M56 Scorpion
In service 1957 - 1970s
A 90 mm anti-tank gun on a tracked, completely unarmoured air-droppable chassis, issued to US airborne units and used in Vietnam.
Built byCadillac Motor Car Division
Development history
The M56 was an exercise in stripping everything away: no armour, no turret, no protection for the crew beyond a gun shield, all so that a C-130 could carry a 90 mm gun capable of killing a T-54. Around 325 were built for the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions from 1957. Crews nicknamed it the Scorpion and were under no illusions about survivability - any hit at all was likely fatal. In Vietnam the 173rd Airborne Brigade used them mostly as direct-fire support against bunkers and positions rather than against tanks. The Sheridan, which at least enclosed its crew, replaced them.
Notable actions
- Vietnam War