![]() ![]() To the right of the main armament there is a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun. The 75 mm APFSDS-T round is designated the XM885 and has armour penetration characteristics equivalent to the 105 mm APFSDS M774. The 75 mm ARES cannon is fed from an automatic magazine holding 60 rounds of APFSDS and multi-purpose ammunition and when used for indirect fire has a maximum range of 12000 m. The main armament consists of a 75 mm ARES cannon mounted in the centre of the hull behind the crew. Between the driver and commander/gunner, in the upper part of the glacis plate, is the hull-mounted auxiliary sight. Both crew members have a single piece hatch cover that opens outwards and has three integrated periscopes. The hull of the RDF/LT is made of all-welded aluminium armour with the driver sitting at the front of the hull on the left and the commander/gunner to his right. ![]() The RDF/LT was never seriously considered by the US Army because they wanted any so called "light tank" to mount the same cannon as was fitted to most modern main battle tanks. The last version was a combined antiarmor and antiair fitted with two pods that carried four Stinger missiles each. The second version had only a crew of two with both in the hull and the turret unmanned. It had a crew of three with one in the hull and two in the turret. ![]() The first two color photo shows the first model. Three versions of the RDF/LT with the ultra modern full auto 75mm cannon were developed. AAI claimed that 75mm cannon could defeat modern main battle tanks by hitting them with a five round burst in the same area of the armor. The nexts version was fitted with an AAI developed cannon that fired caseless telescoping 75mm rounds that could be fired in burst and had an extreme elevation for engaging slow moving aircraft or helicopters. The first RDF/LT shown in the brochure was fitted with a high velocity 76mm cannon similar to the one fitted to the M-41 Walker Bulldog. The Rapid Deployment/Light Tank was developed by AAI Corporation to meet a specification requested by the US Army in 1980. ![]()
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