M47

M47 refers to more than one military designation, with the best-known being the M47 Patton, an American medium tank developed shortly after World War II. The M47 was designed to improve on the earlier M46 and to provide a more capable successor for Cold War era forces. It featured a larger turret and the United States’ 90 mm primary gun, along with a general upgrade in mobility and armor compared with earlier designs. The tank was produced and deployed by the United States and was widely supplied to allied nations during the early 1950s and throughout the decade. It served in various roles including infantry support and armored reconnaissance, and by the late 1950s and early 1960s many operators began replacing it with newer designs, though some M47s remained in service in secondary or reserve roles for years after.

In addition to the M47 Patton tank, the designation M47 has been used for other weapons systems. The M47 Dragon is a separate, portable anti-tank guided missile introduced in the late 1970s and used by the United States and its allies before being supplanted by more modern missiles. The Dragon was designed to be deployed by infantry teams and launched from a compact launcher, providing a lightweight direct-fire option against armored targets. As with many military designations, M47 can therefore refer to distinct systems from different eras, each with its own development history and service record.

Overall, the M47 label highlights the practice of reusing alphanumeric designations across different branches and periods. The M47 Patton tank is the most prominent reference, with the Dragon anti-tank missile representing a later and separate usage of the same designation.