Difference between revisions of "M551"

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== History ==
 
== History ==
 
<!--''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.''-->
 
<!--''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.''-->
 +
{{main|M551/History|l1=History of the M551}}
 
===Development===
 
===Development===
−
In the post-World War II time period, the U.S. Army's specifications for a light tank is for it to be light enough for air-transportation and with a large cruising range. The first post-war light tank, the [[M41A1|M41 ''Walker Bulldog'']], didn't fit these specifications, weighing about 25 tons and having a short operational range. Developments afterwards tried to remedy this, which resulted in the T71 and [[T92]] designs. The designs were promising, but the discovery of the Soviet [[PT-76B|PT-76]], a light tank with amphibious features, prompted a new requirement for the light tanks to be amphibious as well. The T92 couldn't be modified for this role and was thus abandoned and the light tank design was reworked with the new specifications.
+
In the post-war period, U.S. Army specified for a new light tank that is light enough for air-transportation and have a large cruising range. The first resulting light tank, the [[M41A1|M41 ''Walker Bulldog'']], did not meet these specifications and the following development such as the [[T92]] were cancelled after the discovery of the amphibious Soviet [[PT-76B|PT-76]] tank, which added a requirement for the light tank to also be amphibious. A new tank design began development, using aluminum alloy to save weight, a fabric screen for flotation, and a controversial [[M81 (152 mm)|152 mm gun/launcher]] for firepower with the Shillelagh missiles. However, the design's lightweight and mobility made it favorable and so the tank was approved for Army standard in May 1966 and designated the '''M551 ''Sheridan'''''. Between 1966 to 1970, 1,662 ''Sheridans'' were produced at a program cost of $1.3 billion.<ref name="ZalogaM551">Zaloga, 2009</ref>
  
−
The new design took form under the designation ''XM551''. The XM551 used new alloys, mainly aluminum, in its build-up to save weight. As such, the hull was made of an aluminum alloy while its turret was steel. The armour is suppose to be able to block heavy machine gun rounds, but it is too thin against regular anti-tank weaponry such as rocket launchers and mines. The amphibious feature is done with a fabric flotation screen integrated on the sides.<ref name="ZalogaM551">Zaloga Steven. ''M551 Sheridan: US Airmobile Tanks 1941-2001'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2009</ref> The design was easily air-transportable at 16 tons and could be air-dropped into battle via three methods: air-landed by plane, parachuted, or with a low-altitude parachute extraction system. The lightweight and usage of a 300 hp diesel engine gave the vehicle a great power-to-weight ratio that allows it to reach a speed of 45 mph, but the engine makes it quite noisy and its reliability under combat conditions was dubious.  
+
===Deployment===
 +
The ''Sheridan'' first saw service in June 1967 n the 1/63rd Armor Regiment at Fort Riley. The first air usage of the ''Sheridan'' came from the 1/17th Cavalry at Fort Bragg. Its first overseas deployment was to South Korea in November 1968 and Europe in January 1969. 800 ''Sheridans'' were deployed worldwide by 1971. Troubles with the 152 mm Gun/Launcher plagued the M551's early service life as attempts were made to fix the issues in the weapon's ammo propellant and ability to fire missiles.<ref name="ZalogaM551"/>
  
−
Perhaps the XM551's most controversial feature was its armament, the [[M81 (152 mm)|152 mm M81E1 Gun/Launcher]]. The gun was not very bad to say, the short cannon and large caliber made it an ideal infantry support weapon by delivering high-explosive shells or canister shots at the enemy. It was used to fit in the constraint space of a light tank, yet have enough penetrating power against modern tanks when using HEAT rounds sent via regular shells or by the revolutionary cannon-launched [[Anti-tank guided missiles|Shillelagh anti-tank guided missiles]]. Its criticism stems from its enormous recoil and its highly volatile propellant cases, the last of which made for a very troublesome firing device. The gun used rounds with a combustible case propellant charge to fire the shells. While the combustible case made it lighter to use and eliminate the cluttering of spent casings in the tank interior, the propellant was prone to catching fire by the slightest sparks and this remain the biggest issue during the tank's combat career. This issue had Ordnance wanting to change the cannon to a more conventional one due to its mechanical unreliability, but the M81 gun stayed to support the U.S.-Germany joint tank project, the [[MBT-70]], which was to mount the same gun.
+
The ''Sheridan's'' tank's first combat would be seen in Vietnam under the urging of General Creighton Abrams. The tank first arrived in January 1969 modified for the environment in a configuration dubbed "Two-Box M551" with many complex mechanical instrument boxes removed (save for two), as well as the ability to fire the Shillelagh missiles disabled and the production of a fletchette ammunition for the 152 mm gun/launcher. First impressions of the ''Sheridan'' were positive due to the weapon's effectiveness in anti-infantry and bunker busting roles, as well as the mobility able to maintain speed with the M113 armoured personnel carriers. However, experience soon soured when the lack of armour became apparent compared to the [[M48A1|M48 Pattons]] employed in the theater, with the M551 vulnerable to mines and the numerous hand-held anti-tank weaponry.<ref name="ZalogaM551"/>
  
