Main battle tank M60
The M60A3 is the last production version prior to the introduction of the M1 Abrams main battle tanks currently in use. The M60A3 had a laser rangefinder and a digital fire control computer.
On January 14, 1957, the Joint Ordnance Coordinating Committee, active in the XNUMXs in the US Army, recommended that the further development of tanks be reconsidered. A month later, the then Chief of Staff of the US Army, General Maxwell D. Taylor, established the Special Group for the Armament of Future Tanks or Similar Fighting Vehicles - ARCOVE, i.e. a special group for arming the future tank or a similar combat vehicle.
In May 1957, the ARCOVE group recommended arming tanks with guided missiles after 1965, and work on conventional guns was limited. At the same time, new types of warheads for guided missiles were to be developed, work on the tanks themselves also had to be focused on creating a more advanced fire control system capable of working day and night, on protecting armored vehicles and crew safety.
One attempt to increase the firepower of the M48 Patton was to use different types of guns mounted in modified turrets. The photo shows the T54E2, built on the chassis of the M48 tank, but armed with the American 140-mm gun T3E105, which, however, did not go into production.
In August 1957, General Maxwell D. Taylor approved a program to develop new tanks that would largely be based on ARCOVE recommendations. Until 1965, three classes of tanks were to be retained (with 76 mm, 90 mm and 120 mm weapons, i.e. light, medium and heavy), but after 1965 lighter vehicles for the airborne troops should were armed only with MBT. The main battle tank was to be used both to support motorized infantry and for maneuvering operations in the operational depth of the enemy battle group, as well as as part of reconnaissance units. So it was supposed to combine the features of a medium tank (maneuvering actions) and a heavy tank (infantry support), and a light tank (reconnaissance and observation operations) was supposed to go down in history, being replaced in this role by the main battle tank, which was an intermediate type between medium and heavy vehicles. At the same time, it was assumed that new tanks from the very beginning would be equipped with diesel engines.
In their research, the ARCOVE group was interested in the development of Soviet armored vehicles. It was pointed out that the Eastern bloc would have not only a quantitative advantage over the troops of NATO countries, but also a qualitative advantage in the field of armored weapons. In order to neutralize this threat, it was assumed that 80 percent. the probability of hitting the target with the first hit, at typical battle distances between tanks. Various options for arming tanks were considered, at one time it was even recommended to arm tanks with anti-tank guided missiles instead of a classic gun. In fact, the US Army went down this path with the creation of the Ford MGM-51 Shillelagh anti-tank system, which will be discussed in more detail later. In addition, attention was drawn to the possibility of designing a smoothbore firing projectiles with a high muzzle velocity, stabilized along the sides.
However, the most important recommendation was to abandon the division of tanks into classes. All tank functions in the armored and mechanized forces were to be performed by one type of tank, called the main battle tank, which would combine the firepower and armor protection of a heavy tank with the mobility, maneuverability and maneuverability of a medium tank. It was believed that this was achievable, which was shown by the Russians when creating a family of tanks T-54, T-55 and T-62. The second type of tank, with significantly limited use, was to be a light tank for airborne troops and reconnaissance units, which was to be adapted for air transport and parachute drop, partly modeled on the tank concept. The Soviet tank PT-76, but it was not intended for this purpose, to be a floating tank, but capable of landing from the air. This is how the M551 Sheridan was created, with 1662 built.
Diesel engine
The transition of the US Army to diesel engines was slow and due to the fact that it was decided by the logistic unit, or rather, specialists in the field of fuel supply. In June 1956, serious research was undertaken on compression-ignition engines as a means of reducing the fuel consumption of combat vehicles, but it was not until June 1958 that the Department of the Army, at a conference on US Army fuel policy, authorized the use of diesel fuel in the reverse rear of the US Army. Interestingly, there has been no discussion in the US of the flammability of light fuel (gasoline) and the susceptibility of tanks to ignite if hit. An American analysis of the defeat of tanks in World War II showed that from the point of view of a tank fire or explosion after a hit, its ammunition was more dangerous, especially since it caused an explosion and fire directly in the fighting compartment, and not behind the fire wall.
The development of a tank diesel engine for the US Army was initiated by the US Ordnance Committee on February 10, 1954, based on the fact that the new power plant would be as compatible as possible with the design of the Continental AV-1790 gasoline engine.
Recall that the tested AV-1790 engine was an air-cooled V-twin gasoline engine developed by Continental Motors of Mobile, Alabama, in the 40s. Twelve cylinders in a 90° V-arrangement had a total volume of 29,361 liters with the same bore and 146 mm stroke. It was a four-stroke, carbureted engine with a compression ratio of 6,5, with insufficient supercharging, weighing (depending on the version) 1150-1200 kg. It produced 810 hp. at 2800 rpm. Part of the power was consumed by an engine-driven fan providing forced cooling.
