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Chrysler Designed a Nuclear Powered Battle Tank For The US Army
A unique versatile design
The Cold War was big business. After the end of World War II, the American economy was so geared toward making weapons and heavy military equipment that it was loath to give it up. The enterprise of making war and preparing for war was so profitable that President Eisenhower warned that the military-industrial complex was a dangerous business. Perhaps nothing brings that warning more into focus than the Chrysler TV-8 main battle tank.
In the 1950s, popular automotive brand Chrysler attempted to break into the booming war business by pitching a tank of their own design. The weapon platform was innovative, unique, and promised a bright future in warfare. Chrysler even pitched a nuclear-powered variant to really capture the zeitgeist of the day. The tank was a monstrosity and it is an interesting chapter in the American arms industry.
The TV-8
Chrysler was looking to redesign the entire paradigm around the main battle tank. The TV-8 was unique from other tanks being produced at the time. First, it was far lighter than other similar tanks. The World War II hero, the T-34 weighed 26 tons. The T-34s successor, the T-54 and T-55, weighed 36 metric tons. Chrysler designed the TV-8 to weigh only 25 tons.
The tank was designed with a large upper turret section that was described as the pod. The pod housed all of the most important parts of the tank including munitions storage, the crew cabin, the main armaments, and the engine. The pod sat atop a light chassis that weighed just 10 tons. The result was the tank could be detached into two easy-to-ship parts. Chrysler envisioned fleets of TV-8s being able to be easily deconstructed, flown into battle, and reconstructed.
The shape and the weight distribution of the TV-8 also allowed it to float. The chassis would sit below the waterline and the bulbous pod would float above the water allowing for theoretical amphibious combat as well. The tank was equipped with three machine guns and a 90mm main cannon. The 90mm cannon was larger than the…
