T92 Light Tank
Encyclopedia
T92 Light Tank was an innovative American
light tank
developed in 1950s by Aircraft Armaments
. At 18.5 tonnes, 5m length, it was designed as an airborne/airdropped replacement for the 5 tonnes heavier M41 Walker Bulldog
. The T92 was never accepted into service.
The main gun was a conventional 76 mm cannon with a very low profile turret. Little more was exposed than the main gun and two crew cupolas which allowed 50 caliber and 30 caliber machine guns to fire buttoned up. The engine is moved to the front, which increases protection, and a rear access door provided an escape hatch and protection while reloading. This layout was later used by the contemporary Israeli Merkava
battle tank. It had a crew of four with a semi automatic loading system. It carried 60 main gun rounds, and automatically ejected spent shell casings.
Study of the Soviet PT-76 led to a new swimming requirement for light tanks, for which the design could not be modified. The T-92 would be passed over and the M551 Sheridan
was eventually adopted instead. It fielded an unconventional 152 mm gun-missile system which would suffer many technical problems, and its swimming system would be rarely used in combat. The French AMX-13
tank was a somewhat similar design that was successfully fielded.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
light tank
Light tank
A light tank is a tank variant initially designed for rapid movement, and now primarily employed in low-intensity conflict. Early light tanks were generally armed and armored similar to an armored car, but used tracks in order to provide better cross-country mobility.The light tank was a major...
developed in 1950s by Aircraft Armaments
AAI Corporation
AAI Corporation is an aerospace and defense development and manufacturing firm in Hunt Valley, Maryland, USA. It is formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of United Industrial Corporation, AAI was acquired by Textron in 2007 and currently is an operating unit of Textron Systems Corporation...
. At 18.5 tonnes, 5m length, it was designed as an airborne/airdropped replacement for the 5 tonnes heavier M41 Walker Bulldog
M41 Walker Bulldog
The M41 Walker Bulldog was a U.S. light tank developed to replace the M24 Chaffee. It was named for General Walton Walker who died in a jeep accident in Korea...
. The T92 was never accepted into service.
The main gun was a conventional 76 mm cannon with a very low profile turret. Little more was exposed than the main gun and two crew cupolas which allowed 50 caliber and 30 caliber machine guns to fire buttoned up. The engine is moved to the front, which increases protection, and a rear access door provided an escape hatch and protection while reloading. This layout was later used by the contemporary Israeli Merkava
Merkava
The Merkava is a main battle tank used by the Israel Defense Forces. The tank began development in 1974 and was first introduced in 1978. Four main versions of the tank have been deployed. It was first used extensively in the 1982 Lebanon War...
battle tank. It had a crew of four with a semi automatic loading system. It carried 60 main gun rounds, and automatically ejected spent shell casings.
Study of the Soviet PT-76 led to a new swimming requirement for light tanks, for which the design could not be modified. The T-92 would be passed over and the M551 Sheridan
M551 Sheridan
The M551 Sheridan was a light tank developed by the United States and named after Civil War General Philip Sheridan. It was designed to be landed by parachute and to swim across rivers. It was armed with the technically advanced but troublesome M81/M81E1 152mm gun/launcher which fired conventional...
was eventually adopted instead. It fielded an unconventional 152 mm gun-missile system which would suffer many technical problems, and its swimming system would be rarely used in combat. The French AMX-13
AMX-13
The AMX-13 is a French light tank produced from 1953 to 1985. It served with the French Army and was exported to over twenty-five other nations...
tank was a somewhat similar design that was successfully fielded.