M47

M47

M46

M48A1

M47

M46

M48A1

USA

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
7.3	7.3	7.3

Class:

Medium tank

Research:82 000

Purchase:240 000

Show in game

Description

The 90 mm Gun Tank M47 Patton II is a rank V American medium tank with a battle rating of 7.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.45 "Steel Generals" along with the rest of American Ground Forces. It uses a similar hull as its predecessor, the M46 Patton, but features a new turret and a better gun.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull101 / 76 / 60

Turret121 / 63 / 76

Crew5 people

Visibility120 %

Armour type:

• Cast homogeneous armour (Front hull, turret, cupola)
• Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull sides, rear and roof, turret roof, cupola roof)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	101.6 mm (59°) Upper glacis 75 mm (24-76°) MG port bulge 170 mm MG port housing 40 mm MG port 90 mm (52°) Lower glacis - Top 76.2 mm (27-54°) Lower glacis - Bottom	85 mm Top - Front 38-50.8 mm Top - Rear 25.4 mm (67°) Bottom	60 mm Upper plate - Centre 22.2 mm (60°) Lower glacis - Centre 38-50.8 mm Sides	22.2 mm (0-16°) 25.4 mm (spherical) Front hatches
Turret	121 mm (spherical) Turret front - Centre and Bottom 101.6 mm Turret front - Top 62-74 mm Gun mantlet	63.5 mm (22-27°) 16 mm (spherical) Optics port	76.2-90 mm	25.4 mm
Cupola	76.2 mm (cylindrical)			76.2 mm (conical) Outer ring 25.4 mm Centre

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick and tracks are 30 mm thick.
• Belly armour is 25.4 mm thick.
• Storage boxes and mudguards are 5 mm thick.
• Turret bustle rack is 15 mm thick.

At rank V, the M47 does not have suitable armour to survive direct hits from the numerous 88, 100, and 122 mm calibres fielded. Its best chance for survival is to flank enemies.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB54 / 22 km/h

RB and SB49 / 20 km/h

Number of gears6 forward

2 back

Weight46.2 t

Engine power

AB1 545 hp

RB and SB810 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB33.4 hp/t

RB and SB17.5 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	54	22	46.2	1255	1,545	27.16	33.44
Realistic	49	20		716	810	15.5	17.53

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB3 905 → 5 115

RB4 411 → 5 778

SB6 212 → 8 137

Total cost of modifications69 000

116 600

Talisman cost1 900

Crew training68 000

Experts240 000

Aces990

Research Aces620 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

130 / 190 / 210 %

184 / 184 / 184 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 3 600 Cost: 5 900 200 Suspension Research: 3 200 Cost: 5 200 180 Brake System Research: 3 200 Cost: 5 200 180 Filters Research: 3 600 Cost: 5 900 200 Transmission Research: 4 600 Cost: 7 500 260 Engine Research: 4 600 Cost: 7 500 260	Improved Parts Research: 2 300 Cost: 5 900 200 Improved FPE Research: 2 100 Cost: 5 200 180 Crew Replenishment Research: 3 600 Cost: 5 900 200	Horizontal Drive Research: 3 600 Cost: 5 900 200 90mm_us_M82_APCBC_ammo_pack Research: 3 600 Cost: 5 900 200 Adjustment of Fire Research: 3 200 Cost: 5 200 180 90mm_us_M304_APCR_ammo_pack Research: 3 200 Cost: 5 200 180 Elevation Mechanism Research: 3 600 Cost: 5 900 200 90mm_us_M332_APCR_ammo_pack Research: 3 600 Cost: 5 900 200 Rangefinder Research: 3 600 Cost: 5 900 200 Artillery Support Research: 4 600 Cost: 7 500 260 90mm_us_T108_HEAT_ammo_pack Research: 4 600 Cost: 7 500 260 90mm_us_M313_Smoke_ammo_pack Research: 4 600 Cost: 7 500 260

Armaments

Rangefinder

Reduces the error and increases the maximum measurable distance of the rangefinder

Main armament

90 mm M36 cannon

Ammunition71 rounds

First-order11 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

9.7 → 7.5 s

Vertical guidance-10° / 19°

90 mm M36					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	70	-5°/+19°	±180°	N/A	21.4	29.6	36.0	39.7	42.3	9.75	8.63	7.95	7.50
Realistic					21.4	25.2	30.6	33.8	36.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
M318A1 shot	APBC	193	190	177	162	148	136
M82 shot	APCBC	185	182	170	155	142	130
M304 shot	APCR	287	281	259	234	211	191
M332 shot	APCR	321	316	292	265	240	218
M431 shell	HEATFS	320	320	320	320	320	320
M71A1 shell	HE	13	13	13	13	13	13

