From Pershing to Patton. combat use of tanks m26, m46, m47

The ex-governor of California, and part-time film actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, acquired a real M47 tank. At one time, Arnold served in the ranks of the armed forces of Austria on this particular combat vehicle.

On YouTube video hosting, where Schwarzenegger demonstrated his tank driving skills. The peculiar performance of the actor is part of a charity event, the purpose of which was to raise funds for charitable foundation After-School All-Stars, founded by Arnie himself.

The organization finances various children's programs aimed at attracting children and adolescents to a healthy lifestyle. The essence of the Internet video is the destruction of a variety of things by a tank. Driving a heavy tank, Arnold skillfully moves on it a piano, a huge Easter egg, a roll of pimply polyethylene, a car, a bench press and a barbell. Any of the sponsors of his foundation will be able to do the same by taking a seat in a nearby tank hatch - that's the point of the action. At the moment, the tank is stationed in California at the personal ranch of Arnold Schwarzenegger. But what is this tank? We will tell you in detail about this armored vehicle.

The history of the tank begins in 1948. It was then that the US Army received the M46 Patton medium tank. He took part in the Korean War and during the fighting it turned out that his 90-mm gun is not powerful enough, the fire control system is also not at the highest level, and armor protection needs to be strengthened. To eliminate all these shortcomings of the combat vehicle, it was decided to upgrade, in which the tank received a new turret with a powerful 90-mm cannon, the angles of inclination of the front hull plates were increased and infrared surveillance devices were installed. In July 1950, it was ordered to begin production of a new tank, and already 10 months later, its first samples appeared. The tank was designated M47 "Patton II", and in 1952 was adopted by the US Army. In 1953, deliveries of the tank to other member countries of the North Atlantic bloc began.

The M47 cast turret had a streamlined shape with a stern niche, where the first stage ammunition rack of 11 shells was located. In the M47 turret, a 90-mm M36 gun was mounted, which had several modifications with a T-shaped, cylindrical or muzzle brake. Both the gunner and the commander, who had his own sight, could fire. In addition to the periscope, the gunner also had a stereoscopic rangefinder, like the German Panther Ausf.F. The shape of the turret of the "updated" tank has become literally a step forward when compared with the M46, however, due to the fact that the Americans were too eager to reduce its internal volume, some concavities appeared on its body that caught shells. In the M48 model, this error was eliminated: the turret was modeled after the Soviet T-54 tank, making it completely convex.

Despite the increased engine power compared to the M46, the maximum speed of the tank remained the same. The transition to diesel engines in American tanks was somewhat delayed, so the M47 received an 810-horsepower air-cooled gasoline engine from the M46. The modernized M47 failed to become a reference in American tank building, it entered the US Army in very limited quantities and was soon replaced by the M48. However, it was supplied to the armies of NATO countries. The total release reached the mark of 8676 units. Different countries tried to improve the M47, but their attempts were unsuccessful. The French put a cannon on it from their AMX-30 tank, the Italians - a 105-mm L7 cannon, and the Austrians - a diesel engine of their own design. As a result, these vehicles remained at the prototype stage, since the modernization did not increase the combat value of the tank, but at the same time increased its cost.

The design of the tank was simply not intended for modernization. Its chassis was not designed for high speeds, and its reserves were already used in the M46. So, when installing a more powerful engine, it was necessary to change the chassis. It turned out to be very difficult to increase the protection due to the complex shape of the tower - due to the presence of concavities, it was impossible to install dynamic protection. As a result, the M47 had only two more or less successful modernization programs: in Spain and Iran.

As this model was not modernized, no one managed to extend its life. Those countries where the tank remained in service already put the M47 into reserve in the 90s. In Austria, the M47 is now used at the border as pillboxes.

The same 1960 M47 tank, on which Arnold Schwarzenegger served as a driver, was bought by him from the Austrian authorities for $ 1.4 million. At first, the tank was transferred to the United States as a museum exhibit and exhibited in Columbus, Ohio , however, in 2008, Schwarzenegger removed the tank from the museum as he wanted it to be "closer to home".

Medium tank M47 "Patton" II(Fig. 4), released in 1951, is a modernization of the M46 tank and differs from it mainly in the turret. In addition, the angles of inclination of the frontal armor of the hull are slightly increased.

A cast turret from an experimental T42 tank with a 90-mm cannon was installed on the M47 tank, the initial speed of an armor-piercing projectile was more than 900 m / s. A 7.62-mm machine gun is paired with a cannon, a

7.62 mm machine gun, and a 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun on the tank turret.

The turret is equipped with an electro-hydraulic fire control system. The mechanism vertical aiming a hydraulic transmission has been introduced, which is used when aiming a gun at a target using power and manual drives. Due to the presence of two fire control systems, the gunner and the tank commander can independently conduct aimed fire. The gunner has a stereoscopic horizontal-base rangefinder sight, and the tank commander has a periscope sight. A rangefinder sight mounted inside the turret is attached to its roof. Its end prisms are brought out into special holes in the sides of the tower and are protected by armor caps. The driver has an infrared periscope.

Rice. 4. Medium tank M47 "Patton" II

The rangefinder sight allows you to determine the distance to the target, the speed of the target, its displacement in the direction, takes into account the type of ammunition used.

The automatic compensator restores the original position of the gun after each shot. This increases the rate of fire of the gun, since it does not require manual aiming after a rollback.

The tank is equipped with a 12-cylinder air-cooled Continental gasoline engine with a V-shaped arrangement of cylinders. Engine power 810 l. With.

The torque from the engine to the drive wheels is transmitted through a hydromechanical power transmission of the "Cross-Drive" type of the Allison company and single-stage final drives.

The basic kinematic diagram of the power transmission of the tank is shown in fig. 5. It is a single unit, consisting of a primary gearbox, an integrated torque converter, a gearbox and a swing mechanism; hydraulic control drives.

The torque converter at low loads switches to the fluid coupling mode.

The power transmission has two stages of automatic speed change when moving forward (slow and accelerated) and one stage when moving backward.

In rectilinear motion, power is transmitted to the driven shafts in two streams, i.e. one part of the power is transmitted mechanically, and the other - through a torque converter. As the speed of the tank increases, the power flow transmitted by the torque converter increases.

The gearbox and the turning mechanism are controlled by one lever, which serves both for shifting gears and for turning the tank.

Gear shifting is carried out by hydraulic servomotors.

The tank is rotated by deflecting the control lever to the right or left of the middle position.

Stopping disc brakes. They are controlled by a mechanical pedal. In addition, the driver has a fuel pedal to control the tank.

The turning radius of a tank with a power transmission of this type depends on the speed of movement: the lower it is, the smaller the turning radius.

Rice. 5. Schematic diagram of the hydromechanical power transmission "Cross Drive" tanks M46, M47, M48 and M103:

1 - engine; 2 - reducer; 3 - torque converter; 4, 5, 6 - planetary gears; ^ – additional transfers; 5 - differential; 9 – turning brakes; 10 - stopping brakes; -varietal transfers

The hydromechanical power transmission installed in the M47 tank does not provide controllability when it is towed and engine braking on descents.

The power plant, power transmission and drive wheels are located in the rear of the machines.

In front of the control compartment is located, where the driver and his assistant (he is also a shooter from a course machine gun) are located.

Tank suspension torsion bar. Between the drive wheels and the rear road wheels, one additional small-diameter roller is installed to ensure that the track tension is constant and prevent it from dropping. In addition, second shock absorbers are installed on the front suspension units.

For heating the crew in winter conditions there is a heater.

An individual mounted floating craft (Fig. 6) was created for the M47 tank for crossing water barriers.

Movement through the water is carried out with the help of two propellers installed in the niches of the aft pontoon and driven by the drive wheels of the tank.

The maximum speed of the tank afloat is up to 10 km/h.

Turns on the water are provided by braking or stopping one of the tracks.

A tank afloat can fire from a cannon and a machine gun coaxial with it.

When landing on land, the crew drops the pontoons, undermining special charges placed in the pontoon mounts.

In addition to the US Army, M47 tanks are in service with the armies of West Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Japan, and Turkey.

The M47 tanks, which were in service with the American troops in Europe, after being replaced by the M48 tanks, were put into conservation.

Medium tank M48 "Patton" III(Fig. 7) was adopted by the US Army in 1953. It differs from the M47 tank mainly in armor protection and "weapons.

The peculiarity of the tank is that its hull is made of one casting. The tank turret is one-piece, hemispherical in shape, equipped with landing rails. Castings of the hull and turret weigh 10 and 6.3 tons, respectively.

Rice. 6. Medium tank M47 "Patton" II, equipped with a watercraft

Rice. 7. Medium tank M48 "Patton" III

The barrel of the 90-mm gun can be replaced in the field. The gun is equipped with an ejection device. The gun aiming mechanism has electro-hydraulic and manual drives.

In the first samples of the tank, two machine guns of caliber 12.7 and 7 62 mm were used coaxially with the gun. Subsequently, only the 7.62-mm machine gun was left, which is mounted to the left of the gun. An anti-aircraft 12.7 mm machine gun with remote control as a result of which the commander can fire from this machine gun while inside the tower.

The gunner and the tank commander can fire from the cannon and the machine gun coaxial with it.

The fire control of the M48 tank is provided by the T46 stereoscopic rangefinder sight with an enlarged base, installed by the commander. It is possible to accurately determine the distance to the target at distances up to 4.8 km. The gunner has periscope and telescopic sights.

The rangefinder chapel, the gun and the gunner's periscope chapel are connected to each other and to the ballistic computer through a ballistic drive. The range determined by the rangefinder is automatically entered into the grids of the rangefinder sight itself and the gunner's sight, i.e. they are automatically set to the position corresponding to the measured range.

The fire control system has a special sensor that corrects for derivation, sight parallax, loss of initial velocity due to barrel wear, trunnion tilt, mismatch between external and internal temperatures.

In the event of a malfunction in this system, the range to the target, measured by the tank commander, is transmitted to the gunner via the intercom device. The gunner sets the sight in accordance with the command received.

Due to the difficulty in perceiving depth of image, gunners and commanders of American tanks often avoided using a rangefinder. Therefore, for medium tanks, along with stereoscopic ones, monocular-type rangefinders were also developed, which, after refinement, began to be installed on modernized tanks.

For observation when driving a tank at night, there is an infrared periscope.

The power plant and power transmission of the M48 tank are the same as on the M47 tank.

The tank is controlled by a hydraulic drive from the steering wheel, a small lever mounted on the steering column, and the brake pedal. The shift lever has five positions: park, neutral, slow, fast and reverse.

The seating position of the driver and other crew members can be adjusted.

The chassis of the M48 tank is the same as that of the M47 tank. On some M48 tanks, the tension roller between the drive wheel and the rear roller was not installed, and therefore the location of the rollers was somewhat changed. The tracks of the caterpillars are equipped with rubber-metal hinges.

The tank is equipped with a transceiver radio station and an intercom. Outside the tank, on the aft armor plate of the hull, there is a reel with a cable and a telephone for communication between the infantry and crew members through an intercom.

The tank is equipped with two gasoline heaters, operating on the principle of heating fresh air, designed to heat the control compartment and fighting compartment.

In the power compartment of the tank, a single-cylinder four-stroke air-cooled gasoline engine with a capacity of 14.5 liters is installed. That is, at 3100 rpm, paired with a DC electric generator. This unit is designed to charge batteries, as well as to power communication equipment and other consumers of electricity when the tank engine is not running. When starting the main engine of the tank at low temperatures, the engine of the charging unit serves as an auxiliary means for heating the power compartment. When starting the engine of the charging unit, the electric generator acts as a starter.

The fixed firefighting equipment system uses three carbon dioxide cylinders installed in the control room. All three cylinders can be discharged at the same time with a single handle. Cylinders are connected by pipelines with sprayers located in the power compartment. The tank turret has a portable fire extinguisher equipped with a sprayer and a tap.

