M-50 Ontos: The Little Tank with 6 Cannons

[@Sideprojects]

To get a 1 year supply of Vitamin D + 5 individual travel packs FREE with your first purchase, go to athleticgreens.com/sideprojects

[@rexmann1984]

Disliked for limey pronunciation of vitamins. 😂🤣👍

[@slcpunk2740]

Perhaps a mint green Buick Skylark?

[@kieronparr3403]

I feel let down that you advertise this sht. You always talk about checking your ads first

[@michaelmayhem350]

@@kieronparr3403 fact boy has 2 kids now so he needs those paychecks

[@rexmann1984]

@@michaelmayhem350 kids need a good example to follow more than money. Besides he's a Brit it's not like they actually have to pay for stuff. He just needs to give the Queen a ring if he runs low on Cheerios.

[@kylelawernce9793]

I want to really thank you for making this video. My father trained on the Ontos when he was in the Marines. However before he could ship out with his ontos to Vietnam they began to pull them back State side. He believes his crew was one of the last crews trained for the Ontos. I showed him this video and he was so excited to hear about some one talking about his tank hunter. Thank you again

[@grapeshot]

The Thing was quite an interesting weapon system. I had a teacher that fought in the Battle of Hue. During the Vietnam War. He said they were real good when it came to demolishing buildings. Although he did say they were vulnerable to RPG fire.

[@brianartillery]

...And some poor sod had to nip outside to reload the 'Recoilless Rifles'...

[@samobispo1527]

@@brianartillery Yep. That's the difference between a tank or assault gun and a fire support vehicle. The modern analog is the 105mm gun Stryker. You definitely want to be ambushing tanks, blowing up bunkers, or reducing obstacles from a long distance with that thing.

[@brianartillery]

@@samobispo1527 - The WW2 Churchill 'Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers' (A.V.R.E.), had a turret mounted Petard spigot mortar. This fired a 40 pound 'flying dustbin' demolition charge. This was reloaded by the driver's mate/hull gunner, who had to stick his upper body through a specially modified sliding hatch, break the mortar, and manhandle a new forty pound projectile onto the spigot, and then re close the mortar. Often under heavy fire.

[@lorgaraurelian3392]

Pretty much everything needs to worry about RPGs.

[@tigerimschlamm2724]

They had to reload from outside true. I still think its a usefull piece of Equipment u use it rather like an Ambush vehicle or Infantry support. I got that thing in Warthunder the AP Shells penetrate 450mm. Tiger2 Frontplate? No Problem. T55? T62? T72? No Problem. But everything bigger than a Rifle round will mess up your Crew. 50cal shooting at you and youre Fucked. So hit, run, hide, hit again🤣

[@clydematt6731]

I was a Marine during Vietnam, my MOS was 0351, the flamethrower, 3.5 rocket and the 106 recoiled rifle. The ONTOS crew were 0352 MOS. The ONTOS also was a 106, not a 105. It was an actual rifle that allowed the backblast to escape out the breach. I wanted to transfer to them so that I could ride instead of walk, but that never happened. In Vietnam they were amazing as morale boosters. I seen them on roadblocks at bridges and supporting us grunts. They made us feel safe. It broke my heart when they were retired.

[@milanmaletic3997]

Ontos was factually 105mm, but bureaucratically 106mm. There were other recoilless rifles in 105mm whose ammo wasn't compatible with the rifles used on Ontos. To avoid confusion, rifles on Ontos were called "106mm". It's not an uncommon thing in logistics.

[@echo5delta]

Any Marine who used the 106 would never say 105 even if they technically were 105mm which I’ve never heard or seen that anywhere while I was in the Marines, It wasn’t even brought up for discussion! That .50cal spotting rifle was different, single shot with the plunger loader. Semper Fi

[@joetheplumber5781]

Thank you for your service!!

[@pulse3732]

@@echo5delta Yeah marines aren't usually smart enough to count lol

[@echo5delta]

@@pulse3732 yeah… if we were smart we wouldn’t do stuff no one else would ever do.. that’s why we have to notch our stocks to remember our body count! Haha

[@jlmraney2562]

I landed in Vietnam with the 2nd Bat. 1st Marines Ontos platoon in 1965. And spent the next 13 months with the Ontos. By the way, we had Chrysler V-8 motors, not GM. We had a three-man crew. Driver, vehicle commander, and loader. Lots of issues with the drive wheel bearings and ignition issues.

