M56 Scorpion

M56 Scorpion
General properties
crew	4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader)
length	5.84 m
width	2.58 m
height	2.07 m
Dimensions	7.0 t
Armor and armament
Armor	just an armored gun shield
Main armament	1 × 90mm cannon
Secondary armament	-
agility
drive	6-cylinder petrol engine A01-403-5 Continental 200 PS (149 kW)
suspension	Torsion bar
Top speed	approx. 45 km / h (road); Climbing ability 0.76 m; Ability to cross trenches 1.52 m
Power / weight	28 hp / ton
Range	225 km

The M56 Scorpion was an American self-propelled gun for anti-tank for use in the airborne troops.

history

After the experiences in World War II, the US Army requested a very mobile anti-tank weapon for use in the airborne units. The vehicle was supposed to be dropped with the first wave and provide them with the firepower of a tank. The manufacturer Cadillac produced the M56, also known as the Scorpion, on it . Series production between 1953 and 1959 was preceded by two prototypes with the designation T101 .

With the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, the Scorpion was used for limited fire support in the Vietnam War . In the 1960s, the vehicle was replaced by the M551 Sheridan . Exports went to Spain and Morocco .

technology

The M56 was an unarmored gun carrier without an enclosed fighting compartment. So it offered little protection and comfort for the crew. The driver and the gunner were the only ones protected by a shield at the front, and there were also a loader and the commander in open spaces. The 90 mm M54 gun had the same ballistic properties and used similar ammunition as the M36 cannon of the M47 . The ammunition was stored in the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was a full-track vehicle with rubber-tyred wheels and a front drive wheel. The landing gear was also used for the M50 Ontos .

The main disadvantages were the inadequate armor, the inadequate protection of the crew and the strong recoil, which often caused the vehicle to roll back more than a meter and also obscured the view of the target due to the blown dust, and in the worst case the enemy, the whereabouts betrayed.

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