M56 Scorpion Self-Propelled Gun

M56 Scorpion Self-Propelled Gun. . The M56 actually fills the role of a tank destroyer even though the Tank Destroyer Corps was abolished after the Second World War. Dubbed by troops a self-propelled anti-tank gun (SPAT), the M56 was sent into production partially in response to a need for better equipment during the Korean War. Weighing more than seven tons, the Scorpion with its 90mm gun provided the extra power that light armed rapid deployment forces desperately needed. In Vietnam, Company D, 16th Armor, 173rd Airborne Brigade took the SPATs into action during Operation Toledo on 17 July 1967. Ironically the undoing of the M56 was its relative light weight. When firing, the M56's gun recoil was so violent that the chassis was simply not heavy enough to keep its front end on the ground. This was the exact same design flaw that would later limit the effectiveness of the M56's prodigy, the M551 Sheridan, more than two decades later., Vehicle Specifications , Armament: 1 x 90 mm M-54 cannon with 29 rounds , Fire control range finder type: Stadia , Crew: (commander gunner, loader, and driver) , Weight: 15,000 lbs , Speed: 17.5 mph , Maximum effective weapons range: 2,000 m (anti tank) , Year entering service: 1953