Anti-tank Developments
The M3 was also adapted as a main gun for various armored vehicles, starting with the experimental T7 which was accepted as the 90 mm M3. The test firing of the M3 took place on an M10 tank destroyer in early 1943. The gun was used on the M36 tank destroyer, and the M26 Pershing tank.
A number of experimental versions were developed on the basic M3 pattern, including the T14 which included a standard muzzle brake, the T15 series with an improved muzzle velocity of about 975 meters per second, the even higher velocity T18, the T19 which was an attempt to reduce barrel wear, the T21 intended for wheeled vehicles, and the T22, which used the breech from the standard 105 mm M2 howitzer to take larger charge cartridges. None of these versions entered service.
In the post-war era development of the T15 continued as the T54, which included the ability to fire tungsten-cored shells at much higher velocities. The T54 was the main armament of the M47 and M48 Patton tanks, and the M56 Scorpion anti-tank vehicle.
Read more about this topic: 90 Mm Gun M1/M2/M3
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