−
Nevertheless, XM551 was approved for Army standard in May 1966, adopted prematurely to prevent loss of fundings and production started in July 1966. It was designated the '''M551 ''Sheridan'' ''', named after the Civil War General Philip Sheridan. It officially entered Army service in June 1967. Between 1966 to 1970, 1,662 ''Sheridans'' were produced at a program cost of $1.3 billion. It's combat career would be plagued with issues from its technologically advanced main armament.
+
Post-Vietnam, the M551 Sheridans underwent a product improvement program (PIP) that upgraded the design. The next combat operation would be in ''Operation Just Cause'' in Panama, featuring the first and only time tanks were parachuted into a combat zone. Inserted with the 82nd Airborne Division, the M551 proved a popular psychological weapon against the opposing forces. After Panama, the M551 were also deployed to Saudi Arabia as part of the Gulf War in both Operation ''Desert Shield'' and ''Desert Storm'', where in the latter they fought Iraqi units equipped with [[T-55A|T-55s]] and [[T-72A|T-72s]] in the only time in the M551's history that the gun-launched Shillelagh missiles were used against an enemy.<ref name="ZalogaM551"/>
  
−
===Trials===
+
Back in the United States, the M551 also found use in the U.S. Army's National Training Center at the Mojave desert in California, where they are dressed up to look like Soviet vehicles to play as the "opposing forces" to train the army units on tactics in the battlefield. After the Gulf War, the Sheridan's combat career came to an end and so they remained in service at the National Training Center until 2004. The ''Sheridans'' were retired without any replacement in the airborne tank role. Though attempts had been made in the late 1990's for a replacement, the Army decided that an airborne tank was simply not worth the cost for a specialized vehicle.<ref name="ZalogaM551"/>
−
Even before it was sent to a combat theater, testing by TECOM (Test and Evaluation Command) showed the deficiency of the M551 ''Sheridan's'' cannon. In Panama, the combustible propellant was so bad that each Sheridan unit cannot carry more than one piece of ammunition at a time.<ref name="ZalogaM551">Zaloga Steven. ''M551 Sheridan: US Airmobile Tanks 1941-2001'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2009</ref> The combustible propellant could break open and spill its volatile content, absorb moisture and swell so it doesn't fit in the gun, and even leave behind residue of hot propellant behind in the gun, which could then ignite the following propellant when inserted into the cannon. The last of these faults accounted for 39% of the catastrophic detonations of the ''Sheridans''. A solution for the residue propellant was to install a new system known as the Closed Breech Scavenging System (CBSS) which uses an air compressor to blow air through the chamber after firing, but while the breech was closed to expel the residue. Though this system mostly solved the residue issue, it lengthened loading time as the loader must wait for the CBSS to finish before the breech opened to be able to load the next round. The propellant case was redesigned in 1967 to solve the other issues, such as making it more resistant to breakage and issued with a neoprene bag to prevent the absorption of moisture. Another problem found with the gun was that its recoil could interfere with the missile launches by knocking the telescopic sight out of alignment when using conventional ammunition. All these issues labeled the ''Sheridan'' as a troublesome tank for the cost spent on it.
 
−
 
 
−
===Combat usage===
 
−
The ''Sheridan'' first saw service in June 1967 n the 1/63rd Armor Regiment at Fort Riley. The first air usage of the ''Sheridan'' came from the 1/17th Cavalry at Fort Bragg. Its first overseas deployment was to South Korea in November 1968 and Europe in January 1969. 800 ''Sheridans'' were deployed worldwide by 1971.
 
