M8 Armored Gun System
The M8 Armored Gun System (AGS), sometimes known as the Buford, is an American light tank that was intended to replace the M551 Sheridan and TOW missile-armed Humvees in the 82nd Airborne Division and 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (2nd ACR) of the U.S. Army respectively.
| M8 Armored Gun System | |
|---|---|
M8 AGS at Aberdeen Proving Ground | |
| Type | Light tank |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Production history | |
| Designer | FMC Corporation/United Defense LP/BAE Systems |
| Designed | From 1983 |
| Manufacturer | FMC/United Defense/BAE Systems |
| Produced | 1995, 2020 |
| No. built | 6 AGS pilots, 1 austere prototype, ≥11 MPF |
| Specifications (M8 AGS) | |
| Mass | 36,900 to 39,800 lb (16,740 to 18,050 kg) (level 1 armor) 44,000 to 44,270 lb (19,960 to 20,080 kg) (level 2) 52,000 lb (23,590 kg) (level 3) |
| Length | 261 in (6.64 m) (level 1 hull + gun forward), 242 in (6.14 m) (level 1 hull only) |
| Width | 104 in (2.64 m) (over fenders) |
| Height | 100 to 101 in (2.54 to 2.57 m) (over cupola) |
| Crew | 3 (commander, gunner, driver) |
| Elevation | +20° / -10° (depression limited over rear arc) |
| Armor | Welded 5083 aluminum alloy |
Main armament | M35 105 mm caliber soft recoil rifled gun (31 rounds) |
Secondary armament | 7.62 mm coaxial M240 (4,500 rounds) .50 cal. commander's M2 Browning (600 rounds) |
| Engine | Detroit Diesel 6V 92TA 550 hp (410 kW) at 2,400 rpm (JP-8 fuel), 580 hp (430 kW) at 2,400 rpm (diesel) |
| Power/weight | 28.3 hp/ST (23.3 kW/t) (Level I) |
| Transmission | General Electric HMPT-500-3EC |
| Suspension | Torsion bar |
| Ground clearance | Up to 17 in (430 mm) |
| Fuel capacity | 150 US gal (570 L; 120 imp gal) |
Operational range | 300 mi (480 km) |
| Maximum speed | Road: 45 mph (72 km/h) |
The M8 AGS began as a private venture of FMC Corporation, called the Close Combat Vehicle Light (CCVL), in 1983. The Army began the Armored Gun System program to develop a mobile gun platform that could be airdropped. By 1992, the AGS was one of the Army's top priority acquisition programs. The service selected FMC's CCVL over proposals from three other teams. The service sought to purchase 237 AGS systems to begin fielding in 1997.
The Army canceled the M8 AGS program in 1996 over the objections of Congress and the Department of Defense, due to the service's budgetary constraints. The Sheridan was retired without a true successor. The AGS never saw service, though the 82nd Airborne sought to press the preproduction units into service in Iraq. The AGS was unsuccessfully marketed for export and was reincarnated for several subsequent U.S. Army assault gun/light tank programs. United Defense LP proposed the AGS as the Mobile Gun System (MGS) variant of the Interim Armored Vehicle program in 2000, but lost out to the General Motors–General Dynamics' LAV III, which was type classified as the Stryker M1128 Mobile Gun System. BAE Systems offered the AGS system for the Army's XM1302 Mobile Protected Firepower requirement, but lost to the General Dynamics Griffin II—later type classified as the M10 Booker—in 2022.