The M47 Patton It was an American medium tank produced in the early 1950s and used until the early 1960s by the US Army and Marine Corps, in the midst of the Cold War.
In addition to the US Army and the Marine Corps, the vehicle was used by numerous armies including: Italian, French, Greek, Pakistani, Turkish, Iranian, Jordanian and many others.
The M47 was developed from the M46 Patton and in turn gave rise to the subsequent M48 Patton.
Entered into service in 1951, over 1954 units were produced until 8.000.
It was equipped with a 90 mm gun, which at the time allowed it to effectively deal with most enemy tanks. In addition, thanks to its powerful engine and good maneuverability, it was able to operate in various terrain conditions.
The armor of the vehicle was considered adequate for the period, offering protection against smaller caliber projectiles and light anti-tank weapons. However, with the rapid development of anti-tank technology, the M47's armor soon became obsolete, making it more vulnerable to more modern weapon systems.
The United States used it in the Korean War (1950-53) only for operational field tests, without using it in combat. Other countries, however, used it in real war theaters.
The French Army used the M47 in the Suez crisis of 1956; the Pakistanis used it in the second Indo-Pakistani war (August-September 1965) and in the third (December 1971). The vehicle was also used by the Jordanians in the Six Day War (June 1967) and by the Iranians in the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), where the more modern Iraqi T-55s, T-62s and T-72s demonstrated clear superiority.
The Turks employed the M47 during the 1974 invasion of Cyprus, the Ethiopians in the war against Somalia (1977-78) and the Croats in the Yugoslav wars (1991-1995).
The M47 Patton medium tank measured 8,51 m in length, 3,35 m in height and 3,51 m in width, with a weight of 48,6 tons.
Armor ranged from 133 to 200 mm. Armament consisted of a 90 mm gun, a 12,7 mm machine gun, and one (or two) 7,62 mm machine guns.
It was equipped with an 1790 hp Continental AV810 petrol engine, which gave a top speed of 48 km/h.
The crew was composed of 5 men.
