ny future conflict in Europe or the Middle

t the main battle tank (MBT) will be one of

the dominant factors. It is the only vehicle on
the battlefield with a high degree of
survivability in an NBC environment, and its
armour makes it proof against many
weapons.
Based on material first published injane 's
. Armour and Artillery 1985-86, this new
edition of jane's Main Battle Tanks contains
updated development histories, complete
lists of variants and full specifications of all
the MBTs currently in service in the world.
Some ·o f the new designs that may enter
service in the late 1980s or early 1990s are
also detailed. The text is supported by
several hundred selected photographs and
line drawings.

£11.95
net in UK orgy
J.;I.<;~
 JANE'SMAIN
BATTLE TANKS
Second edition

Christopher F. Foss

JANE'S
Copyright © Christopher F Foss 1983, 1986

First published in the U ni ted Kingdom in 1983

Thi s eclit ion published in 1986 by
Jane's Publishing Company Limited
238 C ity Road, Lond on EC I V 2P U

ISBN 0 71060372 X

Distribu ted in the Philippines a nd the USA a nd its

depend encies by J ane's Pub li shing Inc. ,
11 5 5th Avenue (4th Fl oor), New York , NY 10003

All ri ghts reserved . No part of th is publi cat ion may be reprodu ced, stored in
a retri eva l system, tran smitted in any form by a ny means electrical, mechanica l
or photocopied , record ed or otherw ise without prior permiss ion oCthe publis her.