In order to increase the power reserve of the M48 tank, a set of four external additional fuel tanks with a total capacity of 830 liters was developed. The tanks are mounted on a frame fixed at the stern of the tank, and are connected by means of quick-detachable connections to a common fuel line supplying gasoline to the fuel priming pump of the engine. The driver connects the tanks to the engine power system without leaving the tank. This set of additional tanks can be used for other tanks as well. Additional fuel can also be transported in a special container, which is a twin tires with a diameter of 1.5 m, which are towed by a tank. Container capacity 3700 l.

In 1954, the second model of the M48-M48A1 tank was adopted, in which an anti-aircraft machine gun was installed in a special commander's cupola.

In 1956, the production of a new modernized model began - the M48A2 tank, the weight of which increased to 46 tons, mainly due to some increase in dimensions and strengthening of the turret armor.

The 90-mm cannon of the tank is equipped with stabilizers in two guidance planes and a single-section muzzle brake of a new design.

The tank is equipped with a stereoscopic rangefinder sight M13A1.

In the power plant of the M48A2 tank, instead of a carburetor, a direct fuel injection system was used, which provides greater efficiency, larger fuel tanks were installed, and the engine cooling system was improved. All this ensured an increase in the tank's cruising range to 240 km, and with a set of additional transportable fuel tanks - up to 310 km.

In order to create better conditions for the operation of the engine cooling system, as well as taking measures to protect the tank from thermal detection devices, the design of the aft part of the hull was changed, which required an increase in the height of the roof above the engine and the installation of blinds in the stern of the gunk. The exhaust pipes are placed under a special heat-insulating roof of the power compartment, where the exhaust gases are pre-cooled, mixed with the air flow of the cooling system, and then thrown out through the aft blinds.

The M48A2 tank provides special measures to protect the crew from the consequences of a nuclear explosion. The longitudinal section of the tank is shown in fig. eight.

The program adopted in 1962 provided for modernization in 1963-1964. tanks M48 on the power plant and rangefinder.

The gasoline engine is supposed to be replaced by a diesel engine installed on the M60 tank. In addition, the capacity of the fuel tanks will be increased, which should increase the range of the tank to 387 km.

The speed of the tank will remain the same. Instead of a stereoscopic rangefinder, it is planned to install a monocular rangefinder, which works on the principle of a rangefinder camera device. When two images observed in the eyepiece of the device are combined into one by means of the measuring handwheel, the gun is automatically aimed at the target by the corresponding servomotors. The scales of the new rangefinder are marked not in yards, but in meters.

Rice. 8. Schematic longitudinal section of the M48A2 tank:

1-90 mm gun M41; 2-7.62-mm machine gun, coaxial with a cannon; 3 - 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun; 4 - twin installation; 5 – commander's seat; 6 - power transmission; 7 - engine; 8 - air cleaner; 9 – gunner's seat; 10 - driver's seat

The tanks upgraded in this way will receive the M48A3 index.

M48 tanks, which are in service with US troops stationed in Europe, are gradually being replaced by new M60A1 tanks. The replacement is scheduled to be completed in 1964. The withdrawn M48 tanks will be mothballed as a combat reserve or used in US Army units deployed in other theaters until a new main battle tank is developed.

Rice. 9. Main battle tank M60

Part of the M48 tanks were delivered to the armies of Germany and Turkey.

Some of the M48 tanks will be subjected to further modernization, in particular, the production of the M48A1E1 tank is planned, which will be armed with a 105-mm cannon, it will be equipped with a diesel engine and infrared aiming devices.

Main battle tank M60(Fig. 9) was created in 1959 as a single battle tank designed to replace medium and heavy tanks.

The first production cars were produced in 1960.

Being a modernized model of the M48 tank, the M60 tank, however, differs significantly from it. in armament, power plant and booking.

The tank is equipped with a more economical 750 hp turbocharged diesel engine. With.

Up to 50 changes and improvements have been made to this tank compared to the M48A2 tank.

At the same time, a number of parts and assemblies of the M48A2 and M60 tanks are interchangeable. The layout of the tank has also been preserved unchanged.

A schematic longitudinal section of the M60 tank is shown in fig. ten.

The armor of the M60 tank has been strengthened. In the most vulnerable places, the thickness of the armor has been increased. The frontal part of the hull is made with larger structural angles to the vertical than that of the M48 tank. The configuration of the hemispherical turret has been slightly improved. The hull and turret are cast.

Without armor plates of the bottom and welded-on parts, the hull of the M60 tank after machining weighs about 11,650 kg. The tower after machining and without welded parts weighs 5550 kg.

The 105-mm British tank gun, standardized in the USA under the brand name M68, is manufactured under license in the USA. The cast breech is connected to the barrel with a sector thread, which allows for quick barrel replacement in the field.

The ejection device is installed on the middle part of the barrel. The gun does not have a muzzle brake.

The 105-mm cannon of the M60 tank has higher armor penetration, rate of fire and a significantly greater range of actual fire than the 90-mm gun of the M48 tanks. However, the absence of stabilizers excludes the possibility of conducting aimed fire from the tank on the move.

A 7.62 mm M73 machine gun is mounted to the left of the gun in a combined mount. The 12.7 mm M85 anti-aircraft machine gun is installed in the M19 commander's cupola, the shoulder strap diameter of which has been increased to 863 mm. The turret is equipped with viewing prisms that provide the tank commander with an all-round view.

In the fighting compartment of the tank there is an ammunition rack with aluminum sockets for 105-mm rounds.

In the ammunition load of the M68 gun, in addition to armor-piercing sub-caliber shells with a detachable pallet, shells with plastic explosive and a deformable warhead, cumulative, high-explosive fragmentation and smoke shells are also used.

Rice. 10. Schematic longitudinal section of the M60 main battle tank:

1 - 7 62 machine guns; 2 - barrel of a 105 mm gun; 3 - fire extinguishers; 4 - heater; 5 - driver's seat 6 - landing hatch; 7 - torsion bar; S - hydraulic cylinder of the lifting mechanism of the gun; y - gunner's seat; 10 - drain valve; // -engine; 12 - power transmission; 13 commander's seat; 14 - twin installation of weapons; 15 - range finder

The cumulative projectile is stabilized in flight by the tail unit.

Shots are unitary with an electric ignition device. The loading of the gun is done manually and is facilitated by a special mechanism for sending a shot.

For the 105-mm cannon, shells with burnable cartridge cases were also developed, when using which there is no need to throw out or organize the stacking of spent cartridges, the floor of the tower is not cluttered with cartridge cases, which facilitates the working conditions* of the crew.

Improved and small arms. Machine guns with shortened receivers, blowbacks and quick-change barrels.

The gunner and the commander can fire from a cannon and a machine gun coaxial with it. Each of them controls the electro-hydraulic drives of the guidance mechanisms with the handle of its control panel, which rotates in two planes.

The tank used a number of new observation and aiming devices.

The main direct fire control system is equipped with a new monocular type M17s rangefinder-sight, through which it is possible to determine the distance to the target at ranges of 500-4400 m. This rangefinder-sight is the same in its parameters as the M13A1 stereoscopic rangefinder-sight of the M48A2 tank.

The rangefinder-sight in the M60 tank, as well as in the M48 tank, is used by the tank commander. The gunner for direct fire has a new M31 periscope sight. In addition, the gunner also has an auxiliary telescopic articulated sight M105s. Both scopes have 8x and 1x magnification. For a machine gun coaxial with a cannon, there is an M44s sight, the grid of which is projected into the field of view of the gunner's periscope sight. This sight is called reconciliation.

The M105s sight, connected to the M44s and M31 sights, unlike the old designs, has two ballistic reticles graduated in meters. This allows the gunner to fire not one but two types of ammunition without having to use a firing table to make adjustments.

For firing with the help of an auxiliary telescopic sight, the ranges to the target, measured by the tank commander, are transmitted to the gunner via the intercom device.

For firing from closed positions, the M28A1 azimuth indicator and the M13A1 quadrant are used, which are improved compared to the same devices installed on the M48A2 tank.

The M13A1D ballistic computer does not differ from the same device used on the M48A2 tank.

The ballistic drive connects the gun, rangefinder and periscope sights to each other and to the ballistic computer. The range determined by the rangefinder is automatically entered into the reticles of the sight and the rangefinder itself. Corrections for derivation, sight parallax, loss of initial speed due to barrel wear, trunnion tilt, mismatch between external and internal temperatures are made by a special sensor.

The tank commander also has a KhM34 periscopic binocular sight for firing from a 12.7-mm machine gun, also designed to monitor the battlefield and detect targets. It has a 7x magnification and a 10° field of view. The sight reticle allows you to fire at both air and ground targets. To monitor the battlefield, an optical system with a single magnification is used.

To conduct combat operations at night, the tank is equipped with infrared observation and aiming devices. The driver has an infrared periscope, which is illuminated by headlights mounted on the front of the hull. The XM32 gunner's infrared periscope sight is mounted in place of the M31 day sight. At night, the body of the commander's daytime periscope sight is replaced by a body with an eight-fold XM36 infrared sight. In addition, the commander has infrared binoculars.

A searchlight with a xenon lamp is used to illuminate the targets. Spotlight width 610 mm \ height 470 mm, weight 72.6 kg. The searchlight is mounted on the gun mantlet on a special bracket, which all M60 tanks are equipped with, and fits into a box placed outside the turret. Since the searchlight is installed coaxially with the gun, it is aimed simultaneously with the gun.

The range of the spotlight is longer than a conventional standard spotlight. The presence of filters allows you to emit visible or infrared rays with a width of 4 ° or 1.2 °. These beams have a light intensity of about 20 million candles with a beam width of 4 ° and up to 95 million candles with a beam width of 1.2 °.

The searchlight is powered by the 24th battery of the tank through a voltage converter. Turning the searchlight lamp on and off, selecting the filter and the dispersion angle are made using the control panel located near the gunner's or tank commander's seat.

For the M60 tank, combined (day - night) observation and aiming devices are being developed.

For the first time in American practice of the post-war years, a four-stroke-12-cylinder V-shaped diesel engine with a turbocharger AVDS-1790-2 air-cooled, with a capacity of 750 hp, was installed on the tank. e., at 2400 rpm.

The engine has two turbochargers, which are driven by the exhaust gases of the engine. Two six-section fuel pumps are equipped with a device that automatically adjusts the fuel injection advance angle. The nozzles are multi-hole, their atomizers have eight holes with a diameter of 0.3 mm. Cooling of nozzles by air and oil is provided.

The lubrication system is forced, under pressure, with a dry sump; it ensures reliable operation of the engine at rolls up to 30 °.

The power compartment is equipped with a heat-dissipating device that reduces the thermal radiation of exhaust gases.

The maximum specific fuel consumption is 172 g/l. With. hours, and the minimum - 159 g / l. With. hours, which is significantly lower than the consumption of modern gasoline engines of American tanks.

In the M60 tank, they abandoned the use of a special charging unit as an additional source of electricity, and the volume previously occupied by the charging unit is used to increase the fuel reserve, which made it possible to increase the tank's cruising range. As a result, the capacity of the tank's fuel tanks is about 1460 hp, the cruising range has increased to 500 km.

To start the engine at low temperatures, a heater with forced air supply is installed in the tank, which is turned on from the control compartment. Starting the engine with an electric starter is provided at temperatures down to -30 ° C. For reliable starting, the number of batteries has been increased to six.

