Description
105mm M392E3 APDS-T Projectile – M68 Tank Gun
Item Overview
This inert 105mm M392E3 projectile belongs to the M392 armor-piercing discarding-sabot ammunition family. Its white identification stencils include the E3 model designation, an FA prefix, and a separate “9-62” marking. These details connect the piece with an early Cold War tank-ammunition program documented in Army test records. The projectile is suited to a collection focused on U.S. armor, ammunition development, or the 105mm M68 tank gun.
Identification and Features
The supplied markings identify the projectile by caliber and model. Both stencils are white, with the longer identification line positioned above the drive band.
- Caliber: 105mm.
- Model: M392E3.
- Historical ammunition type: APDS-T, armor-piercing discarding sabot with tracer.
- Main stencil: FA-6-21-62-105MM-M392E3.
- Upper stencil: 9-62, positioned above the main stencil.
- Documented gun application: 105mm M68.
- Current status: Inert collectible projectile.
Function
APDS ammunition was designed to defeat armor through the impact energy of a fast-moving penetrator. A sabot, or supporting carrier, allowed a smaller armor-piercing core to travel through a full-caliber gun barrel. The carrier separated after leaving the muzzle, and the smaller projectile continued toward the target. The M392 family used spin stabilization. The “T” in APDS-T identifies a tracer, which made the projectile's path visible during service firing. These features describe the original ammunition design.
Markings and Their Significance
Department of Defense manufacturer-symbol records identify FA as Frankford Arsenal in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its presence in the stencil is consistent with an association with the arsenal's ammunition work. The separate “9-62” follows a month-year format consistent with September 1962. That reading fits the period of documented M392E3 testing. Keeping the full number sequence intact is valuable when comparing this projectile with period records, photographs, and other marked examples.
Documented End-Item Application
An Army report by Leo D. Heppner, issued in September 1974 as APG-MT-4503, directly pairs the M392E3 APDS-T projectile with the 105mm M68 gun. This establishes a model-specific weapon connection beyond the projectile's caliber alone. The M68 armed the M60 and M60A1 tanks. The item's collecting context is therefore tank-gun ammunition, with a direct link to the weapon that brought 105mm firepower into those American armored vehicles.
Product History
The Army's 1972 Sabot Technology Engineering handbook lists M392E3 reports from Aberdeen Proving Ground. Report DPS-602, dated July 1962, examined the security of the projectile's metal components. Report DPS-606, also from July 1962, covered an evaluation with a uranium-alloy nose pad. Report DPS-667, from September 1962, recorded a further evaluation naming a D38-alloy nose pad. These entries describe specific test configurations and place the E3 designation within the 1962 development program.
Production History
A January 1980 Army installation assessment lists 105mm APDS-T M392E3 ammunition among items produced at Iowa Army Ammunition Plant during its 1941–1976 reporting period. The entry supplies another official record of the designation alongside Aberdeen's testing references. It concerns the ammunition model's production history; the FA stencil remains the identifying activity prefix supplied for this individual projectile.
Equipment History
The 105mm M68 gun marked a major step beyond the 90mm armament fitted to earlier American medium tanks. Its rifled barrel and specialized ammunition supported direct fire against armored targets. The M392 family supplied the discarding-sabot part of that ammunition development. Later Army data sheets listed standardized M392 and M392A2 cartridges for the M68, showing how this ammunition family remained part of the gun's documented equipment history beyond the early E3 test period.
Parent Weapon-System Background
The M60 developed from the M48 tank using proven components with important changes, including a diesel engine and 105mm main gun. It was standardized in March 1959, and combat units began receiving it in December 1960. The M60A1 followed on the production line in October 1962 with a revised turret. This timing places the M392E3's documented development alongside the early growth of the M60 tank program, when the Army was expanding its Cold War armored force.
History of Use
The M392E3's recorded history includes Army projectile testing at Aberdeen Proving Ground and its later appearance in technical tables for the M68. That work formed part of the effort to develop and evaluate armor-piercing tank ammunition. The M60 tank family's broader service history includes deployments in Cold War Europe, Israeli combat service during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and U.S. Marine M60A1 service in the 1991 Gulf War.
Condition
This example is described with white identification stencils above the drive band. The model and number groups are useful details when assessing its place in a reference collection. Please check the pictures for the general condition of the item.
Ideal For
The E3 designation makes this projectile useful for collections that trace changes within the M392 ammunition family. Its markings also suit exhibits about the link between ammunition development, Army proving grounds, and early M60 tank equipment.
- Cold War ammunition collectors.
- M392-series reference collections.
- M60 and M60A1 tank exhibits.
- M68 gun history displays.
- Museums and ordnance researchers.
Approx length 11", Approx width 4.5", Approx height 4.5", Approx weight 11.7lbs.
Pictures are stock images of our inventory. Unless otherwise noted, you will not be receiving the exact item shown in the pictures. The pictures are representative of the item’s general condition. The item you receive might be slightly better, or worse, condition than was shown in the pictures.
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