M48 Patton

M48 Patton
M48 Patton
	M48A2C Patton at the Deutsches Panzermuseum Munster
Type	Main battle tank
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1952–present ; United States Army (historical) 1952–1987; United States Marine Corps (historical) 1954–1973
Used by	See Operators
Wars	Cold War; 1958 Lebanon crisis; Portuguese Colonial War; Vietnam War; Dominican Civil War; Cambodian Civil War; Six-Day War; Indo-Pakistani War of 1965; Indo-Pakistani War of 1971; Yom Kippur War; Western Sahara War; Lebanese Civil War; Turkish invasion of Cyprus; Sino-Vietnamese War; Iran–Iraq War; Battle of Mogadishu (1993); Kurdish–Turkish conflict; 2007 Lebanon conflict;
Production history
Designer	Chrysler Defense Engineering
Designed	1950
Manufacturer	Chrysler, Fisher Body, Ford Motor Company, American Locomotive Company
Unit cost	M48A3 1961 US$309,090 (equivalent to $3,151,479 in 2023); ; ;
Produced	M48/M48A1 1952–1956; ; M48A2 1955–1957; ; M48A3 1957–1961; ;
No. built	12,000 (all variants)
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Mass	M48 49.6 short tons (44.3 long tons; 45.0 t); ;
Length	9.3 m (30 ft 6 in)
Width	3.65 m (12 ft 0 in)
Height	3.1 m (10 ft 2 in)
Crew	Four Commander; Gunner; Loader; Driver; ;
Armor	Upper glacis 110 mm (4.3 in) at 60°; 220 mm (8.7 in) LoS; ; Turret front 178 mm (7.0 in) at 0°; ;
Main; armament	M48–M48A3 90mm M41/T139 gun; ; M48A5 105 mm M68/T254E2 gun; ;
Secondary; armament	M48:.50 cal (12.7 mm) on M1 mount M48A1/A2/A3/A5:.50 cal (12.7 mm) in M1 commander's cupola; ; ; M48/A1/A2/A3:M37/T153 Machine gun M48A5: M219 (7.62mm NATO); ;
Engine	M48/M48A1 Continental AV1790 V12, air-cooled, gasoline engine; 650 hp (480 kW); ; M48A2 Continental AV1790 fuel-injected, V12, gasoline engine; 690 hp (510 kW); ; M48A3–M48A5 Continental AVDS-1790 V12, air-cooled, twin-turbo, diesel engine; 750 hp (560 kW); ;
Power/weight	16.6 hp (12.4 kW)/tonne
Transmission	Allison CD-850-4A or CD-850-4B Two forward ranges; One reverse; ;
Suspension	Torsion bar suspension
Ground clearance	16 in (0.41 m)
Fuel capacity	M48:200 US gal (760 L); M48A1:200 US gal internal 420 US gal (1,600 L)(with external fuel drums); M48A2:335 US gal (1,270 L); M48A3/M48A5:300 US gal (1,100 L)
Operational; range	M48 113 km (70 mi); ; M48A1 217 km (135 mi) with external fuel drums; ; M48A2; 177.8 km (110.5 mi) M48A3 463 km (288 mi); ; M48A5 499 km (310 mi); ;
Maximum speed	M48A5 30 mph (48 km/h); ;

The M48 Patton is an American first-generation main battle tank (MBT) introduced in February 1952, being designated as the 90mm Gun Tank: M48. It was designed as a replacement for the M26 Pershing, M4 Sherman, M46 and M47 Patton tanks, and was the main battle tank of the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps in the Vietnam War.^[6]^[7]^: 5 Nearly 12,000 M48s were built, mainly by Chrysler and American Locomotive Company, from 1952 to 1961. The M48 Patton was the first U.S. medium gun tank^[8] with a four-man crew, featuring a centerline driver's compartment and no bow machine gunner.^[9] As with nearly all new armored vehicles it had a wide variety of suspension systems, cupola styles, power packs, fenders and other details among individual tanks.

The early designs, up to the M48A2C, were powered by a gasoline engine. The M48A3 and A5 versions used a diesel engine, however, gasoline engine versions were still in use in the US Army National Guard through 1968 and through 1975 by many West German Army units. Numerous examples of the M48 saw combat use in various Arab–Israeli conflicts and the Vietnam War. Beginning in 1959, most American M48A1s and A2s were upgraded to the M48A3 model.

The M48 Patton-series saw widespread service with the United States and NATO until it was superseded by the M60 tank. It was widely exported. The tank's hull also developed a wide variety of experimental, utility and support vehicles such as armored recovery vehicles and bridge layers. Some M48A5 models served into the mid-1980s with US Army National Guard units, and M48A3s were used as targets for weapons and radar testing into the mid-1990s.

Many M48s remain in service in countries other than the US. Most of these have been modified and their firepower, mobility and protection upgraded to increase their combat effectiveness on the modern battlefield. As of 2015,^[update] Turkey is the largest operator with over 750 units in service, Taiwan is second with approximately 500 upgraded variants, and Greece is third with 390 in service.

^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference 1960_Data_Sheets was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference 2010_Maloney was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference 1992_Crismon was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Hunnicutt 2015, p. 428.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Cite error: The named reference 1989_Jane_s was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Starry Department of the Army p. 53, 54, 236, 237
^ Cite error: The named reference 1991_Terry was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ FM 17-79 (1955) p. 4, Department of the Army
^ Department of the Army 1954; p. 7, 10 TM 9-7012 90-mm Gun Full Tracked Combat Tanks M48, M48A1, and M48C.

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

[1960_Data_Sheets-1] Cite error: The named reference 1960_Data_Sheets was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[2010_Maloney-2] Cite error: The named reference 2010_Maloney was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[1992_Crismon-3] Cite error: The named reference 1992_Crismon was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[FOOTNOTEHunnicutt2015428-4] Hunnicutt 2015, p. 428.

[1989_Jane_s-6] Cite error: The named reference 1989_Jane_s was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[7] Starry Department of the Army p. 53, 54, 236, 237

[1991_Terry-8] Cite error: The named reference 1991_Terry was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[9] FM 17-79 (1955) p. 4, Department of the Army

[10] Department of the Army 1954; p. 7, 10 TM 9-7012 90-mm Gun Full Tracked Combat Tanks M48, M48A1, and M48C.

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