T18 Boarhound: A 30-Ton Armored Car

The T18 Boarhound was a beast of a vehicle, weighing in at 30 tons. It was an armored car designed for reconnaissance and infantry support.

Its massive size and weight made it a formidable presence on the battlefield. The T18 Boarhound was over 21 feet long and 8 feet wide.

Despite its size, the T18 Boarhound was surprisingly mobile, thanks to its powerful 9-cylinder radial engine. The engine produced 250 horsepower, giving the vehicle a top speed of 45 miles per hour.

The T18 Boarhound is a formidable robot designed for reconnaissance and combat missions. It's a large robot, weighing over 4,000 pounds, but its size and weight are necessary for its intended tasks.

Its size and weight also impact its design, with a focus on durability and ruggedness. The T18 Boarhound is built to withstand harsh environments and extreme temperatures.

The robot's design allows it to operate in a variety of settings, from urban to wilderness environments. Its advanced sensors and cameras enable it to gather intelligence and conduct surveillance.

The T18 had several variants developed during its production. The original version, T18, featured a 37 mm gun.

One of these variants, T18E1, was a six-wheeled version of the original. Unfortunately, its development was canceled.

Another variant, T18E2, boasted a more powerful 57 mm gun.

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The T18E2 was a heavily armoured car designed with a focus on protection and firepower. It was a heavy 8x8 suspension armoured car.

The original design featured a 37 mm anti-tank cannon, but this was soon upgraded to a 57 mm anti-tank cannon in the T18E2 variant. This upgrade significantly improved the vehicle's capabilities.

The T18E2's 57 mm M1 cannon benefited from a single-plane stabilizer, providing a more stable shooting platform after moving. This made it a formidable opponent on the battlefield.

The vehicle's armour was designed to withstand significant damage, with the ability to absorb 37 mm and even 50 mm fire. This made it a highly survivable platform in combat.

The T18E2's poor off-road capability was a significant drawback, with its mobility suffering in rough terrain, mud, or water obstacles.

In July 1941, the United States Army Ordnance Corps issued specifications for a heavy armored car, which would eventually become the T18 Boarhound.

The prototype was developed in 1942 by the Yellow Coach Company, a large 8x8 vehicle with four front wheels used for steering.

Thick armor brought the weight to 26 tons, about the same as contemporary medium tanks.

Initial armament consisted of a 37 mm gun M6 in a turret with a coaxial .30 inch machine gun and another .30 inch MG in the bow mount.

The 37 mm gun's anti-tank performance was insufficient, so the production version, the T18E2, received the 57 mm gun M1.

The British Army placed an order for 2,500 units, but only 27 were delivered to North Africa due to high production costs and poor cross-country performance.

The T18 was never used widely in combat, but a few were used by defending bases of operation in North Africa and even took part in convoy operations.

Late in 1942, orders were issued for eight Boarhounds to be assigned to the Eighth Army, which used them sparingly as supporting armored vehicles and in reconnaissance roles.

The only surviving vehicle is displayed in The Tank Museum, Bovington, United Kingdom.

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The T18 Boarhound is a beast of a robot, with some impressive specs to back it up. It has a top speed of 30 km/h and can climb a 1.2-meter wall.

Its size is substantial, with a length of 1.5 meters and a width of 0.9 meters. It's not exactly the most agile robot, but it's designed for heavy-duty tasks.

The T18E2 is a heavy armoured car that prioritizes protection over mobility. Its hull is solidly protected from heavy machine guns and artillery shrapnel.

However, most opponents at this battle rating can easily penetrate it. The transmission located under the floor armour is particularly vulnerable to damage from artillery.

A well-placed APHE round can knock out all five crew members in the vehicle. But the crew's position above an armoured floor makes it difficult for shots to the lower glacis to penetrate.

The vehicle's armour is composed of different materials, including cast homogeneous armour, rolled homogeneous armour, and structural steel.

Here's a breakdown of the T18E2's armour:

The turret ring armour is 25 mm thick, providing additional protection for the crew. The floor armour is only 10 mm thick, but the suspension mounting is reinforced with 13 mm of armour underneath the vehicle.

The T18E2's mobility is quite sluggish, especially in RB/SB mode. It's a significant drawback compared to other armoured cars.

Its top speed is listed at 80 km/h, but in reality, most drivers will only see up to 65 km/h on paved roads and 39 km/h cross country, depending on the terrain. You'll notice a big difference between the listed speed and what you can actually achieve on the battlefield.

The T18E2 has a low power-to-weight ratio of 10.42 hp/ton, which makes it take a long time to reach its top speed, even on straight roads. This means you'll need to plan your routes carefully to avoid getting caught in vulnerable positions.

Here's a comparison of the T18E2's mobility in different game modes:

The T18E2's reverse speed is actually quite high, at -36 km/h, but its acceleration is still sluggish, making it take some time to reach this speed.

The main armament of this vehicle is equipped with a 57 mm M1 gun, which is a significant upgrade from earlier models. This gun has a high firing rate, especially in arcade mode.

In arcade mode, the 57 mm M1 gun has a capacity of 64 rounds and can be reloaded at a rate of 17.1 seconds. It also has a vertical turret rotation speed of -10°/+20° and can rotate horizontally by ±180°.

The reloading rate is significantly faster in arcade mode compared to realistic mode. In realistic mode, it takes around 18 seconds to reload the gun.

Here's a breakdown of the turret rotation speeds and reloading rates in both arcade and realistic modes:

The gun's stabilizer is also worth noting, as it plays a crucial role in maintaining accuracy during movement. In arcade mode, the gun is stabilized in both vertical and horizontal directions.