The US M22 Locust Light Tank

M22 Locust Light Tank

The M22 Locust Light Tank was developed by Marmon-Herington to meet the needs of the US Airborne Forces for a tank that was air-transportable, it started out as the T9. Though weighting in at 8 tonnes, to further reduce weight, the gun stabilization and turret traverse systems were removed. This modified version was known as the T9A1. The turret was designed that the gun could be removed as could the turret, which would then be slung under the air-transporter.

The US ordered 1900 T9E1 vehicles in April 1942 under the designation M22. The vehicle never saw combat with the US and production ended with only 830 built, however several hundred were delivered to the British Airborne who used the vehicle during the March 1945 Rhine Crossings.

They named the vehicle the Locust. They fitted the Littlejohn adaptor to the main gun, which increased its length giving it a higher muzzle velocity. After the war, a number of the vehicles were donated to Egypt.

Spec’s

Armament: x1 37mm Main Gun & x1 7.62mm MG
Armour: 25mm frontal steel
Dimensions: Length 3.94m / Width 2.23m / Height 1.74m
Combat Weight: 7.43 Tonne
Engine: 162hp Lycoming 0-435T 6 cylinder
Top Road Speed: 64km/h
Operational Range: 217km