sheridan tank norwegian modern light tank

It had powerful weaponry – a 152mm gun-launcher. The Sheridan featured several typical elements for this class of vehicles. Its purpose was to provide the American military with an air-transportable fire support vehicle that could also perform scout duties. Born from the late 50’s program to replace the 76mm Gun Tank M41 Walker Bulldog, the first prototype was built in 1962 with the production running from 1966 to 1970 and with over 1600 vehicles built. One of the epitomes of the modern light tank is the M551 Sheridan.

On the other hand, light tanks are also suitable for countering exactly these tactics, being able to quickly return to defend the base against that one lucky AFV or light tank that managed to slip past your defenses where main battle tanks would take too long to save the base from being captured. A light tank should never stand still, trying to spot enemy vehicles – its view range and camouflage factor are too low for such a task, which would be better suited for an AFV.Īpart from hunting its enemies down, a light tank can also capture bases rather quickly – like the AFV class, it also gets a bonus to the base capture speed, but not as big one as the AFV scouts.

Their camouflage factor is also not nearly as high as the one of the AFV class vehicles and their view range is limited - not much better than the one of an average battle tank. Speed is life and this rule applies even more to the light tanks than usual as their armor cannot protect them against the firepower of tanks or tank destroyers. These advantages however come with a price tag. One of the main features of the light tank class is their ability to fire accurately on the move, allowing them to hit their targets even while moving at full speed or circling around the enemy.

The light tanks are the swift predators of Armored Warfare – alone or in groups, they can hound stronger targets or use their speed to get behind enemy lines, wreaking havoc on enemy artillery or tank destroyers. In battle, a light tank represents the ideal blend of main battle tank firepower and armored fighting vehicle mobility.

Sheridan tank norwegian modern light tank