[@echo5delta]

During the 1st Battle of Fallujah the Ontos was almost brought back to service. We went and had to take inventory of every one that was on static display or museums and collected all the 106’s that avalanche crews still used out west (they now use 105mm howitzers) and they started putting reactive armor on one to see if it was going to work but then they upgraded the Abrams for urban warfare and it never got going.

[@sgtmyers88]

What a missed opportunity. I was just thinking a modern remake of the Ontos design as a small heavily armed tank would be perfect for urban warfare. The M1s are just too big for those close quarters as they often cannot traverse their turret as needed.

[@geodkyt]

There's a reason behind the discrepancy between the actual 105mm bore size of the 106mm recoilless rifle and the *nominal* bore size was intended to *avoid* confusion. The US Army had fielded a 105mm recoilless rifle (the M27, originally entered development during WWII, but put on hold when the war ended until T-34 tanks in Korea meant the Army suddenly needed a heavier weapon than the bazookas and WWII elveteran 57mm and 75mm recoilless rifles), and quickly found out it was unsuitable for service (both the gun design and the ammunition needed significant improvement), so a replacement gun (the M40) that used ammunition of the same 105mm bore size but wasn't interchangeable. So they designated the round as a "106mm" to avoid confusion with units potentially requisitioning the wrong ammo for the guns they were equipped with.

[@johnhobson9165]

The "spotting rifle" was not a machine gun. It was a single shot rifle firing a .50 tracer round. As Simon says, the problem with tracer rounds is that it not only shows where the service round is going, but also where it comes from.

[@geodkyt]

@@johnhobson9165 Um, what part of my comment were you addressing? I never even mentioned the spotting round... As for the issue with tracers giving away your position, there are two factors when discussing spotter rounds for a recoilless rifle: 1. Most spotter rounds *aren't tracers* - they make a pyrotechnic flash (and often a puff of smoke) when they hit. 2. Even if they *do* have tracers, it's pretty much irrelevant, as the gigantic flash and smoke from the backblast and muzzle blast will give away your position *FAR* more clearly and definitively when you fire the main gun a second later (or a couple of seconds, if the first spotting round missed). Frankly, even if the tank crew *notices* the tracer (they're a lot harder to see when your the target than when you're the shooter, or are off to the side, and tank commanders have a lot to keep track of when moving in a combat zone), they really don't have *time* to react before the recoilless rifle has launched it's antitank round. *THIS* is what a 106mm recoilless rifle being fired looks like: www.reddit.com/r/MilitaryPorn/comments/3l7bpc/clear_backblast_rok_army_soldiers_fire_a_106mm/?

[@johnhobson9165]

@@geodkyt I used to be an infantry officer in the army. I fired the 106 mm recoilless rifle, albeit only in training. I know you didn't mention the spotting rifle, so I did. I could have also mentioned the .30 caliber training round. I was actually thinking of seeing a .50 caliber machine gun at dusk which was firing a belt with every fifth round being a tracer. There was a solid line of red.

[@Kadeo-ms6qw]

@@johnhobson9165 so in other words you didn’t read their comment? Like at all?

[@johnhobson9165]

@@Kadeo-ms6qw I did read. I was ADDING to it, writing about the SPOTTING RIFLE, a subject that the previous comment didn't address. Clearly, you didn't bother reading MY comment.

[@garymicka9523]

Two comments: As a boy I had a model Ontos. A very cool possession. Second while visiting family in Colorado a train past by with flat bed cars carrying multiple Ontos. Having the model I was the only person who knew what they were, which gave me many cool points. TTFN

[@uprebel5150]

The man that built my house in The Upper Peninsula of Michigan served in the USMC during the Cuban Missile Crisis at Git-Mo was an Ontos crew member. It means "Thing" in Greek. He has glorious stories of his service, and of others during this very sensitive time in our nations history. I only found this out when I asked him where he got the name Ontos for his German Shepherd. A true American.

[@TheBoatPirate]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJ-xemiQepJ2sJY

[@loydevan1311]

Six, 106mm recoiless rifles. Had a fixed preferated cartridge case, with a fixed propellent charge that was not interchangeable with the 105mm artillery (which was another hot mama and a great asset to Marine infantry). You had to get out of lightly armored chassis to reload. (Bummer) Had a 'flachette' round. I believe that each round had 9,000 flachettes. Flachettes were the size of a 1.25 inch finishing nail with 4 wings. Anti-tank round was great especially against bunkers. Wicked back blast. Mounted a .50 cal or .30 cal machine gun that was a real great stable platform to fire from in defense or support. Saw 2 deployed w our Company in support of each other.. Go just about anywhere. Maintenance friendly. Very forgiving. Excellent traffic ability for Vietnam. 👍 Great milage. A real sweetheart 💓.