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
M318A1 shot	APBC	912	10.98	N/A	N/A	N/A	47°	60°	65°
M82 shot	APCBC	853	10.94	1.2	14	137.2	48°	63°	71°
M304 shot	APCR	1,021	7.62	N/A	N/A	N/A	66°	70°	72°
M332 shot	APCR	1,249	5.7	N/A	N/A	N/A	66°	70°	72°
M431 shell	HEATFS	1,216	5.8	0.05	0.1	712.64	65°	72°	77°
M71A1 shell	HE	732	10.55	0	0.1	925	79°	80°	81°

Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Screen radius (m)	Screen deploy time (s)	Screen hold time (s)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
M313	821	10.7	13	5	20	50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the M47

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
71	42 (+29)	12 (+59)	10 (+61)	7 (+64)	1 (+70)	No

Note:

• As they are modeled by sets of 2, shells disappear from the rack only after you fire both shells in the set.
• Shells are modeled by sets of 2 and disappear from the rack after both shells in the set having been shot or loaded.
• Racks 3 to 5 are first stage ammo racks. They total 11 shells and gets filled first when loading up the tank.
• These racks are also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 3 - 4 - 5 - 1 - 2.
• Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1-6 into racks 8 then 7. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.

Machine guns

12.7 mm M2HB machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition1 800 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate575 shots/min

12.7 mm M2HB machine gun

Ammunition1 600 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate575 shots/min

Vertical guidance-10° / 30°

12.7 mm M2HB
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	2,200 (200)	577	N/A	N/A
Pintle	1,000 (200)	577	-10°/+30°	±120°

The M47 comes with 2 M2HB 0.50 cal machine guns (1 coaxial and 1 roof-mounted), providing a concentrated stream of heavy machine-gun fire to target low-flying aircraft or lightly armoured vehicles.

Usage in battles

The M47 is very much a glass cannon. With a powerful gun, but weak amour, this vehicle should be played carefully, and out of sight of the enemy. As such, it is often beneficial to use an ambush or flanking-based play-style. Attacking enemies without being seen will maximize this tank's capabilities.

The stock APBC shell is quite weak compared to the shells used by the M47's enemies. While working towards the much better HEAT-FS shell, it is advisable to shoot for enemies' tracks and gun barrels if the main hull is too-well protected for the APBC shell to penetrate. Doing so will help to incapacitate your enemies and support your better-armed teammates. Additionally, the M47 should never have any trouble dealing with soft targets. With two 12.7 mm machine guns in addition to the main cannon, light tanks and armoured cars can be dispatched with ease. (On a side note, these machine guns can be used to spot enemy targets, alerting your team to their presence.)

Once the HEAT-FS shell is unlocked, the M47 may be played more like a classic medium tank. There will be few vehicles that the upgraded shell cannot penetrate. It is recommended to play near friendly vehicles, in case support is needed--even with an upgraded shell, the M47 is not a lone wolf, and will suffer without the backup of its allies.

The M47 has above-average mobility, and achieving flanking positions should not pose too much difficulty. However, the tank does have a high-profile, making it easily spotted. Combined with the vehicle's poor armour, this makes it especially important to stay out of the enemy's sight.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Good mobility, same handling as the M46
• Great turret traverse speed once upgraded
• Decent front armour, more sloped than the M46
• 320 mm HEATFS ammunition once unlocked

Cons

• Overall bad armour for Rank V matches, especially in the turret
• The gun is not very good with stock ammo, recommended to unlock HEATFS as soon as possible
• Mobility is limited or even rather poor until modifications are purchased.
• Bad gun depression of -5°

History

Development

The M47 Patton came about only a few years after its predecessor, the M46 Patton. The basis of this design was the M26 Pershing, which was deemed insufficiently mobile for its role as a medium tank. The M46 was mainly the M26 Pershing with a new engine, transmission, and a redesigned 90 mm gun. While a good solution for the lacking M26 Pershing design, it was only considered a stopgap solution while the experimental T42 medium tank was being developed. However, the Korean War put a stop in that development due to an urgent need of tanks, so the T42 project, which would produce a completely new tank design, was put on hold.

