition.)

     The 2S38 is hooked into the GLONASS system; it is conjectured that production versions will have a BMS and Vehicle State systems.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$523,778

D, G, AvG, A

364 kg

18 tons

3

11

FLIR (G, C), 2nd Gen Image Intensification (G, C), Image Intensification (D)

Shielded

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

186/130

52/36

690

185

Trtd

T3

TF12Sp  TS6Sp  TR4  HF10Sp  HS6Sp  HR5

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+4

Good

57mm 2S38 Autocannon, Pechneg (RWS)

154x57mm, 400x7.62mm

 

KBP ZSU-30-6

     Country of Origin: Russia (Soviet Union)

     Notes: Though based on a possible SP AAA system the Soviets were studying in the 1980s, this vehicle does not actually exist in real life.  The back story is my invention.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This little-seen antiaircraft vehicle is the result of three goals: the desire to produce an antiaircraft vehicle more effective than the ZSU-23-4, the use of aircraft cannon from attack aircraft grounded due to maintenance issues or damage, and the need to do both quickly and with as little additional expense as possible. The result of this was the ZSU-30-6, basically a modified ZSU 23-4 with slightly better radar and armed with the 30mm AO-17A Gatling gun from aircraft such as the SU-25 and SU-27 series aircraft. The result was a vehicle with similar capabilities to the US M163 PIVAD, but with a heavier-caliber autocannon. However, aircraft were becoming less common in the skies by the time this vehicle reached volume production, and the autocannon ended up being used more against light armored vehicles, soft-skinned vehicles, and personnel.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$110,796

D, A

800 kg

22 tons

4

18

Radar, Passive IR, Image Intensification

Enclosed

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

111/78

26/18

250

80

Trtd

T3

TF5 TS5 TR4 HF6 HS4 HR3

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+2

Fair

AO-17A 30mm Autocannon

1500x30mm

 

Krauss-Maffei Leopard 1 ADATS

     Country of Origin: Germany

     Notes: This is a highly modified Leopard 1 chassis with an elevating arm for a sensor set and a pod containing ADATS missiles. The crew is contained in an elevated superstructure on the right side of the vehicle, each with his own hatch. The pod is automatically reloaded by lowering it to the rear of a set of opening in the hull deck to the rear of the superstructure. The pod may be elevated up to 5 meters above the vehicle. This vehicle was not developed beyond the drawing board phase.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This rather rare vehicle was delivered to the German and Danish armies shortly before the Twilight War, about 30 to Germany, and 5 to Denmark.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$448,355

D, G, AvG, A

500 kg

47.4 tons

3

28

FLIR, Radar

Shielded

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

126/88

32/22

985

294

CiH

T6

TF4 TS4 TR4 HF38 HS10 HR8

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+3

Basic

8xADATS launchers, MG-3 (C)

16xADATS missiles, 2750x7.62mm

 

LIW/Reunart G-6 Marksman

     Country of Origin: South Africa

     Notes: This vehicle was not developed beyond the drawing board/scale model phase.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This experimental South African system was placed into limited production during the Twilight War. It consists of a G-6 self-propelled howitzer chassis topped with the German Marksman turret (the same as on the Gepard and T-55 Marksman). There were a very few of these systems sent to Oman and the United Arab Emirates, but most of them were used by South African forces, more often in a ground support role than an air defense role.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$126,560

D, A

650 kg

40 tons

4

24

Radar, Image Intensification

Enclosed

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

118/46

30/12

700

186

Trtd

W(4)

TF15 TS6 TR6 HF18 HS6 HR5

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+4

Fair

2x35mm KDA autocannons

480x35mm

 