Apparently, the rejection of the charging unit did not justify itself enough in terms of ensuring a positive energy balance in the tank and reliable engine start, especially when low temperatures. In order to eliminate these shortcomings, it is planned to install a single-shaft gas turbine engine with a capacity of 30 liters in the tank. With. Engine weight 20 kg. The use of a gas turbine engine will provide additional electricity when the main engine is not running. It will be used to drive the electric generator and to heat the lower part of the crankcase and the air cooling route of the main engine with warm air coming from the compressor of the gas turbine plant. The possibility of using this engine as a starting one is also not ruled out.

It is believed that when an additional automatic device is included in the scheme of a gas turbine plant, which makes it possible to fully use the heat of exhaust gases, the time required to heat the main engine can be reduced to 5-10 minutes at ultra-low ambient temperatures.

The tank is equipped with two dry-type air cleaners with two stages of cleaning - primary and secondary.

In order to ensure ease of maintenance, as well as saving the internal volume of the tank, the air cleaners are taken out and installed on the wings of the tank in aluminum casings. There are doors in the housings to access the air cleaner filters. Air purifiers are serviced once a quarter.

The engine and power transmission oil coolers are mounted above the engine along the sides and are cooled by the airflow generated by the fans.

The engine is sealed, and when equipped with air supply and exhaust pipes, it can operate under water.

The diesel engine of the M60 tank and similarly powerful gasoline engines of medium tanks and vehicles based on them are interchangeable.

The diesel engine is more than 0.5 tons heavier than the gasoline engine of the M48A2 tank. Its weight with fans, oil coolers, generator and attachments is 2040 kg.

Despite the installation of more powerful weapons, increased armor, weighting of the power plant, an increase in the amount of fuel transported, the weight of the M60 tank remained practically unchanged compared to the M48A2 tank. This was achieved by the use of aluminum alloys in the design of the tank, as well as the removal of the charging unit and additional support rollers intended for tensioning the tracks. In total, over 3 tons of aluminum alloy was used in the tank, from which the undercarriage elements, fuel tanks, the rotating turret floor, fenders, various casings, brackets and handles are made.

Hydromechanical power transmission "Cross-Drive" brand SD850-6, installed in the M60 tank, consists of a torque converter, a three-stage planetary gearbox and a multi-radius planetary differential turning mechanism. The friction elements of the gearbox and steering mechanism work in oil. The turning mechanism fixes the turning radius of the tank in each gear. Turning the tank is possible in all gears, as well as in neutral. In the latter case, the machine turns in place when the tracks rotate in opposite directions.

The power transmission is controlled by a hydraulic drive from the steering wheel, gear lever and brake pedal.

The control system provides for a lock that excludes the possibility of turning on the starter when the gear is engaged. The starter is activated by moving the gear lever to the forwardmost position corresponding to the neutral in the gearbox. Near the instrument panel, an additional panel with warning lights is installed.

The suspension of the M60 tank is similar to the suspension of the M48A2 tank, however, some changes have been made to its design.

Track rollers (except for the outer ones), support rollers and drive wheels are made of aluminum alloy. Brackets of the balancers of the track rollers and limiters of the travel of the balancers are welded to the body.

Shock absorbers are not installed in M60 tanks; More rigid torsion shafts were used than in the M48 tanks. Rubberized caterpillar with rubber-metal hinge has a width of 710 mm.

The M60 tank uses an automatic fire-fighting equipment system, consisting of three carbon dioxide cylinders, automatic control system sensors and sprayers. When the system is turned on, one cylinder first fires, and then two cylinders at the same time.

Air heaters were used to heat the crew.

The M60 tank is equipped with the E37R1 fiyatroventilation unit, designed to protect the crew from radioactive dust, toxic substances and bacteriological pathogens. The capacity of the filter-ventilation unit is 5.6 m 3 /min

The air entering the tank first passes through a coarse filter and an anti-smoke filter, in which it is freed from smoke, dust, and sand. The smoke filter also removes biological substances and radioactive particles.

Then the air enters the gas filter, where it passes through activated charcoal, leaving chemical particles there, then through two flexible metal pipelines - to the switchgear and sensors to the crew members.

The driver receives purified air directly from the pipeline, and the rest of the crew members receive it from a rotating switchgear through special tank gas masks.

The tanker's gas mask differs from the standard gas mask in that his mask is a single rubber lining with elastic plastic glass measuring 16X11 cm. It does not have a separate filter box. The filter elements are mounted at the bottom of the face mask.

Inside the mask, directly in front of the tanker's mouth, there is a microphone. The insulated wire from the microphone is removed from the mask and connected to the intercom by means of a plug at its end. The gas mask is connected to the filter using a corrugated tube.

When disconnected from the collective gas filter, the gas mask can be used outside the tank like a normal gas mask.

The crew of the gunk is also equipped with special individual hoods made of rubberized fabric that cover the upper surface of the front of the mask, as well as the head, neck and shoulders, preventing direct contact with toxic substances.

An X-ray meter is installed in the tower, which allows you to determine the level of radiation in the tank and in the surrounding area.

One of the standard tank radios AN / GRC-3 (4, 5, 6, 7 or 8) is installed on the M60 tank. intercom AN / V1A-4 and a radio station for communication with aviation.

These radios are planned to be replaced by the new AN/VRC-12 radio station based on semiconductor devices.

The radio station provides telephone communication at a distance of 32-40 km. Her weight is 46 kg. There is a telephone on the tank for communication between the infantry and the crew.

Navigation equipment was developed and tested for the M60 tank. It consists of a gyrocompass, computing devices, a path sensor, and a terrain slope corrector. The weight of the equipment is about 55 kg.

All this equipment outputs data to a small round scale with two arrows, one of which shows the direction of the tank's movement, the other the given direction. The driver needs to turn the tank until both arrows match, then the car will be in the direction to the destination.

The system includes a tablet device with a map, on which the current location of the tank is indicated by a luminous arrow driven by servomotors connected to the computing devices of the navigation system.

Rice. 11. M60A1 main battle tank

In 1961, a system of electric stabilizers for the 105 mm gun was tested. The aiming line of the gunner's sight was also stabilized. The tests gave positive results.

The average vibration amplitude of the stabilized gun was ±2 thousandths.

At the beginning of 1962, an order was issued for the manufacture of the M60A1 tank (Fig. 11), which is a modification of the M60 tank, in which a number of improvements were introduced, namely:

- Improved configuration and somewhat strengthened the armor of the tower, increased the volume of the fighting compartment;

- apparently installed a gyroscopic system, stabilization of the gun in the vertical plane and the head in the horizontal plane;

- improved working conditions for the driver; improved tank control mechanisms; the steering wheel is replaced by a T-arm; changed” the location of some controls and instruments; a new hydraulic drive of the power transmission brakes and a mechanical stopping brake were used;

- The loader in this tank is equipped with an infrared device, so that at night he can help the tank commander in monitoring the area.

For the M60 tank, equipment was developed to overcome fords up to 3.5 m deep. In 1961, it was tested.

The following requirements were imposed on the equipment set:

- ensuring control of the machine, air intake and exit of the crew from the tank when it is completely immersed;

- maintaining the combat capability of the tank immediately after it leaves the water;

– time spent on equipment installation and. tank preparation should not exceed 30 minutes of crew work.

The fulfillment of these requirements is ensured by the preparation of the tank and the installation of special equipment.

The preparation of the tank is reduced to pumping air into the o-ring of the turret; sealing the covers of the gun mask and periscopes; installation of gaskets on hatches (driver and emergency) and on air cleaner housings; installation of a suction pump: disconnection of the generator air cooling pipeline; connecting the drain pipes of the fuel tanks to the air intake and coating with easily removable grease all pipe connectors and power plant connections.

Measures for the preparation and equipping of the tank with equipment that is removed upon leaving the water are reduced to installing a manhole pipe, flexible pipes for exhaust gases, installing a cover on the commander's cupola, pumping up the sealing ring of the turret fan, closing and sealing the shutters of the power compartment, closing with caps outlet openings of air cleaners, disconnection from the power circuit of the electric motors of the fans for cleaning dust collectors.

Rice. 12. Tank M60, equipped to overcome deep fords

The presence of a system of cables and detachable brackets allows the crew to dump the installed equipment without leaving the tank.

On fig. 12 shows the M60 tank, equipped to overcome deep fords.

Medium tank T95.

In 1954, development began, and in 1957, a prototype of the T95 medium tank, designed to replace the M48 tank, was tested.

The T95 tank, weighing about 34 tons, is armed with a 90-mm cannon mounted in a cast turret. The body of the tank is welded.

The first tests of the prototype of the T95 tank (Fig. 13) were carried out with the turret of the M48 tank, but later a new turret was used and the T95 tank underwent a number of modifications.

When creating the T95 tank, a standard caterpillar multi-purpose chassis was used, on the basis of which, in addition to the T95 tank, self-propelled units - Mi 10, M107, T245 and repair and recovery vehicles T119 and T120 were worked out.

Rice. 13. Medium tank T95

In the first samples of the T95 tank, an eight-cylinder air-cooled Continental gasoline engine of the AOJ-628 type with a capacity of about 600 hp was installed. With. The engine with a horizontal arrangement of cylinders is equipped with direct fuel injection equipment.

The use of this engine, as well as a new design turret, made it possible to reduce the height of the vehicle by 460 mm compared to the M48 tank.

The tank suspension is a closed hydraulic system consisting of separate units with hydropneumatic accumulators, which, assembled with a track roller, can be removed and installed on the tank independently of the others.

Each assembly consists of a hydraulic actuating element, two cam-controlled by-pass valves, a driver-operated shut-off valve, a damper valve, and a nitrogen-filled accumulator.

To ensure the stability of the machine when firing from a cannon, the suspension can be turned off. To lock the suspension, the accumulators are hydraulically disconnected from the drive element.

Hydropneumatic suspension allows you to adjust the clearance evenly along the entire length of the machine from 0 to 600 mm and thereby change the overall height of the machine.

In addition, you can raise or lower the bow and stern of the tank. Such a change in the position of the hull makes it possible to increase the angle of vertical guidance of the gun by 20 °. The clearance and suspension work depend on the amount of working fluid in the hydraulic drive.

By changing the stiffness of the suspension, you can adjust the smoothness of the machine in various terrain conditions.

By the middle of 1960, it turned out that it was necessary to spend at least two more years to finalize the T95 tank. By this time, the M60 tank with a 105-mm gun had already been put into mass production.

Considering that the T95 tank has no significant advantages over the M60 tank, except for the overall and weight characteristics, the refinement of the T95 tank with a 90-mm gun and the costs of preparing the equipment necessary for putting it into mass production were considered inappropriate.

The T95 tank is used as a running model for testing experimental units and assemblies of the new main battle tank.

The main 30-ton battle tank. In accordance with the program for the development of armored vehicles, since 1957, a 30-ton main battle tank has been developed.

It is planned to install a lightweight gun on the tank, apparently similar to the gun installed in the Sheridan light airborne tank, using Shillale rocket guided shells in the ammunition load.

As conventional ammunition it is supposed to use feathered projectiles for firing at ranges up to 2000 m.

Particular attention in the development of the tank is paid to improving the power plant, reducing weight compared to existing medium tanks, increasing maneuverability, and ensuring crew protection from the damaging factors of a nuclear explosion.

A significant reduction in the weight of this tank compared to existing US tanks is supposed to be ensured mainly through the use of jet weapons, as well as the widespread use of aluminum and other light alloys in its design. In terms of dimensions, it will be one-third less than the M60 tank. The reduction in the weight of the new tank should provide a significantly higher speed than tank No. 60. The tank crew is three people.

The tank will be equipped with a multi-fuel engine running on diesel fuel or gasoline-kerosene mixtures. It is known about the ongoing development of a 600 hp gas turbine engine for this tank. With.

Appropriations for 1963-1964. provided, the production of two full-size wooden models of the tank.

