M41 Walker Bulldog The M41 Walker Bulldog was an American light tank developed to replace the M24 Chaffee . It was named for General Walton Walker who died in a jeep accident in Korea . On 7 November 1950 , the US Ordnance Committee Minutes ( OCM ) issued item # 33476 , redesignating the heavy , medium , and light tank classifications to classifications according to armament ; the 120mm ( heavy ) Gun Tanks , 90mm ( medium ) Gun Tanks , and the 76mm ( light ) Gun tanks . History . While the M24 Chaffee was a successful design , its main gun was not effective enough against well armored opponents . Although the primary mission of light tank was scouting , Armed Forces wanted one with more powerful armament . The development of the new tank , T37 , began in 1947 . The vehicle was designed to be air - transportable , and the desired anti - tank capabilities were provided by installing a long 76 mm gun with an advanced rangefinder . In 1949 , with the adoption of a less ambitious rangefinder , the project ' s designation was changed to M41 . Production started in 1951 at Cadillac ' s Cleveland Tank Plant , and by 1953 the new tank completely replaced the M24 in the United States Army . Initially it was nicknamed " Little Bulldog " , then renamed to " Walker Bulldog " after General Walton Walker , who was killed in a jeep accident in Korea in 1950 . The M41 was an agile and well armed vehicle . On the other hand , it was noisy , fuel - hungry and heavy enough to cause problems with air transport . In 1952 work began on lighter designs ( T71 , T92 ) , but those projects came to naught and were eventually abandoned . The Walker Bulldog saw limited combat with the U . S . Army during the Korean War , but for the most part , the conflict served as a testing ground to work out the tank ' s deficiencies , especially with its rangefinder . At the time , it was designated as the T - 41 , and was rushed to the battlefield even before its first test run . This was due to the fact that the North Koreans were supplied with Soviet T - 34 tanks , which were superior to the M - 24 . By 1961 , one hundred fifty were delivered to the Japan Ground Self - Defense Force to supplement their Type 61 medium tank s . Vietnam War . In 1964 the M41 light tank was selected to replace the ARVN ( Army Republic of South Vietnam ) M24 Chaffee light tank , which they had inherited from the French , who in turn had received from the United States during the French Indochina War ( aka 1st Indochina War 1946 - 1954 ) . The first M41A3s arrived in January 1965 , equipping five ARVN squadrons by the end of the year . The " Walker Bulldog " was an instant success with South Vietnamese armor crewmen , who found the M41 ' s interior to be just perfect for their stature , which had been a principal criticism by US armor crewmen who had been assigned to the vehicle . This , combined with the tank ' s " mechanical reliability , simplicity , and excellent handling " made the Bulldog a worthy war machine . In 1971 , the ARVN and US Forces commenced Operation Lam Son 719 , a disruption of communist supply lines in neighboring Laos ; a combination of " armor " and " airmobile " attacks on three axes into enemy held territory . The ARVN 1st Armor Brigade , accompanied by two airborne battalions and two cavalry regiments penetrated approximately 4 miles into Laos on 8 February , enemy reaction was swift and violent , with this first engagement between NVA and ARVN tanks , the 17 M41 ' s destroyed 22 communist tanks ; six T - 54 ' s and sixteen PT - 76 ' s , at no loss to themselves . By 1973 , over 200 M41 light tanks remained in service with the South Vietnamese Army . M41 Walker Bulldog was replaced by M48 Patton by U . S . Army And Marine Corps Other Operators . The M41 has been also exported to Brazil ( 300 ) , Spain ( 180 ) Chile ( 60 ) , Dominican Republic ( 12 ) , Guatemala ( 10 ) , New Zealand ( 10 ) , Somalia ( 10 ) , Taiwan ( 675 ) , Thailand ( 200 ) , Tunisia ( 10 ) , Lebanon ( 20 ) and other countries . Many of these tanks were upgraded to prolong their life . Some are still in service . Thai M41s were used in the Thailand coup d ' état in September , 2006 . Legacy . In 1969 the US Army began replacing the M41 by the advanced , but troublesome , M551 Sheridan light tank , which had a gun / missile capable of destroying any heavy tank , could swim , and was air drop capable . The chassis of the M41 was used for the M42 Duster , which mounted two 40 mm anti - aircraft guns . It was also built up into the M75 Armored Personnel Carrier , one of the first enclosed box - shaped personnel carriers ; that vehicle in turn would be the pattern for the M113 APC , which would become the most widely produced US armoured combat vehicle . Variants . Also Brazilian , German , Spanish , Uruguayan upgraded variants , usually with a larger gun and / or a diesel engine . Another upgrade package for the M41 was developed by the Nimda Group , Israel , solely for export .