MaK Wildcat

     Country of Origin: Germany

     Notes: This was never developed beyond the advanced prototype stage. The turret was also tried on several different chassis, but none of these were ever fielded either.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This is a light 6x6 antiaircraft vehicle for the protection of airborne, airmobile, and light divisions. They were welcome additions to those parts of the German Army, but they were rare outside the German ranks (with some serving in the Swiss and Austrian armies, and a very few serving with the British Army). The combination of small size, fast speed, and excellent fire control made them difficult and dangerous targets for enemy pilots to take out, and they were also useful against light armored vehicles, soft-skinned vehicles, and personnel. The driver’s position is at the front of the hull, and the commander and gunner have hatches on the turret deck. In 1999, one of these vehicles was captured by the 82nd Airborne Division in Iran, and used by that division; how it got there was a mystery, since the crew of the Wildcat was killed outside of the vehicle before they could be questioned.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$134,596

D, A

300 kg

18.5 tons

3

16

Radar, Passive IR, Image Intensification

Enclosed

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

148/60

37/15

430

105

Trtd

W(4)

TF8 TS6 TR6 HF10 HS4 HR4

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+3

Fair

2xMauser MK-30, MG-3

500x30mm, 1200x7.62mm

 

Rheimetall/Giat Dragon

     Country of Origin: France/Germany

     Notes: This tracked antiaircraft gun is a product of cooperation between France and Germany. It consists of a SABRE turret mounted on a modified TAM light tank chassis. The turret is equipped with a search and tracking radar and twin 30mm HS-831A autocannons. The radar has a range of 15km and can simultaneously search and track. It is capable of searching even for low-altitude or hovering targets. The guns can be radar directed, but optical backup is provided. The driver has a hatch on the front deck, the commander and gunner on the turret deck, and there is a ramp in the rear. This vehicle was not developed beyond several prototypes.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$100,837

D, A

600 kg

31 tons

3

24

Radar, Passive IR, Image Intensification

Shielded

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

166/116

39/27

550+400

254

Trtd

T4

TF16 HS7 HR7 HF20 HS6 HR5

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+3

Fair

2x30mm HS-831A Autocannons

1500x30mm

 

M48-Based Experimental and Drawing-Board AAA Vehicles

     Country of Origin: US

     Seen In: Various Book, Magazine, and Online Sources.  However, all stats presented here are speculative or based on educated guesses or the small (more like tiny) amount of actual RL stats on the vehicles.

     Notes: Well, this was fun (both is the actual and sarcastic meaning of the word “fun”).  I think that most of the time, smoke was coming from my ears as my brain vented excess heat generated by statting all this out.

     The vehicles shown here are M48-based.  They are armed with anything from Avenger turrets the German Marksman turret.  They have a variety of fire control systems, optics, and night vision equipment, and sometimes enhanced armor for the chassis and the turret.  Common here are modified Avenger turrets mounted on various chassis.

     The name “Roadrunner” used in the name of the entry is taken from the first mention I heard of such modifications, an entry on Juhlin’s Board by screen name shrike6.  He posted a screen shot of a short article mentioning the Army Missile Command’s “Roadrunner configuration,” which was to be a Chapparal launcher on an unspecified chassis (my guess would be an M48).

     Often, I am referring to memories of pictures I found here and there, and I no longer remember the actual source. (As I said, Speculative.)  One day, I’ll go back through my books and magazines and put keywords in Bing and find what the sources of those pictures actually are.

     I have been able to find several M48-based vehicles most of which were drawing-board-only vehicles, but also one or two that were sales prototypes made by GDLS and one that existed only as a model and a small amount of descriptive and technical information.  Many of these used an up-armored M48 chassis, some use the 908-horsepower M60A3-type engines, and most have uprated electronics and optics.  Most of the names I have assigned to the vehicles are simply made up and are not official names. (In most cases, no official name was found.)