[@Malcolm-tv9bw]

The Army started the project that would result in the Ontos. It was to be a family of armored vehicles,a tank destroyer,APC and a prime mover. After the prototype was made the Army said "no way" and passed on it. The Marines said "we want it".

[@chrisdupreez6281]

I love the idea of the clever people planning to mount it on a vehicle....by the time it get to the Infantry you will ALWAYS find people that want to man-handle it. A four man team used to run a mile with that thing as the final qualification on the 106mm R/R. I still have nightmares about it.

[@huasohvac]

I remember doing PT on Aberdeen proving grounds and running by a lot on the base that had a bunch of tanks. One was the Ontos. Weirdest thing I ever saw. But its just cool they have these things just sitting there.

[@gundam2jimmy]

The Fat Electrician gives a phenomenal description of this. The fact that the Vietcong actually feared this thing so much they went out of their way to avoid it says all you need to know. The most effective weapon is one the enemy refuses to fight against.

[@ROMAQHICKS]

My experience with Allis-Charmers is a farming tractor we had on family's our ranch. It is nearly 50 years old and runs great. I never knew they made military equipment.

[@jonathanreese6892]

I had a grandpa that work at Allis-Charmers. They made a lot of things from tractor to steam turbines even parts for the early space program

[@mikeyoung9810]

Many civilian companies were recruited to build war materials during ww2.

[@ROMAQHICKS]

@@jonathanreese6892 Actually now that you mention that, I do recall that they made parts for boosters or something like that.

[@colin3387]

What model of Allis? My uncle uses one for antique tractor pulls

[@rwaitt14153]

Allis-Chalmers made all kinds of stuff. They were a major US heavy manufacturer. For example, the turbines at the Hoover Dam and also Aswan Dam in Egypt and many others were made by them. They did full generator sets too and many of those are still around. Also, I got a 1962 D-17. Industrial model with the gas engine and the Henry Mk IV backhoe and TS1000 loader. Odd duck that. All the hydraulics are made by Cessna. Yes, that Cessna. It's got this rotary actuator thing to swing the boom rather than rams. It's super weird/cool but mostly weird.

[@Bronco46tube]

I am glad to see Ontos remembered! My best friend Lance Corporal Donald L. Winckler was a crewman on one of these things while I was serving in the Army. He and another Lance Corporal were killed by friendly fire. There was an 81mm short round that hit nearby. I still remember seeing horror films with him in the small-town movie theater in town. "Lest We Forget"

[@InvestmentJoy]

My dad said between these, gun trucks and f4 phantoms, they were the best weapons we had during the war. Said he watched more than a few ontos obliterate the side of a mountain

[@infernotyphoon]

Look. Here's the slum lord again

[@infernotyphoon]

I've heard from a few sources he's a slum lord

[@yagami1134]

@Karl Bush it was a good carrier based aircraft But as a attacker was a joke

[@foxxy46213]

bit pants at the beginning an lack of gun made it pretty shit but a gun pod an a few choice fixes was very potent an well loved it cud just pull away from almost anything flying

[@craigkdillon]

@Karl Bush That was definitely not the opinion at the time. Originally a Navy plane, it got adopted by the Army and Marines, too. Original, it did not have a gun. That was quickly corrected. It was big, fast, heavy, and could take punishment. I believe it was the most popular plane among pilots in the war, until the F-15 came along.

[@robertramlrez8566]

They were also sent to Japan to their Civil Defense Force and some went to the US Forestry Department . Marines weren't just taken front any jobs and thrown into Ontos. They went to a formal school for the 0353 MOS and stayed in that field. Delmar at Camp Pendleton, CA was one of the schools.

[@craigkdillon]

As a child, I got a model of the Ontos. I loved it. ALL THOSE GUNS! ! ! At 9yo, I thought this must be the baddest thing on the battlefield. What do you expect?? I was 9 yo.

[@Jreb1865]

I had one too, about the same age.... Loved it..lol

[@ryanduffy5301]

A cheapish, lightly armored and fast 5 and a half ton machine, capable of taking out MBT's I'd say is while not perfect, is a pretty damn well efficient weapon!

[@BatCaveOz]

They weighed 9 tonnes.

[@ryanduffy5301]

@@BatCaveOz he literally states how many pounds they weigh in the video. A ton is 2000 lbs, no?

[@Timmytheman.]

That's insanely light ​@@BatCaveOz

[@WAL_DC-6B]

Renwal made a nice 1/32 scale plastic model kit of the M-50 Ontos back in the day.

