The T48E1 did succeed in increasing the operational range, but the decrease in fuel consumption was relatively small (the range extension came from all the extra fuel in the tanks). Nevertheless, the engine, the transmission and the external fuel tanks were tested on a modified M48, bearing (from January 1954) the official designation T48E1 (the return to the T designation signified its experimental nature). It was cheaper and more reliable than the older CD series, but due to its design, it lowered the clearance of the vehicle, something the military did not really like. There was also a new transmission - the XT-1400. This produced approximately 10 hp more than the old engine. The real solution stemmed from the transmission and engine development.įor starters, a new, less fuel-hungry, engine was developed (designated AVI-1790-8), replacing the two carburetors of the previous AV-1790 model with fuel injection. This was temporarily solved by using external fuel tanks (which could be jettisoned), but that was a temporary measure at best. One of the major drawbacks of the M48A1 was its massive fuel consumption and, as a result, its relatively short operational range. There was still a lot of room for improvement and this was recognized as early as May 1953. Perhaps its most famous deployment was the Vietnam War, where it proved itself as a tough, reliable workhorse. They were also deployed in Germany, starting from approximately 1959. The M48A1 was used for the first time overseas in July 1958, when USMC tanks entered Beirut. While the M48 did not see any combat, the M48A1 most certainly did – and a lot of it. To understand the M48A3, we have to go back to the M48A1, an M48 variant with an improved driver's hatch and turret cupola, which was formally separated from the original M48 on October 25 1954. That shift, however, leaves a vacancy that will be filled by another member of the M48 series – the M48A3. In a previous post, we mentioned the original M48, which will appear as a Tier 1 vehicle in Update 0.19. The Patton series is one of the most iconic tank families in armored warfare history.
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