Heavy Tank T29
T29 at the General George Patton Museum in 2007
Type	Heavy tank
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	Trials only
Used by	United States Army
Production history
Designed	1944 - 1945
Manufacturer	Pressed Steel Car Company Detroit Arsenal
Variants	T29E1, T29E2, and T29E3
Specifications (T29)
Weight	141,500 lb (64.2 t) combat loaded
Length	37 ft 11.5 in (11.57 m) gun forward 32 ft 9 in (10 m) gun aft
Width	12 ft 5.5 in (3.80 m) over sand shields
Height	10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) over cupola
Crew	6 (driver, commander, gunner, 2 loaders)[1]
Armor	hull front 4 in (102 mm) maximum gun shield 11 inches (279 mm) maximum turret front 9 in (249 mm)[1]
Main armament	105 mm gun T5E2 (63 rounds)
Secondary armament	2 x .50 (12.7 mm) Browning M2HBmachineguns, coaxial 1x .50 M2HB flexible AA (2,420 rounds) 1x .30 Browning M1919A4, bow (2,500 rounds)
Engine	1649 cubic inch (27 liter) Ford GACV12[1] gasoline 650 hp (480 kW) net at 2800 rpm
Power/weight	9.2 hp/tonne (net)
Transmission	General Motors CD-850-1 crossdrive, three speeds (two forward, one reverse)
Suspension	torsion-bar
Ground clearance	18.8 in (48 cm)
Fuel capacity	300 US gallons (1,140 liters)
Operational range	100 miles (160 km)
Speed	22 mph (35 km/h)

The T29 was based upon a lengthened version of the T26E3 hull and featured heavier armor, an upgraded Ford GAC engine providing about 770 bhp (570 kW) gross, 650 bhp (480 kW) net, more comfortable controls for the driver,^[2]and a massive new turret incorporating the high velocity 105 mm gun T5. It weighed approximately 132,000 lb (60 t) unstowed and 141,000 lb (64 t) combat loaded. Its maximum armor thickness was 279 mm^[3] compared to 180 mm on the German Tiger II while its 105 mm gun was 7.06 m long^[4] compared to the 6.29 m^[5] of the Tiger II's 88 mm. Other trial models had Allison V1710 V12 engines.^[3]

Developed at the same time and closely related to the T29, the T30 Heavy Tank was virtually identical but mounted a 155mm gun T7 and featured a more powerful engine and an extra crew member to help load the gun.

In 1945, with the war in Europe already over, the T29 and T30 were classified "limited procurement" and a small order proposed on the basis that their large guns and heavy armor would be useful for attacking Japanese bunkers. Army Ground Forces command, however, objected to the deployment of such heavy vehicles and the war ended before the issue was resolved, so only a small batch of pilot models were constructed.

The final variation of the T29 concept, the Heavy Tank T34, mounted a 120 mm gun based upon the then-current 120mm M1 anti-aircraft gun. This gun was designated as the 120 mm T53, which could achieve a maximum rate of fire of 5 rounds per minute with two loaders.^[6] With solid shot weighing 50 lb (23 kg), it had a muzzle velocity of 3,150 ft/s (960 m/s). A lightweight HVAP round with a muzzle velocity of 4,100 ft/s (1,200 m/s) was in development. In order to balance out the weight of the longer and heavier cannon, an additional 101 mm of armour was welded on the rear of the turret bustle.^[7] There were only two prototypes, one converted from one of the T29 pilot models and one converted from a T30. Once again, the end of the war curtailed further development, but the experience gained with the T34 was valuable in the development of the M103 heavy tank.

The T29 featured a coincidence rangefinder projecting from both sides of the turret, distinctively resembling "ears".

There are a couple of surviving T29s at Fort Benning, Georgia. They are being stored in preparation for an Armor exhibit. One has the distinctive rangefinder, while the other does not. Both can be seen as well as many other vehicles in a fenced enclosure on 25 Infantry Regiment Road. One is located in front of the National Armor and Cavalry Museum. There is also a surviving T29 without the rangefinder at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Michigan.^{[citation needed]}