Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac,att!cbnews!cbnews!military From: dl3a+@andrew.cmu.edu (Daniel Christopher Ladd) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: Sheridans Message-ID: <1991Mar18.140707.22887@cbnews.att.com> Date: 18 Mar 91 14:07:07 GMT References: <1991Mar8.024137.11028@cbnews.att.com>, Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (william.b.thacker) Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 41 Approved: military@att.att.com From: Daniel Christopher Ladd The Sheridan is used operationally by only 1 battalion in the U.S. (or any) Army. The 3 Battalion, 73rd Armor, a unit of the 82nd Airborne Division, operates 54 Sheridans. Its maintainence unit also holds 3 or 4 spares as replacements. The Sheridan was dropped in combat for the first time in 1989 in the invasion of Panama, when 2 platoons (8 vehicles) of C company were dropped with the 82nd. It has not been revealed how this unit was recently used in Iraq. In addition, the National Training Center at Ft. Irwin, California, operates VISMOD (Visually Modified) Sheridans in a training role. They have the gun barrels removed and fiberglass panels attached to make them resemble Soviet vehicles for use by the Opposing Forces. They have been modified to resemble the T-72, ZSU-23-4 and BMP-1, and are treated as such for the large scale wargames that occur at the NTC (and are partially responsible for US tactical sucesses in Iraq/Kuwait). These vehicles are not used as combat vehicles, just as training vehicles. Although the Army has large stocks of Soviet equipment, mostly from the Israelis, they do not have sufficient spare parts to operate those captured systems (although now things may change...) The Sheridan was originally issued to Airborne, Armoured Cavalry and scout units. They were susectable to heavy MG and mine attacks, and the 152mm Gun/Missile launcher has serious problems. The Shileghleigh(sp.) missile is hard to control, giving a minimum range of 1250m, while the maximum effective range of the gun was 1000m (with the original equipment). This left a 250m gap where enemy tanks would be relatively safe from Sheridan attack, and was the main reason for the removal of the M-60A2 from service. In addition, the recoil of the gun had a tendency to jar the missile guidance system out of alignment. However, now these problems have been solved, and the M551's of the 82nd mount the thermal sight and fire control equipment of the M60A3 tank. However, the fate of most Sheridans, of which over 1000 were built, is now to sit on the lawns of Army installations across the USA or else to be broken up and made into razor blades... Daniel Ladd US Army ROTC Carnegie Mellon University/ University of Pittsburgh