Typesetti ng by D. P. Med ia Limited, Hitchin , H ertford shire

Prin ted in the U ni ted K ingdom by

Biddi es Ltd , Gui ldford, Surrey
 Introduction
Althoug h new types of a nti-ta nk wea pons co ntinu e to be
developed a nd e mpl oyed th e M a in Ba ttl e T a nk is likely to
reta in its position as th e key ele ment on th e ba ttlefi eld fo r th e
foreseea bl e futur e.
Th ere a re a number of M a in Battle T a nks currentl y a t th e
design stage whi ch will enter se rvice in th e I 990s a nd so me of
th ese wi ll be quite different in a ppea ra nce to th e ve hicl es
currentl y in service tod ay .
The first of th ese is likely to be th e French EPC which will
have a ve ry hi gh power-to-weig ht ra ti o a nd have a 120 mm
smooth-bore gun fed by a n a uto ma ti c loader. The la tt er will
ena ble th e crew to be red uced to three men, commander,
gunn er a nd loader. If one exclud es th e Swedish S-tank , th e
EPC will be th e fi rst o pera tion a l ta nk in th e W es t to have this
fea ture. The Sov ie t U ni on however fi eld ed its first ta nk with
a n a uto ma ti c loader, th e T-64, in th e la te 1960s a nd th e more
recent T-7 2 a lso has thi s fea ture.
The United States is a lso stud ying a number of new con-
ce pts for th e futur e including th e Ta nk T es t Bed (TTB )
which is esse nti a ll y a M I Abra ms hull with a 120 mm
smooth-bo re gun mounted ex tern a ll y a bo ve th e roo f a nd a ll
of th e crew within th e sa fety of th e hull. When firin g in th e
hull d ow n pos ition th e vehicle wou ld be ve ry diffi cult to
detec t let a lone hi t. Th e weig ht saved by not ins talling a
turret co uld be used to prov ide in creased a rmour pro tection
to th e hull front a nd /or on th e hull roof.
A number of th e new a nti-ta nk wea pons now entering
service a ttac k th e upper surfaces of th e ta nk whi ch in most
cases is onl y thinl y a rm oured to protect th e crew from shell
splinters . Future ve hi cles wi ll ha ve to be des igned with mu ch
increased emph as is on protectin g aga in st top a ttack
wea pons.
For m a ny yea rs MBTs have bee n fitt ed with smoke dis-
chargers but more recently new decoys have bee n introduced
which, when fired, will co nfuse a nti-ta nk g uid ed wea pons so
improving th e ta nk 's su rvivab ility on th e bat tl efi eld.
The d evelopm en t of new a rmours s uch as th e Bri ti sh
Chobham has ena bled MBTs to be pro tec ted over th eir
fronta l a rcs from virtua ll y a ll ba ttl efield wea pons including
Anti-Ta nk Guided Wea pons (ATGW ) with their High
Explos ive Anti-T a nk warheads. As a res ult of th e a ppearance
of these new types of a rmo ur ma ny ATGW s have had to be
impro ved a nd fitted with la rge r di a meter wa rh eads.
New ge nera ti on M a in Ba ttl e Tanks s uch as the Leo pard 2,
MI / MIAI Abra ms a nd C ha llenge r a ll have very signifi cant
improve ments in th e key a reas of a rmo ur protec ti on, mo-
bility, firepower a nd nig ht fight ing ca pa bility th an th eir
predecesso rs.
The fir st pa rt ofjane's Main Battle Tanks conta in s a deta il ed
description of each MBT a nd its rari a nts, full tec hni cal
specifi cations, li st of user co untri es , current status a nd
ma nufac turer.
Wherever poss ible each vehicle is also provided with a sid e
drawing (all of 1/76th ), a selecti on of pho tog ra phs of the
basic vehicle, a nd where app li cable, so me of the speciali sed
va ri a nts such as a rm oured recove ry ve hicles, bridgelaye rs,
engin ee r vehicles a nd so on.
Only Main Battl e T a nks that have bee n developed sin ce
th e Second World W a r a nd a re s till in service or c urrentl y
being offered by ma nufacturers fo r sale a re included . There is
however an entry of th e Israe li Sherm a n fa mil y of tanks
which have bee n adopted for a wide range of specialised ro les.
Tanks th a t are s till und er developm ent, or in so me cases,
still proj ects, a re also includ ed where inform a tion on this has
bee n released.
There a re a number of new MBTs includ ed in this edition
for the first time, m a ny of which have been d eveloped with
co mpany fundin g specifi call y for th e ex port ma rk et, a l th ough
in some cases th e government has provided some fin a ncia l o r
other support. These includ e th e Brazilia n ENGESA EE-T I
O so rio, Chinese Type 69, French EPC and AMX-40, Israeli
M erkava M a rk 2, South Korea n XK-I a nd th e British Vi ck-
ers D efence Sys tems M a rk 7 whi ch has feat ures of th e W es t
G erm a n Leopa rd 2 a nd th e ea rli er Vi ckers Va lia nt.
Part Two ofjane's Main Battle Tanks cont a in s brief notes on
th e alm os t 100 co untri es that now opera te MBTs or which
a re ex pected to do so in th e future.
Where possible a n ou tline on th e country's ba tta li on/
brigade/di visiona l/co rps empl oy ment of ta nks is give n
toge th er with ve ry a pproxima te fi g ures on how ma ny ta nks
th e country has, including thos e us ed for training or held in
rese rve. Some countries, especiall y Ital y, Spain , United
Kingdom a nd th e United Sta tes a re sti ll in th e process of
reorga ni sation so so me of th e tabl es of organisation a nd
equipm ent m ay well be overtaken by eve nts.
Some of th ese ta nk holding figur es a re ve ry accurate but in
a ll cases th ey must be trea ted with caution as th ey a re con-
sta ntl y changing in some countries as new ve hicles co me in
a nd older vehicles a re placed in rese rve, ex ported or sold fo r
scrap.
The a uthor wou ld like to ta ke this opportunity of th a nkin g
th e ma ny a rm ed for ces, companies a nd pri va te indi vidu als
who have provided ma terial for this edition. Inform a ti on,
photogra phs and other m a terial for revised edi tions should
be forw a rd ed to th e a uthor via th e publi sher.
Christopher F Foss
Hampshire, Engla nd
D ecember 1985
 PART 1
MAIN BATTLE TANKS
 ARGENTINA
TAM Medium Tank
Development
The West German company of Thyssen Henschel has
developed a medium tank called the TAM (Tanque Argen-
tino Mediano) to meet the requirements of the Argentinian
Army. The first prototype of the TAM was completed in
West Germany in 1976 and the second prototype in 1977.
Argentina has a req uirement for at least 200 TAMs to replace
old Sherman ta nks currently in use. Chassis construction and
final assembly are taking place in Buenos Aires with turret
construction a nd integration of the gun and fire-control sys-
tem at Rio Tercero. Some major components will continue to
be supplied by Thyssen Henschel. The TAM was not
d eployed in the Falklands during the 1982 campaign. Full
details of the TAM are given under the entry for the TAM
Medium Tank in West Germany. An MICV called the
VCTP has been developed to work with the TAM.
In mid-1983 Peru placed an order with Argentina for 80
TAMs and deliveries were expected to take place between
TAM medium tank with driver's hatch open and 7.62 mm
1984 and 1985. At a later date Peru may undertake licence machine gun on commander's cupo la
production of the TAM or partial assembly of the vehide.
Early in 1984 it was announced that Panama had ordered 60
TAMs, including some VCTP APC variants.
Argentina has ordered 25 turrets as fitted to the Palmaria
155 mm self-propelled gun for insta llation on a lengthened
(seven instead of six road wheels) and widened chassis. The
installation of this turret is expected to in crease th e TAM's
weight to just und er 45 tonnes, so a more powerful engine
may be fitted to maintain the power-to-weight ratio.