The entry of the new tank into service with the troops is expected after 1965.

who took part in the Korean War. During the fighting revealed weak spots of this machine: in the new conditions, its 90-mm gun was not powerful enough, the fire control system left much to be desired, and the armor protection required reinforcement. To eliminate these shortcomings, the M46 tank was decided to be modernized: equipped with a new turret with a more powerful 90-mm cannon, increased slope angles of the front hull plates and installed infrared surveillance devices. The war in Korea led to the acceleration of modernization work. In July 1950, an order was issued to start its production, and 10 months later, in May 1951, its first samples were released. The tank received the designation M47 "Patton II" and, after some refinement, was adopted by the US Army in early 1952, and since 1953 it has also been supplied to other countries participating in the North Atlantic bloc.

A cast turret of a new, improved design was installed on the M47 with a modernized gun of the same caliber as on the M46, and with an initial projectile velocity of more than 900 m / s. A 7.62-mm machine gun was paired with the gun, another one was installed in the front sheet and on the turret - 12.7-mm anti-aircraft machine gun M2. A more advanced electro-hydraulic fire control system was mounted in the tank turret, and a hydraulic transmission was introduced into the vertical aiming mechanism, which was used when aiming the gun at the target using power and manual drives.

Thanks to the presence of two fire control systems, the gunner and the crew commander could independently conduct aimed fire. The gunner had a stereoscopic, horizontal-base sight-rangefinder at his disposal, and a periscope sight was installed for the tank commander. A rangefinder sight mounted inside the turret was attached to its roof. Its end prisms were brought out into special holes in the sides of the tower and were closed with armor caps. The rangefinder sight made it possible to determine the distance to the target, the speed of its movement, the displacement in direction, took into account the type of ammunition used and automatically transmitted this data to the gun. An automatic compensator installed in the turret restored the original position of the gun after each shot. After the rollback, manual aiming was not required. On the M47, the angles of inclination of the frontal armor of the hull were slightly increased, infrared devices were installed for driving at night and a heater for the crew. With the same combat weight, the M47 tank had the same maneuverability as the M46. For "Patton-II" were developed special craft for crossing water barriers. Movement through the water was carried out with the help of two propellers installed in the niches of the aft pontoon and driven by drive wheels.

The maximum speed of the tank afloat reached 10 km / h. Turns on the water were provided by braking or stopping one of the tracks. When landing on land, the crew dropped the pontoons, undermining special charges placed in the pontoon mounts. Afloat, the M47 could fire from a cannon and a machine gun coaxial with it. In addition to the US Army, the M47 tanks were in service with the armies of West Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Japan and Turkey.

Tactical and technical characteristics of the medium tank M47 "Patton II".

combat weight, t	44
Crew, people	5
Dimensions, mm:
length with cannon forward	8508
width	3510
height	2960
clearance	470
Armor, mm
hull side, turret	76
stern	51
forehead of the hull, towers	102
Armament:
	90 mm M36 cannon, two 7.62 mm Browning machine guns, 12.7 mm M2 anti-aircraft machine gun
Ammunition:
	70 shots, 1000 rounds of 12.7 mm and 4550 rounds of 7.62 mm
Engine	"Continental", 12-cylinder, V-shaped, carbureted, air-cooled, power 810l. With. at 2800 rpm
Specific ground pressure, kg/cm.kv	0,935
highway speed, km/h	48
Highway range, km	120
Overcome obstacles:
wall height, m	1,17
moat width, m	2,44
ford depth, m	1,22

Sources:

• R.P. Hunnicutt. Patton. A history of the American Main Battle Tank;
• Military publishing, N. R. Andreev, N. I. Grishin. "US Army Infantry Battalion";
• M. Baryatinsky. "Medium and main tanks of foreign countries 1945-2000";
• G.L. Kholyavsky "The Complete Encyclopedia of World Tanks 1915 - 2000";
• Jim Mesko "Pershing/Patton in action";
• Dariusz Użycki, Tomasz Begier. Patton Cz. I między Shermanem i Abramsem. M-47;
• Steven J. Zaloga "The M47 and M48 Patton Tanks".

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In the United States, later than in other countries (for example, in France), they realized the feasibility of creating a single (main) tank. In 1946, a program was adopted to develop the T42 medium tank with a 90 mm gun and the T43 heavy tank with a 120 mm gun. The latter was produced in small quantities in 1951-1954 under the symbol M103.

The development of the T42 was delayed, which led to the adoption in 1948 of an intermediate model of the M46 medium tank. In 1950, during the Korean War, the turret of the T42 tank, which was still under development, was installed on the M46 chassis. The result was a new intermediate model M47.

The production of M47 tanks was organized by the tank factory in Detroit and the American Locomotive Company. In total, over 8500 cars were produced. M47 were delivered to France, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Greece, Turkey, West Germany, Yugoslavia, Spain, Iran and Pakistan.

The tank, with a mass of 46 tons, had a traditional layout with a rear engine compartment and a separate crew of five people: in the bow of the hull a driver (on the left) and a machine gunner (on the right), in the tower - the tank commander and gunner to the right of the gun, loader to the left. The hull of the tank is welded from cast and rolled armor parts, the turret is cast. The tank commander had an M20 periscope. The same device was installed at the gunner. In addition, the latter used a stereoscopic rangefinder sight and a mechanical ballistic corrector. The main armament was a rifled 90-mm cannon with an ejection purge of the barrel and a T-shaped or cylindrical muzzle brake. Ammunition for the gun 71 rounds, 11 of which are located in the niche of the tower. A 7.62 mm machine gun is paired with a cannon. The same machine gun is installed at the nose gunner.

The combat and engine-transmission compartments were separated by a rigid partition. A twelve-cylinder Continental gasoline engine with a power of 588 kW (800 hp) and an Allison hydromechanical transmission with two forward and one reverse gears provided a maximum speed of 48 km / h, and on the first samples even 58 km / h.

The undercarriage of the tank contains an independent torsion bar suspension with hydraulic shock absorbers on the first, second, fifth and sixth nodes, caterpillars with steel tracks and rubber asphalt shoes, driving and guiding wheels, twelve rubberized dual-slope road wheels and six support rollers (three per side) rollers. Additional track tension rollers are placed between the sixth track rollers and drive wheels.

The modernization of the M47 tanks was carried out mainly in the countries in which these tanks are in service.

Design work on the M48 tank began in October 1950 in Detroit. The first model of the M48 tank, manufactured by Chrysler, on June 1, 1952, was solemnly named "George S. Patton Jr.", better known in the press as "Patton-2". In total, about 12,000 cars were produced.

The tank began to enter the army in 1953. Its design was significantly influenced by the study of the experience of the combat use of tanks in the Korean War. Much more attention was paid to improving protection and increasing firepower. This led to a change in the design of the tower, the appearance of a commander's cupola with a large-caliber (12.7-mm) machine gun and an increase in weight to 47 tons.

The layout of the tank - with separate accommodation for the crew, a turret installation of the main armament and aft engine compartment. Compared to the M47, the tower has a significantly improved form in terms of protection, but almost its entire frontal part is occupied by a highly developed gun embrasure.

The main armament is a 90-mm rifled gun with 60 unitary rounds of four types of ammunition: armor-piercing, cumulative, high-explosive and incendiary. Instead of the latter, a canister projectile ("Canister") could be used. During the modernization, other types of shots were introduced into the ammunition load. Auxiliary armament: a 7.62-mm machine gun coaxial with a cannon (5900 rounds) and for the commander - a 12.7 mm caliber (180 rounds).

The fire control system used: the commander's optical rangefinder with a range of 4400 meters, the gunner's periscope and telescopic instruments, an electromechanical ballistic computer and electro-hydraulic guidance drives, instruments and a searchlight of visible and infrared light with a range of up to 2000 meters.

The hull is cast, with local reinforcements due to additional rolled armor plates. The tower is solid. The thicknesses and angles of inclination of the armor parts are highly differentiated. Elements of equipment for protection against weapons of mass destruction were used.

The mobility of the tank was provided by a Continental gasoline engine with a power of 588 kW (800 hp), an Allison hydromechanical transmission with a differential steering mechanism, a torsion bar suspension with hydraulic shock absorbers on the first, second and sixth nodes, a caterpillar mover with six (on one side ) dual-slope rubber-coated road wheels, caterpillars with RMSH, three support rollers (some of the machines were produced with five support rollers on one side).

The tank was delivered to many countries of the world: Germany, Greece, Iran, Israel, Jordan, South Korea, Lebanon, Morocco, Norway, Pakistan, Portugal, Somalia, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey.

The tank went through several stages of modernization, successively receiving the indices M48A1, M48A2, M48A3 and, finally, M48A5. The tank of the latest modification in terms of combat properties is approximately equivalent to the main tank M60A1.

Work on upgrading the previously released M48 tanks to the level of the main tank began in October 1975 at the Anniston Arsenal of the US Army. By the end of the 1977 financial year, 764 M48A1 tanks were modernized, by the end of the 1978 financial year - 1454 tanks. Only in the Anniston arsenal, by December 1979, 2064 M48A1-M48A3 tanks were brought to the level of M48A5.

Modifications of the M48 tank

M48- basic pattern. hallmarks models were a T-shaped or cylindrical muzzle brake and a commander's cupola with a 12.7-mm machine gun in an open installation. On later issues, the machine gun was mounted in a fully enclosed turret. On the part of the machines between the sixth track roller and the drive wheel, an additional track tension roller was installed.

M48S- the model is similar to the base one, but the hull is made of structural, not armored steel. Therefore, the model was not a combat vehicle, it was intended for crew training and had a label - the letter "C" on the left side of the frontal part of the hull, which means that the tank does not have ballistic protection.

М48А1- differed from the base model by an enlarged driver's hatch, a completely closed commander's cupola, the presence of dust-reflecting shields and a special track tension roller between the drive wheel and the sixth track roller.

M48A2- the main differences from previously released machines are reduced to an increase in the capacity of fuel tanks and improved fuel lines, improved installation and engine mounting, reduced visibility of exhaust gases in the infrared region, increased reliability of the fire control system, as well as the installation of a device for connecting additional fuel tanks at the stern of the hull.

М48А3- the main differences from the base model are: the replacement of the gasoline engine with a diesel engine (the same one that is installed on the M60 series tanks), the improvement of the fire control system, the installation of a ring with prismatic devices between the roof of the tower and the base of the commander's cupola, providing all-round observation. On most M48A3 tanks, there were no additional track tension rollers and three (on board) support rollers were used.

М48А4- only six samples were made. The turret of the M60 tank with the Shillela missile system was installed on the M48 chassis.

M48A5- the main differences from the base sample are described in the text.

In addition, on the chassis of the M48 tank, the M67, M67A1, M67A2 flamethrower tanks (withdrawn from service), the M48AVLB bridgelayer, the M48ARV recovery and recovery vehicle and the M48MCV minelayer were produced.

In addition to the United States, work on the modernization of the M48, as well as the previously released M47, in order to improve their combat properties and extend the life cycle, was carried out in countries where these tanks are in service. The depth and volume of modernization are determined by many factors, primarily the economic capabilities of the country, the military-political orientation of its leadership, the characteristics of the weapons and military equipment of the army of a potential enemy, etc. Therefore, the level of combat properties of the tank, achieved as a result of modernization, differs significantly for vehicles from different countries.

Modernization of M48 tanks in Germany

In the late 70s, Wegmann (Kassel) upgraded 650 tanks of the M48 series into a modification known under the M48A2GA2 index. The scope of work approximately corresponded to the American version of the M48A5 modernization, but with a focus on constructive and technological continuity with the Leopard-1 tank. A 105-mm L7A3 cannon with a heat-shielding casing, a new cannon mount in the stowed position, passive night vision devices for the tank commander, gunner and driver were installed, the commander's cupola was modified, the ammo rack was changed (46 shots) and the fire control system was improved. The tank uses AEG Telefunken low-level television devices with a receiving camera located above the gun and displaying images on the commander's and gunner's screens. Five tanks and 165 sets of assembly units needed to upgrade the tank to the M48A2GA2 level were sold to Turkey.

