M48 Patton vs Type 15 tank: Specs Compared

M48 Patton — licensed reference photograph

ATanks

M48 Patton

Medium tank

Credit

Huhu · Public domain · Resized · Public domain · Source ↗ · Modified

Type 15 tank — licensed reference photograph

BTanks

Type 15 tank

Light tank

Credit

颐园居 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Resized · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source ↗ · Modified

First system

Second system

Measured figures

Head to head

16 of 45 rows sourced on both sides

9.3m

9.2公尺(含炮管)/ 車體長度7.5m

Length

All recorded figures & sources

9.3 m

Length

Single source

9.3 m (30 ft 6 in)^[source]

9.2公尺(含炮管)/ 車體長度7.5m^[source]

3.65m

3.3公尺

Width

All recorded figures & sources

3.65 m

Width

Single source

3.65 m (12 ft 0 in)^[source]

3.3公尺^[source]

3.1m

2.5公尺

Height

All recorded figures & sources

3.1 m

Height

Single source

3.1 m (10 ft 2 in)^[source]

2.5公尺^[source]

45tM48

28.5公吨（基甲状态）32.5公吨（标准附加反应装甲状态）35公吨（巷战套装，包括爆发侧裙板）

Mass

All recorded figures & sources

45,000 kg

M48

Single source

M48 49.6 short tons (44.3 long tons ; 45.0 t )^[source]

28.5公吨（基甲状态）32.5公吨（标准附加反应装甲状态）35公吨（巷战套装，包括爆发侧裙板）^[source]

48km/hMaximum; M48A5

70km/hMaximum; Maximum speed

SpeedScopes differ

All recorded figures & sources

48 km/h

Maximum; M48A5

Single source

M48A5 30 mph (48 km/h)^[source]

70 km/h

Maximum; Maximum speed

Single source

70 kilometres per hour (43 mph)^[source]

499kmOperational; M48A5

469kmOperational; without external fuel drums

RangeScopes differ

All recorded figures & sources

113 km

Operational; M48

Single source

217 km

Operational; M48A1 with external fuel drums

Single source

177.8 km

Operational; M48A2

Single source

463 km

Operational; M48A3

Single source

499 km

Operational; M48A5

Single source

M48 113 km (70 mi) M48A1 217 km (135 mi) with external fuel drums M48A2 177.8 km (110.5 mi) M48A3 463 km (288 mi) M48A5 499 km (310 mi)^[source]

469 km

Operational; without external fuel drums

Single source

469 kilometres (291 mi)(without external fuel drums)^[source]

615kW

650kW8V132电控涡轮增压柴油發動機

PowerScopes differ

All recorded figures & sources

560 kW

Engine

Single source

615 kW

M48A3–M48A5 Continental AVDS-1790 V12, air-cooled, twin-turbo , diesel engine

Single source

600 kW

M48/M48A1 Continental AV1790 V12 , air-cooled , gasoline engine M48A2 Continental AV1790 fuel-injected , V12, gasoline engine

Single source

M48/M48A1 Continental AV1790 V12 , air-cooled , gasoline engine 810 hp (600 kW) M48A2 Continental AV1790 fuel-injected , V12, gasoline engine 825 hp (615 kW) M48A3–M48A5 Continental AVDS-1790 V12, air-cooled, twin-turbo , diesel engine 750 hp (560 kW)^[source]

650 kW

8V132电控涡轮增压柴油發動機

Single source

8V132电控涡轮增压柴油發動機 650 kW（883.75马力）^[source]8V132电控涡轮增压柴油發動機

Bars compare reported quantities only. A larger figure does not make a system better; configurations and test conditions differ.

Configuration

Details

M48 Patton and Type 15 tank configuration
Specification	M48 Patton	Type 15 tank
Crew	Four Commander Gunner Loader Driver^[source]	—
Type	Medium tank^[source]	Light tank^[source]
Place of origin	United States^[source]	China^[source]
In service	1952–present United States Army (historical) 1952–1987 United States Marine Corps (historical) 1954–1973^[source]	—
Used by	See Operators^[source]	See Operators^[source]
Wars	Cold War 1958 Lebanon crisis Portuguese Colonial War Vietnam War Dominican Civil War Cambodian Civil War Six-Day War Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Yom Kippur War Turkish invasion of Cyprus Western Sahara War Lebanese Civil War Sino-Vietnamese War Iran–Iraq War Battle of Mogadishu (1993) Kurdish–Turkish conflict 2007 Lebanon conflict 2025 Cambodia‒Thailand conflict^[source]	—
Designer	Chrysler Defense Engineering^[source]	201st Research Institute^[source]
Designed	1950^[source]	—
Manufacturer	Chrysler , Fisher Body , Ford Motor Company , American Locomotive Company^[source]	Jianglu Electromachinery Baotou Tank Plant^[source]
Developed from	M47 Patton^[source]	—
Developed into	M60 tank^[source]	—
Unit cost	M48A3 US$309,090 (equivalent to $3,330,118 in 2025) (1981 )^[source]	—
Produced	M48/M48A1 1952–1956 M48A2 1955–1957 M48A3 1957–1961^[source]	—
No. built	12,000 (all variants)^[source]	1000+^[source]
Variants	See Variants^[source]	—
Armor	Upper glacis 110 mm (4.3 in) at 60° 220 mm (8.7 in) LoS Turret front 178 mm (7.0 in) at 0°^[source]	—
Main armament	M48–M48A3 90mm M41/T139 gun M48A5 105 mm M68/T254E2 gun^[source]	—
Secondary armament	M48 .50 cal (12.7 mm) on M1 mount M48A1/A2/A3/A5 .50 cal (12.7 mm) in M1 commander's cupola M48/A1/A2/A3 M37/T153 machine gun M48A5 M219 (7.62mm NATO)^[source]	Remotely operated weapon station armed with coaxial 12.7mm machine gun and QLZ-04 automatic grenade launcher^[source]
Power/weight	16.6 hp (12.4 kW)/ tonne^[source]	30.30 hp/tonne 27.8 hp/tonne (Enhanced armor package installed)^[source]
Transmission	Allison CD-850-4A or CD-850-4B Two forward ranges One reverse^[source]	—
Suspension	Torsion bar suspension^[source]	Hydropneumatic suspension^[source]
Ground clearance	16 in (0.41 m)^[source]	—
Fuel capacity	M48 200 US gal (760 L ) M48A1 200 US gal internal 420 US gal (1,600 L )(with external fuel drums) M48A2 335 US gal (1,270 L ) M48A3/A5 300 US gal (1,100 L )^[source]	—
Engine	—	Electronically controlled diesel engine 8V132 with fully-automatic transmission 1^[source]
Status	—	The Type 15 ( Chinese : 15式轻型坦克 ; pinyin : yīwǔ shì qīngxíng tǎnkè , also designated ZTQ15 ), codenamed the Black Panther ( Chinese : 黑豹 ; pinyin : hēi bào ), is a Chinese third generation light tank family operated by the People's Liberation Army Ground Force , People's Liberation Army Navy Marine Corps , and People's Liberation Army Air Force Airborne Corps ^[source]
Reported operators	Reported operator · Greece Reported operator · Iran Reported operator · Lebanon Reported operator · Morocco Reported operator · Somalia Reported operator · Taiwan Reported operator · Thailand Reported operator · Turkey Reported operator · Germany Reported operator · Poland	Reported operator · People's Liberation Army Ground Force Reported operator · People's Liberation Army Navy Marine Corps Reported operator · Bangladesh Army

