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Strange sightings in Kansas.

By The Armorer on January 16, 2007 | | Comments (17)

Sharp-eyed camera-toting reader Larry K, also our source for most things Coast Guard, snapped this photo in Junction City yesterday or the day before.

I know what it is - but I'll let you have fun demonstrating your vehicle ID skillz - and does anybody have any earthly idea why one of these is transiting the country? It might be destined for Fort Riley - but neither Larry nor I know.

Cheese-eating Surrender Monkey Armor!

More pics here, here, and here.

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17 Comments

By Brad on January 16, 2007 11:48 AM
An Israeli M48 variant? I say this because of the cupola on top of the turret, and the turret looks too skinny to be an M60 variant.
 
By fdcol63 on January 16, 2007 1:34 PM
French AMX-30? The photo caption of "Cheese-eating Surrender Monkey Armor!" might have been a clue that it was French. LOL
 
By Pogue on January 16, 2007 1:57 PM
The tag on the picture is something of a clue...
 
By MajMike on January 16, 2007 3:54 PM
...yeah, but it's just GOT to be an export model. if it was the real deal Frenchie model then the gun tube would be permanently in travel lock over the back deck (and drooping). and it would be flying a white flag instead of a Holiday Inn pennant.
 
By SangerM on January 16, 2007 4:11 PM
Opfor target practice, Ft. Hood?? OR Maybe some 3rd party (new Nato country?) is thinking hard about M1s vs. AMX-30s and there is to be a 'shoot off' and an OT demo. The Poles just bought a pile of F16s and their pilots are training even now (that's an interesting tale); maybe they want new tanks too? Or maybe Yemen or the like... OR Maybe this is a NATO interoperability test vehicle, heading to that old Buffalo Soldier Army base no one can pronounce the name of - Ft. Hoochie-Koochie ... :-)
 
By Heartless Libertarian on January 16, 2007 9:08 PM
Definitely an AMX-30, but that looks like an awfully light duty trailer to be hauling a 36T tank. Makes me wonder if it might be gutted.
 
By John of Argghhh! on January 16, 2007 9:31 PM
Now Heartless raises a possibility of a decoy or even movie prop... But, at least with a quick-check at this website and me not being an engineer, that trailer looks like it could handle the load. Of course, as a convoy or serial commander, I'd be checkin' data plates.
 
By haji 0 matic on January 17, 2007 12:57 AM
I dunno....but I think it looks Russian T-90ish. (road wheels, main gun) Maybe a Republican Guard capture on its way to some Legion post or NG Armory..... But I might be wrong..... Yeah...I might be wrong....
 
By Fred Simons on January 17, 2007 1:02 AM
The ID is easy - it's a French-built AMX-30. To me it's very distinctive - there's simply nothing else that looks quite like it. What it's doing in Kansas, well, I have no clue. Just note that the French marketed the thing aggressively and there were a butt-load of them sold around the world, especially in Africa and the Middle East.
 
By BillT on January 17, 2007 6:30 AM
*dusting off Threat ID goggles* AMX-40, the export variant of the -30. Iraq bought a bunch in the 1980s when it was rebuilding the army during the post I-I war years. My guess is that it's destined for some unit's "Look what I got, ma!" portion of the front lawn. Not technically a beutepanzer (unless some non-armor types went rampaging in it...)
 
By John of Argghhh! on January 17, 2007 6:59 AM
Hey, Iraq-vets... anybody seen green-painted armor in Iraqi hands? Before, during, or after the March Upcountry? Bill - I don't concur on the AMX-40 id. This tank has the rounded turret profile, the AMX-40 is more angular. It also has the rear fender-mounted mufflers, which are covered over and louvered on the AMX-40, which actually has a much more M1-like side profile on the hull (disregarding the running gear). See here and here.
 
By MajMike on January 17, 2007 8:44 AM
..as for the worthiness of the trailer, the key is to look at the nice structural members (look around for the "Turner" logo down there). that one there will handle it. my eyeball is guessing at a center of balance for that load being just a hair behind the #2 roadwheel, (rough line of where the #2 support roller lies). it's an interesting job of blocking/bracing/tie down, but sufficient for a full weight armor vehicle, so i'm doubtful that any significant pieces are missing in order to lighten the load.
 
By J.M. Heinrichs on January 17, 2007 12:32 PM
AMX-30, which was in rpoduction c.1966-79. It was followed by the AMX-30B2 which mounted an improved main gun (APFSDS) and a Fire Control Computer. This one has the original cross-turret optical rangefinder and the mounting for the large IR searchlight to the right of the gun. On the gun's left was a coax 20mm cannon which elevated to 45deg, with which to greet helicopters. The tank was exported widely, inluding Spain which had a co-production agreement. Aside from the coax 20mm, the original AMX-30 had a single main gun round, the Obus-G. Intended as a multi-purpose round, it was a shape-charge warhead 'suspended' on axial bearings in a rotating shell body. Cheers
 
By Karla (threadbndr) on January 17, 2007 12:59 PM
Headed for one of the mil museums here? If it were aircraft I'd guess the Air Museum in Topeka at the old Forbes AFB (shameless plug, I know *G*). There's a bit of armor at the ANG museum here, too, but it's all US issue as far as I know. Hutch has all space stuff, to the best of my knowledge.... Of course there are all the static displays at Fort Riley.
 
By Oldloadr on January 17, 2007 1:19 PM
To answer your question, Joh: There is a huge Iraqi military equipment grave yard in Taji. I've been around it several times and never saw anything that wasn't desert tan...
 
By MajMike on January 17, 2007 4:31 PM
to paraphrase someone famous whose name happens to escape me: "the only green Iraqi tanks i ever saw were dead ones." heh. ..and yes, they were green-ish, somewhat scorched, but positively green-ish.
 
By BillT on January 17, 2007 6:58 PM
Aaaaaaand the -40's got six road wheels. Which my flash card *doesn't* depict. Durned lowest-bidder graphics...
 
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