Description
U.S. Army Ballistics Computer M16 Cant Unit P/N 10552928
The U.S. Army Ballistics Computer M16 Cant Unit P/N 10552928 is a late-1960s electromechanical tilt-sensing subassembly for the M16 ballistics computer used in the fire-control system of the M60A1 tank. The Army also planned to retrofit the M16 computer to M60-series tanks already in inventory.
This gravity-controlled unit measured sideways tank and gun-trunnion cant so the M16 ballistics computer could apply the appropriate elevation and deflection corrections. It is one computer subassembly, not the complete M16 ballistics computer, and it is unrelated to the M16 rifle.
Historical Significance
The M16 ballistics computer represented the late-1960s development of more integrated tank fire-control equipment for the M60 series. A 1968 U.S. Army Armor publication reported that the M16 was being installed on all M60A1 tanks then in production, with retrofit planned for M60-series tanks already in service.
Military specification MIL-C-60118 formally identified P/N 10552928 as the cant-unit subassembly adopted for the M16 ballistics computer. Its role illustrates how electromechanical fire-control systems accounted for vehicle attitude before later generations of tank computers became increasingly electronic and digital.
M60A1 Tank Fire-Control Application
A tank positioned on uneven or sloping ground can be tilted sideways relative to gravity. That cant changes the relationship between the gun, sighting system, and intended ballistic solution. The cant unit supplied the M16 computer with information representing that sideways angle.
The computer used the cant-unit input as one factor when developing corrected elevation and deflection outputs for the M60A1 fire-control system. The cant unit sensed the angle; the complete M16 ballistics computer performed the larger computation and correction function.
What This Item Is and Does
The U.S. Army Ballistics Computer M16 Cant Unit P/N 10552928 is an electrical-mechanical assembly containing a gravity-controlled sensing mechanism. As the tank and gun trunnions tilted away from level, the mechanism responded to gravity and produced a corresponding input for the M16 computer.
The official cant-unit specification describes gravity-controlled return and damping behavior around the unit’s resolver axis. This allowed the assembly to detect cant while controlling unwanted oscillation. The unit did not independently calculate a complete firing solution or operate as a stand-alone computer.
Key Features
- Item: M16 ballistics-computer cant-unit subassembly
- Part/drawing number: 10552928
- Official specification: MIL-B-60871
- Parent equipment: U.S. Army M16 ballistics computer
- Verified end item: M60A1 tank fire-control system
- Additional documented application context: Planned retrofit of the M16 computer to M60-series tanks already in inventory
- Era: Late 1960s
- Type: Electromechanical gravity-referenced tilt sensor
- Measured condition: Sideways tank and gun-trunnion cant
- Computer relationship: Supplied cant information used in elevation and deflection correction
- Red component: Appears to be a protective cap over the electrical connector
- Scope: Cant unit only; complete M16 ballistics computer is not included
Why This Item Matters
P/N 10552928 is identified by its own military specification and by the M16 computer specification, establishing it as a specific fire-control subassembly rather than a generic inclinometer or unidentified electrical component.
Its gravity-referenced mechanism and documented M60A1 application make it a focused example of the electromechanical technology used to improve tank fire-control calculations during the late 1960s.
About This Item
The offered item is one U.S. Army Ballistics Computer M16 Cant Unit, part/drawing number 10552928. It was a gravity-controlled tilt-sensing subassembly within the M16 ballistics computer used in the M60A1 tank fire-control system. Army period literature also records plans to retrofit the M16 computer to M60-series tanks already in inventory.
The cant unit provided information representing sideways tank and gun-trunnion cant so the parent M16 computer could develop corrected elevation and deflection outputs. It is not the complete computer and has no relationship to the 5.56 mm M16 rifle. The visible red piece appears to be a protective cap over the electrical connector.
Ideal For
This documented U.S. Army fire-control component is well suited for:
- M60A1 tank and M60-series vehicle collections
- Armored-vehicle fire-control system displays
- Collectors of analog and electromechanical military computers
- Military museums and ordnance-technology exhibits
- M16 ballistics-computer restoration reference
- Technical study of gravity-referenced cant sensors
Approx length 6", Approx width 5", Approx height 4", Approx weight 3lbs.
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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