Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!pacbell.com!att!cbnews!cbnews!military From: ab3o+@andrew.cmu.edu (Allan Bourdius) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: Secondary Armament Message-ID: <1991Jun19.011717.13143@cbnews.cb.att.com> Date: 19 Jun 91 01:17:17 GMT References: <1991Jun14.080001.19997@amd.com>, Sender: military@cbnews.cb.att.com (william.a.thacker) Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 21 Approved: military@att.att.com From: Allan Bourdius >But production M-1s don't have a 30-mm cannon as their co-ax. This >wasn't mentioned in the book. They have a 7.62mm machine gun. That's >right - just an M-60. Why? The loader's and coaxial MG's on the M1 series are M240 7.62mm of Belgian design and manufacture. (They are pretty much scaled up versions of the M249 SAW) One benefit to having the gun at the loader's station is that if the coax gets damaged or otherwise becomes unserviceable, the loader's gun can be used as a replacement. Another benefit is it gives the loader something to hang on to when he's standing up in his hatch with the tank on the move. Also, it gives the M1 three usable weapons against infantry instead of two--no APERS rounds exist as of yet for the 120mm gun. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Allan Bourdius [USMC Officer Candidate/Brother, Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity] ab3o+@andrew.cmu.edu or 1069 Morewood Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 "I used to be disgusted, now I'm just amused" "Give, expecting nothing thereof." The opinions in this post/mail are only those of the author, nobody else.