{{Infobox weapon , name= M55 , image= M55 8 inch Self-Propelled Howitzer 3.JPG , image_size = 300 , caption= M55 howitzer in the

US Army Ordnance Museum The United States Army Ordnance Training Support Facility (formerly known as the U.S. Army Ordnance Training and Heritage Center and U.S. Army Ordnance Museum) artifacts are used to train and educate logistic soldiers. It re-located to Fort Lee ( ...

, origin= United States , type=

Self-propelled artillery Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled mo ...

, is_vehicle= yes , is_UK= yes , service= 1952–1960s (United States) , used_by= United States
Belgium
Turkey
Spain
West Germany
Republic of China , wars=

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

Second Taiwan Strait Crisis The Second Taiwan Strait Crisis, also called the 1958 Taiwan Strait Crisis, was a conflict that took place between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC). In this conflict, the PRC shelled the islands of Kinme ...

, designer= , design_date= , manufacturer=

Pacific Car and Foundry Company Paccar Inc is an American ''Fortune'' 500 company and counts among the largest manufacturers of medium- and heavy-duty trucks in the world, and has substantial manufacturing in light and medium vehicles through its various subsidiaries. It was o ...

, unit_cost= , production_date= 1950s , number= , variants= , spec_label= , weight= 44

metric tons The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the short ton ( United States ...

, length= 9.75 m , width= , height= , ground pressure= , crew= 6 , armour= 25 mm (maximum)
(

Rolled homogeneous armour Rolled homogeneous armour (RHA) is a type of vehicle armour made of a single steel composition hot-rolled to improve its material characteristics, as opposed to layered or cemented armour. Its first common application was in tanks. After World ...

) , primary_armament= 203.2 mm M47 howitzer
(10 rounds) , secondary_armament= .50 cal

M2HB The M2 machine gun or Browning .50 caliber machine gun (informally, "Ma Deuce") is a heavy machine gun that was designed towards the end of World War I by John Browning. Its design is similar to Browning's earlier M1919 Browning machine gun, wh ...

machine gun
(900 rounds) , engine=

Continental AV1790 The Continental AV1790 is an American V12 engine used in armored vehicles. Produced by Continental Motors, the AV1790 was used in a variety of limited production and pilot heavy tanks, including the M53 and M55 howitzers, and the T30 and M10 ...

-5B
(12 cylinder, 4 cycle, 90° vee gasoline) , engine_power= 810 hp at 2800 rpm (gross)
704 hp at 2800 rpm (net) , pw_ratio= , transmission=

Allison Allison may refer to: People * Allison (given name) * Allison (surname) (includes a list of people with this name) * Eugene Allison Smith (1922-1980), American politician and farmer Companies * Allison Engine Company, American aircraft engine ...

CD-850-4A
(two ranges forward, one reverse) , suspension=

torsion bar A torsion bar suspension, also known as a torsion spring suspension, is any vehicle suspension that uses a torsion bar as its main weight-bearing spring. One end of a long metal bar is attached firmly to the vehicle chassis; the opposite end termi ...

, clearance= , fuel_capacity= , vehicle_range={{convert, 160, mi, km, abbr=on , speed={{convert, 30, mph, km/h, abbr=on The M55 is an American fully enclosed and armored

self-propelled howitzer Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled mo ...

based on the M53 155 mm self-propelled gun. 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. The M55 is lightly armored, 25 mm maximum, but sufficient to protect the crew from indirect artillery hits and small arms fire. The M55 uses components of the

M47 Patton The M47 Patton was an American main battle tank, a development of the M46 Patton mounting an updated turret, and was in turn further developed as the M48 Patton. It was the second American tank to be named after General George S. Patton, command ...

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. The M55 was deployed in NATO areas during the Cold War and used during the

, and subsequently withdrawn from service in the US military in favor of the

M110 howitzer The 8 inch (203 mm) M110 self-propelled howitzer is an American-made self-propelled artillery system consisting of an M115 203 mm howitzer installed on a purpose-built chassis. Before its retirement from US service, it was the largest a ...

External links

M55 8" Self-Propelled Howitzer

Self-propelled howitzers of the United States Self-propelled artillery of the United States Cold War armored fighting vehicles of the United States Tracked self-propelled howitzers Military vehicles introduced in the 1950s

See also

External links