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| A T54E1 pilot tank in the travel position. |
In December 1950, it was recommended that a 105 mm gun tank based on the T48 chassis be put into development. Two designs were proposed on July 6, 1951 which featured automatic loaders, the T54 and T54E1. The T54 had a conventional turret with a vertical loading mechanism, while the T54E1 used an oscillating turret.
In order to fit the loading mechanism inside the T54E1 turret, the weapon was inverted to position the breech ring at the bottom. The overall design of the turret was very similar to the one developed for the T69 and its 90 mm gun.
In 1952, similar arrangement was sought for use with a 120 mm gun. Initial investigation showed it would be extremely difficult to develop automatic loading equipment for the 120 mm gun inside the T43 turret. A similar turret design to the T69 and T54E1 was developed for the T43 chassis, designated T57. But as development work progressed, it appeared feasible to mount a T57 turret on the T48 chassis. In May 1953, a project was opened to develop such a vehicle, designated T77.
But like the T54 series, the T77 suffered from a slow development cycle and constantly changing requirements. The project was canceled in 1957 along with the T57 program, and both T57 turrets would be scrapped a year later.
This tank I'm proposing, the T77, is a combination of both the T54E1 and the T77 projects. This is essentially the same T54E1 tank we have now, but given a 120 mm gun which can only be mounted in a new second turret option. This tank should now play into the T57 Heavy similarly to how the French AMX 50-120 plays into the AMX 50 B. The top gun has a considerably worse reload speed than the T57 Heavy, making either 105 mm or 120 mm gun viable for this tank.
Guns: 90 mm Gun T178 (autoloader); 105 mm Gun T140E2 (autoloader); 120 mm Gun T179 (autoloader) |
| The surviving T54E1 pilot on display. |
In 1952, similar arrangement was sought for use with a 120 mm gun. Initial investigation showed it would be extremely difficult to develop automatic loading equipment for the 120 mm gun inside the T43 turret. A similar turret design to the T69 and T54E1 was developed for the T43 chassis, designated T57. But as development work progressed, it appeared feasible to mount a T57 turret on the T48 chassis. In May 1953, a project was opened to develop such a vehicle, designated T77.
But like the T54 series, the T77 suffered from a slow development cycle and constantly changing requirements. The project was canceled in 1957 along with the T57 program, and both T57 turrets would be scrapped a year later.
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| Constructed model of the T77. |
Engines: Continental AV-1790-1 (740 hp); Continental AV-1790-5B (810 hp)
Turrets (Turret Armor (mm)): T54E1 (127/64/51); T77 (127/137/51)
Turrets (Turret Armor (mm)): T54E1 (127/64/51); T77 (127/137/51)
Suspensions/Alternate Hulls, Total Weight (metric tons): T48 for T54E1 (54.43); T48 for T77 (52.16)
Hull Armor (mm): 110/76/35
Top Speed: 43 km/h
Crew: 4 (Driver; Gunner; Loader; Commander/Radio)
Sources:
Hunnicutt, R. P. Patton, 2015
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