Tanks of the United States in the Cold War

The Walker Bulldog saw limited combat with the Army during the Korean War, but for the most part the conflict served as a testing ground to work out the tank's deficiencies, especially with its rangefinder.

Despite vulnerability to rockets and mines, it was judged worth applying modifications and equip all cavalry squadrons with the Sheridan.

[1] The Sheridan was much appreciated by the infantry who were desperate for direct-fire support, which generally served in combination with ACAVs (M113s) as armored cavalry units consisted of both M113s and M551s as part of their table of organization and equipment.

A common field modification was to mount a large steel shield, known as an "ACAV set" (Armored Cavalry Assault Vehicle), around the commander's .50-cal.

Included with the set was an extra layer of steel belly armor which was bolted onto the vehicle's bottom, although only covering from the front to halfway to the end, possibly due to weight reasons.

They were lauded by their operators and some commanders as providing firepower in needed situations to destroy hard targets.

Several experimental versions of the Sheridan mounting a new turret carrying the NATO-standard 105 mm gun were made, but the resulting recoil was so great as to make the vehicle almost unusable.

Eliminated from the AGS competition, the Cadillac Gage's Stingray light tank is used by Thailand's armed forces.

The mobility of the M26 Pershing was deemed unsatisfactory for a medium tank, as it used the same engine that powered the much lighter M4 Sherman.

Modifications continued to accumulate, and eventually the Bureau of Ordnance decided that the tank needed its own unique designation.

When the rebuild began in November 1949, the upgraded M26 received a new power plant and a main gun with bore evacuator, and the M46 Patton designation.

[4] Subsequent shipments of M46 and M46A1 Pattons allowed all remaining M26 Pershings to be withdrawn during 1951, and most Sherman equipped units were also reequipped.

[5] Although a new power plant corrected the mobility and reliability problems of the M26 Pershing, the subsequently renamed M46 was considered a stopgap solution that would be replaced later by the T42 medium tank.

The gas engines gave the tank a short operating range and were prone to catching fire when hit.

The M48 Patton has the distinction of playing a unique role in an event that was destined to radically alter the conduct of armored warfare.

But on 23 April 1972, tankers of the 20th Tank Regiment were attacked by an NVA infantry-tank team, which was equipped with the new 9M14M Malyutka (NATO designation: Sagger) wire guided anti-tank missile.

The turret on T54E1 was similar to that of the T69 in its oscillating design and in that it held a crew of three and a nine-round drum autoloader under the gun.

These tanks used many advanced or unusual features, such as siliceous-cored armor, the APFSDS-firing 90 mm T208 smoothbore gun in a rigid mounting without recoil, a new transmission, and the OPTAC fire-control system, which incorporated the T53 Optical Tracking, Acquisition and Ranging (OPTAR) system, emitted pulsed beams of intense but incoherent infrared light.

In a Tokyo ordnance depot, three Pershing tanks were discovered in poor condition; they were hastily rebuilt with improvised parts.

The 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, California, had all M4 howitzer tanks, which were replaced with M26s just days before boarding ships for Korea.

[14] Being underpowered and unreliable in the mountainous Korean terrain, all M26 Pershings were withdrawn from Korea in 1951 and replaced with M4 Shermans and M46 Pattons.

Its long-ranged 120 mm cannon was designed to hit enemy tanks at extreme distances, but it was never used in combat.

The turret of the M103 was larger than that of the M48 or the M60 to make room for the huge 120 mm gun and the two loaders assigned to it, in addition to the gunner and the commander.

This variant, which stayed in production until 1980, featured a larger, better-shaped turret and improvements to the armor protection and shock absorbers.

It featured a number of technological enhancements, including smoke dischargers, a new rangefinder, and M21 ballistic computer, and a turret stabilization system.

Perhaps the most impressive addition to the A3 variant was the Tank Thermal Sight (TTS), which dramatically improved the gunner's night vision enabling the M60A3 to become a greater threat in darkness or inclement weather.

It used a kneeling suspension, housed the entire crew in the turret, and the American version incorporated a gun-fired missile.

At this point Congress also began objecting to the rapidly increasing price, to which the Army responded by introducing a lower-cost system based on the same design, known as the XM803.

Prototypes were delivered in 1976 by Chrysler Defense and General Motors armed with a 105 mm rifled cannon.

About 6,000 M1A1 Abrams were produced and used a 120 mm smoothbore cannon, improved armor, and a CBRN protection system.