| Design
of the M48 series of medium tanks commenced in October 1950, with the
Chrysler Corporation commissioned to do the design work and provide six
prototypes. Due to the Korean war, production of the M48 was authorized
prior to the completion of any prototype or testing. Ford and General
Motors were awarded production contracts, in addition to Chrysler, and
the first M48 was delivered in early 1953. Numerous technical problems
with the new tank delayed its deployment in significant numbers until
1958. There are numerous variations and modifications of the M48 in
existence all over the world today, and this kit depicts an M48A3
"Patton" as it appeared during the Vietnam conflict when employed by the
U.S. Forces. Using a cast elliptical hull which has high structural
rigidity and excellent ballistic protection, this 47.5 ton tank has
proven its worth in the field of combat against like opposition. The
major improvement of the M48 over the M47 was the superior shape of the
"Turtleback" cast steel turret, which provided a greater internal volume
and much better ballistic protection. Armed with a 90mm M41 gun and on
7.62 coaxial machine gun and a 12.7 machine gun in the commanders
cupola, and powered by a Continental V-12 AV-1790 petrol engine of 865
hp, this fine tank has a top road speed of 48 km/h. It is crewed by a
Commander, Gunner, Radio operator/loader and a driver. The M48 series of
medium tanks is or has been used by a great number of nations around the
world, and is expected to remain a first line battle tank for many years
to come,
The A3 series of the M-48 was the first to introduce the new AVDS-1970-2
diesel engine, which was a major improvement, and since its introduction
many of the earlier Patton's have also been retrofitted with it. When
used in Vietnam, secondary armament was often boosted by adding a .50
caliber machine gun above the cupola; a 7.62mm machine gun in front of
the loaders hatch, and another 7.62mm MG in the mantlet in lieu of the
telescopic sight. Early in its production the M-48 was fitted with a
snorkeling kit which enables it to fork water obstacles up to 4.1 meters
in depth. The M-48A3 uses a coincidence-type range finder for sighting
its main 90mm gun. Range data from this sight is fed into a ballistic
computer for very accurate and speedy target acquisition. Maximum road
speed of the M-48A3 was 48km/h. Maximum range was 460 km, and the
maximum road gradient was 60%. The A3 carried 62 rounds of 90mm
ammunition, and up to 5900 rounds for the 7.62 MG's. The A-3 model can
be seen with either 3 or 5 wheel track bogies, and the majority used in
Vietnam had five bogies, due to the jungle type of terrain encountered.
Tank crew members often built up the sides of the turret with extra
padding and equipment for additional protection from hostile fire. A
great many of the existing M-48 tanks around the world are now being up
graded to M-60 standards with the addition of the 105mm gun in place of
the 90mm main unit. |
