I've only seen these long tubes hanging on the turret sides of Abrams in the concord books and a couple of pics here and there on the net. Which units use/used them in OIF and under what circumstances, since I thought that the armor support group wouldn't be too far behind?

Any close up pictures of these?(particularly the ends) What's the dimensions, color, how are they secured to a vehcial and where are they stored when not in use? And how are they actually used to transfer fuel? How many are carried on an Abrams?

I need the info for my looooong task for producing aftermarket OIF stuff..

Thank You

The fuel bladders were only used by the USMC. They were secured to the sides of the turret with cargo straps and then lowered and laid out on the ground for use. To empty them, they are laid out and rolled over lenghtwise by the vehicle tracks, thus forcing the fuel out of them. Don't have any pics what the end with the connections, etc. look like.

Here's a picture (at least.... ):

This enlarged hi-res picture is available here :
http://www.dodmedia.osd.mil/Assets/2005/Marines/DM-SD-05-06914.JPEG

HTH
Frenchy

..And here are a few more (you can also notice the 1:1 M113 "rubber band" tracks ):



Some info and other pics here :
http://www.geocities.com/armorhistory/camelbaksfortanks.htm (BTW this website seems to be one of the many administrated by the guy who's famous for obstinately calling the M113 "Gavin" )

HTH
Frenchy

The fuel bladders were also used back in the Gulf War in 1991. They were mounted on the sides of the M551A1 TTS Sheridans.

I've just found here http://www.pmulcahy.com/ that "A FLEXCEL comes in two sizes, a large (2.6x0.36m) and a small (1x0.2m). Large FLEXCELS hold 250 liters [about 55 gallons], small ones hold 45 liters"

Abrams refuelling using Flexcel bladders :


HTH
Frenchy

Thanks Frenchy,

yup those m113 tracks really look rubbery, I think that hoo-haa about Gavin was also mentioned on armorama ...

If I can't get better close up pics of the ends, I'll get a little creative.
but great though..so I'tll be FEXCEL,hose and valve.

Excellent!! Thank you for the dimensions.

Do they use the small ones in OIF.???
How many {large fexcel} are usually used on an Abrams?

If you guys comes across any more pictures please let me know

LeoCmdr, how many Sheridans were in desert storm?
I've the new Sheridan kit, and been contemplating to do a vietnam diorama or convert it to the ODS version,not willing to buy the AEF conversion,but there's not many pics out there for reference.

Howdy Nick. Do not forget to add the "NO STEP" decals when you market your 1/35 version. They are not visible in the photos above but they are there. This always cracked us up as we were going to drive tanks up on top of them! I will try and find a picture. The SFC2(Supplemental Fuel Carrying system) comes with a purpose built strap assembly that goes across the top of the turret to hold the bladders in place. There is a quick release latch in the center to allow the bladders to drop. It has four straps that hang down each side and attach to the loops on the bladder. This restricts access to the turret sponson boxes when the bladers are mounted(wet or dry). The 55 gallon bladder weighs around 500 pounds(225 kg) when filled. Each bladder kit comes with a hose/nozzle so that you can fill your vehicle from both bladders simultaneously. As Jason points out 3/73 Armor of the 82nd Airborne first used them in DS/DS. In OIF the USMC issued the SFC2 to the 1st and 2nd Tank Bn and the tank company (A Co, 8th Tk Bn) of TF Tarawa. 1st Tanks dropped their SFC2s and topped off their fuel tanks(all vehicles) prior to crossing the LD(Line of Departure) into Iraq. They never used SFC2 during the rest of the campaign. The empty bladders were picked up by Marines from the Field Trains and carried on trucks in 1st Tank's Field Trains. Some companies did keep one on their M-88s for emergency refueling. The picture of the Amtrac using the sysem is one of the command tracs from 1st Tanks and was taken in Kuwait. 2nd Tanks kept SFC2 mounted and filled on their tanks for the whole trip to Baghdad. They used them on several occasions but not for every refueling. The tanks of TF Tarawa had theirs mounted when they crossed the LD and removed them during the bloody fighting around An Nasriah. Then in early April they remounted them for the final drive North. The supply columns were close enough to provide timely support and they did. Some planners in 2nd Tanks and TF Tarawa did not want to take the chance of the supply columns not being able to come forward so they used the SFC2 beyond the LD. I hope this helps fill in the blanks. "Tanks" to Frenchy for posting those awesome pictures. Out here.

Thanks Mike! that's really useful info..I'm sure I'll need to get back to you some time later for clarifications.
Based on your info and some others, I'll offer more than just to mount these fuel bladders on vehicals. :-)

So the small bladders weren't used in OIF?


Hope the pics keep-a-coming...

I just saw the "no step", !!! it's the middle-left pic (of 5 pic group) under "FLEXCEL Deployment Concept" paragraph. The words are in white and upside down! THANKS for pointing that pointing it out!

The link is from Frenchy's 2nd post:

http://www.geocities.com/armorhistory/camelbaksfortanks.htm

So here's another one :

According to the caption, the bladder is 127" long, 20 " wide when it's empty (=flat ) and its diameter is 14" when it's full (and the one on the pic is yours for $199.00 )

Frenchy

For Nick/Angrydog,

The 3/73rd Armour attached to the 82nd Airborne deployed 51 Sheridans to Operation Desert Storm.

The were split into 3 Companys of 17 tanks each. Each Company had 3 Platoons.

The AEF Desert Shield M551 details set includes the fuel bladder...havn't seen it, it is just listed as included.

I bought a pair of BDU and DCUs for reference, but man, that is a very expensive piece of reference! But think of it this way, you aren't filling up at the pump all the time!

Jeff

Wow,great picture! Looks like there's more stenciling on it..anyone knows what it says?

Is that full or empty... :-)