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  • 11/05/2017 at 23:08 #61848
    Avatar photoirishserb
    Participant

    About a million years ago (circa 1994 maybe), I remember reading about a proposal to convert Spanish (I think) M41 light tanks into TOW ATGM vehicles by replacing the gun turret with a version of the ITV TOW missile turret.  I believe they were to have a slightly raised front hull/superstructure area to receive the ITV turret.  Does anyone know if any of these were actually built/converted?

    I’ve done a few searches, but am not finding anything, and am just curious if the project ever came to anything.

    Thanks,

    irishserb

    12/05/2017 at 00:42 #61849
    Avatar photoJemima Fawr
    Participant

    Ooo, I’ve not heard of that one.  Are you sure that they weren’t referring to the M41 targeting system that’s now bolted to it?

    My wargames blog: http://www.jemimafawr.co.uk/

    12/05/2017 at 03:42 #61850
    Avatar photoirishserb
    Participant

    Okay, I found my original source after a bit of a search. In Jane’s Light Tanks and Armored Cars by Christopher Foss, 1984, pg 141 in the M41 section, it mentions that half of the Spanish M41 fleet, or 90 vehicles were going to be converted by Talbot to ITV TOW vehicles called a Cazador.  The vehicle carried 12 total missiles, and a 7.62mm MG.  A V8 Detroit Diesel replaced the original engine.  A single photo is shown, and the text says that the ITV version was preferred to a single prototype featuring a Euromissile HOT installation, but no photo of that version.  I did a search for Cazador and found the following pix, scroll about 60 percent of the way down and there appears to be three photos of the actual vehicle:

    https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=AwrBT9ayHRVZQKEAumZXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEzMXBobHNmBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDVUkwMkM0XzEEc2VjA3Nj?p=cazador+tow&fr=yfp-t

    Still can’t find any evidence that it served or that more than one or two were made.

    12/05/2017 at 04:45 #61852
    Avatar photoirishserb
    Participant

    Continuing my search, I have found that it may have been designated M41E and is known as TUA Cazador.  This forum has more photos:

    http://www.network54.com/Forum/385039/thread/1220205587/Fotos+del+M41+E+TUA+Cazador

    From what I can gather, only a single prototype ended up being built, so it looks like a dead end.  According to an IPMS forum, the prototype is/was at a proving ground in Toledo.

    12/05/2017 at 10:07 #61862
    Avatar photoIain Fuller
    Participant

    I like the look of that. Might pop up in one of my Alt-History armies, would be quite easy to kit-bash in 6mm I think.

    Cheers.

    12/05/2017 at 20:10 #61919
    Avatar photoPatG
    Participant

    Nice find.

    Another odd version was the M8 Tow used by Colombia. Conversion by Napco.

    13/05/2017 at 00:56 #61920
    Avatar photoJemima Fawr
    Participant

    Fantastic!  Good find!  🙂

    My wargames blog: http://www.jemimafawr.co.uk/

    13/05/2017 at 02:04 #61922
    Avatar photoirishserb
    Participant

    Love that M8 conversion, stumbled into it maybe a year ago, and have been trying to an excuse to work some into my fictional modern Africa game.

    13/05/2017 at 21:17 #61961
    Avatar photoPatG
    Participant

    For barely fictional vehicles, how about an ONTOWS? 😉

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