−
 
 
−
====Vietnam====
 
−
Its first combat service would be spent in the jungles of Vietnam, a worrying situation as the Australians rejected the ''Sheridans'' in 1967 after tests showed that the tank was "unsuitable for Vietnam type conflicts". The ''Sheridan'' was offered to the units stationed in Vietnam as far back as 1966, but they rejected it as the main gun was still faulty and it would simply be a "$300,000 machine gun platform".<ref name="ZalogaM551">Zaloga Steven. ''M551 Sheridan: US Airmobile Tanks 1941-2001'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2009</ref> Its main issues in the battlefield were the lack of anti-personnel ammunition, lack of night-fighting capabilities, and weak armour. A program commenced to improve the ''Sheridan'' for Vietnam usage, starting with a new flechette round, belly armour against mines, and improved sights for night-fighting. Once ready, the units still declined it as they viewed the ''Sheridan'' as much more vulnerable than the current [[M48A1|M48A3 ''Pattons'']] they are using.
 
−
 
 
−
The final decision on the deployment of the M551 ''Sheridans'' came from General Creighton Abrams, the commander of the US forces in Vietnam. Upset that the large quantity of ''Sheridans'' were simply sitting in US depots, Abrams ordered the chief designers and other important personnel involved with the ''Sheridan'' to get opinions from Lt. Col Burton Boudinot on the Sheridan's usage in Vietnam. The result was another modification to the ''Sheridan'', most notably the removal of the ability to fire the Shillelagh missiles since it was believed the missiles will have very little impact in the Vietnam conflict. The modified Sheridans earn the nickname "Two-Box M551" since in the interior, all the complex mechanical instrument boxes were removed save for two. Priority went to machine gun ammunition and conventional cannon ammunition. Up to 230 ''Sheridan'' were rebuilt like this. The first ''Sheridan'' arrived in January 1969 and was taken with mixed opinions from lack of armour, but this opinion changed after a battle along a highway in Long Binh where the ''Sheridan's'' new flechette rounds account for about 125 dead enemy infantry. The HEAT round initially meant for armour fighting also found use in bunker-busting. The ''Sheridans'' were deployed alongside the M113 in the cavalry and helped improve the unit firepower.
 
−
 
 
−
Opinions swayed again in February 1969 when the first ''Sheridan'' was lost in combat from a mine. The mine killed the driver and led to a catastrophic ammunition fire in the M551. This weakened support for the ''Sheridan'' as their previously issued M48A3's could withstand mines that knocked out the ''Sheridan''. The adoption of special titanium armour helped improve mine survivability, but it often left the vehicle disabled in the field. Another main threat to the ''Sheridans'' was the ubiquitous anti-tank rocket launchers, which often ignited the M551's ammunition when it penetrated the armour. The ammunition fire melted the ''Sheridan's'' aluminum hull, leaving just the steel turret laying in the hulk. The ''Sheridan'' was also maintenance extensive, the absorption problem persist in the ammunition due to the jungle nature, and the ''Sheridan'' proved to have an unreliable engine due to problems of the jungle condition. Inside the ''Sheridan'', the crew was often cramped inside a hot temperature turret that left them fatigued often. While troublesome and having deficiency, the M551 still proved a helpful addition to the armoured force for being lighter and more mobile enough to maneuver through the jungles.
 
−
 
 
−
====Post-Vietnam====
 
−
Despite all the improvements done, the M551 was never a popular vehicle. Replacements were considered in 1977 such as the X800 and the M3 ''Bradley''. The year 1977 also started the ''Sheridan's'' path to retirement on the advice by General John Guthrie. Replaced in standard service with the [[M60A1 (AOS)|M60A1]] main battle tank by 1980, the only units to retain the M551s afterwards were the 82nd Airborne Division and the National Guard. During this time period, a mid-life product improvement program (PIP) started that modified the ''Sheridan'' with 26 mechanical changes that improved the vehicle with more modern technology, mainly in the machine guns and the gun sights. Another usage of the ''Sheridans'' in this time period was as mock-ups at the Army's National Training Center at the Mojave desert in California, where they are dressed up to look like Soviet vehicles to play as the "opposing forces" to train the army units on tactics in the battlefield.
 
