MBT-70 and The Iraq War

The MBT-70 tank project was pretty advanced for it's time, a bit too advanced it seems as it 'reached' too far and never got to production.

POD - Lets say the Americans followed the lead of the Germans early on, sent the 152mm gun/launcher with that pesky caseless ammo back for more R&D and put a conventional 120mm gun in the MBT-70. It just squeaks by Congress and goes into production.
As production/overhauls on worn out tanks go on improvements are made to systems to bring them to a similar state as the M1A2 SIP. I speak of the digital combat systems, optional TUSK, etc.

How would this tank make out on the mean streets of Iraq?

BONUS QUESTION!
How would sending the 152mm gun/launcher program back to R&D effect the M551? What other weapon could have been used on that vehicle?
 
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MacCaulay

Banned
BONUS QUESTION!
How would sending the 152mm gun/launcher program back to R&D effect the M551? What other weapon could have been used on that vehicle?

I'm going to wait on the MBT-70 question, but as for the M551, there are other alternate weapons they could've used that had a fair amount of punch: a 90mm cannon like that on the M-47, or even a gun like the modified 105mms on the Israeli M-55 Super Shermans that proved able to puncture the armour of Syrian T-62s.

The big problem with larger guns on smaller tanks is recoil length inside the turret, and the danger it causes. The Israelis just shortened the barrel down and made a new muzzle brake. That could be done with either the 90mm or a 105mm, though I've never heard of any modifications like that done with the L7 gun that the US was using at the time.
 
With regard to the Isreali 105's you've got remember the calibre isn't the same as punch. What they did was seriously lightened the powder load, normally this kills the rounds muzzle velocity and it did, but it didn't matter with HE and they used sabot rounds for AT work (rather than HEAT). Not ideal and less capable than any other 105 on the market but better than nothing.
 
ASU 76

I like that idea MacCaulay, have a stubby gun tube.

I have to admit I thought of a return to the Stug type design when I first thought of this bonus question. Along the lines of the Soviet ASU-76. An assault gun with anti-tank tendancies.

But a stubby L7 would be pretty cool looking.
 
Haveing worked on the tank as a mecanic it was a nightmare to keep working . The hydroics on it were a nightmare to work on . The Tank had too many new idears it was trying to work into the tank .
 
Haveing worked on the tank as a mecanic it was a nightmare to keep working . The hydroics on it were a nightmare to work on . The Tank had too many new idears it was trying to work into the tank .

Might those issues been corrected by using electric drives?
The German Leopard 1 used hydraulics for the turret drives, the Leopard 2 uses electric drives (mainly for less heat from what I have read), this type of progression may have occurred with the MBT-70 as well.
I've noticed a lot of the defense projects of that era tried to do too much. That's why I started this thread, what I want to see is how things could have gone if they hadn't stretched too far.
With the MBT-70 the low silhouette, the driver, gunner and commander in the turret with an autoloader and ammunition in a bustle was a lot of innovation in itself. Why push it with the gun/launcher.
 
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