With the M1 using JP8(?) gas turbine jet fuel do the crews carry additional fuel in jerry cans or do they rely solely on resupply .
Cheers
Tom

Hello Tom,
The units rely on resupply, the tanks do have a collapsible fuel bladder on the port and starboard side of the turret. I personally would recommend against these enlight of a couple of incidents during OIF.
This doesn't limit the crew from taking fuel in jerry cans but this would require too many for the limited storage space on the tank.

SF
Andy

The only time we *might* carry a 5 gallon can of JP8 is when we had a working EAPU(bustle rack mounted generator). A 5 gallon can of fuel is relatively pointless for us. If we run out, it takes that much to cycle through the system to get started off a dry tank, and then wouldn't be good for going very long.

Most tankers, even with bad gauges, will not run out of fuel. It's a pretty disgraceful concept, and some units punish it as well, since it can involve a pretty major effort to resupply in combat. So, yes, we pretty much rely only upon resupply from a larger source, such as HEMTT 2500 Gal, 600 Gal pods, or even maybe an M88 with a fuel transfer in an emergency.

The fuel bladder idea was tested but has not been brought down to your average unit. Good idea, but most tanks and tankers have not seen them.

Jed Sargent

Howdy Jared. Welcome to the Armorama zoo brother. It is good to have some one who is currently "Doing the Dew" on board. The Armys SFC2(Supplemental Fuel Carrier) system has been around for a while. The first one I saw in use was hanging off of a 3/73 Armor Sheridan during Desert Shield in Saudi Arabia, 1990. Lets take a look at the other Americans, the US Marines. For OIF 2003 the SFC2 was used operationaly by the USMC 1st and 2nd Tank battalions. 1st tanks topped off their "hogs" with their bladders immediately before LD after a road march to their attack position short of the Iraq border. This included the M-88s,AVLBs, and the Amtracs each of which had at least one bladder(55gal). The battalions wheeled assets were also filled from SFC2 bladders. The discarded bladders were then picked up by the Marines in the Field Trains and carted around for the rest of the time in country. 2nd Bn elected to keep their bladders on their vehicles and were able to stretch their legs a greast distance between refuelings. It did cause a couple of problems though for both the Iraqis and the Tankers of 2nd Bn. You gotta love the ORM process. Each Marine tank or other vehicle that rates the 5 gal jug of JP as part of their SL-3(BII) f is suppoosed to have it topped off whether the EAPU is working or not. The fuel is used to sometimes rescue the occasional HUMVEE or consolidate a platoons cans to get a MTVR(7 ton) back in the game. Maybe even get that trash fire going real good when the Bn/Sqd S-3 puts your company/troop BP,GDP or AA on top of the local garbage dump. So I guess you could say the bladder deal has not been brought down to the average US Army unit. See you on the web Big Sarge. Out here.

Hello, Mike!

Been around for a while, just got back though, and am able to start digging into my models.

On the lovely fuel bladders, good to see someone has used them. Current operations would probably only use them under abnormal conditions, though. Certainly no 1CD units used them while in Baghdad, even when units went to Fallujah or Najaf.

For the fuel cans, while on M1A2's and M1A1's, it was a rare occasion to carry a 5 gallon can. Speaking from Army experience, not USMC, and carrying one was up to the TC of the tank, when looking at his loadplan. Most did not have one or use one, because it took up the place of a 5 gallon water can, and the bustle rack space that went with it. You had so much junk to carry in Korea that even that little bit of space was wanted, since you did not know when you would be able to refill on water. As I was leaving Korea in 2002, they were just starting to order the USMC BRE, and loadplans were a-changing.

On an M1A2 SEP, you will almost never see a 5 gallon can of fuel.

Now, never say never, it's always dependent on the TC. *shrug* And the modeler.

Jed Sargent

Howdy Jared. I see from your join date that you are a old Armorama vet. You are correct that the SFC2 is intended for Big Blue Arrow operations. They work great for their intended purpose. Not for "Abnormal" operations though. They have not been used by the USMC in OIF2. And I would not want to be strapping them to my "Hog" if there was a chance of coming into contact either. As for the load plan that is why we came up with that beautiful BRE(Bustle Rack Extension) that all men of steel dig, even the Army ones. See you on the web. Out here.