M551 Sheridan Light Tank Vietnam War 1:35 Rye Field Model 5142

Plastic military model kit: M551 Sheridan Light Tank Vietnam War 1:35 Rye Field Model 5142

The M551 "Sheridan" AR/AAV (Armored Reconnaissance/Airborne Assault Vehicle) is a light tank developed by the United States, named after General Philip Sheridan, known from the Civil War. This tank was designed with the capability of air dropping and the ability to cross water obstacles. It was armed with an advanced, albeit problematic, 152 mm M81/M81 Modified/M81E1 gun/launcher, which could fire both conventional ammunition and guided anti-tank missiles MGM-51 Shillelagh.

The M551 Sheridan entered service in the United States Army in 1967. At the request of General Creighton Abrams, commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam, this tank was quickly introduced into combat service in Vietnam in January 1969. In the same year, Sheridans were deployed to units in Europe and South Korea. This tank participated in intense combat operations during the Vietnam War from 1969 to 1973. However, during its use, issues related to low survivability and reliability of the platform were revealed.

Based on experiences from Vietnam, the U.S. Army realized the shortcomings of the Sheridan and began the process of phasing out the vehicle from units in 1979 after the war ended in 1975. A small fleet of vehicles remained in the 82nd Airborne Division and the National Guard. Various modernization programs were conducted to improve the reliability of the Sheridan, but problems with the 152 mm gun persisted. Despite this, the Sheridan participated in the invasion of Panama and the Gulf War.

The U.S. Army planned to replace the Sheridan with the M8 Armored Gun System, but this project was canceled in 1996. The Sheridan was retired from service without a designated successor in 1996. The Army acquired the M1128 mobile gun system to meet similar requirements, but this was also retired in 2022 due to operational issues and rising maintenance costs. The last known light tank acquisition program by the army was the Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF), also known as the M10 Booker.

A large number of Sheridans were maintained in service at the National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, California, and at the Armor School at Fort Knox, Kentucky. They served as simulated Soviet armored opposition (OPFOR) to train U.S. military units in simulated armored combat in a desert environment. They were retired from the NTC in 2003.

Assembly and painting kit. Does not include paints or glue. For assembly, separately sold modeling tools are needed (including cutters, files, tweezers), paints, brushes, and plastic model glue (e.g., Tamiya Extra Thin Cement). The photo shows a professionally assembled and painted model.