−
 
 
−
The next combat operation the Sheridan saw was ''Operation Just Cause'' in Panama, which is also the first and only time tanks were combat parachuted in history. A platoon of ''Sheridans'' along with a brigade from the 82nd Airborne Division was inserted in Tocumen airport on December 20, 1989. A ''Sheridan'' was destroyed when its parachute failed to deploy and another damaged when it landed in a marsh, but the remaining two ''Sheridans'' provided great asset to the overall operation. The ''Sheridans'' helped the airborne troops breach roadblocks and fortifications built up by the Panama forces. The M551s were a major morale booster and a psychological weapon as when the ''Sheridans'' were involved "enemy forces generally refused to fire or snipe at convoys or positions in the vicinity of the ''Sheridans''." Operation Just Cause ended with a victory for America, causing disproportionate damages to the enemy for relatively low losses. After Panama, the ''Sheridan'' saw their next usage in the Gulf War against Iraq in ''Operation Desert Shield'' and ''Desert Storm''. The ''Sheridans'' of the 3/73rd Armor Regiment landed by plane in Saudi Arabia were the ones upgraded with the PIP kit. In Desert Shield, the '''Sheridans''' acted as a first-response defense lines against the Iraqis until better US forces could be moved in. In Desert Storm, the ''Sheridan'' saw their first large scale usage in tank-vs-tank combat against Iraqi tanks, probably [[T-55A|T-55s]] or T-72's. The battle was also the only time the Shillelagh missiles were fired onto an enemy. The PIP kit showed its effective in the ''Sheridan's'' time in the field, with no mechanical breakdowns at all in contrast to its time in Vietnam.
 
−
 
 
−
===Retirement===
 
−
In September 1996, with the disbandment of the 3/73 Armor, the ''Sheridan's'' combat career came to an end. The mocked up Sheridans at the Mojave training grounds stayed around until 2004 when they were replaced with mocked up M113's and Abrams. The ''Sheridans'' were retired without any replacement in the airborne tank role. Though attempts had been made in the late 1990's for a replacement, the Army decided that an airborne tank was simply not worth the cost for a specialized vehicle.
 
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
 
<!--''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''-->
 
<!--''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''-->
 
[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23M551 '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the M551 from live.warthunder.com.]
 
[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23M551 '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the M551 from live.warthunder.com.]
 +
 +
==References==
 +
<references />
  
 
== Read also ==
 
== Read also ==
Line 278: Line 264:
  
 
== Sources ==
 
== Sources ==
−
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
+
<!--''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''-->
−
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
+
* Zaloga Steven. ''M551 Sheridan: US Airmobile Tanks 1941-2001'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2009
−
* ''other literature.''
 
  
 
{{USA light tanks}}
 
{{USA light tanks}}

Revision as of 01:45, 21 February 2019

Rank VI USSR | Premium | Golden Eagles
Su-25K Pack
M551
us_m551.png
M551
USA flag.png USA
VI Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
8.0 8.3 8.3
Class:
Research:135 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:380 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

GarageImage M551.jpg


The M551 Sheridan is a Rank VI American light tank with a battle rating of 8.3 and is currently the end-game vehicle for the American light tank branch. The tank was added in Update 1.59 "Flaming Arrows".

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

  • Aluminum Alloy 7039
  • Rolled homogeneous armour (Turret)
  • Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet)
Armour Front (Slope Angle°) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 25.4 mm (70°), 12.7 mm (87°) Front Glacis
31.7 mm (33°) Lower Glacis
25.4 mm (2-80°) Driver's port 		19 + 2 mm Top
25.4 mm (0-56°) Bottom 		12.7 mm (49-50°) Top
19 mm (32-55°) Bottom 		19 mm
12.7 mm Engine grilles
Turret 25.4 mm (6-78°) Turret front
31.7 mm (1-81°) Gun mantlet 		25.4 mm (50-55°) 25.4 mm (46-54°) 19 mm
Armour Sides Roof
Cupola 31.7 mm 31.7 mm

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.

Against most opponents, the M551 can be destroyed with a single shot. It's best to just stay in one spot along a road and wait for an enemy to pass by where so that they present their vulnerable side armour and vitals to target at. Once the ATGMS are unlocked then the player can stay out of range from everything but ATGMs.