    

     Chapparal Roadrunner

     This modification is mentioned in a short article by the US Army Missile Command.  The chassis is not mentioned (other than being tracked), though as the US Army has a large amount of surplus M48s from when National Guard changed to M60s and later M1s, the use of a refurbished M48 chassis is likely.  The article also mentions that such a vehicle would be able to shoot on the move, and have aircraft and tank killing ability.  A picture I found on the internet showed such a vehicle with rails for a combination of AIM-9 and Hellfire missiles, and another picture shows a similar vehicle, but armed with ADATS missiles instead of Hellfires.  (On these vehicles, sometimes the rails for the Hellfires or ADATS are outside of the Sidewinders – but there are not actually any pictures of a Roadrunner with ADATS on them. Other pictures show the Hellfires mounted on the Sidewinder rails instead of the Sidewinders. (For purposes of this statting, the vehicle will be armed with both Sidewinders and Hellfires/ADATS missiles.) Another picture I found in one of my books shows the Chaparral launcher mounted on an M48 chassis by itself with no additional missiles, but additionally armed with a Bofors L/70 40mm autocannon.  In any case, the crew is in front of the vehicle, ahead of the Chaparral Turret, with hatches on the front deck, and driver on the left, gunner in the middle, and the commander on the right. Behind the crew seats is a space for crew equipment and things like rations and such. The gunner and commander have downlinked displays, and either may focus the radar or fire weapons. Crews generally have their personal assault rifles, and access to three pistols and ten fragmentation grenades, but there is no other armament but the onboard weapons.

     The Hellfire-armed Roadrunner was trialed, but never adopted, nor did it proceed beyond a single prototype.  The ADATS-armed version, supposedly, did not go beyond a mention that “I wonder if this would work with ADATS launchers…” and some rough sketches.  The Bofors 40mm-armed version had excellent sketches and preliminary technical information, but never got off the drawing board.

 

     Avenger Roadrunner

     This is the Avenger turret mounted on an M48 chassis.  In most cases the vehicle is shown up-armored (both the chassis and the turret) and the middle portion of the turret is somewhat larger.  Some articles mention the turret’s M2HB replaced by an M242 25mm ChainGun, or 30mm MK30 30mm ChainGun.  In most cases, the amount of ammunition carried onboard the vehicle is greatly increased, as it feeds from inside the M48.  Most are armed with the standard Stinger missiles, but some pictures show the vehicle armed with Mistrals, and one picture I found in a magazine shows the turret armed with one box of Stingers and one box of Mistrals.  The turret layout remains the same, with the gunner in the turret behind armored glass in the front, but to alleviate one of the biggest complaints of Avenger gunners, the turret is air conditioned.  (The commander’s and driver’s positions are also air conditioned.)  The driver is on the front left with the commander on the front right; the commander has a pintle-mounted weapon and a manually-rotating cupola.

     I suspect that the pictures of Avenger Roadrunners I’ve found were Photoshop work instead of an actual photo; they look…well…too real.  (Just my personal take.)  Like the HMMWV itself, replacement of the M2HB with autocannons were proposed for the proposed M48-based Avenger.  (I know the sentence sounds clumsy, but it does convey what I mean to say.)

 

     Upgraded DIVADs

     In several places, I have seen upgraded versions of the Sergeant York DIVAD system.  These vehicles have several improvements; the simplest upgrade is the replacement of the radar with a radar system specifically designed for the DIVAD or one specially-modified for the DIVAD, along with upgraded displays, electronics, and night vision.  Some keep the Bofors L/60 40mm autocannons; some change the Bofors L/60s for L/70s.  Most, however, change the 40mm autocannons with 30mm Mk30 30mm ChainGuns, sometimes with the addition of boxes for Stinger missiles on each side, or a box of Stingers on one side and rails for up to four Hellfires on the other.  (I’ll bet someone thought of putting ADATS rails on it, but someone thought he was some just staff weenie aide REMF who didn’t bear listening to or something like that. Whatever it was, I have not found pictures or Photoshop work or even mentions of an ADATS armed version.) These missiles are on the outside of the turret outboard of the guns, and are on rotatable mounts/rails.  In some literature, these were to be further upgraded with an M60A3’s 908-horsepower engines; I have included this in the stats below.  I have also assumed an M48A5 chassis (though the original DIVAD used an M48A3 chassis) with the M60A3’s 908-horsepower engine, an automatic transmission, and a commander’s machinegun.