Status: In production. In service with Argentina, Panama

and Peru.

Manufacturer: TAMSE, Avda, Rolon 1441/43, 2609,

Boulgone Sur Mer-Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina.

TAM medium tank from rear showing turret detail ~

BRAZIL

ENGESA EE-T1 Osorio Main Battle Tank
Development
The EE-TI Osorio main battle tank has been developed by
ENGESA to meet the requirements of both the home and
ex port markets. The first prototype was completed in
October 1984, a second prototype followed in April 1985.
Vickers Defence Systems of the UK has designed and built
two turrets for the Osorio, the first of these was delivered to
Brazil in spring 1985. It was fitted with a Royal Ordnance
105 mm L7 A3 gun with a modified recoil system, the second
turret was armed with a 120 mm GIAT smooth-bore gun .
The first prototype of the MBT went to Saudi Arabia for
trials in mid-1985 . Production is expec ted to start in Sao Jose
dos Campos in 1986 . The Braz ilian Army has a req uirement
for 500 MBTs of this type. To redu ce'development time a nd
cost, available well-proven co mpon ents have bee n used
wherever possible in the design .
The concept of th e EE-T I is th a t the basic design can be
adapted to individual customer req uirements and it is cap-
able of modernisation in th e futur e as the threat changes and
new systems and equipment become avai la ble.
Description
The layout of the EE-TI is conventional with the driver's
compartment at th e front , turret in the centre and engin e and

6
tra nsmiss ion a t th e rea r. The hull a nd turret a re of all-welded
steel constru cti on with th e front a nd sides well-sloped to
provide th e maximum possible protecti on within th e weight
limits of th e vehicle.
The dri ver sits a t th e front of th e hull on th e left a nd has a
single-piece ha tch cover and a perisco pe for driving closed
down ; th e periscope can be replaced by a pass ive periscope
for night driving.
The comma nder sits on the right of th e turret with th e
gunn er forward a nd below his position, th e load er sitting on
the turret left. Both commander a nd loader have ha tch covers
in the turret roof. Side view of prototype of ENGESA EE-T1 Osorio MBT
The water-cooled turbo-cha rged V 12 di esel is mounted a t
th e rea r a nd co upl ed to a full y a uto ma ti c trans mission.
Power-to-weight ra ti o is a n excellent 25.6 hp/ tonne a nd
accelera tion [rom 0 to 32 km/ h is 5.4 seconds. The full y
a utoma ti c transmiss ion has a torq ue conve rter (with lock up )
a nd a hydra uli c bra ke (reta rder) with [our forwa rd a nd two
reve rse gea rs. The EE-Tl has a combined bra ke sys te m in
which onl y th e reta rd er (insta lled in th e transmiss ion) works
in th e first stage wi th th e disc bra kes coming into operation in
th e second stage. A pa rking bra ke is also fi tted .
Suspension is of th e hydro-pn eum a ti c type wi th each sid e
having six du al rubber-tyred road wheels, idler a t th e front,
drive sprocket a t th e rea r and three track return rollers.
Da mpers a re provided on th e first, second a nd sixth road
whee!" sta tions. In la te 1983 Dunlop Avia ti on Division o[ th e
U K was awa rd ed a contract for th e d es ign a nd development
of th e hyd ro-pneuma ti c suspension sys tem for the Osorio;
this has bee n given th e compa ny na me of Dunlo ride a nd th e Rear view of prototype of ENGESA EE-T1 Osorio MBT

