M48 Patton Tank--Night Firing
Photo U.S. Army
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A good M48 tank crew was able to put the first
round on target 90 percent of the time. In peacetime training the crew was
required to stop the tank from a speed of 20mph, acquire the target, and
kill it at 2,000 yards away in no more than seven seconds. This was made
possible by good crew communication and the Patton’s sophisticated fire
control system that consisted of a stereoscope range finder, range
indicator and an early mechanical ballistic fire control computer system.
As technology was upgraded the Army put new systems in the M48 to help
improve communication.
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