Mobility

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons) Add-on Armor
weight (tons) 		Max speed (km/h)
15.2 N/A 77 (AB)
69 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode Stock Upgraded
Arcade 465 ___
Realistic/Simulator 265 ___
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode Stock Upgraded
Arcade 30.59 __.__
Realistic/Simulator 17.43 __.__

Armaments

Main armament

Main article: M81 (152 mm)
152 mm M81
Capacity Vertical
guidance 		Horizontal
guidance
30 -8°/+19° ±180°
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode Stock Upgraded Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert qualif. Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade 23.8 32.9 40.0 __._ 47.1
Realistic 23.8 28.0 34.0 __._ 40.0
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert qualif. Prior + Ace qualif.
15.6 13.8 12.72 12.0
Ammunition
Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Penetration in mm @ 90°
10m 100m 500m 1000m 1500m 2000m
M409A1 HEAT 354 354 354 354 354 354
M657A2 HE 38 38 38 38 38 38
MGM-61B Shillelagh ATGM 431 431 431 431 431 431
Shell details
Ammunition Velocity
in m/s 		Projectile
Mass in kg 		Fuse delay

in m:

Fuse sensitivity

in mm:

Explosive Mass in g
(TNT equivalent): 		Normalization At 30°
from horizontal: 		Ricochet:
0% 50% 100%
M409A1 682 19 0.0 0.1 3,730 +0° 62° 69° 73°
M657A2 682 22 0.1 0.1 4,300 +0° 79° 80° 81°
MGM-61B Shillelagh 323 28 0.0 0.01 3,600 +0° 80° 82° 90°
Ammo racks
Ammo racks of the M551 Sheridan.
Full
ammo 		1st
rack empty 		2nd
rack empty 		3rd
rack empty 		4th
rack empty 		5th
rack empty 		Visual
discrepancy
30 28 (+2) 26 (+4) 21 (+9) 14 (+16) 1 (+29) No

Machine guns

Main articles: Browning M2 (12.7 mm), M73 (7.62 mm)
12.7 mm M2HB
Pintle mount
Capacity (Belt capacity) Fire rate
(shots/minute) 		Vertical
guidance 		Horizontal
guidance
1,000 (200) 576 -10°/+70° ±60°
7.62 mm M73
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity) Fire rate
(shots/minute) 		Vertical
guidance 		Horizontal
guidance
3,000 (250) 500 N/A N/A

Usage in the battles

The Sheridan, even with the ability to fire ATGMS, is an extremely difficult tank to use due to it having no armour. Even some high-power MGs can penetrate the armour easily. The stock heat round while having high pen drops like a rock at range and bounces ALOT. Immediately upon reaching the tier 2 modifications research the ATGM missiles. Once those are unlocked the Sheridan becomes a fast and mobile missile platform that out ranges most vehicles in game. With only the stock HEAT always aim for ammo racks. This is pretty much the only way to destroy the heavier tanks. The mobile AAs will be the M551's biggest problems. While the Sheridan can drive circles around most of its heavy opponents, the fast anti-air turret can keep up with the M551, able to tear the armour to pieces. The ATGMs are a vast improvement over the HEAT rounds, one shotting pretty much everything and extending the Sheridan range past that of most of its opponents.

Stay in the back, everything will one shot the tank. Use the M551's speed and maneuverability to get around enemies. Don't be afraid to get in real close to the enemy, because with only HEAT, the 152 mm's effective range is very limited. Once ATGMs are usable, the Sheridan becomes an extremely formidable sniper. Able to fire on target, destroy a target, then move position for another opportunity. In Arcade, the Sheridan is an easy target for everyone, but in realistic and simulator its speed makes it a very hard target to hit.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Dual-purpose cannon, firing regular shells or guided missiles.
  • Very fast turret traverse.
  • Missiles in RB have a point-to-aim guidance system.
  • Rather small profile in comparison to other Rank V vehicles.

Cons:

  • Virtually no armour.
  • Uses only chemical rounds, no kinetic rounds (AP) available.
  • Low ammunition storage (30).
  • ATGM has a reload several seconds longer than normal ammunition.
  • Can only hold 10 ATGM ammunition total.