Under the leadership of the Wegman company, a modernized Super M48 tank was developed. The firms MTU (diesel), Renk (transmission), Krupp Atlas Electronics (SUO) and others participated in the work on it. The improvement program covers all the main combat and operational properties of the tank, but at the request of the customer it can be implemented in parts.

Instead of a regular 90 mm gun, a 105 mm English L7А3З gun is installed, for which there are many types of standard ammunition. A weapon stabilizer with electro-hydraulic actuators for vertical and horizontal guidance is being introduced. At the same time, elements of the existing system can be preserved. In the gunner's sight, installed in the roof of the tower, three optical channels are integrated: day, thermal imaging (night) and laser rangefinder. All channels use a common head mirror. There is an electronic ballistic computer, but the optical rangefinder and mechanical computer are preserved. The tank can conduct effective fire on moving and stationary targets from a standstill and on the move.

Additional booking blocks are hung on the frontal part and sides of the tower, each of which, if necessary, can be easily replaced. Smoke grenade launchers are mounted on the rear of the turret. Armored screens are placed along the entire length of the hull, not only increasing security, but also facilitating the work of air cleaners in the engine air supply system.

The Super M48 tank uses an MTU МВ837 Ka-501 turbo piston diesel engine with intercooled air with a power of 735 kW (1000 hp) and an automatic hydromechanical transmission, forming a single unit. The transmission provides four forward and reverse gears. Braking efficiency is achieved by using, along with multi-disc brakes, a hydraulic retarder. The installation of a new engine-transmission unit required a reconfiguration of the fuel system. It consists of five fuel tanks, only one of which is consumable. The capacity of the system is 1050 liters.

The smoothness of the tank was significantly improved by replacing it with new torsion bars, installing new hydraulic shock absorbers on the 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th suspension units and hydraulic stops (wheel limiters). The tracks have also been improved (the resource has been increased and noise has been reduced), the power supply system, and the driver's workplace. A new PPO system has been installed: in the habitable compartments - optical sensors, in the MTO - an indicator cable is used as a sensor. Fire extinguishing composition - "Halon".

Israeli tanks of the M48 series

The Israeli tank fleet has about 800 M48 vehicles. The vast majority of them have been upgraded to the M60A1 level in terms of combat properties. They use single engines, 105-mm cannons, Israeli-designed commander's turrets, and devices for installing mine sweeps. Additional armor for the hull and turret is applied. In the early 80s, elements of the Blazer mounted dynamic protection were created and introduced for the M48 and M60 tanks. Further modernization of the M48 series tanks in Israel is planned and carried out in one "package" with the modernization of the M60 model.

Turkish tanks M47 and M48

Turkey's tank fleet consists of about 800 M47 tanks and 2,700 M48 tanks. It is estimated that by the end of 1989, about 1900 M48 tanks were upgraded to the M48A5T1 level. This roughly corresponds to the American standard M48A5. Work began in 1982 at the Kayseri Tank Repair Plant using upgrade kits made in the USA. In 1984, the second plant joined the modernization. In the summer of 1984, one battalion Turkish army was re-equipped with M48A5T1 tanks.

At the end of 1985, the United States subsidized the supply of 760 new upgrade kits to Turkey, including a heat-shielding cannon casing, a ballistic computer, and, in addition to the existing electro-hydraulic guidance drives, an armament stabilizer. After the implementation of these changes, the tank receives the M48A5T2 index. In the process of modernization Turkish tanks M48 is attended by Texas Instruments, Cadillac Gage, and others.

In addition to the United States, Germany provided assistance to Turkey in the modernization of the tank fleet. The Wegmann company upgraded five M48 tanks to the M48A2GA2 level and delivered 165 upgrade kits, including the MV 837 Ka-500 diesel engine with systems and peripheral units, fuel tanks and pumps, electrical equipment, ammunition racks, an air defense system, etc. The FRG also helped in the construction of the mentioned tank repair plants.

South Korean tanks M47 and M48

The United States of America delivered to South Korea over 500 M47 tanks (it is believed that only about 350 are in operation) and over 1000 M48. About 600 of them have been upgraded to the American M48A5 standard. The tanks are equipped with a 105-mm M68 cannon, infrared observation devices for the driver and a searchlight (above the cannon), smoke grenade launchers on the sides of the turret, on-board anti-cumulative screens, and an AVDS-1790-2D diesel engine. In addition, improvements have been made to the fire control system, the electrical equipment of the hull and turret, and to the design of the commander's cupola and undercarriage.

Pakistani tanks M47 and M48

At the beginning of 1990, Pakistan's tank fleet consisted of 150 M47 and 345 M48A5 tanks. The M48 tanks were modernized between 1977 and 1979 - a batch of 145 vehicles, another batch (100 vehicles) - in 1984. Another 100 M48A5 in 1982 was purchased from the United States. To carry out the modernization work, a tank repair plant in Takhil, built with the help of China, was used.

Since the M47 tanks make up a small part of the tank fleet, and the M48 tanks have been modernized relatively recently, the main focus of the manual is on improving Chinese-made tanks. Nevertheless, in August 1989, an agreement was concluded with the American company General Dynamics on the organization in Pakistan of facilities for the repair and development of the M47 and M48 tanks, as well as self-propelled howitzers M109 and M110.

Spanish tanks M47 and M48

The Spanish tank fleet consists of 375 M47 and 164 M48 tanks. The main modernization work is carried out by the Talbot company, which has developed several modifications of the M47 and M48.

М47Е1 differs from the base model in the engine-transmission unit (diesel AVDS-1790-2A with CD-850-6A transmission), the absence of a nose machine gun, the installation of a Cadillac Gage Textron fire control system, the use of a TDA and four smoke grenade launchers on each side of the turret. The gun is left as is. After replacing the gun with a 105 mm Rh-105.30 and installing a driver's passive night periscope, the modification receives the M47E2 index.

M48A3E- the 90-mm cannon was retained on the tank, the same amount of modernization work was done as on the M47E1 model.

M48A5E- almost an American standard, but it is possible to install one of two 105-mm guns - M68 or Rh-105.30.

M48A5E1- the same as the M48A5E, but with an improved fire control system (with a laser rangefinder, passive night vision devices, an analog ballistic computer, etc.) and an AVDS-1790-2D diesel engine.

Most of the vehicles of the M48 series, which were in service with the Spanish army, were brought up to the levels of M48A5E and M48A5E1. The M47 tanks were mostly upgraded to the M47E1 modification.

Iranian tanks M47M and M48

The modernization program was developed by Bowen-McLaughlin-York and contained measures to replace the elements of the M47 tank, providing it firepower and mobility, on similar elements of the M60A1 MBT. The company built a plant in Iran (1970-1972), to which technological documentation was transferred from the USA. In addition, the company replaced the existing fire control system on two prototypes transferred to Iran with a new one (by Hughes) with a laser rangefinder. Common interchangeable elements for the M47M, M48A3 and M60A1 tanks are: engine, transmission, lifting and turning mechanisms for aiming the gun, air cleaners, stowage for machine gun cartridges, a heater for the crew, a driver's control panel, a fire protection system, etc.

The 90-mm cannon was retained on the M47M tank, but the fire control system was improved and the ammunition load was increased to 79 rounds. The nose gunner was excluded from the crew, his place was taken by an additional ammo rack. At the same plant, the modernization of the M48 tanks was carried out.

Modernization of M48 tanks on the island of Taiwan

The tank fleet includes about 300 M48 tanks. Major upgrades include the installation of a Taiwanese-made 105 mm M68-type cannon, a modified turret with a new fire control system, including a carbon dioxide laser rangefinder supplied by Texas Instruments, a ballistic computer and thermal imaging devices, and a new commander's cupola and the use of the AVDS-1790-2C diesel engine (as on the M60A3 tank). It is believed that the upgraded sample becomes equal to M60A1.

Combat and technical characteristics of the tank M48A5

Combat weight .............................. 49 t Crew .............. ................. 4 pers. Height on the roof of the tower ................... 2750 mm Cannon ........................ ........... 105-mm rifled Ammunition .............................. 54 rounds Ammunition types. ....................... BPS, BKS, BFS, SGPE Rangefinder ............... ............ Optical Ballistic computer ............... Electronic Loading .............................. ............ manually Machine guns ............................ three 7.62 -mm Armor protection ........................ monolithic Maximum speed .................. 48 km/h Highway range .......................... 500 km Engine .................. .............. diesel Engine power...................... 551 kW (750 hp) Transmission. ............................ hydromechanical Suspension .............................. ............ torsion Caterpillar ................................ with RMSH and rubber pillows Depth of the overcome water barrier.. 2.4 m, (with preparation)

Full-scale production of new American tanks T25 and T26, the prototypes of which were started by development as early as 1942, could have actually begun in the spring of 1944, if this process had not been artificially slowed down. The fact is that since the beginning of World War II, in addition to armored vehicles, the American army had a separate branch of the army - self-propelled tank destroyers. According to the plan of the American military, it was fighters that were supposed to fight tanks - lightly armored, but powerfully armed. In the summer of 1944, such a machine - M36, armed with a 90-mm cannon, was put into serial production. However, the landing in Normandy in June 1944 quickly confirmed that the absence of heavily armored tanks in the army was a serious miscalculation of the command. Normandy is not Tunisia, and well-camouflaged among the hedges, German tanks quickly dealt with the Shermans. Tank destroyers also did not show themselves particularly brightly in this operation, acting more as a defensive weapon than an offensive one.

Eventually, T26, classified as a heavy tank, began to prepare for mass production. Its new modification received an index T26E3. The gun was equipped with a muzzle brake, not so much to reduce recoil, but to reduce the shock wave when fired, which raised a cloud of dust that interfered with aiming. The turret of the loader's heavy machine gun was removed from the turret, placing an ordinary hatch. Now the machine gun was mounted on a rack, like the Sherman. The engine and transmission have also been upgraded.

The greatest difficulties were caused by the implementation of the requirement to increase the ammunition load for the 90-mm gun. On the T26E1 a "wet" ammunition rack was used, which was also used on some modifications M4. Its feature was the placement of shots in containers with water, which, according to the developers, reduced the likelihood of a fire - if the container was damaged, the water flooded the shot. However, the use of such a stowage, coupled with the suspension floor of the tower, reduced the ammunition load to 42 rounds. Various options for solving this problem were considered, including the elimination of the assistant driver's seat, but in the end, given the large thickness of the armor on T26, the wet ammo rack was abandoned, and the suspended floor was removed. This made it possible to increase the ammunition load to 70 shots.

Release T26E3 began at the Fisher Tank Arsenal plant in November 1944. During this month, 10 vehicles were manufactured, and by the end of February 1945, already 232 tanks. In March, the Detroit Tank Arsenal joined production. The tanks of the Fisher company were equipped with tracks from the T81 brand tracks, and the Chrysler company (Detroit Arsenal) - T80E1, as on the Sherman. But in the future, the "Fischer Tank Arsenal" switched to the production of tanks with the same tracks. The machines of different arsenals and the shape of the frontal part of the hull were somewhat different. In March T26E3 adopted as a heavy tank M26"General Pershing" or simply "Pershing" (in honor of General John J. Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Force in Europe during the First World War).

In the process of serial production, the tank was slightly modernized: the size of the hatches for the driver and assistant was slightly increased and the gun aiming mechanisms were strengthened. Both firms produced 2222 tanks M26, and most of them are Fisher. Serial production was completed at the end of 1945.

However, the start of mass production T26E3 did not mean that he immediately began to enter the troops. It was assumed that the first production tanks would go through a normal test program in the United States, during which their defects would be identified and a service manual prepared. In practice, this ruled out the appearance of new vehicles in the Western European theater of operations until the end of the war.

