Re: Soviet tanks and missiles....

Robert W. Eldridge wrote:

>Well, the US used to have one, the M60A2 ,which fired a Shillaleagh
missile,
>same one used on the Sheridan, from a short tube launcher, along with
HE and
>HEAT conventional rounds.

Important difference here: the Shillelagh-firing gun/missile launcher
used 
on the M60A2 and the M551 was a huge-caliber (152mm) low-velocity gun 
unable to fire effective KE projectiles, whereas the Eastern tanks fire 
ATGMs through more normal-sized guns (115mm and 125mm calibers) which
can 
also fire APFSDS. As for its impopularity, I bet the Shillelagh's low
hit 
probability at ranges less than 1 km had something to do with it too...
and 
so did the tendency of the 152mm rounds to break and spill propellant
all 
over the fighting compartment :-/

Conceptually the M60A2 and M551 both seem to have been closer to the WW2

"Infantry Support Tank" idea - ie. able to take on enemy tanks in a
crisis, 
but their main purpose was to provide massive direct-fire HE (and APERS,

and...) support for the infantry. I doubt that the US Army would admit
to 
this kind of thinking though, at least in the M60A2 case <g>

Later,

Oerjan
oerjan.ohlson@telia.com

"Life is like a sewer.
  What you get out of it, depends on what you put into it."
-Hen3ry