Prototype of ENGESA EE-T1 Osorio MBT with mock-up turret.
Driver's hatch is open
. Prototype of ENGESA EE-T1 Osorio MBT fitted with mock-up of
turret showing 7.62 mm machine gun at loader's station
first two sets were d elive red la te in 1984. The centre g uid e,
doubl e pin tracks have replaceabl e rubber pads.
M a in a rm a ment is a Royal Ordna nce L7 A3 rifl ed 105 mm
or G IA T 120 mm s mooth-bore ta nk gun with a n eleva tion o[
+ 20 deg rees and a d epression of -10 degrees, a nd turret
trave rse is 360 degrees. Turret traverse a nd wea pon elevation
are electric with bo th the comma nd er a nd g unn er having
controls, the former hav ing ove rriding co nt rol. A 7.62 mm
electri call y-fired machine g un is mounted coaxia ll y with th e
ma in a rm a ment a nd a 7.62 mm o r 12. 7 mm machine g un can
be mounted o n th e roof [or a nti-aircraft d efence. M o unted
eith er side of th e turre t is a ba nk offoU!"electri call y-opera ted
smoke di scha rge rs.
Two main fire-control options a re offered for the EE-Tl.
The firs t is a n integra ted fire-cont rol system with a day/ night
gunner's peri sco pe with laser ra ngefind er a nd a day/ ni ght
comma nder's peri scope. T he ad vanced fire-control sys tem ,
which allows the ma in arma ment to be la id a nd fired while
th e tank is moving, incl ud es a gyro-sta bilised day g unner's
periscope with lase r ra ngeflnd er, gy ro-sta bili sed pa nora mic
day comm'a nder's periscope with laser ra ngefin der a nd a
gyro-sta bilised pa no ra mic th erm al periscope with moni tors
for bo th gunn er a nd comma nd er. Optional equipment fo r
both vers ions includes a loader's periscope with a nig ht-
vision option a nd a comba t pe riscope.
The EE-Tl MBT has two fire-ex ting uishing sys tems. The
engine ba y sys tem is opera ted ma nuall y or a utoma ti cally, th e
crew bay fire-suppress ion syste m is opera ted a utoma ti cally.
Turret options include radios, coll ecti ve or indi vidual
NBC pro tection, azimuth indi cator in mils, clinometer in
mils, electronic compass a nd a laser d etecto r. C hass is optio ns
include a pass ive pe riscope for the dri ver, crew heater a nd a
la nd naviga tion system.

7
Variants 30 mm or twin 35 mm anti-aircraft turrets. Armoured recov-
ENGESA is currently studying the possibility of installing a ery and bridgelayer versions of the EE-T I will also probably
155 mm gun turret on the chassis of the EE-T I as well as twin be developed.

