| M55 | |
|---|---|
M55 howitzer in the US Army Ordnance Museum |
|
| Type | Self-propelled artillery |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1970s (Belgium) |
| Used by | United States Belgium |
| Wars | Vietnam War |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Pacific Car and Foundry Co. |
| Produced | 1950s |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 44 metric tons |
| Length | 9.75 m |
| Crew | 6 |
|
|
|
| Armour | 25 mm (maximum) (Rolled homogeneous armour) |
| Main armament |
203.2 mm M47 howitzer (10 rounds) |
| Secondary armament |
.50 cal M2HB machine gun (900 rounds) |
| Engine | Continental AV-1790-5B (12 cylinder, 4 cycle, 90° vee gasoline) 810 hp at 2800 rpm (gross) 704 hp at 2800 rpm (net) |
| Transmission | Allison CD-850-4A (two ranges forward, one reverse) |
| Suspension | torsion bar |
| Operational range |
160 mi (260 km) |
| Speed | 30 mph (48 km/h) |
M55 was an American fully enclosed and armored self-propelled artillery based on the M53 155 mm assault gun. It had a traversable, to a certain degree - 30° left or right, turret armed with a 203.2 mm howitzer, carrying only 10 rounds of ammunition. The gun had a maximum range of 16,916 meters with a rate of fire of one round every two minutes. The M55 armor was light, 25 mm maximum, but sufficient to protect the crew from indirect artillery hits or small arms bullets.
M55 used components of the M47 Patton tank, but the automotive aspects were reversed. The engine was mounted in the front and drove through a front-drive sprocket. The driver's cupola is visible on the front left of the turret, and spare track blocks were stored on the turret front.
The M55 was used during the Vietnam War, and subsequently withdrawn from service in the US military.