Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray
To this extent, maybe Shipwreck can help who has the details of the tanks as he claims and is dead sure that there were no Laser RFs! Who knows he maybe right and with his link/ authority, I would be better versed on the subject.
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Being an old school guy
, I can only suggest a couple of off-line references on the Patton Tanks :
*
Patton: A History of the American Main Battle Tank by R.P. Hunnicutt, Presidio Press, 1984, ISBN 978-0891412304 : THE BIBLE, sadly long out of print, used copies terribly expensive.
*
The M47 and M48 Patton Tanks by Steven Zaloga, Osprey Publishing, 1999 (revised edition), ISBN 978-1855328259 : nowhere near as detailed as Hunnicutt's, but easily available and affordable, with some interesting developments on the whys and hows of rangefinders on the Pattons.
To keep a long story short :
1. The M47, M48, M48C, M48A1 and M48A2 all used
stereoscopic rangefinder.
2. This was replaced by a
coincidence rangefinder on the M48A2C, M48A3, M48A3 (Mod.B), (M48A4), M48A5, (M48A5PI), M60 and M60A1.
3. Though potentially more accurate and harder to *spoof* than coincidence rangefinders, stereoscopic rangefinders are much more difficult to use (*flying the geese* requires more aptitude, more training and a higher degree of concentration).
4. Hence to the switch to the more *user-friendly* coincidence type starting with the M48A2C.