The M48 Patton is a main battle tank (MBT) that was designed in the United States.

It was the third

tank[5] to be officially named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third
Army[6] during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates for the use of tanks in battle.
[7]
It was a further development of the M47 Patton tank. The M48 Patton was in U.S. service until
replaced by the M60[6] and served as the U.S. Army and Marine Corps's primary battle tank in South
Vietnam during the Vietnam War. It was widely used by U.S. Cold War allies, especially other NATO
countries.
The M48 Patton tank was designed to replace the previous M47 Pattons and M4 Shermans.
Although largely resembling the M47, the M48 was a completely new design. It was the last U.S.
tank to mount the 90 mm tank gun, with the last model, the M48A5, being upgraded to carry the new
standard weapon of the M60, the 105mm gun. Some M48A5 models served well into the 1980s with
American forces, and many M48s remain in service in other countries. The Turkish Army has the
largest number of modernized M48 MBTs, with more than 1,400 in its inventory. Of these, around
1,000 have been phased out, placed in storage, or modified as ARVs.
Contents
[hide]

1History
o

1.1M48A3

1.2M48A5

2Combat service
o

2.1Vietnam

2.2Indo-Pakistani Wars

2.3Middle East

2.4Africa

3Variants
o

3.1U.S.

3.2Specialized variants

3.3Israeli

3.4Republic of China

3.5Greek

3.6Spanish

3.7South Korean

3.8Turkish

3.9German

3.10Commercial upgrades

4Operators
o

4.1Current operators

4.2Former operators

5See also
o

5.1Tanks of comparable role, performance and era

6References

7External links

History[edit]

Marines of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, riding on an M48A3 tank, Vietnam, 1966.

On 27 February 1951, OTCM (Ordnance Technical Committee Minutes) #33791 initiated the design
of the new tank, designated the 90mm Gun Tank T-48 (the prefix letter "T" would be replaced by the
prefix "X" beginning with the M60 series tank).[8] A deeper modernization than the M46 and the M47,
the M48 featured a new hemispherical turret, a redesigned hull, and an improved suspension. The
hull machine gunner position was removed, reducing the crew to four. On 2 April 1953, OTCM order
#34765 standardized the last of the Patton series tanks as the 90mm Gun Tank M48 Patton. [6]
Nearly 12,000 M48s were built from 1952 to 1959. The early designs, up to the M48A2C's, were
powered by a gasoline 12-cylinder engine and a 1-cylinder auxiliary generator (called the "Little
Joe"). The gasoline engine versions gave the tank a shorter operating range and were more prone to
catching fire when hit. Although considered less reliable than diesel powered versions, numerous
examples saw combat use in various Arab-Israeli conflicts. The low flashpoint of MIL-PRF6083 hydraulic fluid used in the recoil mechanisms and hydraulic systems for rotating weapons or
aiming devices is less than 212 F (100 C) and could result in a fireball in the crew compartment
when the lines were ruptured by incoming fire.[9] MIL-PRF-6083 fluid was not peculiar to the M-48
and is no longer used in combat armored vehicles, having been replaced by fire resistant hydraulic
fluid. Beginning in 1959, most American M48s were upgraded to the M48A3 model, which featured a
more reliable and longer range diesel power plant. M48s with gasoline engines, however, were still

in use in the US Army through 1968, and through 1975 by many West German Army units, including
the 124th Panzer Battalion.

M48A3[edit]
In February 1963, the US Army accepted the first of 600 M48 Patton tanks that had been converted
to M48A3's, and by 1964 the US Marine Corps had received 419 Patton tanks. The A3 model
introduced the diesel engine, countering the earlier versions' characteristic of catching fire. [10] These
Pattons were to be deployed to battle in Vietnam.[6] Because all M48A3 tanks were conversions from
earlier models, many characteristics varied among individual examples of this type. M48A3 tanks
could have either three or five support rollers on each side and might have either the early or later
type headlight assemblies.

M48A5[edit]
In the mid-1970s, the M48 series Tank upgrade was developed to allow the vehicle to carry the
heavier 105 mm gun. The original program designation was XM736. The designation was
subsequently changed to M48A3E1 and was finally standardized as M48A5. As many components
from the M60A1 were utilized as possible. Anniston Army Depot was issued a contract to convert
501 M48A3 tanks to the M48A5 standard and this was completed in December 1976. These early
M48A5's were essentially M48A3 tanks with the 105mm gun added. They retained the M1 cupola
armed with a .50 cal machine gun.[6]
Based on Israeli experience in upgrading M48 series tanks, further changes were instituted during
the conversion process. These changes began to be incorporated in August 1976. These included
replacing the M1 cupola with a low-profile "Urdan" type cupola that mounted an M60D machine gun
for use by the tank commander. A second M60Dmachine gun was mounted on the turret roof for use
by the loader. Internal ammunition stowage for the 105mm main gun was also increased to 54
rounds. These tanks were initially given the designation M48A5API; but, after early conversions were
brought up to the later standard, the API was removed and these tanks were known simply as
M48A5.[6]
In addition to the conversion of M48A3 tanks, an additional conversion process for bringing M48A1
tanks to M48A5 standard was also developed. By March 1978, 708 M48A5 tanks had been
converted from the M48A1 model.[6]
Work continued until December 1979, at which time 2069 M48A5's had been converted. [6]
The vast majority of M48A5 tanks in service with US Army units were assigned to National Guard
and Army Reserve Units. A notable exception was the 2nd Infantry Division in the Republic of Korea,
who replaced their M60A1 tanks with M48A5's, which arrived in June and July 1978. On 2nd Infantry
Division M48A5 tanks the commanders M60D was replaced with a .50 caliber M2 machine gun.[6]
By the mid-1990s, the M48s were phased out of U.S. service. Many other countries, however,
continued to use these M48 models.

Combat service[edit]