Description
Technical Manual (TM 9-1220-231-34P) for XM15 Ballistic Drive April 1972 FSN 1220-071-5330
This Technical Manual TM 9-1220-231-34P covers the XM15 Ballistic Drive and is dated April 1972.
The publication is a direct- and general-support maintenance repair-parts and special-tools list for the XM15, identified by FSN 1220-071-5330.
Historical Significance
The XM15 Ballistic Drive was part of the sighting and fire-control equipment used in the M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle. The M728 combined an armored engineering vehicle with a 165 mm M135 demolition gun, and the XM15 helped keep the gunner's sight coordinated with that weapon.
The drive represents the mechanical fire-control systems used before modern digital sight controls. Its linkage transferred gun movement directly to the gunner's optical equipment rather than calculating a ballistic solution itself.
XM15 and the M728 Sighting System
The XM15 was a direct periscope drive with a temperature-compensating link, parallelogram linkage, and cross shaft between the 165 mm gun trunnion and the gunner's M32C periscope. This arrangement kept the periscope's line of sight moving with the gun as it elevated or depressed.
Within the M728, the M32C provided daylight and infrared sighting views. The XM15 formed the mechanical connection that allowed the periscope to follow the weapon, making its links, adjusters, and related parts important to sight alignment and fire-control maintenance.
What This Manual Covers
As a -34P publication, TM 9-1220-231-34P focuses on repair parts and special tools for direct- and general-support maintenance. It supports parts identification, requisitioning, and maintenance planning for the XM15 Ballistic Drive.
The contents identify the main XM15 drive group, link assembly 8620208 with adjuster 8620110, link assembly 8620203, the special-tools list, and a Federal Stock Number and reference-number index.
Key Features
- Official publication number: TM 9-1220-231-34P
- Publication date: April 11, 1972
- Technical data current as of: March 27, 1972
- Equipment covered: XM15 Ballistic Drive
- Federal Stock Number: 1220-071-5330
- Maintenance scope: direct and general support repair parts and special tools
- Vehicle application: M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle
- Weapon and sight relationship: 165 mm M135 gun and M32C gunner's periscope
Why This Manual Matters
This publication preserves the Army's official parts organization for a specialized component of the M728 sighting system. It gives collectors and researchers a focused reference for the drive, its linkage assemblies, and the support structure used above the organizational-maintenance level.
It also helps explain how the M728's gunner sight followed the 165 mm weapon through a direct mechanical linkage, an important detail in the development and maintenance of Cold War armored fire-control equipment.
About This Manual
Published by Headquarters, Department of the Army on April 11, 1972, TM 9-1220-231-34P is a direct- and general-support maintenance repair-parts and special-tools list for the XM15 Ballistic Drive. Its technical information was current as of March 27, 1972.
The publication superseded the portions of TM 9-1220-231-35, dated September 27, 1965, that covered direct- and general-support maintenance repair parts.
Ideal For
This manual is a strong fit for:
- U.S. Army technical-manual collectors
- M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle historians and restoration researchers
- Military museums and armored-vehicle reference libraries
- Fire-control and optical-instrument researchers
- Collectors studying Cold War combat-engineer equipment
Approx length 8", Approx width 11", Approx height .1", Approx weight .2lbs.
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.
Please visit our page about order lead times here: Order Lead Times