[@tomm1968]

In Vietnam, the USMC 3rd Anti-Tank Battalion experimented with mounting a searchlight on top of one Ontos. My father was the Bttn Maintenance Officer at the time, and somewhere on the internet there exists a picture of this beast with my father sitting on the front slope plate. If anyone has a copy of that picture, or knows where I can find it, please let me know.

[@williamkuhns2387]

One of the types of specialty rounds the Ontos used were anti-personel "flechette" rounds like a giant shotgun firing fin-stabilized steel darts to penetrate thick forest cover.

[@edbecka233]

The flechettes do not leave the muzzle like shotgun pellets. They are in a soft matrix surrounding a bursting charge contained in a shell. The fuse of the projectile, when it strikes something, initiates the bursting charge which propels the flechettes and shell fragments in an omnidirectional cloud.

[@black.baron_angel]

Tank Expert here. Before I say anything, I'd like to say that I really like when you do stuff for tanks and ground vehicles. There are some little inaccuracies here or there, but the detail and research you put into these _far_ outweigh them. Armoured vehicle development has always been fascinating to me, so I wanna tank you for these AFV videos. Pre-VIdeo Comment: So, the Ontos has always been interesting to me. In field reports, for what it was for, it "worked well". Was it practical? No, not in the slightest, but it was tiny with big gun x6, so you can't really complain about lacking firepower. _Reloading it, though...._

[@TheBoatPirate]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJ-xemiQepJ2sJY

[@rstelzer2928]

As an FO I got to see the fire fights from a unique perspective, and nothing was more awe inspiring than the Ontos leading a battalion assault on a fortified position at night. Never seen any fireworks displays worthy of comparison, even though they still give me the shivers.

[@Jreb1865]

Terrific episode! The Ontos has always been one of my favorite armored vehicles since I was a kid and I built a plastic model of it.. I also used to have a round for the spotter rifles on top of the main guns. It was a .50 cal. round, with the casing about half the normal length, and the tip painted silver...

[@duanesamuelson2256]

I haven't ever bothered looking it up to confirm but I believe the .50 cal spotting round has the same case relationship between it and an M2 round as a 7.62 and a .30-06.

[@Jreb1865]

@@duanesamuelson2256 I had a spotting round at one time.As I wrote, the casing was about half the normal .50 cal. case length, but knock yourself out...

[@duanesamuelson2256]

@@Jreb1865 the spotting round for a 106 is the M-48A1 The spotter tracer version is the M-48A2. The M- 48 A1 is red and silver. The only reason I had any interest in the round was that the case dimensions would allow a shorter action than a .50 BMG. Shorter case less taper and steeper shoulders. I never said that you are mistaken just that the comparison between the .50 BMG case and the M-48 case is interesting since they share a similar relationship as the .30-06 and the 7.62 cases.

[@Jreb1865]

@@duanesamuelson2256 I believe the A-1 tip (smoke) is silver and the A-2 tip (smoke + tracer) is silver, then red...My interest in them is because of the spotter rifles inclusion as a Class 3 AOW. There is a handful of them registered, but don't bring big money because of the odd ammo...

[@duanesamuelson2256]

@@Jreb1865 I'll take your word on it..though I believe that the A2 is red then silver (It's been years since I've seen them).

[@anonemus2971]

There is one in Indiana at an old WWII base called Camp Atterbury that is used as a NG training base . There is a small outdoor historical vehicle park. One is on display there but has no marker to describe what it is. I'm guessing they reason is they don't know what it is. The thing is tiny.

[@richardchisholm2073]

There is a good accounting of use of the Ontos in the book, '30 Days Has September' by James Strauss. I believe it is on Amazon. How about a piece on the M551 Sheridan? Or maybe the M114 Armored Recon vehicle. Both served well for the US though outclassed.

[@slate613]

Fun Fact: The Ontos was revived in the tabletop game Battletech and was actually a rather mean tank. Granted, it also weighs 95 tons in the game!

[@rangerdrakeson]

Came here to say the same. The lore on the unit is that the designer was a military history buff, flipped to a random page, and low and behold, it was the Ontos.

[@sgtmyers88]

The C&C Generals Mod Tiberian Dawn Redux also has it. Reworked as a scout/AA vehicle.