 

     M48 Marksman

     To show the versatility of their Marksman AAA system (basically the Gepard turret with upgraded electronics and fire control), the Germans demonstrated for the US Army a Marksman turret on an M48 chassis. Reportedly, some members of the Army considered it interesting or even promising, but in the end the idea went nowhere.  The upgrade is still being shopped to countries who have retired M48s. This upgrade includes the standard engine upgrade, and a GPS system with a mapping computer and display for the driver and commander.

 

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The M48 Marksman was liberally distributed throughout the world, including the US Army, who ordered 438 of them before the Twilight War. 

     Upgraded DIVADS of various sorts were sometimes seen in the North American Theater, though most were simply 40mm L/60s with advanced fire control (known as M1591s) and those with L/70 autocannons and updated fire control (known as M1592s).  There were at least 30 examples of DIVADs with 30mm Chainguns (M1933s), and there were some 20 each of the type with 30mm Chainguns and with a Stinger Box on each side (M1594s) and those with a Stinger box on one side and Hellfires on the other (M1595s).

     The Avenger Roadrunners were thought a good idea and also found themselves all over the world, including some operated by the German Army, Dutch Army, Danish Army, Norwegian Army, Turkish Army, Hellenic Army, South Korean Army, and Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces, and some 400 were used by these armies. All in all, over a thousand total were built, as production and export started well before the War started.  The US Army took into service the lion’s share of these vehicles, with some 504 ordered, and equipping most heavy divisions’ Air Defense brigades.  Most of these were simply the Avenger turret with the M2HB replaced with an M242 (M1611), though some retained the M2HB (M1610).  Some 100 used 30mm autocannons instead (M1612s).  American Avenger Roadrunners were all issued with Stinger boxes, as were South Korean and Japanese Avenger Roadrunners.  South Korean and Japanese Avenger Roadrunners were armed with M242s instead of M2HBs; European Avenger Roadrunners were generally armed with 30mm autocannons, though a few were armed with M242s.  The European Avenger Roadrunners generally used Mistral missiles instead of Stingers.  Some 200 of these vehicles were ordered by European countries, while South Korea and Japan had 100 between the two of them.  Avenger Roadrunners generally didn’t start the War with mixed missiles, though in Europe, the ability to use mixed missiles was often taken advantage of.  The other 104 Roadrunners Avengers mentioned were bought by a variety of nations who had old M48s.

     The Chapparal Roadrunner was a largely US Army vehicle, though the Dutch and Germans also used some of them, generally to good results.  Most were armed with Sidewinders and ADATS missiles, though many were actually armed with Sidewinders and Hellfires. (The Germans preferred the ones with a Sidewinder/ADATS mix, while the Dutch preferred a Sidewinder/Hellfire mix.)  The US Army generally used the Chapparal Roadrunner with the Sidewinder/ADATS mix, designating them the M1624, but also used the type with the Sidewinder/40mm mix, which they designated M1625.  In the North American Theater, most Chaparral Roadrunners were M1625s, while in the European and African Theaters, they were usually M1624s.  (These vehicles, of either type, were actually fairly rare in the Middle Easter Theater and the Far Eastern Theater, though during the War some were transferred from the African Theater to the Missile East, usually by ship.)

 

Vehicle

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

Chaparral Roadrunner 1

$4,459,026

D, A

623 kg

39.99 tons

3

26

Surveillance Radar (30 km) (G, C), Tracking Radar (20 km) (G, C), IFF (30 km) (G, C), FLIR (G, C)

Shielded

Chaparral Roadrunner 2

$4,586,033

D, A

630 kg

41 tons

3

27

Surveillance Radar (30 km) (G, C), Tracking Radar (20 km) (G, C), IFF (30 km) (G, C), FLIR (G, C)

Shielded

Chaparral Roadrunner 3

$5,230,875

D, A

720 kg

43.25 tons

3

27

Surveillance Radar (30 km) (G, C), Tracking Radar (20 km) (G, C), IFF (30 km) (G, C), FLIR (G, C)

