The 155mm L/40 T7 was an American rifled tank gun developed in 1945.[1] The T7 was to be the main armament for the T30 Heavy Tank, but only a handful were produced due to the T30 project being cancelled after trials in the late 1940s.
The T7 used two-part separated ammunition like the 105mm T5E1 gun on the T29 Heavy Tank.[2] It had a low velocity of only 701 m/s (2,300 ft/s) compared to the 120mm T53 on the T34 Heavy Tank (945 m/s) and the 105mm T5E1 on the T29 Heavy Tank (945 m/s).[3] However, the 43 kg (95 lbs) High-Explosive shell (HE) and high-velocity armour-piercing (HVAP) was demonstrated to have a powerful demolition effect. Testing concluded before completion when the T30 project was cancelled in the late 1940s.
Penetration comparison
| Ammunition type | Muzzle velocity | Penetration (mm) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 m | 1000 m | 1500 m | 2000 m | 2500 m | 3000 m | |||||||
| M112B1 (AP) | 701 m/s (2,300 ft/s) | 215 | 213 | 203 | 211 | 195 | 187 | |||||
| T43 (Mod.) (AP) | 774 m/s (2,540 ft/s) | 254 | 243 | 236 | 226 | 215 | 203 | |||||
| T35 (HVAP) | 1,106 m/s (3,630 ft/s) | 392 | 355 | 340 | 314 | 292 | 276 | |||||
| M107 (HE) | 945 m/s (3,100 ft/s) | 54 | 54 | 54 | 54 | 54 | 54 | |||||
Variants
- T7 - Standard model
- T7E1 - T7 modified for use with a power rammer and ejection equipment.
References
- ^ Hunnicutt, Richard P. (1988). Firepower: A History of the American Heavy Tank. Brattleboro, Vermont: Echo Point Books & Media. p. 228. ISBN 978-0891413042.
- ^ Hunnicutt, Richard P. (1988). Firepower: A History of the American Heavy Tank. Brattleboro, Vermont: Echo Point Books & Media. p. 88. ISBN 978-0891413042.
- ^ Hunnicutt, Richard P. (1988). Firepower: A History of the American Heavy Tank. Brattleboro, Vermont: Echo Point Books & Media. pp. 224–5. ISBN 978-0891413042.
- ^ Bird, Lorrin Rexford; Livingston, Robert D. (2001). WWII Ballistics: Armor and Gunnery. Overmatch Press. p. 61.