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TW

No, traverse was only 40 degrees left or right of center front.

Yes, it had a fording kit. See this linkField testing Ontos (Fording photo)

I have video of it in the surf, with water as high as the bottom of the top Recoilless Rifles.

Don

Man, I love all this Ontos material!


Jeff

Jeff

I've been fixated on this for several years.

I've had many discoveries lately that have gotten me pumped up.

Loose ends getting tied up, new material surfaces, and the restoration nears completion.

Life is good right now.

Don

- Tumbleweed

I have a couple of questions on the M50 Ontos. Did the turret (or is it cupola) rotate 360 degrees? Secondly, was it amphibious or did it have a deep-water fording kit? I've never seen photos of it in the water but since it's USMC it must have some kind of capabilities in the water. Thanks in advance!

Ask & ye shall recieve:

Heres a bonus 'Ontos' photo...

T 56 in action



Don

Neat shots.

'Captured' stills taken from video from the mid-50's during Onto development.

Don

I have a recollection that the 106 mm guns on the Ontos had a canister round, if so were they ever used in defense positions in Vietnam?

Paul T. Weaver
mumfordlibrarian

I think in Hunnicutt there may be a couple 'in-action' Vietnam shots of a Marine Ontos dug into a position behind barbed wire. I rather suspect it was used more often defensively than offensively.

And talk about fording, I did see in one shot an Ontos muffler pipe with an extension after the muffler can that took a hard turn straight up, extended between the gun mounts up to (and beyond?) the roof! Of course that's the Marines for you. They'd put deep fording muffler extensions on their lawnmowers if they could get the money to do it.

Great (though fuzzy) picture of the T56. Me and T56 were set up on a blind date not long ago. Make sure your AFV News subscription is paid-up if you're interested in seeing new scale plans of the thing

- mumfordlibrarian

I have a recollection that the 106 mm guns on the Ontos had a canister round, if so were they ever used in defense positions in Vietnam?

The Ontos was used in both endeavors. Although an excellent defensive vehicle, it saw considerable offensive experience both in Vietnam.

There is no cannister round but there was a beehive round used for anti-personnel.

Don

- mike_Duplessis

....And talk about fording, I did see in one shot an Ontos muffler pipe with an extension after the muffler can that took a hard turn straight up, extended between the gun mounts up to (and beyond?) the roof! Of course that's the Marines for you. They'd put deep fording muffler extensions on their lawnmowers if they could get the money to do it.

Great (though fuzzy) picture of the T56. Me and T56 were set up on a blind date not long ago. Make sure your AFV News subscription is paid-up if you're interested in seeing new scale plans of the thing

The fording kit includes two major pieces. An intake 'stack' which screws into the airfilter (under the front rightside decking) and the rear exhaust estension which runs from the muffler up along the contour of the rear hull.

I can do more 'captures' of T55,T56, or T165 if interested. The photo still of the T56 is from a scene where the soldier 'pile' out of the back of the vehicle in a simulated assault.

Don

Gratuitous Ontos photos...

Pretty sleek looking critter without all those recoilless rifle tubes cluttering up the picture!

David

Fantastic T56 screen captures. I suspect you're the only kid on your block with thos references!

Looking at them all I could think was "Whew, looks like i didn't f***-up my scale drawing after all!" When you do artwork off of limited references every subesquent bit of new material is another opportunity to show just how badly you misread the little you had.

Mike

".... WHO's YOUR DADDY!!!...."



(Just trying to help)

" Ontos History "

Don