T42 medium tank
| T42 | |
|---|---|
T42 at Aberdeen Proving Ground, 1951 | |
| Type | Medium tank |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1948–1953 |
| No. built | 6 prototypes |
| Variants | T69, T87 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | Combat loaded: 74,500 lb (33.8 t) Unstowed: 68,080 lb (30.88 t) |
| Length | Gun forward: 314.7 in (7.99 m) Gun in Travel Position: 273.4 in (6.94 m) Without Gun: 232.1 in (5.90 m) |
| Width | Over fenders: 140.8 in (3.58 m) |
| Height | Over AA MG: 126.3 in (3.21 m) |
| Crew | 4: Commander, Gunner Driver, Loader |
| Armor | Upper glacis: 102 mm (4.0 in) at 60° = 204 mm (8.0 in) LoS |
Main armament | T42: 90mm Gun T119 T69: 90mm Gun T178 |
Secondary armament | Flexible AA mount: .50 cal HB M2 Coaxial: .50 cal HB M2E1 |
| Engine | Continental AOS-895-3 500 gross hp 370 net hp |
| Power/weight | T42: 13.4 gross hp/ton T69: 13.2 gross hp/ton |
| Suspension | Torsion bar |
Operational range | 70 mi (110 km) |
| Maximum speed | 32 mph (51 km/h) |
The 90mm gun tank T42 was a medium tank powered by the AOS-895-3, a 6-cylinder, air cooled, opposed cylinder, supercharged engine displacing 895.9 cubic inches. It was intended to fulfill OTCM 32529's, dated December 2, 1948, call for a tank weighing 36 tons and equivalently armed as the M46 while having superior armour. With an engine producing only 500 hp, concern about the T42's performance was expressed. Testing, with a T40 loaded to the weight of T42 and powered by the AOS-895 through a CD-500 transmission, revealed it to be only equivalent in performance to the late model M4A3, which was below the design estimates.