[@Orinslayer]

@@rangerdrakeson that odd moment when the lore is the same as how the game designer created something 🤔

[@leeroyloke8415]

Armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) designed for airborne units really present interesting design considerations. I fact, could you consider doing either a Sideprojects or Megaprojects video relating to the history AFVs designed for airborne/air-droppable operations? So far, I think the only countries which developed and deployed more successful and advanced designs than the M-50 Ontos would the USSR/Russia (the BMD-series), Germany (the Wiesel-series) and China (heavily based on the Russian BMD-series). What was interesting was the USSR/Russian airborne units were designed to be mostly or wholly mechanised (which meant their own personal family of vehicles and weapon systems designed to be air-droppable with the paratroopers). The latest variants of the Russian BMD-series are designed to be paradropped with their crews/passengers still riding inside them!

[@andypanda4927]

A cousin of mine, dread from cancer related to Agent Orange was told, was a Imagine in Nam. Had some photos of this little beast. Said it was handy clearing jungle shooting at you. He was interesting to hear stories from.

[@Wastelandman7000]

Good video. From what I've heard (reading David Drake's accounts in some Hammer's Slammer's compilations I have) the light armor problem was shared by a lot of cavalry armor as well. Both APCs and tanks couldn't stand up to heavy MG fire. And RPGs would ruin their day. Also the soil composition was insanely hard on tracked vehicles as it got into the joints in the tracks and would cause track failure eventually. They spent a lot of time fixing tracks. But that was the only way of pushing armor in the jungle mud.

[@richdubbya]

Interesting video. My father was an ONTOS gunner when he served. Marines.. And in the Tet Offensive.. He liked them. Only thing he hated about them was they were literally ovens on tracks from the jungle heat.

[@gilberthernandezjr9600]

I liked this video, I remember the Ontos very well. While I never saw one fire in combat, the crew were very proud of their ontos.

[@bodomchill]

While we are on the subject of small tanks you should check out the german Wiesel AWC - cute little tank with a 2.1 litre enginge and lots of firepower

[@jamiemezs9891]

I'm so glad you are using royal Measurement along with metric

[@tgmccoy1556]

I have a friend who was on a Ontos crew he loved it.

[@lairdcummings9092]

The Spotting Rifles fired a special, specific round that is NOT compatible with the M2 BMG. It is ballistically matched to the recoilless rifle, meaning that if you can hit with the rifle, the main gun is going to hit the same spot.

[@imimay16]

I have been looking for this vehicle forever, i remember seeing an episode of R. Lee Army's old show on the history channel that covered them as a kid and i couldnt remember anything besides how it looked and that it was used during vietnam

[@jamesallred460]

I've always liked the look of the Ontos. Sort of looks like it should be in Star Wars.

[@almitrahopkins1873]

It looks like a Soviet ZSU.

[@ollep9142]

When I did my military service I served in an antitank platoon trained to do exactly the same type of ambush hit and run for which the Ontos was designed. For me the Ontos must have been the very best equipment for that job ever produced! (We had to do with a towed recoilless gun.) The all too common mentioned "problem" of not being able to reload from the interior while in combat is laughable and just expose a lot of ignorance. The Ontos is a six-shooter, so if there's a need to reload during combat something has already gone horribly wrong. In a typical engagement (two or three Ontos against the lead elements of an advancing WP tank division) the time from first shot fired to disengaging and beginning a mile long tactical retreat is about FIVE SECONDS, definitely less than ten. (Move into cover before any of the tanks not hit shoot back, and leave the area to avoid the incoming artillery strike.) With the single gun we had we'd be lucky if there was time to reload and get a second shot off before we had to disengage. With six shots ready there's a good chance to shoot two or three of them within the time span available. Reloading is done BEFORE getting into position.

[@pyrrhusinvictus6186]

Army: "What can we do with this?" Marines: "What can't we do with this!"

[@ericmclean4118]

How about one on the M551 Sheridan light tank. The US haven't had many light tanks

[@701CPD]

I made the Renwal 1/32nd scale plastic model of the Ontos as a kid back in the early '60s.

[@keithbrown8093]

Around 1989 my tank company A Co 4th USMC Res found an Ontos back in the fields in Miramar California. They displayed it as you went into the base. The intent was to fix it up to working condition but I do not know if it was ever done. It was in great condition and only lacked the weapon systems.

[@andrewfischer8564]

i was recently watching The Lieutenant gene roddenberry... in the episode they were practicing loading the ontos onto a cargo plane. in the comments there was quite a bit of chatter about it from some of those that served with it... sorry i cant remember the episode but its here on yt

[@alexandrsoldiernetizen162]

Mo-rines in nam loved them to reduce zip head strong points.

[@asabovesobelow4180]

Seeing Simon do these ads is like watching Simon Cowell be nice to people.