Shielded

Avenger Roadrunner 1

$729,400

D, A

644 kg

41.98 tons

3

36

IFF (30 km) (G), 2nd Gen FLIR (G, C), Image Intensification (D)

Shielded

Avenger Roadrunner 2

$839,088

D, A

654 kg

41.17 tons

3

38

IFF (30 km) (G, C), 2nd Gen FLIR (G, C), Image Intensification (D)

Shielded

Avenger Roadrunner 3

$835,931

D, A

653 kg

41.39 tons

3

38

IFF (30 km) (G, C), 2nd Gen FLIR (G, C), Image Intensification (D)

Shielded

Upgraded DIVAD 1

$2,665,138

D, A

672 kg

49.35 tons

3

34

Surveillance Radar (30 km) (G), Tracking Radar (20 km) (G), IFF (30 km) (G), 2nd Gen FLIR (G, C), 2nd Gen LLTV (G, C), Image Intensification (D)

Shielded

Upgraded DIVAD 2

$2,670,547

D, A

673 kg

49.45 tons

3

34

Surveillance Radar (30 km) (G), Tracking Radar (20 km) (G), IFF (30 km) (G), 2nd Gen FLIR (G, C), 2nd Gen LLTV (G, C), Image Intensification (D)

Shielded

Upgraded DIVAD 3

$2,685,508

D, A

668 kg

45.03 tons

3

34

Surveillance Radar (30 km) (G), Tracking Radar (20 km) (G), IFF (30 km) (G), 2nd Gen FLIR (G, C), 2nd Gen LLTV (G, C), Image Intensification (D)

Shielded

M48 Marksman

$2,940,966

D, A

698 kg

44 tons

3

40

Surveillance Radar (12 km) (G, C), Tracking Radar (10 km) (G, C), 2nd Gen FLIR (G, C), Image Intensification (D)

Shielded

 

Vehicle

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

Chaparral Roadrunner 1

143/100

40/28

1457

297

Trtd

T6

TF5Sp HS5 HR5 HF68Sp HS18Sp HR8

Chaparral Roadrunner 2

140/98

39/27

1457

297

Trtd

T6

TF5Sp HS5 HR5 HF68Sp HS18Sp HR8

Chaparral Roadrunner 3

134/94

37/26

1457

297

Trtd

T6

TF10Sp HS7Sp HR5 HF68Sp HS18Sp HR8

Avenger Roadrunner 1

137/96

38/27

1457

297

Trtd

T6

TF20Sp TF15 TR10 HF68Sp HS18Sp HR8

Avenger Roadrunner 2

140/98

39/27

1457

297

Trtd

T6

TF20Sp TF15 TR10 HF68Sp HS18Sp HR8

Avenger Roadrunner 3

139/97

39/27

1457

297

Trtd

T6

TF20Sp TF15 TR10 HF68Sp HS18Sp HR8

Upgraded DIVAD 1

133/93

37/26

1457

336

Trtd

T6

TF20Sp TS20Sp TR20 HF62 HS15 HR8

Upgraded DIVAD 2

133/93

37/26

1457

336

Trtd

T6

TF20Sp TS20Sp TR20 HF62 HS15 HR8

Upgraded DIVAD 3

143/100

40/28

1457

336

Trtd

T6

TF20Sp TS20Sp TR20 HF62 HS15 HR8

M48 Markman

146/102

41/28

1457

336

Trtd

T6

TF18Sp TS7Sp TR7 HF68Sp HS18Sp HR8

 

