T2K RDF/LT

 

 

With the imminent arrival of the new version of Twlight: 2000 I've been revisiting the old game.

One of our favorites was the LAV-75 aka the Rapid Deployment Force Light Tank.

The 75mm autocannon was definitely popular with the party in every iteration we played.

In 4e GURPS terms with APFSDS it's 6dx22(2) pi++, RoF 1, 3,600/12,500.  With HE it's 6dx4[6d] cr ex, 2,400/8,300.  T2K also gave stats for HEAT and WP, which were never developed in the real world.

EDIT:

4e GURPS stats, revised. Mainly calculated with GURPS: Vehicles for 3e.

XM884 HE-P is a proximity fuzed anti-aircraft round! Range 2,400/8,300. Damage 6dx11(0.5) pi++ follow-up 3dx7 6dx3 [4d-1] cr ex

XM885 APFSDSDU. Range 4,800/16,600. Damage 6dx19(2) pi++ inc.

XM885 Delta 3 should be 6dx25(2) pi++ inc, same range.

XM855 Delta 6 should be 6dx28(2) pi++ inc.

The developmental APFSDS has the same range but is damage 6dx17(2) pi++.

The theoretical HEAT and WP rounds listed in T2K would have the same range as the HE.

HEAT damage is 6dx5(10) cr ex linked 4dx4 cr ex.

WP damage is 6dx11(0.5) pi++ follow-up 3d [1d(0.2)] burn ex.

The sabot round has almost 2/3 the penetration of a Soviet 125mm round (6dx33(2) pi++ inc), and is ample for anything but a frontal shot.  Which is why it was not developed as the Soviets had improved their armor a lot and the 5-shot burst idea was never proven.

The idea of that 5-shot burst was the fire control was supposed to be so advanced that you could put five rounds in near enough the same spot so as to defeat the composite layers and effectively render the last hit as one to homogeneous steel.

Truth be told, the tungsten round was sufficient for the sides and rear of 1990's Soviet tanks.  We didn't realize at the time how "all in" they were with frontal armor.

Considering that the entire point of the RDF/LT was to be dropped from a plane, and that the 75mm XM274 outperformed the Sherridan's M81E1 for pretty much everything, we probably should have kept going with the project.

I note that we STILL have not replaced the M551, despite type classifying the M8 Ridgeway.

Less applicable to T2K, the 82nd Airborne is more likely to face much older and less protected tanks and armored vehicles than the Soviet/Russian/Peer opponents.  That 75mm APFSDS is more than enough for a T55 or T62, even with applique armor.