M103A2 Heavy Tank

M103A2 Heavy Tank. . The M103 heavy tank was produced during the Cold War as a direct response to Soviet heavy tank production. This massive vehicle was armed with a M58 rifled 120 millimeter cannon. The tank's large four-man turret facilitated two loaders, one gunner, and one tank commander. A fifth man drove the tank from the forward hull. The M103 required two loaders because its ammunition was loaded in two parts (propellant and projectile) and had 76 storage locations dedicated to them. The tank commander sat in a small caged-in area directly behind the main gun and operated the M24 rangefinder which provided critical ranging data to the gunner. This particular tank served the United States Marine Corps until 1974 when the fleet was phased out of service., Vehicle Specifications , Armament: 1 X 120 mm M58 rifled cannon with 38 two piece rounds, 1 x 50 caliber M2 machinegun with 1,000 rounds, 1 x.30 caliber M1918A4E1 machinegun with 5,250 rounds , Fire control range finder type: M24 Coincidental , Crew: 5 (commander, gunner, loader, assistant loader, and driver) , Weight: 64 tons , Speed: 23 mph Maximum effective weapons range: more than 3,000 m , Production: 300 (all models) , Maximum armor thickness: 250 mm (10.2 in) cast homogeneous steel , Year entering service: 1957, Captions , (Photo #1) The US "Family of Tanks." Clockwise from upper left: the M47, the M48, the M41, and the M103