M939 Series 5-ton Truck

     The M939 is the U.S. Army's standard logistical truck.  It was introduced in 1983 as a replacement for the M809 series of trucks.  It is a 5-ton, 6x6 vehicle intended for supply transport, both on- and off-road.  Unfortunately, the Army has discovered that this truck handles very poorly on pavement, and emergency stops often led to disastrous results.  This caused the Army to retrofit all M939s with ABS systems in 2000, and mandate a top road speed of 40 mph for the M939.  Recommended cross-country speed is 35 mph, or 25 mph in mud or snow, and 12 mph in icy conditions.

     The M939 burns 6.3 gallons of diesel per hour.  It is crewed by a single driver, but can accommodate two passengers in the cab.  It can transport 26 soldiers on folding seats instead of cargo.  The rear bed has metal walls for the lower half, but a cloth top.  It can tow an external load of 15,000 lbs. on a pintle.  As of 1998, the U.S. Army operates about 32,000 M939 series trucks.  Visibility is good.

 

M923

Subassemblies:  Body +4, 6 Off-Road wheels +2.

Powertrain:  179-kW improved all-wheeled drivetrain with 179-kW improved diesel engine, 2,000-kWs lead acid battery.

Fuel:  81 gallons diesel (Fire 9).

Occupancy:  1 NCS, 2 NPS.

Cargo:  10,000 lbs. (open).

 

Armor     F     RL     B     T        U

All:        3/5    3/5   3/5   3/5*   3/5

*1/1C for cargo bed.

 

Equipment:

Body:  Short-range radio; 3-man environmental control.

 

Statistics:

Size:  25.6'x9.5'x8.1'      Payload:  5 tons        Lwt.:  15.7 tons

Volume:  1,868 cf.         Maint.:  64 hours      Price:  $98,695

 

HT:  12.    HPs:  2,730 Body, 311 each Wheel.

 

gSpeed:  65     gAccel:  3     gDecel:  15     gMR:  0.5    gSR:  3

Ground Pressure High.  1/4 Off-Road speed.

 

Design Notes:

     Body is 1,868 cf; wheels are 373 cf.  Structure is Heavy, Cheap.  It has improved brakes.  Armor is cheap metal.  Mechanical controls.  Empty weight is 21,600 lbs.  Calculated gSpeed was 54 mph.  Real-world weight was used for performance calculations.  The aSR was reduced by 1 to reflect the historical poor handling performance of the vehicle.

 

Variants:

     The M809 series of trucks (1970) is identical to the M939 series in game terms.

     The M923 is the basic cargo truck.  The M925 adds a 15,000-lb. winch to the front of the vehicle.

     The M927 is an extended body version of the M923.  The M928 adds a winch to the M927.

     The M929 is a dump truck version.  M930 adds a winch to the dump truck.

     The M931 is a tractor-trailer version.  The M932 adds a 15,000- lb. winch.

     The M934 is an M927 with an enclosed van body, often used as a mobile command post.

     The M936 is a crane truck.

 

From the Aerodrome for GURPS

© 2008 by Jim Antonicic