A further development of the M3 light tank with a differently shaped welded hull that made the volume of the fighting compartment significantly larger and improved the crew's comfort. Meanwhile, removing the glacis plate with huge hatches gave the hull greater shell resistance. Mass production continued from January through September 1943. A total of 3,427 tanks were produced in this period, 2,045 of which were sent to the U.K. under the name Stuart V. The M3A3 saw action in World War II, the Chinese Civil War, the First Indochina War, and the Portuguese Colonial War. The leading states removed the tank from service after WWII, but it was used by other countries, which kept it in service until the 1990s. Certain countries, for instance Paraguay, use it to this day.