SPECIFICATIONS MAX ROAD SPEED 70 km/h coaxial 1 x 7.62 mm MG

CREW 4 MAX RANGE 550 km anti-ai rcraft 1 x 7.62 mm or
COMBAT WEIGHT 39000 kg FORDING 1.2 m 1 x 12.7 mm MG
POWER-TO-WEIGHT with preparation 2 m smoke dischargers 2 x 4
RATIO 25.6 hp/tonne GRADIENT 60% AMMUNITION
GROUND PRESSURE 0.76 kg/cm' SIDE SLOPE 40% main 50 rounds of 105 mm or 42
LENGTH GUN VERTICAL OBSTACLE 1.15 m rounds of 120 mm
forwards 9.995 m TRENCH 3 m machine gun 5000 rounds of 7.62 mm or
rear 9.425 m ENGINE 4-stroke. 12-cyli nder. 600 rounds of 12.7 mm and
LENGTH HULL 7.08 m water-coo led turbo-charged 3000 rounds of 7.62 mm
WIDTH 3.26 m diesel developing 1000 hp at GUN CONTROL
WIDTH OVER TRACKS 3.2 m 2300 rpm EQUIPMENT
HEIGHT TO TURRET TRANSMISSION fu lly-automatic . with torque Turret power control e lect ri c/manual
TOP 2.371 m converter, four forward and by commander yes
GROUND CLEARANCE 0.46 m two reverse gears by gunner yes
TRACK 2.63 m SUSPENSION hydro-pneumatic Commander's override yes
TRACK WIDTH 570 mm ARMAMENT Gun elevation/depression +20°/- 10°
LENGTH OF TRACK ON main 1 x 105n.m
GROUND 4.49 m (or 120 mm)

Status: Prototypes undergoing trials. Expected to enter pro- Manufacturer: Engesa Engenheiros Especializados SA,
duction in 1986. Avenue das Nacoes Unidas, 22.833 (Santo Amaro), CEP
04795, PO Box 12.705 (CEP 01000), Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.

MB-3 Tamoio Battle Tank computer, day/passive night sights for commander and
gunner, each sight has a laser rangefinder. The gunner has
Development an a uxiliary telescope mounted coaxia lly with the main
armament.
In the late 1970s Bernardini designed the X-3~ tank based on
an M41 light tank chassis. It weighed 30 tonnes and would
have been armed with a 90 mm or 105 mm gun but was not Prototype of MB-3 Tamoio battle tank during cross-country trials
built; further work resulted in the Tamoio tank. (Ronaldo S Oli ve)
Construction of the first prototype began in 1982 and the
chassis ran for the first time in November 1983. Turret/hull
integration took place in mid- 1984 and trials began later the
same year. By early 1985 ten prototypes had been built and
production was expected to start later the same year. The
Tamoio was originally designated the XMB-3 but after trials
with the prototype were successfully completed the X was
dropped from the designation, so the vehicle became the
MB-3. The Brazilian Army is understood to have a require-
ment for 500 tanks and both the ENGESA EE-Tl and MB-3
are competing for this order.

Description
The all-welded hull of the MB-3 Tamoio is divided into three
compartments, the driver's at the front, fighting in the centre Prototype of MB-3 Tamoio battle tank with turret traversed to right
and the engine and transmission at the rear. Spaced armour (Ronaldo S Olive)
is incorporated in some a reas and laminate armour is said to
be under consideration for production vehicles.
The driver sits at the left front of the vehicle and has
periscopes for forward observation and a single-piece hatch
cover opening to the right.
The all-welded turret is in the centre of the hull with the
commander and gunner on the right and th e loader on the
left. Main armament comprises a Bernardini 90 mm gun that
can fire a specially developed APFSDS-T round, although a
105 mm gu n could be fitted on export vehicles. Mounted
coaxially with the main armament is a 12 .7 mm M2 HB
machine gun, a 7.62 mm machine gun is mounted on the
turret roof for anti-aircraft defence and a bank of four
electrically-operated smoke dischargers is on either side of
the turret. The fire-control syste m of the Tamoio includes a

