- Yes
- No
Introduction
Between 1949 and 1958 various trials were undertaken by the Australian Army for a WW2 Jeep replacement, with a final face-off in 1958 between a Land Rover Series 2 88 inch wheelbase, M38A1, Austin Gypsy, CJ-3 Jeep and a locally built Freighters vehicle. The result of these trials saw the Land Rover Series 2 selected and entering service in 1959.
In 1962 trials were undertaken for an anti-armour version. This unique to Australia version mounted an M40A1 106mm recoilless rifle (the same we find on numerous vehicles already in War Thunder). With the success of the trials, conversions began taking place in 1963, with a total of 69 units produced, 24 Series 2 and 45 Series 2A.
Some of the primary modifications included beefing up the chassis and suspension to handle the extra weight of the gun, removal of the windscreen to be replaced with two small screens to allow the gun to mount in a fixed forward position during transport, a 106mm M40A1 rifle mounted on a pintle in the rear with a 0.50cal ranging gun. The vehicle would carry a crew of 4, driver, gunner, loader and commander. Power comes from a petrol 2.3L with 77hp at 4250rpm. Weight would be somewhere just under 1.5 tonnes depending on the kit carried. Top speed is not something I have been able to find specifically for the Gun Buggy, however with the added weight and given a standard Series 2 appears to be capable of just over 100km/hr, it’d lie somewhere in the 80-100km/hr range I think.
They would operate in pairs usually in shoot n scoot tactics. Their high maneuverability and small size allowed them to get in position and ambush enemies without being noticed. After firing the practice was to get the hell out of there. Having no armour and being a prime target for opposing forces, as well as firing being a dead giveaway to position due to the sound and likely dust kicked up by the blast force.
The Gun Buggy saw a very long service, with the last one being withdrawn from service in the 1990s. It saw service in Vietnam, and numerous field modifications took place including swapping out the gun for heavy machine guns and even a MILAN missile launcher, which is the topic of this suggestion.
While serving with the 5/7th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, this special modification of the Gun Buggy removed the 106mm and mounted a MILAN launcher on a pole in its place. As seen in the photo below, an ammunition storage rack is mounted on the back of the vehicle which appears to provide for an additional 4 missiles. I could also imagine there being room for 2-4 extra missiles on the floor around the base of the launcher.
Additionally we have a MAG 58 machine gun mounted on a pintle on the passenger’s side of the windscreen. The MILAN itself is a French-German ATGM we have already seen on a few vehicles, for quick reference I’ll include a link to its War Thunder Wiki here.
It is likely only one of these conversions were ever produced.
Specifications
Spoiler
Mass: Up to 1.5 tonnes
Crew: 4 (Gunner, Driver, Loader, Commander)
Armour: None, structural steel
Main Armament: MILAN 1 ATGM Launcher
Secondary Armament: MAG 58 Machine Gun
Gun Traverse: 360 degrees
Engine: 2.3L Petrol, 77hp @ 4250rpm
Top Speed: 80-100km/hr
Additional Photo
Spoiler
Sources