M8 armored gun system

Not to be confused with Howitzer motor carriage M8.
M8 armored gun system
An M8 armored gun system in 1994
M8 AGS
TypeLight tank[nb 1]
Place of originUnited States
Production history
DesignerFMC Corporation/United Defense LP/BAE Systems
DesignedFrom 1983
ManufacturerFMC/United Defense/BAE Systems
Produced1995, 2020
No. built6 AGS pilots, 1 austere prototype, ≥11 MPF[nb 2]
Specifications (M8 AGS)
Mass36,900 to 39,800 lb (16,740 to 18,050 kg) (level 1 armor)[6][7]
44,000 to 44,270 lb (19,960 to 20,080 kg) (level II)[6][8]
52,000 lb (23,590 kg) (level III)[6]
Length261 in (6.64 m) (level 1 hull + gun forward), 242 in (6.14 m) (level 1 hull only)[6]
Width104 in (2.64 m) (over fenders)
Height100 to 101 in (2.54 to 2.57 m) (over cupola)
Crew3 (commander, gunner, driver)
Elevation+20° / -10° (depression limited over rear arc)
ArmorWelded 5083 aluminum alloy
Main
armament
M35 105 mm caliber soft recoil rifled gun (31 rounds)
Secondary
armament
7.62 mm coaxial M240 (4,500 rounds)
.50 cal. commander's M2 Browning (600 rounds)[6]
EngineDetroit Diesel 6V 92TA
550 hp (410 kW) at 2,400 rpm (JP-8 fuel),
580 hp (430 kW) at 2,400 rpm (diesel)[6]
Power/weight28.3 hp/ST (23.3 kW/t) (Level I)[6][6]
TransmissionGeneral Electric HMPT-500-3EC[6]
SuspensionTorsion bar[6]
Ground clearanceUp to 17 in (430 mm)
Fuel capacity150 US gal (570 L; 120 imp gal)
Operational
range
300 mi (480 km)
Maximum speed Road: 45 mph (72 km/h)

The M8 armored gun system (AGS), sometimes known as the Buford, is an American light tank that was intended to replace the M551 Sheridan and TOW missile-armed Humvees in the 82nd Airborne Division and 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (2nd ACR) of the U.S. Army respectively.

The M8 AGS began as a private venture of FMC Corporation, called the close combat vehicle light (CCVL), in 1983. The Army began the armored gun system program to develop a mobile gun platform that could be airdropped. By 1992, the AGS was one of the Army's top priority acquisition programs. The service selected FMC's CCVL over proposals from three other teams. The service sought to purchase 237 AGS systems to begin fielding in 1997. Key characteristics of the AGS are its light weight (17.8 short tons (16.1 t) in its low-velocity airdrop configuration), field-installable modular armor, M35 105 mm caliber soft recoil rifled gun, 21-round magazined autoloader, and slide-out powerpack.

Though it had authorized the start of production of the type classified M8 a year earlier, the Army canceled the AGS program in 1996 due to the service's budgetary constraints. The Sheridan was retired without a true successor. The AGS never saw service, though the 82nd Airborne sought to press the preproduction units into service in Iraq. The AGS was unsuccessfully marketed for export and was reincarnated for several subsequent U.S. Army assault gun/light tank programs. United Defense LP proposed the AGS as the Mobile Gun System (MGS) variant of the Interim Armored Vehicle program in 2000, but lost out to the General Motors–General Dynamics' LAV III, which was type classified as the Stryker M1128 mobile gun system. BAE Systems offered the AGS system for the Army's XM1302 Mobile Protected Firepower requirement, but lost to the General Dynamics Griffin II—later type classified as the M10 Booker—in 2022.

  1. ^ Hunnicutt 2015a, p. 288.
  2. ^ Department of Defense Appropriations for Fiscal Year 1992: Appendix, submitted questions and answers. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1991. p. 435. ISBN 9780160373268. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  3. ^ Department of the Army 1994, p. 1-2.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference downselect was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference XM1302 Chieftain 2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hunnicutt 2015a, p. 310.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Miller was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Jane's 16th was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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