8
 SPECIFICATIONS

CREW 4
COMBAT WEIGHT 30000 kg
UNLOADED WEIGHT 28000 kg
POWER-TO-WEIGHT
RATIO 16.6 hp/tonne
(or 24.5 hp/tonne with
8V-92TA engine)
GROUND PRESSURE 0.72 kg/cm'
LENGTH
hull 6.5 m
gun forwards 8.77 m
gun rear 7.4 m
WIDTH 3.22 m
HEIGHT
overall 2.5m
to hull top 2.2 m
GROUND CLEARANCE 0.5 m
TRACK 2.6 m
TRACK WIDTH 530 mm
LENGTH OF TRACK
Prototype of Bernardini MB-3 Tamoio tank with same 90 mm gun ON GROUND 3.9m
MAX ROAD SPEED 67 km/h
as installed in Brazilian Army modernised M41 light tanks FUEL CAPACITY 700 litres
RANGE 550 km
GRADIENT 60%
The Brazi lian-bui lt Saab-Scania DSI-14 diesel will SIDE SLOPE 30%
develop 500 hp at 2100 rpm, but it is hoped to increase this to VERTICAL OBSTACLE 0.71 m
650/700 hp so raising the power-to-weight ratio to 22.5 hpj TRENCH 2.4 m
FORDING 1.3m
tonne. The engine is coupled to the same CD-500-3 transmis- ENGINE Saab-Scania DSI-14 diesel
sion as in the M4 1 light tank. It has been reported that developing 500 hp at
2100 rpm (optional General
production vehicles will be fitted with the American Motors 8V-92TA developing
HMPT-500 hydro-mechanical tra nsmission as in the M2 736 hp at 2300 rpm)
TRANSMISSION General Electric HMPT-500-3
Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle, and there will be a ver- hydro-mechanical with 3
sion with a Detroit Diese18V-92TA diesel deve loping 736 hp. forward and one reverse
Suspension is of the torsion bar type and consists of six dual gears
SUSPENSION torsion bar
rubber-tyred road wheels with the drive sprocket at the rear, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24 V
idler at the front and three track return rollers. Hydraulic BAnERIES 4 x 12 V
ARMAMENT
shock absorbe rs are fitted at the first, second and sixth road main 1 x 90 mm
wheel stations. . (or 105 mm as option)
coaxial 1 x 12.7 mm MG
Standard equipment includes an BC system, heater, fire anti-aircraft 1 x 7.62 mm MG
extinguishers, bilge pump, hull escape hatch, radios and AMMUNITION
internal communications equipment. 90mm 68
GUN CONTROL
EQUIPMENT
Variants Turret power control electric/manual
Gun elevation/depression +1 8·/- 6"
At least two variants are under consideration, an armoured SMOKE-LAYING
recovery vehicle and an anti-aircraft vehicle, the latter prob- EQUIPMENT 2 x 4 smoke
dischargers
ably ar med with a Bofors 40 mm L/70 anti-aircraft gun.

Status: Prototypes completed. Expected to enter production Manufacturer: Bernardini S/ A Industria e Comercio, Rua
in 1986-87. Hipolito Soares No 79, 04201 Sao Paulo, SP Brazil.

CHINA, PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC

Type 69 Main Battle Tank
Development
The Type 69 MBT made its first public appearance during
a parade near Zhangiakou outside Beijing (Peking) in
September 1982. A few sources state that production of the
Type 69 commenced in 1969, but most sources state that
production did not commence until the early I 980s_
Details of recent Chinese tank production is given in th e
following entry on the Type 59 MBT _
Iraq has placed an ord er for between 1000 and 2000 of the
Type 69 MBTs armed with the 100 mm gun and first
deliveries of these were made in 1983 via Saudi Arabia_
There are two versions of the Type 69 MBT, one armed
with 100 mm gun with a fume extractor near the barrel (in
1985 Chinese sources called this model the Type 69 II) and

9
the other armed with a 105 mm rifl ed tank gun of Western
design (this has been called the Type Type II in th e West
although this cannot be the correct Chinese designation as
this has now been applied to the model with 100 mm gun.)

