M18 76 mm Gun Motor Carriage
| GENERAL DATA | |||
| Other Designation(s) | Hellcat |
||
| Type | Tank Destroyer |
Radio Equipment | SCR610 |
| Manufacturer(s) | Buick Motor Car
Division of General Motors Corp. |
||
| Crew | 5 |
|
|
| Production Quantity | 2507 |
Production Period | July 1943 - October 1944 |
| DIMENSIONS | |||
| Combat weight | 17700 kg |
Ground pressure | 0.885 kg/cm² |
| Length /hull | 5.28 m |
Length w/Gun | 6.65 m |
| Barrel Overhang | 1.37 m |
Height | 2.57 m |
| Width | 2.87 m |
Ground clearance | 0.363 m |
| Fire height | 2.20 m |
Turret ring diameter | 1.75 m |
| ARMAMENT | |||
| Primary Armament | 76mm Gun M1A1, M1A1C or M1A2 L/55 on M1 mount (1) |
Ammunition Carried | 45 (9 ready) |
| Traverse | 360° (manual or hydraulic) |
Elevation | +20° to -10° (manual with stabilizer)
|
| Traverse speed (360°) | 24°/sec |
Sight | ? |
| Secondary Armament | 1 x .50 caliber MG HB M2 (12.7 mm) (2) |
Ammunition Carried | 800 |
5 x .30cal Carabines M1 (3) |
450 |
||
grenades (4) |
12 |
||
smoke pots (5) |
4 |
||
| Location | 1: turret - 2: turret roof - 3:
turret inside - 4: turret inside - 5: turret inside |
||
| ARMOR | ||||
| Assembly | Welding & Cast
|
|||
| Armor Detail | Front |
Side |
Rear |
Top/Bottom |
| Hull | 13 mm / 37° (lower) 13 mm / 66° (upper) |
13 mm / 90° |
13 mm / 55° |
5 mm / 0° |
| Superstructure | 13 mm /
52° (lower) 13 mm / 26° (upper) |
13 mm /
67° |
13 mm /
77° |
8 mm / 0° |
| Turret | 25 mm / 67° |
13 mm / 70° |
13 mm / 81° |
8 mm / 0° & open |
| Mantlet | 19 mm /
30-90° & round |
- |
- |
- |
| AUTOMOTIVE | |||
| Engine | Continental R-975-C4 |
Type & Displacement | R9, 15.9 liters |
| Horsepower (maximum) | 460 hp at 2400 rpm |
Power/Weight Ratio | 26.0 hp / ton |
| Gearbox | 900T Torqmatic: 3 forward, 1 reverse |
Steering | Controlled differential & Steering levers |
| Brakes | Mechanical, external contracting |
Fuel Capacity | 643 L Gasoline (Petrol) |
| SUSPENSION | |||
| Type | Torsion bar |
Road wheels | 5 individually sprung dual/track |
| Track return rollers | 4 dual/track |
Sprocket-Wheels | 31-tooth front drive |
| Idler Sprockets | Dual adjustable at rear of track |
Shock absorbers | On first 2 and last 2 road wheels/track |
| Track Type | T69, Center guide, single pin, rubber bushed, steel, parallel grouser | ||
| Width | 300 mm (365.13 mm including track pins) |
Pitch | 129 mm |
| Links(shoes) | 83 |
Track ground contact | 2.959 m |
| PERFORMANCES | |||
| Maximum Speed | 80 km/h on road 8-32 km/h |
Range | 241 km on road |
| Mileage | 466 L/100 km on road |
Maximum grade | 31° (from horizontal) |
| Trench crossing | 1.86 m |
Vertical obstacles | 0.91 m |
| Maximum fording depth | 1.22 m |
Minimum turning diameter | 20.01 m |
| Sources | |||
| AFV Database | Vehicles.com | - |
|
Drawings |
File |
/USA/Models/4-TankDestroyers/M18/Bt-off.jpg)