However, after the Ardennes, where the Americans first encountered a large number of German tanks that had just appeared Pz.VIB"King Tiger", against which "Sherman" was absolutely powerless, the opinion prevailed about the need to test new machines in the conditions of hostilities. In addition, given that against the "Royal Tiger" the gun T26E3 was rather weak, one was included in the number of "experimental" tanks T26E1, armed with a powerful 90-mm gun T15E1.

In January 1945 20 T26E3 and one T26E1 were taken to Antwerp. Their use in combat was an integral part of the Zebra mission. Under this name, a program was hidden for testing promising types of weapons in the conditions of hostilities.

ten T26 received the 3rd and 9th armored divisions of the 3rd American army. T26E1 was assigned to the 3rd Armored Division. In the same division by platoon T26(5 vehicles) received the 32nd and 33rd tank regiments, and the 9th received the 14th and 19th battalions. After the vehicles arrived in the unit, the assigned crews began to master new tanks and combat training, which ended in February.

Then the tanks were transferred to the front. On the night of February 26, one of T26 The 33rd Panzer Regiment was fired upon and damaged by the Tiger near the German town of Elsdorf. But the very next day, American tankers managed to knock out one "Tiger" and two Pz.IV, and the distance from which T26 fired, was prohibitive for the Sherman (800 m for the Tiger and 1000 m for Pz.IV).

Tankers of the 9th armored division entered the battle on March 1. And at night of the same day alone T26 damaged by a high-explosive projectile. In general, having complete air supremacy, the Americans, with rare exceptions, tried not to conduct night operations, and tankers were not trained for them. The only permanent loss T26 took place in March 1945: the tank of the 3rd armored division was hit by a German 88-mm self-propelled anti-tank gun hiding in an ambush "Nashorn" from a distance of 300 m. A fire broke out in the car, and it exploded, fortunately, the crew managed to escape. The remains of the tank were dismantled for spare parts.

March 6 in Cologne good luck for T26 ended his duel with the German "Panther", struck by three shots. On March 7, the task force of the 9th armored division reached the western bank of the Rhine River, near the city of Remagen. To their surprise, the Americans found that railroad bridge Ludendorff across the Rhine is not blown up and the German units are retreating along it in a hurry.

By mid-afternoon, the Americans approached the western end of the bridge. By that time, the Germans were only able to blow up the entrance to it. tanks T26 dispersed, opened fire high-explosive shells on the opposite bank of the river, and I must say, quite successfully - the commander of the German sappers was shell-shocked by a close explosion of a shell. When he came to his senses 15 minutes later and managed to get an order to blow up the bridge, the wiring to the explosive charges was interrupted. The volunteer made his way to the bridge and set fire to the ignition cord by hand. But here either the vaunted German quality played a role, or Hitler's sappers were no longer the same, but the explosion only damaged the railway tracks on the bridge. The American infantry rushed to the east bank along the untouched pedestrian walkways, cutting off all the wires and cables along the bridge along the way. Fire T26 silenced the machine guns defending the eastern end of the bridge. Already in the first day, 8 thousand soldiers were transferred to the other side. Five days later, along the restored flooring, they crossed to the other side and T26.

For 9 days, the Germans tried to destroy the ill-fated crossing with the help of aircraft and missile launches. V-2(ironically, only the American sappers, who put it in order, could bring down the Ludendorff Bridge: on February 17, it collapsed into the Rhine, taking the lives of 28 sappers with it).

T26 proved to be very good in the first combat clashes, the technical problems were also not too great. Therefore, another batch of new tanks arrived from America at the end of March. They entered the 12th Army and were distributed between the 2nd (22 tanks) and 5th (18) armored divisions. Later, the 11th Armored Division of General Patton's 3rd Army also received 30 tanks. Supplies T26 continued to Europe, but they did not have time to visit active hostilities.

T26E1 he did not so much participate in battles as he was screened, they tried to get the “Royal Tiger” from him in the American way. Armor cut from German tanks covered the forehead of the turret and hull, and then the turret was scalded in general. As a result, this machine participated in the battle only once, having managed to knock out a German tank on April 4 from a distance of almost one and a half kilometers. Measure strength with king tiger“He didn’t get to.

After the end of the war in Europe, the last theater of operations was the Pacific. Initial use T26E3 it was not planned there, but the high losses of the Shermans during the landing on Okinawa forced the command to send 12 T26E3, standardized by the time M26. However, they arrived in Okinawa only on June 21, when the fighting for the island had already ended. Now these machines were supposed to participate in the landing on the Japanese islands. "Pershings" received the 193rd and 711th tank battalions. However, the surrender of Japan led to the cancellation of the operation. That's why M26 never took part in the hostilities in the Pacific theater.

* * *

The end of the Second World War led to a reduction in production M26 and practically canceled the release M45(engineering tank equipped with a short-barreled 105-mm howitzer). From foreign countries M26 only Belgium, Italy and France received to equip their armies. In May 1946 M26 was transferred from the category of heavy tanks to medium ones, and in 1948 its modernized version appeared T40, equipped with a new gun with a muzzle brake and an ejector. In July 1948 T40 was standardized as a medium tank M46"General Patton", or simply "Patton". Simultaneously M26 was classified as a limited standard medium tank.

Initial release order M46 amounted to 800 tanks during 1949. This machine differed from the experimental T40 only in the stern sheet, where there were three round transmission access hatches. The tank was equipped with a Continental AV-1790-5 engine with an HP 810 power. and transmission "Allison" CD-850-3.

In 1950, it was planned to stop production M46 and upgrade 1215 tanks M26 type M26E2, (with a new engine and transmission) but with the installation of the M3A1 gun. Thus, by 1951 it was supposed to receive about 2 thousand tanks of the standard M46. However, the Korean War led to the release M46 continued, and the modernization program M26 so it never materialized. Only a few M26(under index M26A1), starting from 1948, were re-equipped with the MZA1 gun.

It must be said that during this period there was a widespread opinion among American military leaders that with the advent of the atomic bomb, the old tank troops were no longer needed, and the future lay with light, highly mobile combat vehicles. Aimed at a global nuclear conflict, overseas generals overlooked the possibility of involving the US Army in local conflicts.

On June 25, 1950, the Korean War began. Parts of the DPRK crossed the 38th parallel and deepened into the territory of South Korea. Considering that the South Korean and American troops had no medium tanks at all, the offensive developed rapidly. There were no medium tanks in Japan either, only on June 28 were three tanks found in an artillery depot in Tokyo. M26 but with a faulty cooling system. After its restoration in mid-July, the tanks were sent to Korea. However, the cooling system still did not work normally, and during the retreat from Chinju to Pusan, these tanks had to be abandoned.

At this time, the Americans were feverishly collecting all the medium tanks that could be sent to Korea.

Although the UN qualified the war as an aggression by North Korea and authorized the sending of troops from various countries there under its auspices, only the US army could provide tanks. The 6th tank battalion, armed M46, 70th, armed M26 and M4A3E8, 73rd and 9th tank battalions, armed M26. In addition to these machines, the units were armed with a small number M45. To equip the material part of the 70th tank battalion was even forced to put in order M26, used as a memorial at Fort Knox where he was trained.

Received "Pershings" and tankers from the 1st consolidated brigade marines- a formation formed on the basis of the 5th Marine Regiment. His tankers changed their Shermans with 105-mm howitzers to M26, and without having undergone sufficient training, the gunners fired only two training shots before being sent to Korea. Nevertheless, the general level of training of tankers in the marines was such that it was they who opened the account for the North KoreanT-34-85destroyed by American tanks.

By the time the medium tanks arrived in Korea, only the port city of Pusan ​​and a small bridgehead adjacent to it were in the hands of the South Korean and American troops. By this point, the North Korean offensive had fizzled out. The non-combat losses of tanks exceeded the combat ones, and not all of them reached BusanT-34-85.

August 17 fourT-34-85launched an attack from the western side of the Pusan ​​defense perimeter, where they were met by tankers of the 1st Marine Brigade. Quality excellence M26 immediately made itself felt - three Korean tanks were knocked out without losses from the Americans. Now, in addition to superiority in the air, they added superiority on the ground.

Tank fear in the ranks of the armies of the United States and South Korea came to naught, and North Korean tankers began to be wary of engaging in open tank battles. Ironically, it turned out that the 60th battalion, armed with the most modern at that time M46, in his defense zone of the Busan bridgehead, he never met a single North Korean tank and was only engaged in supporting his infantry.

On September 16, American troops landed in the Inchon area. Moreover, even if Busan had fallen before that, the North Koreans could have transferred to Incheon at best 20T-34-85if they knew where the landing would take place. During the attack on Seoul, the marines' tankers claimed to have destroyed M26 16 T-34-85no loss on your part. From that moment on, both qualitative and quantitative superiority in tanks was on the side of the American troops. North Korean troops were rapidly retreating. It seemed that the war would soon be over. But then Chinese people's volunteers entered the war, the concentration of which the Americans could not detect in time.

The swift advance was replaced by the same swift flight. So, the 6th tank battalion, fully armed M46, which during the attack on North Korea destroyed sixT-34-85and a few SU-76, when leaving, he threw almost all the cars on railway near Pyongyang. The Americans announced the destruction of them with their aircraft, but most likely the tank M46, which replenished the collection of the Museum of armored vehicles in Kubinka, one of those.

True, there was no new rollback to Pusan, and the front was stabilized south of Seoul in early 1951. By this time, the American troops had 309 M26 and 200 M46, and although their total number was inferior to the number of Shermans (679 units), they still remained the main striking force. In the course of several counteroffensives, by the summer of 1951, UN troops reached the 38th parallel - the division line of Korea before the war, where they stopped. North Korea even with the support of Chinese volunteers, it could not defeat the UN troops (mainly American), which had a qualitative superiority. On the other hand, the Americans also understood that the entry into the war of a large number of Chinese volunteers led to the fact that the start of new offensive operations required the strengthening of the grouping of troops in Korea and, in the future, could provoke an open entry of China into the war (and, possibly, the USSR ), which also led to an uncontrolled escalation of the conflict, which was not very popular in the United States.

As a result, both sides began to build fortifications and burrow into the ground, and the war acquired a rather strange positional character for the middle of the 20th century. Tanks began to be used as self-propelled artillery for firing from a place, including from hilltops. An old disease came to light M26- low specific power, for which the tank began to be mercilessly criticized, forgetting its merits in the defense of Busan and the offensive that followed. Leading role passed to M46 and Sherman, and M45 generally withdrawn from the front. Attempts by Chinese troops to attack at night revealed negative attitude American tankers to combat operations at this time of day. Since there were no night vision devices in service with the US Army, tanks M46 decided to equip with searchlights with a diameter of 18 inches (45.7 cm), reviving the Soviet pre-war "combat light headlights". Searchlights proved to be effective and were less likely to be hit by enemy fire because they had a duration control. By setting the desired duration, the gunner or commander could turn on the lighting, and it would go out automatically.

The war has come to a standstill. Stalin's death opened the way for negotiations, and in July 1953 an armistice was signed.

Back in March 1951, the Detroit Tank Arsenal company, commissioned by the US Army, created experienced tank М46Е1, which is the corpus M46 with a new tank turret T42, equipped with a 90-mm gun T119. After improvements, he received an index M47.

Production M47 began at the Detroit Tank Arsenal in June 1951. Passed after the Second World War under the control of the Department of Ordnance in the summer of 1952, it was again transferred to the Chrysler Corporation. Until November 1953, 5481 tanks were produced here M47. In 1951, the American Locomotive company joined the production, it produced 3195 tanks. Thus, the total output M47 exceeded total output M26, M45 and M46 and amounted to 8576 units. In April 1952, the tank was standardized as M47"General Patton II", the name was later changed to "Patton 47", but more often the tank was called simply "Patton".

