Rifle, Multiple 106 mm, Self-propelled, M50 "Ontos"
Ontos M50A1, the 50-cal spotting rifles can be seen on the upper guns
Type
Tank destroyer
Place of origin
United States
Service history
In service
1956–69
Used by
United States
Wars
Vietnam War Dominican Civil War 1958 Lebanon Crisis
Production history
Designer
Allis-Chalmers
Designed
1952
Manufacturer
Allis-Chalmers
Produced
1955–57
No. built
297
Variants
M50A1
Specifications
Mass
8,600 kg (19,000 lb)
Length
3.83 m (12 ft 7 in)
Width
2.59 m (8 ft 6 in)
Height
2.13 m (7 ft 0 in)
Crew
3 (driver, gunner and loader)
Sights
x6 .50 Single-Shot Spotting Rifles
Main armament
6 × M40A1C recoilless rifles
Secondary armament
1 × .30 (7.62 mm) M1919 Browning machine gun
Engine
GM 6-cylinder inline 302 cu in (4.95 L) gasoline engine 145 hp (108 kW)
Operational range
185 km (115 mi)
Maximum speed
48 km/h (30 mph)
Ontos, officially the Rifle, Multiple 106 mm, Self-propelled, M50, was an American light armored tracked anti-tank vehicle developed in the 1950s.
It mounted six 106 mm manually loaded M40 recoilless rifles as its main armament, which could be fired in rapid succession against single targets to increase the probability of a kill. Although the actual caliber of the main guns was 105 mm, it was designated 106 mm to prevent confusion with the ammunition for the 105 mm M27 recoilless rifle, which the M40 replaced.
It was produced in limited numbers for the U.S. Marines after the U.S. Army cancelled the project. The Marines consistently reported excellent results when they used the Ontos for direct fire support against infantry in numerous battles and operations during the Vietnam War. The American stock of Ontos was largely expended towards the end of the conflict and the Ontos was removed from service in 1969.
Ontos, officially the Rifle, Multiple 106 mm, Self-propelled, M50, was an American light armored tracked anti-tank vehicle developed in the 1950s. It...
an Israeli tank M50 Reising submachine gun, an American submachine gun M50Ontos, an American tank destroyer Madsen M-50, a Danish submachine gun Myasishchev...
each weapon, including an affixed spotting rifle. A limited number of M50Ontos were built as a self-propelled light armored tracked anti-tank vehicle...
photographs of the Ontos in service in Vietnam show it with only two of the spotting rifles installed in their mounts. The Ontos also often carried only...
USMC used the Ontos, which had an armored cabin and was armed with recoilless rifles, in a similar role (the running gear of the first Ontos prototype was...
However, in Vietnam, the US Marines employed the similar, somewhat larger, M50Ontos tank destroyer with some success. The 1980s saw the renaissance of a similar...
years after World War II. The US M56 and another armoured vehicle, the M50Ontos, were to be the last of the more traditional assault guns in US service...
Battalions and the US Army's Berlin Brigade. The last major use was the M50Ontos, which mounted six M40 rifles on a light (9 short tons (8.2 t; 8.0 long...
guns with an automatic loader and an engine upgrade. GVT 01 – GVT 05 M50Ontos – tank destroyer with six M40 recoilless rifles Type 60 Self-propelled...
mounted to the hull sides. The Torsilastic suspension was later used on the M50Ontos fire support vehicle and on the LVTP-5 amphibious armored fighting vehicle...
recoilless rifles like the M50Ontos, but these typically had limited utility in the infantry support role, or in the case of Ontos could not be reloaded from...
production vehicle with hydraulic suspension gun elevation. M56 Scorpion M50Ontos ASU-57 Type 60 Self-propelled 106 mm Recoilless Gun VT tank The prototype...
self-propelled anti-tank weapon led to the deployment of the M56 Scorpion and M50Ontos. The concept later led to the M551 Sheridan light tank of the mid-1960s...
ARVN forces early in the war. M56 Scorpion – limited use in 1965–1966 M50Ontos – self-propelled 106 mm recoilless rifle carrier used by the USMC until...
Weapon name Country of origin Period 75 Vespa 150 TAP France Cold War 106 M50Ontos United States Cold War 106 Type 60 Self-propelled 106 mm Recoilless Gun...
M901 Improved TOW Vehicle Stingray Light Tank CCV-L Light Tank M56 SPG M50Ontos Self-Propelled Rifle M2 Medium Tank M3 medium M3A1 M3A2 M3A3 M3A4 M3A5...
were fitted with a six-cannon mount each, similar to that of the US-made M50Ontos. Between 1977 and 1978, on the eve of Operation Soberanía, many carriers...
War) M50 Super Sherman medium tank based on the M4 Sherman (Israel; Cold War) M50 Honest John rocket launcher (United States; Cold War) M50Ontos Self-propelled...
were studying similar concepts as part of their efforts to replace the M50Ontos, itself a former Army program whose rejection led to the M551 program...
World War II with the 4th Armored Division United States World War II M50Ontos self-propelled anti-tank gun United States 1956–1969 M51 Skysweeper towed...
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