History

Main article: History of the M551

Development

In the post-war period, U.S. Army specified for a new light tank that is light enough for air-transportation and have a large cruising range. The first resulting light tank, the M41 Walker Bulldog, did not meet these specifications and the following development such as the T92 were cancelled after the discovery of the amphibious Soviet PT-76 tank, which added a requirement for the light tank to also be amphibious. A new tank design began development, using aluminum alloy to save weight, a fabric screen for flotation, and a controversial 152 mm gun/launcher for firepower with the Shillelagh missiles. However, the design's lightweight and mobility made it favorable and so the tank was approved for Army standard in May 1966 and designated the M551 Sheridan. Between 1966 to 1970, 1,662 Sheridans were produced at a program cost of $1.3 billion.[1]

Deployment

The Sheridan first saw service in June 1967 n the 1/63rd Armor Regiment at Fort Riley. The first air usage of the Sheridan came from the 1/17th Cavalry at Fort Bragg. Its first overseas deployment was to South Korea in November 1968 and Europe in January 1969. 800 Sheridans were deployed worldwide by 1971. Troubles with the 152 mm Gun/Launcher plagued the M551's early service life as attempts were made to fix the issues in the weapon's ammo propellant and ability to fire missiles.[1]

The Sheridan's tank's first combat would be seen in Vietnam under the urging of General Creighton Abrams. The tank first arrived in January 1969 modified for the environment in a configuration dubbed "Two-Box M551" with many complex mechanical instrument boxes removed (save for two), as well as the ability to fire the Shillelagh missiles disabled and the production of a fletchette ammunition for the 152 mm gun/launcher. First impressions of the Sheridan were positive due to the weapon's effectiveness in anti-infantry and bunker busting roles, as well as the mobility able to maintain speed with the M113 armoured personnel carriers. However, experience soon soured when the lack of armour became apparent compared to the M48 Pattons employed in the theater, with the M551 vulnerable to mines and the numerous hand-held anti-tank weaponry.[1]

Post-Vietnam, the M551 Sheridans underwent a product improvement program (PIP) that upgraded the design. The next combat operation would be in Operation Just Cause in Panama, featuring the first and only time tanks were parachuted into a combat zone. Inserted with the 82nd Airborne Division, the M551 proved a popular psychological weapon against the opposing forces. After Panama, the M551 were also deployed to Saudi Arabia as part of the Gulf War in both Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, where in the latter they fought Iraqi units equipped with T-55s and T-72s in the only time in the M551's history that the gun-launched Shillelagh missiles were used against an enemy.[1]

Back in the United States, the M551 also found use in the U.S. Army's National Training Center at the Mojave desert in California, where they are dressed up to look like Soviet vehicles to play as the "opposing forces" to train the army units on tactics in the battlefield. After the Gulf War, the Sheridan's combat career came to an end and so they remained in service at the National Training Center until 2004. The Sheridans were retired without any replacement in the airborne tank role. Though attempts had been made in the late 1990's for a replacement, the Army decided that an airborne tank was simply not worth the cost for a specialized vehicle.[1]

Media

Skins and camouflages for the M551 from live.warthunder.com.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Zaloga, 2009

Read also

[Devblog] M551 Sheridan

Sources

  • Zaloga Steven. M551 Sheridan: US Airmobile Tanks 1941-2001 Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2009


USA light tanks
LVT  LVT(A)(1) · ○LVT(A)(1) · LVT(A)(4)
M2  M2A2 · M2A4 · M2A4 (1st Arm.Div.)
M3/M5 Stuart  M3 Stuart · M3A1 Stuart · M3A1 (USMC) · M5A1 · M5A1 TD · ▃Stuart VI (5th CAD)
M22 Locust  M22
M24 Chaffee  M24 · M24 (TL)
M18 Hellcat  M18 GMC · M18 "Black Cat" · Super Hellcat
M41 Walker Bulldog  M41A1
M551 Sheridan  M551 · M551(76)
M3 Bradley  M3 Bradley · M3A3 Bradley
Wheeled  M8 LAC · T18E2 · M1128 · M1128 Wolfpack
Other  M8A1 GMC · T92 · T114 · HSTV-L · CCVL · XM8 · XM800T · AGS

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