The end of the Korean War was also the end of a career M26, M45 and M46. In parts M26 and M45 quickly replaced with new ones M47 andM48. The war machines were transferred to storage and to the National Guard, and then they were written off. The same fate awaited M46; true, given that the new M47, planned for transfer to NATO allies, a similar power plant and transmission, single copies of the "Patton I" preceded the delivery M47 and served to train crews.

Although the number of issued M47 in total exceeded the number of issued M26 and M46, his service in the American troops was short, and he did not take part in the hostilities under the Stars and Stripes flag. Although admission M47 in part, it began in 1952 and he could have managed to get to the war in Korea, there was no need for this. In addition, American strategists came up with the idea that the Korean War is a prelude to the Third World War, and it is being waged with the aim of pulling the maximum forces of the United States and its allies from the European theater of operations, where the main blow will be dealt. This explained, from their point of view, why the Soviet Union did not enter the Korean War with its troops. The analysis of the European theater of operations did not inspire optimism - the situation was similar to the balance of power before the start of the Korean War. Therefore, two regiments M47 rushed to Germany. True, the beginning of mass productionM48in 1953 led to the fact that already in 1955 M47 was classified as a "restricted standard tank". However, without having made a career in the American army, M47 began to enter service first with NATO allies (the tank was even declared a standard NATO tank), and then other allied states.

In Germany and Italy, wherever a lot M47, like the countries that lost the Second World War, their tank building at that time did not exist at all, and these vehicles became the first modern post-war tanks that entered service with their armies. Received M47 and the French army. Of course, the French, with their traditional nationalism, were not very pleased to adopt an American tank. But what to do - the most modern domestic tank they had at the beginning of the 1950s was ARL-44, created on the basis of the pre-war B1bis. At one time, its necessity caused great doubts in general. Of course, AMX-50 excelled M47 according to a number of parameters (if not all), but, despite the development of several options, this tank never entered service.

As part of the French army M47 first "smelled gunpowder" during the Anglo-French intervention in the Suez Canal zone in 1956. He did not participate in combat clashes with Egyptian tankers, but supported the French paratroopers with fire. As is known, hostilities in Egypt were stopped under strong pressure from the USA and the USSR.

With the advent of new tanks of their own or American design, the most developed countries of the NATO bloc got rid of M47. Turkey became a kind of arsenal of obsolete NATO equipment in those days, where a lot of M47. In 1974, these tanks were used during the occupation of the northern part of Cyprus, where they happened to meet with those in service with the Greek Cypriots.T-34-85. transcending T-34both qualitatively and quantitatively, the Pattons quickly destroyed them.

M47 were in service with the Austrian army, which, although it was not a member of the NATO bloc, received these vehicles from the United States for free rent and could use them for its defense, but did not have the right to sell.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the now famous American film actor, served on one of these tanks in the late 1960s. In Austria, he became practically a national hero. Therefore, when, during a visit to his historical homeland in the late 1990s, the Hollywood "terminator" expressed a desire to find his tank for installation in the museum, the Austrian Ministry of Defense went to meet him.

By this time, the tanks buried in the ground M47 were used on the Hungarian border as firing points. Unlike similar Soviet experience (the tanks were still the property of the United States), they retained the engine and chassis. Having found the car on which Schwarzenegger served, the Austrians dug it up, put it in order and, having agreed on the issue with the Americans, sent this rarity to the USA. It is now on display in working condition at the Museum of Columbus, Ohio.

Not getting into the Korean War, M47 nevertheless, they entered the South Korean army, where they were in service for a long time. These machines took part in numerous exercises of both the South Korean army and in joint maneuvers with the United States. When they finally became obsolete, the Koreans quite peculiarly solved the problem of their disposal. Having removed all the most valuable from the combat vehicles, as well as hatches, the tanks were flooded along the coast, forming an artificial reef. At the same time, their internal cavities have become a haven for numerous marine life.

However, not all M47 ended their journey peacefully. In Asia, many Pattons found their end on the battlefield. In 1965, another war broke out between India and Pakistan over the disputed states of Jammu and Kashmir. M47 were in service with the 1st and 6th tank divisions of the army of Pakistan. The 1st Armored Division in the Lahore area tried to counterattack the advancing Indian Army units without infantry support, but suffered catastrophic losses. In the Indian army, this place was called "Patton's Cemetery". Near Sialkot M47 with varying success participated in the battles with the Indian "centurions". In later combat clashes between India and Pakistan, tanks were not used extensively.

Noted M47 and in the Middle East. The Jordanian army received 100 tanks from the US M47, applied them together with newerM48during the Six Day War. This war confirmed two truths, which, however, are constantly being challenged. First: there is no single Arab nation, but there are several peoples who have a common origin and language, but different states and national interests, and are not able to act in a coordinated manner. Israel confirmed this truth once again, defeating its opponents, consistently maneuvering its forces. Second: who owns the sky - owns the earth. In the West Bank of the Jordan River in the Jenin region of the Jordanian M47 andM48opposed by weaker Israeli Shermans and AMX-13. Moreover, the individual training of Jordanian tankers was not inferior to the training of the Israelis. More skillful strategic leadership of the Israeli tank forces and air supremacy led to the fact that almost all Jordanian M47 were destroyed.

Modernized in the late 1970s, Iranian M47 took part in the war with Iraq in 1980-1988. Of course, by then M47 rather outdated, but still their losses in this war are more likely to be explained by the general decline in the combat capability of the Iranian army after the Islamic revolution, when many specialists fled the country.

The Pattons also fought in Africa. Spain deployed its M47 in the Sahara desert in the mid-1970s, but little is known about their activities. Ethiopia tried to apply M47 in the fight against the Eritrean guerrillas in 1977. But the tank is not the best remedy in the counterguerrilla struggle, and almost all of them were destroyed. 25 M47 transferred by Saudi Arabia were in Somalia. Several of these machines were shot down in 1993 by combat helicopters of the US Air Force.

Tanks are currently M47 still continue to be in service with a number of countries. These are Portugal, Pakistan, Somalia, Iran. Some armies use support vehicles based on them, for example, South Korea. So the combat service of this tank continues.

DESIGN DESCRIPTION

LAYOUT. M26, M45, M46 and M47 had a classic layout with the engine and transmission in the rear of the tank.

The body was divided along the length into four sections: control, combat, engine and transmission.

The control compartment was located in front of the hull, it housed the driver and assistant driver. Both of them had similar instruments and control drives and the same ability to control the tank. In addition, the driver's assistant had a ball mount with an M1919A4 machine gun.

The fighting compartment occupied the middle part of the vehicle. It housed the gunner, tank commander and loader, as well as gun and machine gun ammunition. On the roof of the fighting compartment, a tower with weapons mounted in it, a commander's cupola, a hatch and observation devices was installed on a ball bearing.

Behind the fighting compartment, behind the armored partition, was the engine compartment. It housed the engine (liquid-cooled for M26 and M45 and air-cooled for M46 and M47), fan drives, radiators (only for M26 and M45), fuel tanks and batteries.

Between the engine and transmission compartment there was a light partition, and the engine, partition and transmission were a single unit and were dismantled together. It housed the gearbox, main differential and final drives.

FRAME The tank was an armor box welded from cast and rolled armor parts. The frontal part of the hull, together with the roof up to the engine compartment, is a one-piece casting of armored steel. The frontal part of the tank was V-shaped, broken in the upper part only by a protrusion for a machine gun mount.

The top of the frontal part of the hull is a constant thickness of 101.2 mm (4 inches). In the M26, M45 and M46 tanks, it had a slope of 46 °, as well as a tide for installing a fan, the M47 did not have a fan, and the angle of inclination increased to 60 °. The angle of inclination of the lower frontal part is 53 °. The thickness of the armor in the upper part is 90 mm, gradually thinning towards the bottom to 76 mm (3 inches). The roof of the frontal casting is 22 mm thick.

The M26, M45 and M46 tanks had a tide of a ventilation unit on the roof, holes for the fixed periscopes of the driver and assistant, holes for hatches, a hole for the ball shoulder strap of the tower with a protrusion around the perimeter to protect it and two holes for the fuel tank filler necks. The M47 had no tide on the roof, there were no holes for fixed periscopes, but the diameter of the turret ring was larger and the tide under it went beyond the dimensions of the hull. The driver and assistant driver had two separate hatches at their disposal, which opened away from the center of the hull and were equipped with a torsion compensator. Each hatch had an opening for the installation of a rotating periscope.

The sides of the hull were also cast, and its thickness throughout the fighting compartment was 76 mm, and along the engine compartment - 50.8 mm. The M26, M45 and M46 tanks had mounts for the installation of five brackets for the supporting wheels, and the M47 had three. The bottom of the tank was welded from two sheets of rolled armor with a thickness of 25.4 mm under the fighting compartment and 12.7 mm under the engine compartment.

The bottom and sides of the hull were connected by massive brackets for fastening the balancers of the track rollers, and between them they were fixed with side bevels 25.4 mm thick. In the side bevels between the brackets of the front road wheels and the frontal part, there were emergency hatches for the driver and assistant driver.

The body of the M46 and M47 was longer and behind the brackets of the sixth pair of road wheels had smaller mounts for the brackets of the sprocket breakers. When upgrading the M47, these rollers were often removed along with the torsion bars, and the holes for the balancers were welded.

The roof of the frontal part, the sides and the bottom were connected to each other in the middle of the tank by an armored partition, which serves to separate the combat and engine compartments and at the same time is a power element of the hull.

The aft hull part of the M26 and M45 was welded from three armor castings with a thickness of 76 to 50.8 mm - two onboard and aft. The stern of the hull of the M46 and M47 is one-piece, 76 mm thick. The stern part connected the rear sides, the bottom and the side bevels of the hull and had tides for the installation of final drives, as well as holes for draining oil from the transmission. A platform for attaching a towing device and two towing eyes was also welded to it. For the M26 and M45, the rear part of the body was made with a hole for the exit of the exhaust pipes (a cast massive casing covered them from above). In addition, these tanks had a gun stopper welded to the stern. At the M46 and M47, the exhaust pipes exited through the roof of the engine compartment, and a stopper was also attached there, so there were no holes for the exhaust pipes at the back, but there were mounts for the telephone set.

The roof of the engine compartment consisted of a rectangular hatch above the engine for the M26 and M45, to the left and to the right of it there were two lattice panels that folded to the sides, through which air was taken into the engine cooling system. Further, closer to the stern, there was a convex casting, from side to side, with an access hatch to the radiator filler neck. In the very stern of the hull, four reclining lattice panels were placed (two per side). Through them, exhaust air was ejected and access to the transmission was provided.

In the M46 and M47, in connection with the installation of an air-cooled engine, almost the entire top of the hull was a grate through which air was taken or ejected.

On all tanks, the roof over the engine and transmission compartments was completely disassembled and removed to dismantle the engine with the transmission.

TOWERS M26, M45 and M46 were made in one piece and had a cylindrical shape with a slight taper and a developed aft niche. The frontal thickness of the tower was 101.2 mm, the sides and rear of the tower were 76 mm thick (for the M45, the forehead, side and rear of the tower were 127 mm thick). The roof of all three tanks is the same thickness, 25.4 mm (1 inch). A rectangular hole was provided in the frontal part of the tower, which served to fasten the twin installation of a cannon and machine gun, as well as their sight. From the front, from above, the installation was protected by a frontal part mounted on screws, and from the front, by a massive shield with a thickness of 114 mm for the M26 and M46, and 203 mm for the M45.