Vehicle

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

Chaparral Roadrunner 1

+3

Fair

4xMIM-72 Sidewinder Launchers, 6xAGM-114 Hellfire Launchers

8xMIM-72 Sidewinder Missiles, 12xHellfire Missiles

Chaparral Roadrunner 2

+3

Fair

4xMIM-72 Sidewinder Launchers, 4xMIM-146 ADATS Launchers

8xMIM-72 Sidewinder Missiles, 8xMIM-146 ADATS Missiles

Chaparral Roadrunner 3

+3

Fair

4xMIM-72 Sidewinder Launchers, 40mm L/70 Autocannon

8xMIM-72 Sidewinder Missiles, 250x40mm

Avenger Roadrunner 1

+2

Basic

8xStinger Launchers or 8xMistral Launchers or 4x Stinger and 4xMistral Launchers, M2HB, M240 (C)

32xStinger Missiles or 32xMistral Missiles or 16xStinger and 16xMistral Missiles; 3000x.50, 1000x7.62mm

Avenger Roadrunner 2

+2

Basic

8xStinger Launchers or 8xMistral Launchers or 4x Stinger and 4xMistral Launchers, M242 ChainGun, M240 (C)

32xStinger Missiles or 32xMistral Missiles or 16xStinger and 16xMistral Missiles; 1550x25mm, 1000x7.62mm

Avenger Roadrunner 3

+2

Basic

8xStinger Launchers or 8xMistral Launchers or 4x Stinger and 4xMistral Launchers, M230 ChainGun, M240 (C)

32xStinger Missiles or 32xMistral Missiles or 16xStinger and 16xMistral Missiles; 1300x30mm, 1000x7.62mm

Upgraded DIVAD 1

+3

Fair

2x40mm Bofors L/60 Autocannons, M240 (C)

580x40mm, 2500x7.62mm

Upgraded DIVAD 2

+3

Fair

2x40mm Bofors L/70 Autocannons, M240 (C)

580x40mm, 2500x7.62mm

Upgraded DIVAD 3

+3

Fair

2x30mm M230 ChainGuns, 8xStinger Launchers or 4xStinger Launchers and 4xHellfire Launchers, M240 (C)

775x30mm, 32xStinger Missiles or 16xStinger Missiles and 12xHellfire Missiles, 2500x7.62mm

M48 Marksman

+3

Good

2x35mm KDA Autocannons, M240 (C)

800x35mm, 2500x7.62mm

 

Steyr-Daimler-Puch 4K 7FA SPAAG 1/2.20

     Country of Origin: Austria

     Notes: This is a 4K 7FA KSPz armored personnel carrier with the M2HB turret removed and a twin 20mm antiaircraft turret mounted in the center of the vehicle. The autocannons are of French design. As of 2006, it is still only a possible production vehicle that has not been officially placed into production.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Stocks of this vehicle were drawn from the few prototypes and even fewer production vehicles made before and during the war.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$54,136

D, A

400 kg

13.4 tons

5

16

Radar, Image Intensification

Enclosed

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

140/98

35/25

360

113

Trtd

T3

TF5 TS5 TR5 HF6 HS4 HR4

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+2

Fair

2xGiat M-693 20mm autocannons, MAG (C)

600x20mm, 1600x7.62mm

 

ZTS Strop

     Country of Origin: Czech Republic

     Notes: This is a Czech antiaircraft gun/missile system based on the Dana self-propelled artillery gun chassis. It is in fact the Dana with a modified turret to carry twin Russian designed 30mm 2A38M autocannons (the same guns as on the ZSO-30-4) and twin launchers for either SA-7, SA-14, SA-16, or SA-27 missiles. This appears to still be in the testing phase, and may never be adopted due to cost and the existence of the tracked version of the Strop-turreted vehicle.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: These systems were only just beginning production before the Twilight War, and few (perhaps 30) were made before the beginning of hostilities.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$241,346

D, A

400 kg

25 tons

3

18

Radar, Passive IR

Enclosed

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

118/46

30/12

690

116

Trtd

W(8)

TF5 TS5 TR5 HF6 HS5 HR4

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+3

Fair

2x30mm autocannons, 2xSA-7, SA-14, SA-16, or SA-27 missile launchers, PKT (C)

2800x30mm, 8xmissile, 1200x7.62mm