An interim decision was made to mount the turret from the T42 onto the hull of the M46 Patton, this modified tank was designated the M47 Patton and entered production in 1951. A common nickname for the tank was the Patton II, due to the same name as the M46 Patton, this was changed to Patton 47 a few weeks later. The M47 Patton featured most of the armament seen from the M26 Pershing and M46 Patton, with a 90 mm gun and a coaxial and hull-mounted .30 cal machine gun, and a .50 cal machine gun on top of the turret. The M47 Patton has the distinction of being the last American tank with the hull-mounted machine gun on the bow. The new turret required the hull to be redesigned with a larger turret ring and had a "needle-nose" design with the turret mantlet heavily sloped towards the cannon, the design's heavy sloping nature also helped improve protection. The turret also had a large protrusion at the back to act as storage. An M12 stereoscopic range finder was also mounted on a turret, which was difficult to use, but would appear in every American tank design from here on until the M1 Abrams design.

Though technically a medium tank by the army standards, a new standardization in US Army tank designation on November 9, 1950, had the entire system changed from the weight of the tank to the calibre of the vehicle's gun. Therefore in the 1950s, the "Medium Tank M47 Patton" name was changed to 90 mm Gun Tank M47 Patton. This designation would go on for future American tank designs. The M47 Patton began production in June 1951 before its standardization at the Detroit Tank Arsenal. Delays in the production schedule caused a long period of testing to occur until it was standardized in May 1952. Production ran until November 1953 with a total production number of more than 9,000 M47 Pattons between Detroit and Alco.

Usage

The M47 Patton came out only a year before the improved M48 Patton. Because of this, the M47 was declared a "limited standard" in American service, and those still in American hands were replaced by the M48 Patton tanks. It was declared obsolete by 1957 and were only retained by infantry divisions until replaced by anti-tank missiles in the 1960s. The M47 Patton was given out in large numbers to a number of countries in NATO and SEATO, such as Pakistan, Jordan, Turkey, Iran, Croatia, France, West Germany, and Spain. The M47 Patton would see service in combat in both Indo-Pakistani Wars, the Six Day War, the Iran-Iraq war, the Invasion of Cyprus, and the Croatian War of Independence. Today, they are still being used in Spain as armour recovery vehicles in artillery and infantry units.

The M47 Pattons were promising new designs developed from the M46 Pattons to improve its combat capabilities with a newer turret. However, it did not serve much in America due to the M48 Patton development, which was a completely new design and had nearly no identical parts with its predecessor. It served very well in other countries as their primary armour forces, but those left in the states were used as targets in firing ranges, mainly for training or as tests for future anti-tank developments. In the 1970s, one was tested against the M60 Main Battle Tank, the successor to the M48 Patton, and its 105 mm L7 gun. The HEAT round fired from the gun penetrated the frontal armour of the M47 Patton with relative ease, armour which was considered superb at its time of introduction. The test went on with many M47 tanks and would prove that conventional steel armour in tank warfare was becoming obsolete in the face of new tank ammo.

In-game description

The M47 Patton II medium tank, released in the US beginning in June 1951 by the Detroit Tank Arsenal and the American Locomotive Co., was a modernized version of the M46 Patton.

The M47's frontal hull sheets were more sloped, while infrared viewfinders and a heater were added for the crew. The construction for the cast turret was also updated: it took a step forward from the M46, though the builders reduced its interior space in order to add a cupola and reloader's hatch in its overhangs. As a result, indentations were made that proved excellent at catching shells. That error was rectified for the M48 by making the turret fully domed, similar to the Soviet T-54. The tank's armament was reinforced by modernizing the 90 mm cannon, resulting in an initial velocity of over 900 m/s. The M47 hull also differed from the M46: its front section was more streamlined, while the fan hood between the driver and gunner disappeared. Engine power was added, though the tank's top speed remained the same (although the average terrain it encountered was somewhat higher).

As a result, the M47 did not become standard for American tank construction, and it was quickly replaced in its limited role for the US Army (two divisions in West Germany) by the M48. However, it was actively distributed among NATO countries and other US-dependent allies, resulting in total production of 8,676 units.

The M47 Patton II was part of the West German, Austrian, French, Italian, Belgian, Spanish, Jordanian, Japanese, and Turkish armies.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the M47 from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Patton Family discusses the M47 at 2:42 - War Thunder Official Channel

M47 Tank Review - NUSensei

See also

Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

• mKPz M47 G
• M47 (105/55)

Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

• M46
• M46 "Tiger"

External links

• [Wikipedia] M47 Patton
• [Tanks Encyclopedia] 90mm Gun Tank M47 Patton II