[@bacarnal]

Oddly enough, during that time frame the Corps was also saddled with (tanks to the Army, again) what was, arguably, the biggest tank the US had fielded to that date. The M103 Heavy Tank using a 120mm rifled gun. Fired either HE, HEAT or a 60lb solid shot AP round. I know a TC whose M103 went to Bovington.

[@bigdaddy7119]

Yep, the M-103 is/was a massive tank. I have seen two of them (on static outside display) here locally. One where I used to work, and the other outside the VFW. After that VFW shut down, the one there disappeared and I don’t know where it went. They made the M-48/M-60 look small.

[@bacarnal]

@@bigdaddy7119 Yes, a massive tank. I saw one at Aberdeen several years ago. Wonder if it's still there. The casing for the gun was almost identical to the one used on the U.S. 120mm (4.7") AA Gun.

[@choprjock]

I had a 50's era plastic model of the Ontos, when I was a boy. It was so weird looking, it was cool. Even then though, I thought that having to get out of the vehicle to reload it, was not a job that I would want to have.

[@boondocker7964]

The 50 cal. spotting rifles were not "machine guns", they were semi-automatic spotting rifles. I've seen the Ontos shoot, in exercises on Vieques, they were not machine guns. Rode on Ontos as security on a patrol in Nam, they were not armed with 50 cal. "machine guns".

[@GraemePayne1967Marine]

The rounds were also different from the machine gun round. Although still 0.50 caliber, they were shorter than the MG round, had a different tracer color, and had an impact charge to create visible smoke on impact. It's weight and other characteristics were designed to very closely approximate the trajectory of the recoilless rifle projectile. [USMC 1967 - forever; Vietnam 1969-70.]

[@boondocker7964]

@@GraemePayne1967Marine Yeah, makes sense.

[@Luckiestof13]

.... so were they .50 cal machine guns?

[@boondocker7964]

@@Luckiestof13 Look up.

[@kreuzrittergottes9336]

Running into one of these in WT, in a heavy tank, is a sure sign youre gunna have a bad day.

[@johnkey994]

Yup... you often wont even realize until you see the killcam of your demise, because the "thing" was lurking in a sneaky corner, covered in bushes and just waiting for your uselessly heavy armor to lumber across the trajectory of six recoilless rifles, spewing HEAT rounds penetrating over 400 mm rha at a heartbeats rate. Rip t-54, cu in hangar is-3, gn Tiger II.

[@kreuzrittergottes9336]

@@johnkey994 I felt that description... I drive for 5 min in my tiger 2, meet no enemies, crest a hill, and a little mole about 300m from me launches 1, kills all but 2 of my crew, then launches again and I die, my 150mm sloped armor turns to butter.

[@MartinMundorf]

skipping the first 2 minutes improves viewing this video

[@robertmason8297]

As an Australian I would really like to hear your take on the F-111 Aardvark The forgotten strike bomber and first swing wing aircraft !!! We worshipped them down here especially for their "Dump & Burn"

[@peterjones4180]

They were scrapped more than a decade before their time to ensure we could not cancel the F35 order as we would then have painted ourselves into a corner.

[@michaelpipkin9942]

Can you please cover the competition between the YF-23 and the YF-22.

[@andersjjensen]

"Today's video sponsor is Soylent Green... Sorry, wrong channel. Thought I was on Into the Shadows for a sec there" --Factboi

[@DeliveryDemon]

There's also one at the Russell Military Museum in Illinois.

[@ernestbywater411]

Simon, a 'squat' is the slang word for a place belonging to someone else where you stay without permission, usually a place that was vacant when you started living there. The word 'squat' is short for 'squatter'

[@owenshebbeare2999]

The word has a few meanings.

[@ernestbywater411]

@@owenshebbeare2999 I know, but I just like to yank his chain every now and then. Especially when he gives me such a golden opportunity to do so, like he did this time.

[@spikespa5208]

And where is Khe Shan? 😁

[@roosebolton877]

The Museum of the American GI in College Station, Texas also has an Ontos on display

[@DerpyDaringDitzyDoo]

We almost had a little airdrop tank with a revolver style recoilless rifle. We were so close! It would have been so cool!

[@kenibnanak5554]

The M8C spotting rifle of the Ontos was not a .50 caliber machine gun. It used a shorter cartridge than did the M2 Browning .50 machine gun and the M8C, a gas operated weapon, was only capable of semi automatic fire. I am old enough to remember the Commandant of the USMC announcing the dropping of the Ontos. I believe it was actually in the 70s when I heard him mention that. Several nations used license built copies of the 106mm M50 recoiless rifle. Some still may. The problem with a 106 (105) mm shell is a hollow charge device usually gives a penetration of only about 1.5 times the diameter of the projectile. So with a 4" (105mm) diameter shell your maximum potential armor penetration from a hollow charge projectile is only 6". Many newer main battle tanks have more armor than that. Therefore the weapon is virtually useless against them. This is why many tanks today have guns of 120mm or larger size.

