The M551 Sheridan was an American light tank of the Cold War period. The first prototypes of the car were built in 1965, and series production continued in 1966-1970, ending with the production of about 1700 copies of this tank. The M551 Sheridan was powered by a General Motors 6V-53T engine with 300 HP. It was armed with a single 152mm M81 gun/launcher, 1 Browning M73 7.62mm machine gun and 1 12.7mm M2HB machine gun.
The M551 Sheridan was developed as the successor to the M41 Walker Bulldog light tank. The U.S. Army's new light tank was primarily characterized by a fully innovative armament, which was based on the M81 gun launcher and MGM-51 Shillelagh-guided missiles. They had to enable a light tank like the M551 to compete in par with Soviet MBTs like the T-62 or T-64. However, when the M551 vehicles were delivered to the U.S. forces fighting in Vietnam, it turned out that they were highly emergency, barely maneuverable in the field, and lacked ammunition capable of fighting enemy infantry. They were also vulnerable to anti-tank grenade launchers due to their relatively weak armor. After modernization, some of these flaws were removed, but the combat performance of the M551 was far from what it was intended for. In 1978 they were decommissioned, with the exception of a few airmobile and airborne sub-units. The M551 Sheridan took part in the Persian Gulf War (1990-1991), after which it was completely decommissioned in the U.S. Army.
- Weight 15.3 tons
- Length 6.30 meters
- Width 2.80 meters
- Height 2.95 meters
- Crew 4 crewmen
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