Description
From the information supplied by Chinese sources, the Type
69 is almost identical to the Soviet T-55 series in terms of
mobility and armour protection . Its main difference, apart
from the 100 mm or 105 mm gun is in its fir e control system.
Its layou t is identical to the Type 59 a nd Soviet T-54/T-55
series with the driver at the front left and th e other three crew
members in the turret, commander a nd gunner on th e left
and loader on th e right.
The Type 69 II has a 100 mm smooth bore gun with a
7.62 mm machine gun mounted coaxial with the main Type 69 MBT armed with 105 mm type Western gun fitted with a
ar mament and a similar weapon mounted in the hull firing fume extractor (via G Jacobs)
forw ards a nd operated by the driver. The loader operates the
12.7 mm a nti-aircraft machine gun.
The mai n armament is stabilised in both elevation and la y its own smoke screen by inj ecting di esel fu el into the
traverse and the fire control system includes a laser range exhaust outlet on the left side of the hull.
finder and ballistic computer. Communications equipment installed includ es a type 803
Observation equipment includes eight periscopes for the intercom and a type 889 radio. There are two commmand
commander, gunner, driver and loader, gunner's night sight tank versions of the Type 69 II , the Mark B having one type
with magnification of x 7 and 6-degree field of view and a 889 and one type 892 radio while th e Mark C has two type
ra nge of800 metres. Tank commander has a sight with a day 889 radios.
magnification of x 5 (12-degree field of view) and a night
magnification of x 6 (8-degree field of view). Variants
Standard equipment includes complete NBC protection Apart from th e different models mentioned above the only
system, automatic fire ex tinguishing system and the abi lity to known varia nt is th e Type 653 medium tank recovery veh icle

Type 69 MBTs on parade near Zhangjiakou, outs ide Beijing in September (Com/it, via Defence Magazine)

10
Type 69 II MBT with 100 mm gun

which uses automotive components of the Type 69 . This is production models were similar to the Soviet T-54 and not
fitted with a hydraulically operated dozer blade at the front, fitted with infra-red night vision equipment or a stabiliser for
hydraulically operated crane, main and auxiliary winches, the main armament. Later models were fitted with a fume
radios and night vision equipment. ex tractor as on the T-54A. More recent production Type 59s
have been fitted with an infra-red search light for both the
commander and gunner and a larger infra-red searchlight
SPECIFICATIONS has been mounted above the main armament and moves in
CREW 4 elevation with it. Some vehicles have been seen fitted with
COMBAT WEIGHT 36500 to 37 000 kg what is assumed to be a laser rangefinder to the right of the
POWER-TO·WEIGHT
RATIO 15.67 hp/tonne
infra-red searchlight mounted over the main armament.
GROUND PRESSURE 0.8210.83 kg/cm' In 1981 it was reported that for trials purposes a Chinese
LENGTH GUN Type 59 had been fitted with a Barr and Stroud IR-18
'FORWARDS 8.657 m
LENGTH GUN REAR 8.485 m th ermal imager. The British company of MEL have supplied
LENGTH HULL 6.243 m China with 30 kits of passive night vision equipment for the
WIDTH 3.298 m
HEIGHT TO AXIS OF Type 59 MBT. These include the 'commander's image
AA MG 2.807 m intensified periscope Type DC 1026/00, gunner's image
HEIGHT TO AXIS OF
MAIN ARMAMENT 1.75 m
intensified periscope Type DC 1024/00 and the driver's
GROUND CLEARANCE 0.425 m image intensified periscope Type DC 1028/00.
TRACK 2.64 m In a parade held in Beijing in 1984 a number of Type 59
TRACK WIDTH 580 mm
LENGTH OF TRACK MBTs were observed with a Western type 105 mm rifled gun
ON GROUND 3.485 m with a fume extractor.
MAX ROAD SPEED 50 km/h
MAX ROAD RANGE 420 to 440 km It is believed that production of the Type 59 tank bega n in
FORDING 1.4 m 1957 to 1960 at Baotou in the Beijing military region.
GRADIENT 60%
VERTICAL OBSTACLE 0.8 m
Throughout the 1970s between 500 and 700 Type 59 tanks
TRENCH 2.7 m were produced each year. In 1979 this rose to 1000, dropping
ENGINE Model 12150L·7BW V-12
diesel developing 580 hp at
to 500 in 1980 due to budgetary restrictions , then increasing
2000 rpm to 600 in 1981 , 1200 in 1982 and 1500 to 1700 in 1983. The
TRANSM ISS ION manual, 5 forward. 1 reverse 1982 and 1983 figures probably incude the Type 69 series
gears
STEERING clutch and brake tanks as well.
SUSPENSION torsion bar
ARMAMENT
main 1 x 100 m Close-up of infra-red searchlight and what is assumed to be laser
co-axia l 1 x 7.62 mm MG rangefinder on recent production Type 59 MBTs
bow 1 x 7.62 mm MG
anti-aircraft 1 x 12.7 mm MG
SMOKE LAYING
EQUIPMENT diesel fuel injected into
exhaust system

Status: In production. In service with China and Iraq .