FORCETALLY

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M48 Patton

Type 15 tank

Crew

Four Commander Gunner Loader Driver^[source]

—

Type

Medium tank^[source]

Light tank^[source]

Place of origin

United States^[source]

China^[source]

In service

1952–present United States Army (historical) 1952–1987 United States Marine Corps (historical) 1954–1973^[source]

—

Used by

See Operators^[source]

Wars

Cold War 1958 Lebanon crisis Portuguese Colonial War Vietnam War Dominican Civil War Cambodian Civil War Six-Day War Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Yom Kippur War Turkish invasion of Cyprus Western Sahara War Lebanese Civil War Sino-Vietnamese War Iran–Iraq War Battle of Mogadishu (1993) Kurdish–Turkish conflict 2007 Lebanon conflict 2025 Cambodia‒Thailand conflict^[source]

—

Designer

Chrysler Defense Engineering^[source]

201st Research Institute^[source]

Designed

1950^[source]

—

Manufacturer

Chrysler , Fisher Body , Ford Motor Company , American Locomotive Company^[source]

Jianglu Electromachinery Baotou Tank Plant^[source]

Developed from

M47 Patton^[source]

—

Developed into

M60 tank^[source]

—

Unit cost

M48A3 US$309,090 (equivalent to $3,330,118 in 2025) (1981 )^[source]

—

Produced

M48/M48A1 1952–1956 M48A2 1955–1957 M48A3 1957–1961^[source]

—

No. built

12,000 (all variants)^[source]

1000+^[source]

Variants

See Variants^[source]

—

Armor

Upper glacis 110 mm (4.3 in) at 60° 220 mm (8.7 in) LoS Turret front 178 mm (7.0 in) at 0°^[source]

—

Main armament

M48–M48A3 90mm M41/T139 gun M48A5 105 mm M68/T254E2 gun^[source]

—

Secondary armament

M48 .50 cal (12.7 mm) on M1 mount M48A1/A2/A3/A5 .50 cal (12.7 mm) in M1 commander's cupola M48/A1/A2/A3 M37/T153 machine gun M48A5 M219 (7.62mm NATO)^[source]

Remotely operated weapon station armed with coaxial 12.7mm machine gun and QLZ-04 automatic grenade launcher^[source]

Power/weight

16.6 hp (12.4 kW)/ tonne^[source]

30.30 hp/tonne 27.8 hp/tonne (Enhanced armor package installed)^[source]

Transmission

Allison CD-850-4A or CD-850-4B Two forward ranges One reverse^[source]

—

Suspension

Torsion bar suspension^[source]

Hydropneumatic suspension^[source]

Ground clearance

16 in (0.41 m)^[source]

—

Fuel capacity

M48 200 US gal (760 L ) M48A1 200 US gal internal 420 US gal (1,600 L )(with external fuel drums) M48A2 335 US gal (1,270 L ) M48A3/A5 300 US gal (1,100 L )^[source]

—

Engine

—

Electronically controlled diesel engine 8V132 with fully-automatic transmission 1^[source]

Status

—

The Type 15 ( Chinese : 15式轻型坦克 ; pinyin : yīwǔ shì qīngxíng tǎnkè , also designated ZTQ15 ), codenamed the Black Panther ( Chinese : 黑豹 ; pinyin : hēi bào ), is a Chinese third generation light tank family operated by the People's Liberation Army Ground Force , People's Liberation Army Navy Marine Corps , and People's Liberation Army Air Force Airborne Corps ^[source]

Reported operators

Reported operator · Greece
Reported operator · Iran
Reported operator · Lebanon
Reported operator · Morocco
Reported operator · Somalia
Reported operator · Taiwan
Reported operator · Thailand
Reported operator · Turkey
Reported operator · Germany
Reported operator · Poland

Reported operator · People's Liberation Army Ground Force
Reported operator · People's Liberation Army Navy Marine Corps
Reported operator · Bangladesh Army