M551 Sheridan
In service 1969 - 1996
An aluminium-hulled airborne reconnaissance vehicle firing both shells and guided missiles from one short 152 mm barrel - ambitious, troubled, and the last US light tank.
Built byAllison Division, General Motors
Development history
The Sheridan was meant to be air-dropped, swim, and kill any tank with the Shillelagh missile. In practice the combustible-cased conventional ammunition was fragile and dangerous, the recoil shook the delicate missile electronics, the missile system was barely used in Vietnam and the aluminium hull offered almost no protection against mines - a serious problem in a war dominated by them. Crews in Vietnam removed the missile gear and used canister and HE rounds, with a shield added around the commander's gun. Retired from most units in the late 1970s, Sheridans stayed with the 82nd Airborne long enough to be dropped into Panama in 1989 and to deploy to the Gulf in 1991, retiring for good in 1996.
Variants
One canonical record, 3 recorded variants.
M551
1969Base version with the full Shillelagh missile system.
M551 Vietnam configuration
1969Missile equipment removed, commander shield added, canister and HE ammunition.
M551A1
1980sImproved fire control and thermal sight for the 82nd Airborne.
Notable actions
- Vietnam War
- Invasion of Panama
- Gulf War