[@IsaacKuo]

In principle, the technique of aiming indirect fire by drone could revive the 106mm. By elevating the gun upward, the HEAT shell would be coming down onto the thinner top armor of a tank. The gun's relatively low muzzle velocity could be a good fit, as it allows a steep angle without taking too long for the shell to fall back to the ground. The point is, you could mount a recoilless rifle on a cheap lightweight platform, and using it for indirect fire helps mitigate the disadvantages (highly visible backblast effects, vulnerability of exposed crew).

[@TXRBL]

Saw some at Quantico near OCS. Wild looking little guys!

[@richardbuhr124]

Very interesting video and fascinating machine. The mention of mobility, firepower and limited crew space reminded me of a machine the South African Defence Force deployed during the Bush War, i.e. the Ratel 90 (6x6 90mm troop carier, lightweight anti-tank and landmine protected vehicle made for extreme conditions with 1000km range). Ratel is Afrikaans for Honey Badger, which is a pretty fitting name if you know anything about honey badgers :-) They are/were in service with the UN too.

[@cameronbooker445]

So how would a m42 duster compare? Much heavier but chassis was multipurpose. 500hp. and yes the quad AA gun was used in Vietnam against ground targets...

[@sgtmyers88]

This vehicle was crazy unique and cool. Looks like it belongs in a Command & Conquer game.

[@docsinclair4097]

The reason for "105mm" instead of 106 is because of the shells' different design with venting hole in the back, so they can't get mixed up. Firing "standard" shells in a recoilless gun kills said gun... and probably the shooter...

[@bob_the_bomb4508]

I don’t think you can actually fire a standard 105mm round from a recoilless gun.

[@docsinclair4097]

@@bob_the_bomb4508 maybe so, but naming it with "incorrect" diameter also prevents mixing up within the supply line. No good shooting with wrong ammo 😁

[@bob_the_bomb4508]

@@docsinclair4097 that’s absolutely correct. Something the Soviets introduced with their nomenclature after some wrong ammunition was delivered. Indeed the cap badge of the now amalgamated Royal Army Ordnance Corps showed three cannon with three different sized cannon balls, so apparently it’s a problem that’s been round a while :)

[@taffwob]

@@docsinclair4097 Indeed, the WW2 Comet tank had a "77mm" gun to avoid any supply confusion with the similar 17pdr rounds.

[@jasongleave355]

What about the American battle trucks of Vietnam, interesting how they came about and history

[@Kole_D]

That’s actually a really good topic that he should do. @Simon

[@KillaAdogg]

Museum of the American GI in College Station has a fully restored running m50 that they run several times a year.

[@AndrewC.McPherson-xf5zw]

Quite the crazy piece of kit.

[@StefanMedici]

And now back to today's video. Ad read inserted into the start of the video. I feel a Blaze coming on 🥳🤣

[@Electric_Bagpipes]

In War Thunder we call it “The 6 shooter of DOOM.”

[@josephmontanaro2350]

the reason they classified it as 106MM was so in supply lines they didn't mix up the RR shells with traditional tank shells, it would be absolutely awful to have shipments mixed up, leaving 2 different formations with ammunition incompatible with their armored fighting vehicles

[@F15ElectricEagle]

I would love to see a modernized version of the M50 Ontos. One with 6 Javelin or TOW missiles, 4 GAU-21 50 cal. BMGs and a M134 minigun.

[@YoFreshWiggy]

82 Buick Skylark, I had one of those!

[@eljefeamericano4308]

I didn't even know these things ever existed! Very cool stuff. I'd love to see what you guys could dig up on the gun trucks the US used during Vietnam. Always thought those things were pretty cool. Annnd, if you've already done a video on those, I hope someone sees this and lets me know!

[@TheBoatPirate]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJ-xemiQepJ2sJY this guy has a video on gun trucks. good stuff.

[@davidbiggs8249]

Growing up in indiana early sixties allis Chalmers was still building them the test track was on the north side of town dad used to take us there to watch them being tested before shipment during ww2 Sherman tanks were built there used the same test track

[@paulsnell534]

I think it is a cool looking tank myself. I could imagine something like that turning up in a Matrix or Terminator franchise movie as some makeshift tank the humans may throw against the Machines.

