M551 Sheridan – Billeder og videoer

Den M551 "Sheridan" AR/AAV (Armored Reconnaissance/Airborne Assault Vehicle) var en let kampvogn udviklet af USA og opkaldt efter general i hæren Philip Sheridan, fra den amerikanske borgerkrigs berømmelse. Det var designet til at blive landet med faldskærm og til at svømme over floder. Den var bevæbnet med det teknisk avancerede, men besværlige M81/M81 Modified/M81E1 152mm kanon/løfteraket, som affyrede både konventionel ammunition og MGM-51 Shillelagh styrede panserværnsmissil.

Kilde: M551 Sheridan på Wikipedia

The M551 Sheridan was a light tank developed by the United States Army in the 1960s. It was designed to be air-transportable and amphibious, and to provide fire support for infantry and cavalry units. The Sheridan had a unique armament system that consisted of a 152 mm gun/launcher that could fire conventional shells or the MGM-51 Shillelagh anti-tank missile. The Sheridan was also equipped with a .50 caliber machine gun and a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun.
The Sheridan entered service in 1967 and saw combat in the Vietnam War, where it proved to be vulnerable to mines and rocket-propelled grenades. The Sheridan was also deployed in Operation Just Cause in Panama in 1989, and in Operation Desert Storm in Kuwait in 1991. The Sheridan was retired from active service in 1996, but some units remained in reserve until 2004. The Sheridan was replaced by the M1128 Mobile Gun System, a variant of the Stryker armored vehicle.