Description
Tamiya 35120
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The A3 series of the M-48 was the first to introduce the new AVDS-1970-2 diesel engine, which was a major improvement, and since its introduction many of the earlier Pattons have also been retrofitted with it. When used in Vietnam, secondary armament was often boosted by adding a .50 calibre machine gun above the cupola; a 7.62mm machine gun in front of the loaders hatch, and another 7.62mm MG in the mantlet in lieu of the telescopic sight. Early in its production the M-48 was fitted with a snorkeling kit which enables it to fork water obstacles up to 4.1 meters in depth. The M-48A3 uses a coincidence-type range finder for sighting its main 90mm gun. Range data from this sight is fed into a ballistic computer for very accurate and speedy target acquisition. Maximum road speed of the M-48A3 was 48km/h. Maximum range was 460 km, and the maximum road gradient was 60%. The A3 carried 62 rounds of 90mm ammunition, and up to 5900 rounds for the 7.62 MG's. The A-3 model can be seen with either 3 or 5 wheel track bogies, and the majority used in Vietnam had five bogies, due to the jungle type of terrain encountered. Tank crew members often built up the sides of the turret with extra padding and equipment for additional protection from hostile fire. A great many of the existing M-48 tanks around the world are now being up graded to M-60 standards with the addition of the 105mm gun in place of the 90mm main unit.
U.S. M48A3 Patton Kit - CQ220