Extended Service Life and/or Back Dated Inspiration

[finsrin]

Random Idea if anyone wants it:  How about a M4 Sherman still in service today?  Possibly with Reactive armour, advanced targeting/sensors, modern gun....

Like to see one of you build it :)

[Volkodav]

How about an updated M-24, well more updated than has happened in reality, how far could you go?

[Claymore]

And a much bigger engine! Instead of a tank gun maybe a 20-30mm gun and TOW missiles? Say its for urban combat where the range of a tank gun is not required. Berlin brigade urban camo. Slat armor. Go with a late model Easy 8.

Hmmmmmm... 

[Weaver]

Jon asked a question on the rules thread about whether civilian service counted (it does), and that got me thinking that actually, post-military civilian service is a really good scenario for extending the service life of a piece of hardware, since surplus military kit is often cheap for the amount of performance it provides, and the fact that it's military characteristics are obsolete is usually irrelevant.

The first idea I had was for a Lysander crop duster, but a quick Google search shows that not only was it done for real (in Canada), but someone'salready made a lovely model of one and it's been found by Dizzyfugu over on whatif:

Westland Lysander Version agricole / Agricultural version 1949 by Franclab, on Flickr

No reason you couldn't do a what if version though: my concept was slightly different anyway.

You could do lots of other types as crop sprayers. One amusing idea I had was a De Havilland Mosquito converted to spray pesticides as part of a UN anti-malaria programme: a Mosquito killing mosquitoes...

Some other possible civilian uses of ex-military aircraft:

General passenger/freight transport
High speed courier
Survey (certainly photographic and possibly other sensors too)
Rescue
Water bomber
Firewatch
Movie camera platform
Fishery control (some agencies are civilian, some are military)
Coastguard
Pollution control (detergent spraying)
Warbird (air shows, joyrides, sponsored publicity, movie appearences etc.. I's say it's "in service" if it's still earning it's keep)


Tanks and AFVs:

Rough terrain transport
Bad weather transport
Mobile platform for construction/industrial equipment
Snow clearance (dozer blades or jet engines)
Rescue
Law enforcement ( e.g. SWAT vehicles)
Secure personal transport ("armoured limo"for really rough areas)
Firefighting (airfield, forestry, oil wells etc..)


Ships, boats and watercraft:

Eccentric private yacht
Survey vessel
Science vessel (Cousteau's Calypso was an ex-minesweeper)
Ferry (landing craft, amphibians, hovercraft)
Rescue
Law enforcement
Fishery control

[Volkodav]

Christina O, a yacht converted from a WWII River class frigate, is still going strong.  Maybe a yacht converted from a destroyer, or even a light cruiser.......

[Weaver]

I have an idea that I want to run with (none of the above), which is fairly simple to do. However, I've also just had a brainwave about how to re-organise my house (including modelling arrangements) and I want to strike while the enthusiasm's there, so it may the end of the month before I get started.

[Volkodav]

The Australian Army operated four LSM-1 type vessels from 1959 until 1971; how about, instead of being disposed of, they were life extended / rebuilt? 

It had originally been intended to replace the four LSMs, one for one, with the larger faster Australian designed LSM Mk II but a class of eight smaller heavy landing craft (which were then transferred to the RAN) were built instead, with the last three only just being retired after four decades of service.  Maybe, when the Army saw the LSM Mk II was in trouble, they could have argued for a life extension and modernisation of the existing vessels incorporating a number of features of the new design.  This would have gotten around the RANs position that the larger LSM Mk II should be an RAN vessel because it was larger than the in service LSM-1 as well as giving the Army an organic regional amphibious capability into the 80's or even 90's.

All a good excuse to buy a Revell 1/144 LSM, partially cover the tank deck with a new (aluminium, it was pre Falklands after all), full width, superstructure and embark some modern armour, perhaps as part of the Timor intervention of 99.

[raafif]

there's a WW2 German 10.5 cm howitzer still in action in Syria !!