Re: Advanced Guided Missile systems

You wrote: 

> tank was robust, reliable, >and air droppable. (though I've seen 
three burn in over the years. Was it the kind of tank you

That would be like the truck a buddy of mine was telling me about that 
ended up with an average height of 18" after it's chutes failed to 
open?  Ewwwww. . . 

>would want to go toe to toe with an M1A1 or a T80? No. Could it 
provide reliable support to an >airborne battalion? You bet.

But God help the crewman that thought it was a tank and tried to take a 
hit from, say, an RPG or something.  As a tank it was a POS.  When used 
as such in Vietnam it ended up with really bad reputation.  As a fire 
support vehicle for airborne units that aren't supposed to drop into 
Panzer Corps assembly areas (Field Marshal Montgomery's opinion to the 
contrary!), it's better than anything else that was available.

John M. Atkinson