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The M55 is an American fully enclosed and armored self-propelled howitzer based on the M53 155 mm self-propelled gun and with components taken from the M47 Patton.
| M55 | |
|---|---|
 M55 howitzer in the US Army Ordnance Museum | |
| Type | Self-propelled artillery |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1952–1960s (United States) |
| Used by | United States Belgium Turkey Spain West Germany Republic of China |
| Wars | Vietnam War Second Taiwan Strait Crisis |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Pacific Car and Foundry Company |
| Produced | 1950s |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 44 metric tons |
| Length | 9.75 m |
| Crew | 6 |
| Armour | 25 mm (maximum) (Rolled homogeneous armour) |
Main armament | 203.2 mm M47 howitzer (10 rounds) |
Secondary armament | .50 cal M2HB machine gun (900 rounds) |
| Engine | Continental AV1790-5B (12 cylinder, 4 cycle, 90° vee gasoline) 810 hp at 2800 rpm (gross) 704 hp at 2800 rpm (net) |
| Transmission | Allison CD-850-4A (two ranges forward, one reverse) |
| Suspension | torsion bar |
Operational range | 160 mi (260 km) |
| Maximum speed | 30 mph (48 km/h) |
It has a 203.2 mm (eight-inch) howitzer which can traverse 30° left or right, carrying 10 rounds of ammunition when fully combat loaded. The gun has a maximum range of 10.51 miles (16.92 kilometers) with a rate of fire of one round every two minutes. A .50 caliber machine gun was mounted on top of the turret. The crew consists of six - a driver, commander, gunner, and three loaders.[1] The M55 is lightly armored, 25 mm maximum, but sufficient to protect the crew from indirect artillery hits and small arms fire. The M53 has a 155mm gun, while the M55 uses the 203.2mm gun.[2]
The M55 uses components of the M47 Patton tank, but the automotive aspects are reversed. The engine is mounted in the front and is driven through a front-drive sprocket capable of a top speed of 30 mph (50 km/h). The driver's cupola is visible on the front left of the turret, and spare track blocks are stored on the turret front. Because the driver's seat is in the turret, a special seat is used to keep the driver facing forward, independent of the turret facing.
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The M53 was produced from 1952 to 1955, being replaced with the M55 in 1956. [2]The M55 first saw service in 1956 with the US army[1] and was used during the Vietnam War until around 1969, and subsequently withdrawn from service in the US military in favor of the M110 howitzer.[3][4] Other NATO countries also received some. The last M55 in service was withdrawn from the Belgian Army in the 1970s.[5]
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