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vagabond · Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 4:05 pm Post subject: Hazleton, PA Airport M551 gallery

Hi all,

We’ve added a gallery of photos of the M551 Sheridan displayed at:

Hazleton, PA Airport
Old Airport Rd & Hess Rd (N40 59.315 W75 59.552)

www.vgbimages.com/AFV-...085_RmLXMH

While we were at the airport, a couple of locals came out and asked what the big deal was with the tank. We were the third batch of folks taking photos of the tank in the past week!
Any other AFV forum folks pass through here recently?

We were told the tank came from Ft Drum.

Enjoy!
The VBs

Dontos

The TC's 'Tub' seems weird. I don't remember ever seeing that roll tube and the mounting plates....

Wonder what that went to?

Perhaps a former 'OPFOR' vehicle ?

Regards
Don

Buq-Buq · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Mar 04, 2006 Posts: 86

Don:

That tube and the stuff it is attached to at the front of the cupola is the laser rangefinder. That makes this an M551A1. If I remember correctly (I never served on or with Sheridans), the batteries for the LRF were stored in the rear tub of the TC Crow’s Nest, and that tube held all the necessary electrical couplings, etc. The LRF was really only a half-baked add-on to the M551A1. I believe that the LRF wasn’t even connected into the fire control system; it only gave a read-out of the range to the target, and the TC had to tell the gunner, who made a manual adjustment in the sighting reticle.

A quick peek in Hunnicutt’s Sheridan reveals the LRF as an AN/VVG-1, but he doesn’t mention the connection (or lack thereof) to the fire control system. Perhaps someone else can fill in more information on that aspect. Hunnicutt also mentions that only 505 LRFs were procured for the Sheridan fleet. I would think that would have left a substantial number of the Sheridan fleet as standard M551 “A0s” after the upgrade was over, even if you account for the losses in Vietnam (I think there were just over 1800 built in all).

It looks like the gun on this one is about to fall out of its mount.

Mark

Edit: But of course — the Eaglehorse Web Site tells the story:

www.eaglehorse.org/4_f...ridan6.htm

Doug_Kibbey

- Buq-Buq

Don:

That tube and the stuff it is attached to at the front of the cupola is the laser rangefinder. That makes this an M551A1. If I remember correctly (I never served on or with Sheridans), the batteries for the LRF were stored in the rear tub of the TC Crow’s Nest, and that tube held all the necessary electrical couplings, etc. The LRF was really only a half-baked add-on to the M551A1. I believe that the LRF wasn’t even connected into the fire control system; it only gave a read-out of the range to the target, and the TC had to tell the gunner, who made a manual adjustment in the sighting reticle.

A quick peek in Hunnicutt’s Sheridan reveals the LRF as an AN/VVG-1, but he doesn’t mention the connection (or lack thereof) to the fire control system. Perhaps someone else can fill in more information on that aspect. Hunnicutt also mentions that only 505 LRFs were procured for the Sheridan fleet. I would think that would have left a substantial number of the Sheridan fleet as standard M551 “A0s” after the upgrade was over, even if you account for the losses in Vietnam (I think there were just over 1800 built in all).

It looks like the gun on this one is about to fall out of its mount.

Mark

Edit: But of course — the Eaglehorse Web Site tells the story:

www.eaglehorse.org/4_f...ridan6.htm

Mark,
You are correct...the TC relayed the info to the gunner. This was the first test project I was assigned to at the Board in late spring '72. We drove and shot the pee out of that vehicle in order to test the robustness of the system. I could tell you stories, but let's just leave it at it didn't live a charmed life.

That gun is seriously out of battery. It also appears to have the wrong dust cover for a non-bore evacuator version.

It also has some kind of non-original material mounted as the covers for the water barriers, sort of a cosmetic restoration. Doesn't seem to have anything under it, at least at the rear.

D.

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