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We’ve posted a gallery of photos of the M48 with XM66D Turret on display at AMVETS Post 73 in Armada, MI. Also some terrific shots of farming equipment as well.

www.vgbimages.com/AFV-...482_W8PQ8m

I'm reminded oddly of a corpulent toad. I'm assuming this was designed to be a lower-ish-profile turret?

Actually, this turret was designed for the 152mm gun/Shillelagh missile launcher.

Is this another version of the Frankentank?

Great Pictures as always VB,

Looking at the gallery you posted I can say that this is not a standard production M48A3 hull. The detail of your pictures finally let me ID this hull almost positively. It is one of the two hulls used for the M48A1E3 program, M48A3 hulls with excess M60 Turrets, or what would've been the M48A4. These turrets would have been available if the Army had converted 243 Slick M60's to M60A1E1 configuration (152mm Shillelagh turrets, eventually used on M60A2's).

Two pilots were assembled. Both required a 2 inch spacer ring to be fitted to raise the turret, the M60 turret basket hangs 2 inches lower than the M48's. The outer armored turret ring spacer is clearly evident in image P1040061 when viewed in original size. Images of the pilot sent to Fort Knox are most commonly seen, RN 9A 9849. It was built using a later M48A3 hull, which had 5 support rollers and the later version of the side loading air filter units. This hull has only three support rollers and uses the original side loader units, evident by the handles. It also has the heater exhaust tip cut at an angle, unlike the 9A 9849. Only image I have seen of the second M48A1E3 was of the hull looking down from the top minus the turret demonstrating the inner and out rings required to raise the turret with no view of the suspension. It does show the angled heater exhaust tip. Previous images I've seen of this Armada tank were never good enough to confirm the spacer ring and being she had only 3 support rollers ID'd the hull as one of the 6 pilot M48A1E1's made for the M48A3 program. IAW Hunnicutt's "Patton", the hulls used for both of the M48A1E3/M48A4 pilots were new production from rebuilt A1's. I believe that is incorrect, with this hull proving that one of the 6 pilot M48A1E1 hulls was used instead.

TACOM at Detroit recycled a lot of their one off pilots for other projects and I'm pretty sure that's what happened here. Now it would be nice to ID which of the six M48A1E1 hulls it is. Thanks again for sharing your great pictures VB.

Bit of stretch for the placard to state this somehow "evolved" into the M551, which which it has nothing in common but the main gun, which found several other homes (give or take some 38 tons ). It's as if some influential person at Philco-Ford convinced someone in the army that, "Hey, we have this awesome weapons system, let's find something to put it on, and the more, the better!"

What are the "steps" on the front glacis....in fact, steps? Jeez, that would be an amazing concession to laziness to people who are otherwise adept at boarding a vehicle without them. They have form that also resembles vision blocks...but I can't imagine seriously contemplating installation of same in such an arrangement. Any ideas, Joe?

They probably are steps. Ladders are not uncommon on test vehicles, especially one like this where the hull isn't much more than a way to move the turret around. Remember that you don't just have 19-yr-old tankers crawling over these but also the older and "well-rounded" engineers and technicians (like me) who aren't quite as nimble.

KL

I'm in total agreement with Kurt on those stairs/steps Doug,

Seen some interesting mods on test bed vehicles before, with the whole purpose of making access much less burdensome on it's more "Seasoned" operators. This hull has been around and most likely became a surrogate for many different configurations before being retired. Even those of us who were young at one time could've used stairs at one point. When I had a plow on my tank used it as an ersatz lift to get up and down, told my driver it was a good way to confirm it still worked daily instead of saying my knee was swollen that exercise. Pretty sure he knew the difference.

I recall seeing photos of the M60A2 pilot vehicle with steps on the glacis. I even had a model as a kid that included the steps.

- Garry_Redmon

I recall seeing photos of the M60A2 pilot vehicle with steps on the glacis. I even had a model as a kid that included the steps.

I have lots of those views, the little three step ladder. This just looked "different", like vision block housings welded onto the hull. The, uhhh..., infantry rail also looks like a provision for climbing onto turret rather than a proper infantry rail.