Panhard AML 60-20 (MG151), Forgotten by France

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caid’s suggestion #193

I want to suggest an interesting light armored car, the AML 60-20 MG151


The AML 60 is the first AML variant to have been produced. design to provide light fire support to the colonial territory, notably in North Africa, it carries a low velocity 60mm mortar gun. this is specifically adapted to fight in mountainous areas and hit targets behind cover. while been coming a bit late, it was still used in Africa by France with 425 AML-60 in the French services. this configuration was also adapted to the Eland. the AML-60 was a huge success on the export market as well with nearly 4000 vehicles built and exported to various countries. mostly to Africa. produced in 1960, it was used in France during the Algerian War. fighting in the Airborn, Naval, and Mountains units, it performed very well in fighting the insurgents and guerillas against which it was designed. the vehicle was a low-cost and very light support vehicle that did not require a lot of maintenance and provided accurate light artillery support close to the fight. the gun is capable of firing in direct fire with good effectiveness at up to 500m and firing HEAT rounds against armored targets. the gun features a large selection of rounds and is capable of using any 60mm mortar rounds as long the breech can take the pressure. this vehicle proved to be quite effective for his mobility and fire-support which is one of the reasons it was so successful. the French AML-60 was replaced by the ELC Sagaie in the French army in the late 70s. as for today. a few hundred AML-60 is still in service by various countries. they might be slightly different such as the AML-60-7, AML-60-12, and AML-60-20 which differ mainly by the coaxial armament. they are often in service alongside the AML-90 which was produced in smaller numbers but has a longer service time. about 90% of the AML-60 are out of service.
this suggestion focuses on the AML 60-20 (Mg151). this version was an upgrade created for the export market and domestic during the initial introduction of the AML series. the turret was slightly modified over the original AML 60-12 to carry a 20mm Mg151 auto-cannon. this version was packing more firepower to deal with the insurgents. the auto-cannon having APHE round could in theory, prove very effective against infantry hiding in a building (just imagine the havoc 20mm APHE can deal to a wall when someone tries to hide behind). this version was accepted to the French services but wasn’t produced or didn’t see services in France. The French army just added it to their inventory list as an option to order if they found the need for it. however, this never happened. most likely due to the supplies issue a new 20mm auto-cannon was added when you do not have any in service anywhere else. this version also carries less than 60mm ammunition which makes this version less effective in its main role. besides, the 12.7mm version was also having more punch. but this version still saw a small success in the international market, having exported a few to Iraq.

Firepower
this suggestion focuses on the AML 60-20 which features a 60mm Motar and a 20mm coaxial. the main armament is the 60mm breech-loaded CM60A1 Hotchkiss Brandt model HB 60 (or just CM60A1 for short) which is a low-pressure mortar with a rather low range of 2600m in indirect fire. this might seem bad but it is quite effective in mountainous terrain where it’s common to find ambushes, foxholes, and various guerillas hiding in the difficult terrain. the rounds have a low velocity of 192 m/sec which is very small. it offers a variety of standard rounds including HE, HEAT, Smoke, Canister, and Illumination. it can also fire any standard 60mm mortar rounds that do not require high pressure. the HEAT round is interesting by its penetration of 200mm which makes this tank capable of fighting other vehicles in the game. the fire rate is 10 rounds per minute which is not that impressive. the main gun can elevate from -11° to +76°. The coaxial has an independent elevation of -11° to +50°. the 20mm can fire AP, HE (I will let Gaijin decide which rounds it wants to have) and can have a penetration reaching 40mm at close range. the fire-rate of the autocannon is 750 rounds per minutes and has a velocity of a bit over 1000 m/sec. the turret can turn on 360° at the speed of 18° sec. 39 rounds for the 60mm is carried and 500 for the 20mm. the optic offers a zoom of 5x which is okay for the velocity of the gun. A roof-mounted AA52 can be installed with 1000 rounds carried inside the vehicle.

Mobility
the AML-60-20 has a higher mobility. a fair bit better than the AML-90 due to the fact it’s 600 kg lighter. As the vehicle is very light and has a rather weak engine, this difference is huge for mobility, particularly for acceleration. hosting a Panhard modèle 4 HD 4-cylinder engine offering 90 hp, it weighs only 4.9 tonnes which gives it a power-weight of 18.37 hp/ton. The Greabox offers 4 synchronized forward gears and 1 reverse. all 4 wheels are powered. this will make the AML-60 capable of reaching its top speed more easily and accelerating faster than the other AML which I am believing it to be the lightest capable of being added to the game. the top speed of 90 km/h on the road will make this armored car a rather funny vehicle to play.

Protection
the protection of the AML is always the weakest feature it has. the AML are designed to be light and the armour is reduced to the minimum. having just enough protection for the small arms, it will easily be taken out by anything of a caliber larger than 9mm. the crew of 3 men is also offering low survivability for the game. the AML 60 is not having any special active protection. it does not have a smoke launcher. it can cover his maneuver by using his smoke rounds from the 60mm if needed. the vehicle is rather compact and easy to conceal. the high mobility also allows it to sneak around early and surprise the enemy. but this always depends on the player’s tactics.

Sources

Satory booklet


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