The T30 Heavy Tank was a World War II American tank project developed to counter new German tanks. The T30 was designed at same time as the T29 Heavy Tank. Pilot models were started in April 1945 and were delivered in 1947. The 155 mm gun fired two-piece (shell and charge) ammunition. The loader was helped by a powered rammer. The T30 had fitted on it one of the largest guns ever put on an American tank. The turret with its rounded edges gave it a unusually high profile (but necessary). It would carry 34 of either AP (Armored Piercing) or HE (high-explosive) but it could carry a mix of both.
A variant designated T30E1 had an additional hatch at the back of the turret for ejecting the shell casings. Another variant of the tank was the T30E2. The weight of the T30 shell was 43 kg and the charge 18 kg, a total of 61 kg for the whole ammunition, which made it difficult to handle.
A post-war era variant designated T58 had the conventional turret replaced with an oscillating version that allowed the fitting of an automated loader.
| T30 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Heavy tank |
| Place of origin |  United States |
| Production history | |
| Produced | 1947 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 68.7 metric tons (T30) (145,000 lbs) 59.9 metric tons (T58) (132,000 lbs) |
| Length | 11.57 m (with the gun) (T30) 10.82 m (with the gun) (T58) |
| Width | 3.80 m (T30) 3.63 m (T58) |
| Height | 3.20 m (T30) 3.17 m (T58) |
| Crew | 6 (T30) 4 (T58) |
| | |
| Armor | 280 mm (maximum) (T30) 127 mm (maximum) (T58) |
| Main armament | 155 mm T7 gun L/40 (T30) (34 rounds) 155 mm T7E1 gun L/40 (T30E1) 155 mm T180 rifled gun L/40 (T58) (32 rounds) |
| Secondary armament | coaxially M2 HB .50 cal and M1919A4 .30 cal bow-mounted |
| Engine | Continental AV1790-3 aircooled 704 hp (525 kW) (net) (T30) 810 hp (600 kW) (T58) |
| Power/weight | 10 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | torsion-bar |
| Speed | 26.5 km/h (16.5 mph) (T30) 35.2 km/h (21.9 mph) (T58) |
