The M48’s 90mm M41 cannon fired a 24.16-pound shell with a muzzle velocity of 2,800 feet per second out to a maximum range of 4,500 meters, but the fire control system had a 2,500-meter limit. Inch-thick floor plating gave good protection against enemy mines. The hull’s front armor was 4.3 inches, and side armor was 3 inches forward and 2 inches at the rear.
The turret had 4.5 inches of frontal armor, 3 inches of side armor and 2 inches in the rear. The turret and hull were made from cast homogenous steel and enjoyed a 60-degree frontal slope. It had a supercharged diesel instead of a gasoline engine and an enhanced fire control system. The first M48s were produced from 1952 to 1959, but the Vietnam-era A3 was a modernized and refurbished variant that first rolled out in February 1963. The M48 was the final version of the Patton series, named after General George S. Used primarily in the infantry support role, the M48A3 tank was America’s main battle tank in Vietnam from the earliest combat action, and in South Vietnamese service almost to its last. Many believed armor had little utility in Vietnam, but Marine and Army combat experience proved that there was no substitute for the shock and firepower tanks brought to the battlefield.
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