M551 Sheridan Light Tank Specifications:
More M551 Sheridan Light Tanks at other Military Museums in the Northeast |
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| M551 Sheridan Light Tank at the American Armored Foundation Museum in Danville, VA | An M551 Sheridan Tank at the Military Museum of Southern New England in Danbury, CT |
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| M551 Sheridan Tank at the Watervliet Arsenal Museum in Watervliet, NY | An M551 Sheridan Tank at the Patton Museum in Fort Knox, KY |
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| M551 Sheridan Tank at the Fort Dix Army Reserve Mobilization Museum in Fort Dix, NJ | |
Length: 20 feet 8 inches
Width: 9 feet, 3 inches
Height: 9 feet, 8 inches
Crew: 4
Weight: 17.4 Tons
Max Speed: 44mph
Range: 370 miles
Armor: Classified
Powerplant: Detroit Diesel 6V-53T 6cyl Water Cooled Engine 300hp
Fuel Capacity: 174 Gallons
Armament:
One 152mm MGM-51 Shillelagh Infared Guided Missile System. The Shillelagh missile flew at a velocity of 960 fps and cost $3,700 each in 1973, which was a LOT of money.
One 7.62mm Machine Gun
Entered Service: 1968
Unit Cost: $
Mark Holloway, a former M551 crew member and turret mechanic, has an M551 Sheridan Tank page with some very interesting technical and operational period photos of the Sheridan Tank in action. Several show the Shillelagh being launched and the missile in mid flight.
Here's a Youtube video of an M551 Sheridan light tank on the move, firing its main gun, and being air dropped from a plane! This next Sheridan tank video is both good and bad. Good in that it demonstrates the first of two C-130s doing a proper low level airdrop touch and go delivery of a pallated M551, but bad in that the second Hercules hit so hard it crashed and burned at the end of the runway. If you watch closely you will see the C-130 Hercules's wings and fuselage flex when it impacts the runway.
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