- Yes
- No
Bigger isn’t always better, but sometimes it is necessary. The 90 mm Gun Tank T49 was an attempt at upgunning the M41 Walker Bulldog when its 76 mm gun began to appear inadequate. It mounted a new smoothbore/“partially” smoothbore 90 mm cannon that could fire HEAT and HESH rounds and had a rangefinder to help with accuracy. The project was cancelled after two prototypes were built.
History and Design
Surprisingly, the T49’s development was almost concurrent with that of the M41 itself. In light of new post-war Soviet tanks like the T54 beginning to appear, on 13 January 1950, the Commanding Officer of Detroit Arsenal recommended that a 90 mm gun be mounted on a light tank. A low-pressure, smoothbore gun that could fire fin-stabilised shaped-charged projectiles was designed to be mounted on the T41 (the prototype for the M41). This weapon was designated the 90 mm gun T132. However, tests revealed that the gun had awful dispersion, so a new version with shallow rifling was created and designated the T132E3. This gun was mounted on two T41E1 light tanks (the last prototype for the M41 and almost identical to the production version), and the result was designated the 90 mm Gun Tank T49.
Apart from the new gun, the T49 also mounted a T41E3 rangefinder and a .50 M2HB as the coaxial MG instead of the regular M1919A4 (this is disputed between Hunnicutt and AD0395255). To provide space for the rangefinder, the turret roof was raised by 6 1/4 inches (15.875 cm); this is why images of the T49 show a band of “discoloured” metal near the top of the turret. The T49 could carry 46 rounds of 90 mm ammunition: 29 in the front hull rack, 9 under the gun mount, and 8 in the ready rack. The gun could fire four types of ammunition: T108E40 HEAT, T142E8 HEP (HESH), T91 HE, and T92 smoke. The modifications increased the weight of the T49 by 1200 lbs (544 kg) compared to the original T41E1.
Tests at Aberdeen began on 5 May 1954 and continued until 10 May 1955. The gun mount was satisfactory, but the accuracy of the HEAT shell was still lacking. Documentation isn’t quite clear on why the project was cancelled; Hunnicutt gives the nebulous reason that “the user lost interest in the T49 since other armament options were being considered and the T41E1 itself was regarded as an interim light tank.”
Specifications
Crew: 4
Armour: same as M41
Primary armament: 90 mm gun T132E3
- Traverse: 360˚
- Elevation: disputed (though the difference is somewhat trivial and may just be rounding errors)
- Hunnicutt: -9.5˚/+19.5˚
- AD0395255: -10˚/+20˚
- Rangefinder: optical, T41E3
- Reload rate: 8-10 rpm
- Ammunition: 46 rounds
- T108E40 (Hunnicutt calls it the T108E45) HEAT: cross referencing with TM-43-0001-28 and TM 9-1300-203 suggests that it is the same as the M348 currently present in game on the M46 and M36B2
- Penetration: 305 mm
- Muzzle velocity: 2800 fps (853 m/s)
- T142E3 (AD0395255 calls it the T142E8) HEP (HESH): detailed information on this round appears to be classified, according to TM-9-1300-203; may need a FOIA request to retrieve
- Muzzle velocity: 2600 fps (792 m/s)
- T91 HE:
- High explosive content: 3.5 lbs (1.59 kg) of Composition B or TNT
- Muzzle velocity: 2400 fps (731 m/s)
- T92 smoke: no data, only attested in AD0395255
- T108E40 (Hunnicutt calls it the T108E45) HEAT: cross referencing with TM-43-0001-28 and TM 9-1300-203 suggests that it is the same as the M348 currently present in game on the M46 and M36B2
Secondary armaments: coaxial .50 M2HB or .30 M1919A4 (source dispute), pintle-mounted M2HB
Engine: Continental AOS-895-3, gross 500 hp
Weight:
- Hunnicutt, “unstowed”: 46650 lbs (21.2 t)
- AD0395255, “overall”: 51232 lbs (23.2 t)
- Hunnicutt, “combat loaded”: 53200 lbs (24.1 t)
Max speed: 45 mph (72 km/h)
More pictures
Side-on view of the T49
Line drawing diagram of the T49
9-round ammo rack under the gun
Ready rack (partially filled)
In-game
Despite being a light tank, the extra weight from the 90 mm gun installation means that the T49 has similar power-to-weight ratios to the M46 and M47 medium tanks. Therefore, compared to those two the T49 is essentially a vehicle with near equal mobility and firepower but much worse armour. However, this could justify a BR as low as 6.7 (compared to the leKPz M41 also at 6.7, it trades mobility for a somewhat better gun and rangefinder), which could further supplement the (admittedly overfull) US 6.7 lineup as an Event or Premium vehicle.
Sources
All pictures are from Hunnicutt
- “Sheridan: A History of the American Light Tank, Volume 2” by R.P. Hunnicutt
- “DEVELOPMENT OF 90-MM GUN TANK, T49 (AD0395255)”
- “Modern American Armor: Combat Vehicles of the United States Army Today” by Steven J. Zaloga and Lieutenant Colonel James W. Loop
- “US Light Tanks 1944-84” by Steven J. Zaloga
- TM-43-0001-28 (1994)
- TM-43-0001-28 (1977)
- TM-9-1300-203