On the left side of the tower, the M26, M45 and M46 had mounts for spare tracks and a device for dismantling them, as well as a hatch for ejecting spent cartridges. The M26 on the left side of the tower had attachments for an A-shaped cargo boom, which the crew could install and independently dismantle the engine-transmission unit. However, in the field, repair units were engaged in this, and on the M46 these mounts were often cut off, and then not installed at all. On the M45 towers they were not at all. On the right side of the tower was a basket welded from metal sheets, intended for tarpaulin, but often used to transport other property. On the right, a second device for dismantling the tracks could be attached. On the rear wall of the tower, a mount was provided for anti-aircraft firing from the ground from a 12.7 mm Browning machine gun, as well as a mount for transporting a machine gun for an anti-aircraft machine gun (never really messed around), which allowed it to be used outside the tank.

On the roof of the tower there was a hole for the loader's hatch with a spring compensator and a hole for installing a rotating periscope MB, which was also used by the loader. The roof also had two antenna inputs and a hole for the gunner's periscope sight.

At the rear of the turret, a rack was mounted for attaching a large-caliber machine gun and a lock for its barrel (for the M45 and M46, the second rack was located above the gunner's periscope sight). Closer to the starboard side, a round commander's cupola was installed, which had six periscopes around the perimeter. In addition, a MB periscope could be installed in the 380 ° rotating cover of the commander's hatch. The diameter of the turret ring for the M26, M45 and M46 was 1753 mm.

The one-piece M47 turret was absolutely original, as it was developed for another tank. The diameter of the shoulder strap for it was 1854 mm, and the tower itself had a streamlined shape with heavily littered sides and tides for a stereoscopic rangefinder, a loader's hatch and a commander's cupola. Although the thickness of the armor has not increased compared to the turrets of previous tanks, the projectile resistance has increased due to the greater slope of the armor. The frontal shield of the tower with a thickness of 114 mm became smaller due to the lack of a telescopic sight.

The thickness of the frontal part of the tower was 101.2 mm at an angle of inclination of 40 °. Sides - 63.5 mm thick at a slope of 30 °. The stern of the tower had a thickness of 76.2 mm, the roof - 25.4 mm. No additional property was attached to the sides, but handrails were installed to facilitate the landing of the crew, which was difficult due to the large inclination of the sides. (In the USSR, it was initially believed that these railings were used for tank landings, but in the USA armored personnel carriers were mainly used for transporting infantry, and tank landings were used in exceptional cases.) There was no hatch on the M47 tower and a hatch for ejection of spent cartridges, although on prototypes he attended. Here the Americans, like the Germans on the Panther in their time, sacrificed convenience for projectile resistance. In the aft part of the tower there was a light metal box for property, on the sides of which there were fasteners for two canisters.

In front of the turret there were tides for the outputs of the caps of the stereoscopic rangefinder sight (during the modernization of the tank, one of the caps served to display the laser sight). To dismantle it, a large removable panel was provided in the roof, in which, in turn, holes were made for mounting the gunner's periscope sight and the loader's fixed M13 periscope.

The M47 commander's turret was equipped with only five periscopes - instead of the front one, the commander had the same periscope sight as the gunner. The commander's hatch rotated and was not equipped with a periscope. Between the commander's cupola and the loader's hatch was a rack for an anti-aircraft machine gun. In the aft part of the tower there were two antenna inputs, as well as a tower fan cap attachment.

The turrets of the M26, M45, M46 and M47 tanks could be rotated manually or with the help of a hydraulic motor. When using a hydraulic drive, the tower made a full turn for the M26, M45 and M46 in 15 s, and for the M47 in 10 s.

WEAPONS. The M26, M46 and M47 tanks were armed with a 90 mm cannon based on the M1 90 mm anti-aircraft gun and could use the same ammunition. The mass of a 90-mm shot, depending on the type of projectile, ranged from 14 to 20 kg, length - from 900 to 950 mm. The initial speed of high-explosive and armor-piercing shells was about 820 m / s. The initial speed of sub-caliber shells reached 1200 m / s.

The M26 tank was equipped with a 90 mm M3 cannon with a muzzle brake. The gun elevation angle is +20° and the declination angle is -10°. She could fire using a telescopic or periscope sight. The rate of fire reached 8 rds / min. Ammunition consisted of 70 shots.

On the M26A1 and M46 tanks, the MZA1 gun was installed, which was distinguished by the presence of an ejection device for purging the barrel after a shot and a single-chamber muzzle brake. The M46 was fitted with the new M83 telescopic sight.

The main armament of the M47 is the M36 cannon in the M78 mask mount. It had an ejector and was equipped with a muzzle brake, which, depending on the release time of the tank, could be single-chamber (like the M3A1 gun), cylindrical or T-shaped. Barrel survivability - about 700 shots. The same shots were used as the guns of the M26 and M46 tanks. In addition, later in Belgium and Israel, new types of ammunition were developed and produced for this weapon. But the main innovation of the M47 was the fire control system. The tank did not have a telescopic sight, for the first time (for American tank building) a combat vehicle was equipped with an M12 stereoscopic rangefinder sight, coupled with a ballistic computer. In addition, the gunner had an M20 periscope sight. The tank commander had the same sight, which allowed him, using his turret control drives, to fire from the gun. The M20 periscope sight could be used not only for shooting, but also for observation, since it had a variable magnification - a six-fold magnification was used for shooting, and a single magnification for observation.

Initially, the ammunition capacity of the M47 gun was 71 rounds, of which 11 were in the turret niche. In the future, when upgrading the tank, due to the elimination of the place of the assistant driver, the ammunition could be increased to 105 rounds.

On the M45 tank, a 105-mm M4 howitzer was mounted in the M71 mask mount. This installation provided vertical guidance angles from + 35 ° to - 10 °. The telescopic sight M76G served for firing. The maximum range of the howitzer is 11,160 m. The rate of fire could reach 8 rds / min. Ammunition was 74 rounds.

On all M26, M45, M46 and M47 tanks with a cannon (or howitzer), a 7.62 mm M1919A4 machine gun with belt feed was paired. When firing from a coaxial machine gun, a cannon sight was used.

The driver's assistant in the M26, M45, M46 and M47 tanks had a ball mount with a second M1919A4 machine gun. The ball mount did not provide holes for sighting devices, and if they were, the assistant could not use them, since the machine gun was mounted very low. Therefore, the shooting was carried out with observation through the driver's assistant's periscope, using tracer bullets.

The number of 7.62 mm caliber cartridges carried on the M26 and M45 tanks was 2500 pieces, on the M46 - 2750 pieces, on the M47 - 4125 pieces.

On the roof of the turrets of the M26, M45, M46 and M47 tanks was a 12.7 mm M2NV machine gun, designed to fire at ground and air targets. He did not have a turret and was mounted on racks, the number of which different tanks was uneven. The M26 had one rack in the back of the roof, which is why the commander and loader could shoot backward from the hatch, and forward shooting was possible only from the roof of the engine compartment. The second mount was on the aft wall of the tower, and if the tower was deployed on board, then it was possible to shoot from the ground at high elevation angles. In the M45 and M46 tanks, in addition to the above, an additional mount appeared above the gunner's periscope sight, and the tank commander got the opportunity to shoot forward along the tank, leaning out of his hatch. The M47 tank had only one mount - between the commander's cupola and the loader's hatch.

The ammunition of the M2NV machine gun for the M26, M45 and M46 tanks was 550 rounds of 12.7 mm caliber. In reality, American tankers in Korea, actively using this machine gun to shell places where grenade launchers could hide, managed to load much more cartridges. Therefore, the regular ammunition of the M47 tank was already 1700 rounds of 12.7 mm caliber.

ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION. The M26 and M45 were equipped with a Ford GAF ​​water-cooled gasoline engine, V-shaped, 8-cylinder. Power - 500 hp The engine was connected to a single unit with a transmission that provided two gears forward and one reverse.

The capacity of the fuel tanks of the tank was 675 liters. The capacity of the oil system is 30 liters, and the oil filter had automatic cleaning. Engine cooling was provided by two water radiators. Cooling system capacity 83 l. The pre-heater was included in the cooling system. The engine was installed in the engine compartment in the center. Fuel tanks were located to the right and left of it. Power take-off from the engine was carried out front and rear. At the rear, the engine was connected to the transmission. In front there was a power take-off for the cooling fans. Each radiator was blown by two fans (one above the other), driven by cardan shafts using a belt drive. The same gear was used to drive an electric generator installed to the right of the engine.

On the M46 and M47 tanks, a Continental AV-1790-5B gasoline engine was installed, a V-shaped, 12-cylinder, air-cooled engine that developed 810 horsepower. at 2800 rpm. The engine was connected to the CD-850 transmission (various modifications on the M46 and M47), which also had two speeds forward and one reverse. For the first time on a serial medium tank, the “cross-drive” transmission greatly simplified control. The driver controlled the movement of the tank, turning and braking with a single lever.

Engine cooling was provided by two fans located on the engine itself. The air intake for blowing the transmission and oil cooler was carried out by an additional fan installed to the left of the motor in the partition separating the engine and transmission compartments.

Fuel tanks were also located on the sides of the engine and had a total capacity of 875 liters.

CHASSIS for the M26, M45, M46 and M47 tanks, it consisted of six double rubberized stamped road wheels with a diameter of 660 mm on board. The suspension of the tank is individual torsion bar. The guide wheel is interchangeable with the track rollers. The front track rollers are mechanically connected to the idler to prevent the tracks from falling off. Because of this, the chassis had several interesting features. The balancers of the front road wheels were directed forward, and the other five - back. Due to the use of torsion bar suspension, the starboard rollers lagged behind the left side rollers, however, only the last five. The front road wheels were located coaxially due to the mechanical connection with the guide rollers. This was achieved by different lengths of their balancers. Hydraulic shock absorbers had 1, 2, 5th and 6th rollers. To limit the travel, the first roller (associated with the sloth) was equipped with a spring buffer, and the rest with travel stops with rubber buffers.

The M26, M45 and M46 tanks had five rubberized support rollers on board, and the M47 had three.

The M46 and M47 have increased the distance between the last road wheel and the drive wheel. Therefore, an additional roller was added there on a balancer with a torsion bar suspension, similar to the supporting one. Its purpose is to maintain a constant track tension and protect driving wheel. On machines that have been in operation for a long time, this roller and its suspension were usually removed.

Driving wheels - rear location, lantern gearing, with 13 teeth. The early M26 (T26EZ) had a different shape than the later machines, and were not interchangeable with them due to the use of tracks with T81 tracks.

Initially, T81 tracks with cast tracks, metal lugs and a rubber-metal hinge 61 cm wide were installed on the M26 (T26EZ) tank. However, they were soon replaced with a stamped caterpillar 58.5 cm wide, as on the M4A3E8 tank with HVSS suspension. This caterpillar also had metal lugs and a rubber-metal hinge. In both cases, the caterpillar consisted of 83 tracks.

Due to the increase in length in the M46 and M47, the caterpillar consisted of 86 tracks. On the M46, a caterpillar was usually placed, recruited from T80E1 tracks, as on the M26 and M45. However, by the beginning of the war in Korea, some M26 and M46 tanks received a new T84E1 caterpillar with rubber asphalt pads and rubber lugs. And on the M47, this caterpillar became standard, although these tanks also used a new caterpillar with a metal grouser T80E6. Both of them were similar in design to the T80E1.

ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT performed in a single line. Voltage 24 V. All tanks had four batteries with a voltage of 12 V.

MEANS OF COMMUNICATION. The workplaces of all five crew members of the M26, M45, M46 and M47 tanks were equipped with individual intercoms. A telephone set was fixed at the stern of the M46 and M47 tanks for communication between the tank commander and the infantry. If the tank stood still, it could be connected to a field telephone line.

Communication between the machines was carried out using the SCR-528 transceiver radio station, which operated in the range of short and ultrashort waves. A separate antenna was used for operation in each range, so two of them were installed on the tanks.

PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF AMERICAN MEDIUM TANKS