| Truck, Cargo, 5 Ton, 6×6, M54 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Heavy Truck |
| Place of origin |  United States |
| Service history | |
| Used by | US Armed Forces and various Allies |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | AM General,Kaiser |
| Variants | M54A1, M54A2, M54A1C, M54A2C |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 19,460 lbs |
| Height | 10.5" |
| Crew | 2 |
|
|
|
| Engine | Continental or Mack Truck engine 205 hp @ 2100 rpm |
The M54 Truck, officially designated Truck, Cargo, 5 Ton 6×6 M54, is a heavy cargo truck developed by, and deployed primarily with, the United States Armed Forces. The vehicle is a member of the M39 series of trucks. It is rated for five-ton cargo loads, cross-country, and ten-ton cargo loads, highway, making it a heavy truck. The basic M54 is fitted with a Continental gasoline engine, whereas variants had different engines (see below).
The vehicle is approximately 25 feet long and weighs approximately 10 tons when empty.
The M54 was the primary heavy truck of the US Army and US Marine[1] forces during the Vietnam War. It was used to haul cargo, and was also modified to serve as a gun truck by adding armour and various weapons, including double, or Quadmount .50 caliber machine guns. The truck was also used by the US Navy, and US Air Force, and was deployed by ARVN forces in Vietnam as well.
Although most noted for its extensive use in Vietnam, the rugged, reliable M54 continues to serve in armed forces around the world to the present day.
Contents |
Variants [link]
There are two main variants of the truck, the M54A1 (fitted with a Mack diesel engine) and the M54A2 (fitted with a Continental multifuel turbocharged engine). Other than the different engine types, the two trucks are identical. The truck was modified to serve as a dropside cargo vehicle as well, these being designated M54A1C and M54A2C, and wrecker and tractor variants of the M54 were also deployed. Service variations existed as well, the most notable of which was the tall intake on the air cleaner of M54s deployed by the US Marine Corps.
Other variants include: M51 Dump trucks, M52 Tractor trucks, M62 Wreckers,
Tractor-wreckers, Van trucks, Bridge trucks, Repair shop trucks, Rocket launchers.
Operators [link]
Notes [link]
- ^ See, eg., Gilbert et al., US Marine Corps 35
See also [link]
References [link]
Gilbert, E., Gilbert, O., and Anderson, D. The US Marine Corps in the Vietnam War: III Marine Amphibious Force, 1965-75. Osprey Publishing, 2006. ISBN 1-84176-987-8.
US Army TM-2320-211-10
External links [link]
https://wn.com/M54_(truck)
M54
M54 or M-54 may be:
Roads:
Vehicles:
Astronomy:
Messier 54
Messier 54 (also known as M54 or NGC 6715) is a globular cluster in the constellation Sagittarius. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1778 and subsequently included in his catalog of comet-like objects.
Previously thought to belong to our galaxy at a distance from Earth of about 50,000 light-years, it was discovered in 1994 that M54 most likely belongs to the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy (SagDEG), making it the first globular cluster formerly thought to be part of our galaxy reassigned to extragalactic status, even if not recognized as such for nearly two and a quarter centuries.
Modern estimates now place M54 at a distance of some 87,000 light-years, translating into a true radius of 150 light-years across. It is one of the denser of the globulars, being of class III (I being densest and XII being the least dense). It shines with the luminosity of roughly 850,000 times that of the Sun and has an absolute magnitude of −10.0.
As it is located on SagDEG's center, some authors think it actually may be its core; however others have proposed that it is a real globular cluster that fell to the center of this galaxy due to decay of its orbit caused by dynamical friction.
