MISSION STATEMENT

This website is to serve as a catalog of historical information for various tanks, across various stages of development, created for use by the United States from Pre-WWII through to the 1970s. However, the primary purpose for this website is to illustrate a proposal for what an "endgame" could look like for the US tech tree in the game, World Of Tanks, and to show that there's still plenty of life left to breathed into this game.

My aim is to see as many tanks in the game about tanks as possible, and I hope to show that in a way that respects both the historicity of the tanks shown and the balance of the game overall. As such, I will not be going into great detail on individual statistics. Rather, I will only be showing the possible modules for each tank, changes that could be made to make it more historically authentic, a historical overview, and how the tank's playstyle may be represented in-game. I will also attempt to future-proof this by including alternate hulls, half-tracks, and wheeled vehicles.

This is certainly not perfect and everything is subject to change. This is still a work in progress, and updates are frequent if not daily. This is a fan project and a labor of love. Do enjoy.

Saturday, August 5, 2017

XM551 Test Bed


In July 1962, an XM551 test bed turret with the 152 mm gun-launcher was installed on an M41 tank chassis to permit evaluation of the turret and armament. In August, testing began at Aberdeen Proving Ground. It was decided to test the conventional ammunition here and wait for future testing of the Shillelagh missile system. 590 rounds were fired during the test program.

This tank is essentially the old elite version of the T49 at Tier VIII, before Tier X light tanks were introduced. Compared to the Sheridan, this tank is a bit heavier, but also has a better power-to-weight ratio thanks to its more powerful engine and a slightly higher top speed. It’s also missing the foam spaced armor. The major differences between this tank and the Sheridan should be in terms of its gun handling. This tank is missing all the improved optics, giving an inherently worse view range. Gun handling could also be made worse than the Sheridan. In my opinion, this tank should trade gun handling and the foam spaced armor for a higher top speed and possibly increased mobility.

The old (Tier VIII) T49 in its top configuration: the XM551 test bed.

I currently have this tank in Tier X, but it might be better suited for Tier IX. Which tier it fits into would ultimately be a balance decision, when the tank is compared to both the XM551 and the Sheridan.

Guns: 152 mm Gun-Launcher XM81 (conventional)

Engines: Continental AOS-895-3 (500 hp)

Turrets (Turret Armor (mm)): XM551 test bed (38/15/15)

Suspensions/Alternate Hulls, Total Weight (metric tons): XM551 test bed (22.35)

Hull Armor (mm): 25/25/13

Top Speed: 72 km/h

Crew: 4 (Driver; Gunner; Loader; Commander/Radio)

See Also: XM551, M551A1

Sources:
Hunnicutt, R. P. Sheridan, 2015. 
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