TS-26

The limited range and excessive weight of the M41 Bulldog were considered to be its greatest shortcomings. Shortly after it entered production in 1951, there were already motions being made to replace it. During the third Questionmark Conference in June 1954, six light tank proposals were put forth that emphasized an increased range and reduced weight. In order to fulfill this, the armor protection of all six tanks was reduced to a thickness of 1/2 inch. The front plates were highly sloped, but the sides were vertical.

One of these was the TS-26. It featured a 105 mm recoilless rifle in an oscillating turret and could carry 40 rounds of ammunition. Compared to its contemporaries, it was very light weighing around 11 tons.

The TS-26 uses a recoilless rifle as its main gun, which should use a standard HEAT/HEP/HE shell loadout for such low-velocity rifled guns. The damage potential of the caliber should more than make up for the inherent downsides of the gun, including poor characteristics and shell velocity. And despite the oscillating turret, this gun does not feature an autoloader and instead has a conventional four-man crew layout.

Guns: 105 mm Rifle T189

Engines: Chrysler VT-350 (350 hp)

Turrets (Turret Armor (mm)): TS-26 (??/??/??)

Suspensions/Alternate Hulls, Total Weight (metric tons): TS-26 (9.98)

Hull Armor (mm): 13/13/13

Top Speed: ?? km/h

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

See Also: TS-10, TS-8/32

Sources:

Hunnicutt, R. P. Sheridan, 2015