The Noble (but Doomed) M551 Sheridan in Vietnam

[Cedric]

We had A1s with LRF by the time I arrived in the 2d ACR in May of '76. IIRC they said the LRFs arrived in '75. The local German newspapers opined that US forces were now equipped with death rays.

Speaking of the M60A2, had a family member who was a warrant officer up in Warren, MI working on the A2. He said it was the most slipshod development process he ever saw. The solution to problems became just hang another electronic box inside somewhere which may or may not impede crew functioning. A real mess. Eventually, M60A2s were consolidated into one battalion in each division were it became a defacto tank destroyer battalion.

 

[Ascout]

We had A1s with LRF by the time I arrived in the 2d ACR in May of '76. IIRC they said the LRFs arrived in '75. The local German newspapers opined that US forces were now equipped with death rays.

Speaking of the M60A2, had a family member who was a warrant officer up in Warren, MI working on the A2. He said it was the most slipshod development process he ever saw. The solution to problems became just hang another electronic box inside somewhere which may or may not impede crew functioning. A real mess. Eventually, M60A2s were consolidated into one battalion in each division were it became a defacto tank destroyer battalion.

Speaking of "death rays", when I was on the "Hot Pants" M60A1 track skirt project, we had just finished the Hughes LRF test and still had the vehicle, as well as it's array of "Danger-LASER Light" signs. The idea was floated to stuff some impressive pipe into the cupola, hang the LASER signs on it and run an uncaptioned photo in Armor Magazine just to get the Russians jumping through their ass trying to figure out what it was.
I was on the M60A2 Initial Production Test at the Armor Board in 1973, which was ongoing when the October War broke out. Guess what contributed to the acceptance of the A2 when POTUS promised to make good the IDF tank losses in the first couple of days.
The archival collection of the M551 & M60A2 development from the named GS-13 below at Combat Dev. Cmd. came into my hands years ago...it's a very sordid story.