[@Lord_Ronin_The_Compassionate]

As an old retired British Bootneck of some 30-years service, you’ll never catch me calling out our brothers in the much younger USMC (Semper Fi mates) because what older brother doesn’t like to see his younger brother take the “ball” and run with it? I realise/appreciate that my somewhat biased comments will be totally ignored by the vast majority of this channels subscribers, but here’s a sobering thought for the nay-sayers, whatever you do, do not piss off the USMC especially when they’ve got their British mates of the Royal Marine Commandos fighting alongside. You are likely to find your last day on earth as being short and unpleasant - both Marine Corps pride themselves on being outnumbered but being able to bodge together something useful that will scare the pants off the enemy!

[@SpaceMonkeyBoi]

Who needs athletic greens when you have Dr. Pepper

[@eloimumford5247]

Good video , though i find hard to digest the 2 minutes pub of proteins ...why not place it @ the end ?

[@Suurboss123]

This AG1 ad Simon takes a sip of it... Cut 2 "so yeah it tastes great, looks very clean😂

[@bbmw9029]

I remember reading about this vehicle when I was a kid. I thought it was nuts back then, but in a strange and interesting way. I still do.

[@DavidtheNorseman]

I think that's the first time I've heard of Swedish tanks being destroyed in action..! In fairness the L-60 was cutting edge in ... the late 1930's...Wasn't the maximum armour thickness on those about 13mm ? I'm trying to imagine what it would be like to be hit by multiple, simultaneous 106 rounds in that. I suspect you wouldn't have much time to register it.....

[@pablofiasco2]

You missed out on a sponsor opportunity! You should mentioned that the Ontos is available to use in the Free-to-play game Warthunder

[@anthonylee6322]

Better than having a jeep or a mule with one gun and no armor. Training makes the vehicle. 6 105mm rounds your don't have to hump the gun or the rounds. What would you prefer ?

[@brianartillery]

AG-1. Hmm. I'll stick to my oily fish, banana and half dozen brazil nuts, if you don't mind.

[@jamebrooke894]

The 106mm recoiless rifle was on the Ontos, the Mule, and JEEPS.

[@indyrock8148]

The Citadel in Hue is fascinating to visit. The name is misleading as it was actually the Vietnamese version of the forbidden imperial city. The Citadel is a fortress on the river but the bulk of the fighting occurred in the walled imperial centre, which was destroyed. The Vietnamese are slowly rebuilding it building by building but mainly it is ruins surrounded by a wall almost completely covered in shell and bullet holes. Before the battle it was an intact imperial city like the forbidden city in Beijing.

[@indyrock8148]

Oh it's pronounced hew-wey

[@nickvinsable3798]

Hopefully I’ve got the designation right. The KZ-99; designed to refuel aircraft in mid-flight & its usually tethered down to a ground base OR a refueling ship. The only thing I’ll admit to getting wrong is the “99”, not the “KZ”

[@cbrl915]

I love that feeling when you find a new Simon vid fresh out the oven

[@Nutzkie2001]

There's a museum about an hour-and-a-half's drive from my house that has one of these things sitting right outside its front door.

[@PitboyHarmony1]

You mentioned the 'Dominican Civil War' ... I have never heard of such a thing. Maybe a Side Project on that?

[@m1994a3jagnew]

Stelio. Stelio Ontos. Stelio.

[@stephenlee3390]

An acquaintence of mine was a battery commander of ONTOS at Khe San

[@krystalpennell]

Haha... there is an edit before your reaction to the green drink..

[@poodlescone9700]

Imagine if a Jeep rolled up with this gun setup? It would be the quickest cheapest tank killer.

[@almitrahopkins1873]

They mounted a 105mm recoilless rifle on a Jeep. It only had one though. It couldn’t traverse at all.

[@brandonford8092]

Maybe a 305 GMC V-6? It was used in heavy truck, school busses,etc. Never heard of a GM 302 that could reliably power a tank. I could be wrong tho. Awesome video

[@jhoncho4x4]

I was wondering about that too. Wiki says straight 6. Another article says it was same straight 6 that was used in yhe 2.5 ton trucks.

[@jhoncho4x4]

Wiki says "Chrysler 361 cu in (5.92 l) V8 engine" was added later. M50A1: Chrysler HT-361-318 V8 liquid-cooled engine (180 hp)

[@TheLoxxxton]

Yes Simon I found that interesting

[@gaufrid1956]

Well done Simon! The Thing was an interesting machine!

[@yutakago1736]

You can mount 6 x 105mm recoilless guns on any tractor and transform it into a "tank". ^_^ The idea is great for small countries with limited defense budget.