United States
Light Tank M3 (Stuart I)

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The Light Tank M3 was designed in 1940 based on the existing fully tracked Light Tank and was in use from 1940 to 1990.

General Details Specifications Operational Date(s) 1940 - 1990 Quantity Produced 5811 Weight 14.7 tonne Crew 4 M.G's small 3 M.G's large(>10mm) n/a Length 4.58 mtr Width 2.26 mtr Height 2.54 mtr Engine Details/Performance Max Road Speed 36 mph Max Cross Country Speed 20 mph Range Road 130 miles Range Cross Country 52 miles Fuel Type Petrol Fuel Capacity 54 gal Horse Power 250 hp Power/Weight 17 hp/tonne General Information The Light Tank M3 was designed in 1940 based on the existing fully tracked Light Tank and was in use from 1940 to 1990. The vehicle was powered by Continental 'W-670' petrol powerplant producing 250 HP which could drive the vehicle on roads at up to 36 mph with a range of about 130 miles before refuelling. Its cross country performance was good providing a max speed of about 20 mph and a range of about 52 miles. It was armed with 3 light machine guns which were 0.3 inch Browning Machine Gun M1919A4s. Its main armament consisted of a 37mm Antitank Gun M6 which could penetrate 56 mm of flat plate at 400 metres The Light tank M3 Stuart was a tank based on the M2A4 with an upgraded 37mm anti tank gun later models having a gyrostabiliser. The power was provided by a 250hp Continental petrol engine, driving through the front drive wheel, then via 2 pairs of road wheels to a rear idler then back over 3 return rollers. The models varied from the early rivetted models to the very late fully welded models. Armour Details Turret Front 38mm @ 0° (38mm) Side 25mm @ 0° (25mm) Rear 25mm @ 0° (25mm) Top 10mm @ 90° (10mm) Superstructure Front 38mm @ 45° (54mm) Side 25mm @ 0° (25mm) Rear 25mm @ 0° (25mm) Top 9mm @ 90° (9mm) Hull Front 38mm @ 45° (54mm) Side 25mm @ 0° (25mm) Rear 25mm @ 0° (25mm) Top 9mm @ 90° (9mm) Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°) Effective Armour - Maximum 54 mm - Minimum 9 mm

Weapon Details 0.3 inch Browning Machine Gun M1919A4 (Machine Gun) x 3 Manufacturer Browning Manufactured 1919 - 1945 Calibre 7.60mm Length L/80 Rate of Fire 480 rpm Number of Rounds  6750     Ammunition Details Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content .30-06 Springfield (BALL Standard Small Arms) 7.62mm 0.012Kg 820M/Sec Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.15 Penetration(mm@30°) 2 Penetration(mm@0°) 3 Hit Probability(%) 98 Weapon Details 37mm Antitank Gun M6 (Anti Tank Gun) History This was the Tank mounted version of the 37mm M3 Manufacturer Watervliet Arsenal Calibre 37mm Number of Rounds  147     Ammunition Details Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content AP M74 Shot (AP Armor Piercing) 37mm 0.86Kg 885M/Sec Quoted Penetration 36mm @ 500mtr/0° Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.12 0.24 0.51 1.15 2.01 3.19 4.93 7.73 Penetration(mm@30°) 61 55 48 38 30 22 16 10 Penetration(mm@0°) 71 64 56 45 35 26 19 12 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 96 64 25 8 2 HE M63 Shell (HE High Explosive) 37mm 0.73Kg 792M/Sec 0.039Kg explosive Maximum Range not shown as gun elevation is limited Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.13 0.27 0.57 1.29 2.25 3.56 5.51 8.63 Direct Fire Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.13 0.27 0.57 1.29 2.25 3.56 5.51 8.63 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 93 57 22 3 1 Blast/Fragmentation Effects Burst radius Infantry in open 99% kill 0 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 66% kill 1 mtr Burst radius Infantry in open 33% kill 3 mtr  Armour Penetration inc roof at 1 mtr 0 mm An explosion within 1 mtr of infantry in the open will cause > 66% casualties and could damage some AFV's. An explosion within 3 mtr of infantry in the open will cause 33% casualties. The blast effect of this shell exploding within 1 mtr of an armoured vehicle will not cause any significant armour damage.

Hit probability is based on a static 2 x 2.4 metre panel at 0 degrees(vertical) at the range specified.

The data that has been used to create these records has come from Wikipedia, The Lone Sentry, The Bundes Archive and numerous books and websites that have provided the detailed information that has not been available anywhere else. The information we use to calculate the penetration tables, flight times and the hit probability comes from the Gun Calibre, the Shell Mass(Kg) and the muzzle velocity, plus range reductions to allow for gravity and wind resistance. This calculation originally came from a pre-war Krupp calculation which has been modified, and seems to fit the actual test results.

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Page Last Updated: 2023-01-10 07:35:11