M103 Heavy Tank

Development history

Born from the scare that Soviet heavy tanks would outclass the Patton series, the M103 carried a 120 mm gun so heavy its ammunition needed two loaders. Fielded from 1957, it went mainly to the Marine Corps and to Seventh Army in Europe, where crews valued the gun's reach and disliked the range, weight and petrol engine. It never fired a shot in anger; by the early 1970s the M60's 105 mm gun and better mobility had made the heavy tank category obsolete, and the M103 was retired without replacement.

Variants

One canonical record, 3 recorded variants.

1. M103

   1957

   Initial production, manual fire control

2. M103A1

   1959

   Improved turret fire control and stowage

3. M103A2

   1964

   AVDS-1790 diesel engine, extended range