The FReeper Foxhole's TreadHead Tuesday - M551 Sheridan Light Tank - Jul. 20th, 2004

afvdb.50megs.com ^

[SAMWolf]

Evening w_over_w.

I can't believe this tank was created in the 60s and is now retired

It just wasn't very good, it tried to be too many different things and didn't perform any of them well.

[SAMWolf]

Nice drawing Feather.

[SAMWolf]

Fortunately God isn't limited the way we are.

Amen!

[snippy_about_it]

I would have wanted my Model T to run faster, too. ;-)

[PhilDragoo]

A real head-turner, the classic 1964 Big Daddy Roth Surf Buggy
fills up at the diesel pump for that weekend run to "Surf City".

High resolution

M551 Sheridan of G Troop, 2/11th ACR bustin' bush in Hau Nghia province. Image courtesy of Doug Kibbey

High resolution

In line formation with M551, G Trp., 2/11th ACR, Hau Nghia province '72. Image courtesy of Doug Kibbey, cmdr. M113 ACAV G71, 2/11th ACR.

11th Armored Cavalry Regiment

SABER CHARLIE

Again from the early M551 TM, this photo shows the protective padded/fire proof asbestos bags added to the conventional rounds to help provide some protection. Each round was removed from the rack and both the asbestos bag and an inner neoprene liner bag stripped off before loading it into the G/L, obviously slowing the loading process greatly. By the mid 1970s a newer plastic bag was used as the cases were now redesigned stronger and more robust and did not require the extra padding of the early shell casings. This rack is the horizontal 5-round rack under the gun. One of the two CBSS air bottles is to the left.

By the mid 1970s most deployed Sheridans had the CBSS. However, many of them retained the older gun/launcher with the bore evacuator, known as the M-81. The newer tubes were the M-81A1. Also, many active unit Sheridans at this time were Viet Nam rebuilds, issued directly from Anniston Arsenal, including many with the older gun/launchers. Generally, the older G/Ls were replaced with newer ones only when they were worn out (from shooting) or condemned for other reasons. While the CBSS rendered the bore evacuator redundant (and an additional point for maintenance), the two types of g/ls were still interchangeable. If a Sheridan required a new tube, and if a plain ol' M-81 was available, that's what you got stuck with until they were depleted from the inventory through normal demand.

The Sheridan's last battle action was with the 3rd Battalion (Airborne), 73rd Armor of the 82nd Airborne Division during the Gulf War. When the M551A1(TTS) vehicles were finally placed in the battlefield position that they were originally designed to dominate, the long armed Shillelagh missile system killed Iraqi armor very well indeed. After taking over twenty five years to prove itself on the field of battle, the Sheridan weapon system was then quietly withdrawn from front line service just five years later.

From US M551 Armored Reconnaissance/Airborne Assault Vehicle, "Sheridan", Part 2, Revised 1/12/01

82nd Armor

M551A1 TTS Armored Reconnaissance/Airborne Assault Vehicle "Sheridan"

The M551 and the Eaglehorse

In other news, former National Security Advisor Samuel "Sammy" Berger is the subject of a criminal investigation for having stuffed the plans for the Pentagon's new anti-gravity force-field-protected particle-beam-weapons infantry vehicle into his jacket, pants, and socks:

[SAMWolf]

Evening Phil Dragoo

LOL! on that first picture. :-)

The Sheridan's last battle action was with the 3rd Battalion (Airborne), 73rd Armor of the 82nd Airborne Division during the Gulf War. When the M551A1(TTS) vehicles were finally placed in the battlefield position that they were originally designed to dominate, the long armed Shillelagh missile system killed Iraqi armor very well indeed.

After taking over twenty five years to prove itself on the field of battle, the Sheridan weapon system was then quietly withdrawn from front line service just five years later.

Another case of a weapons system being developed and then misused.

[snippy_about_it]

Hi Phil. Love the SuperAmerica photo. You've posted some great pictures and websites to go along with them. Thanks.

I hope they fry Berger!

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!

[Professional Engineer]

Sweeeeet ride you have there!

[Iris7]

Russians have been spending a lot of time chasing your approach of "develop(ing) something around a recoiless rifle such as the 106mm Recoiless. ......it would have given the infantry a weapon that could have been mounted on a jeep or whatever that could fire a long range missle at a tank or a conventional shell act a bunker."

Not much data on this subject on the web. The approach, imho, is a good one. The Russian 2A70 100 mm round is quite effective. The 2A70 is mounted on the BMP-3 along with a 30 mm auto-cannon. This type of round could be scaled to 125 mm or so, and a recoilless system used to get it up to 400 m/s instead of the 2A70 low pressure gun.

Watched TOW used as direct fire artillery in Iraq. Probably make the above round to be fired out of a TOW launcher if you wanted to, using the same warhead. A round would cost maybe $500 bucks instead of $??? (enough to buy a house).

[Iris7]

The M551 had many good points for it's day, especially the M113 derived drive train. This was reliable, relatively easily maintained, relatively inexpensive, lightweight, compact, and fast.

Do some armor upgrades (including ERA), a modern turret and weapon system (maybe the FRENCH GIAT 105 mm 105/57 or the American ARES 75 mm, or something modern instead), add about five tons, and you would have a useful light tank.

[colorado tanker]

I agree with you about the HE round. From the battle descriptions I've read it would have come in handy in a lot of situations in Iraq but they had to settle for shooting HEAT at unarmored targets.

[SAMWolf]

IMHO the main problem with the M551 was they didn't seem to know what role they wanted it to play. So it ended up a jack of all trades and master of none.

[FReepaholic]

...The M551 had many good points for it's day, especially the M113 derived drive train....

The M551 was the roughest riding SOB of a tank that I ever drove, and I've driven just about all of them with the exception of the M1 Abrams.

You'd hit a bump and the shock would travel right up your spine. I hated it.

Now the M60 rode like a Cadillac.

[Iris7]

Never rode a M551. The drivetrain stuff is second hand. I think it refers to field maintainability compared to other machines in it's class not ride comfort.

The LVTP-5 rode hard.