Manufacturer: Chinese state arsenals. Enquiries to China

North Industries Corporation, 7A, Yuetan Nanjie, Beijing,
People' s Republic of China.

Type 59 Main Battle Tank

Development/Description
In the early 1950s the Soviets supplied China with a quantity
ofT-54 MBTs, production of which was subsequently under-
taken in Ch ina und er the designa tion Type 59. The firs!

II
Chinese Type 59 MBT with 105 mm gun (via G Jacobs)

Outline drawing of MEL passive night vision equipment for Type 59 MBT. It is also applicable to other tanks such as the T-54ff-55

hood control box

stowage bin for commander's

periscopes

1
I
commander's image intensified
periscope
Type DC 1026/00

armoured hood

gunner's image intensified periscope

Type DC 1024/00

'''~''OO~ffi~",~~~·~(~@)L~ ~""-.
intensified
Type penscope
DC 1028100 '..::
_ , .'-
, __________
_ . stowage bin for
fitted with top prism driver's periscope
Type DC 1028/12

12
Type 59 MBTcaptured in South Viet-Nam and now on display in Type 59 MBT with turret removed and plated over for use in
Australia (Paul Handel) recovery role (via David Isby)

Chinese tank plant producing Type 59 MBTs with infra-red night vision equipment and what is assumed to be laser rangefinder (Tank
Magazine)

13
Variants 12.7 mm machine gun. As this vehicle is not believed to be
fitted with a winch it is limited to towing operations.
Basic ARV
This may well be a local modification and is essentially a AVLB
Type 59 with its turret removed , armed with a single An A VLB on a Type 59 chassis is known to exist.

SPECIFICATIONS FORDING ARMOUR

wilhoul preparati on t.4 m Hull Iront upper 97 mm a158'
CREW 4 with preparati on 5.5 m Hull lront lower 99 mm at 55'
COMBAT WEIGHT 36000 kg GRADIENT 60% Hull sides upper 79 mm at 0'
POWER-TO-WEIGHT VERTICAL OBSTACLE 0.79 m Hull sides lower 20 mm at 0'
RATIO 14.44 hp/lonne TRENCH 2.68 m Hull rear upper 46 mm at 0'
GROUND PRESSURE 0.8 kg/cm' ENGINE V- 12 Model 12150L Hull rear lower 46 mm at 0'
LENGTH GUN liquid-cooled diesel Hull lop 33mm
FORWARDS 9m developing 520 hp at Hull floor - front 20 mm
LENGTH HULL 6.17 m 2000 rpm Hull floor - rear 20mm
WIDTH 3.27 m TRANSMISSION manual. 5 forward and Turret fronl 203 mm al 0'
HEIGHT 2.59 m 1 reverse gears Turret sides 150 mm at 0'
GROUND CLEARANCE 0.425 m SUSPENSION tors ion bar Turret rear 64 mm at 0'
TRACK 2.855 m ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24 V Turret roof 39 mm a179'
TRACK WIDTH 580mm ARMAMENT (but see lext) Mantlet included in above
LENGTH OF TRACK main 1 x 100 m Type 59 figu res
ON GROUND 4.135 m coaxial 1 x 7.62 mm Type 59T MG
MAX ROAD SPEED 50 km/h bow 1 x 7.62 mm Type 59T MG
FUEL CAPACITY anti-ai rcraft 1 x 12.7 mm Type 54 MG
main 815 lilres AMMUNITION
external 400 litres mai n 34
RANGE coaxial/ hUll 3500
main luel supply 400 km anti-aircraft 200
main + external GUN ELEVATION/
supply 600 km DEPRESSION +17'/ - 4'

Status: Production proba bly complete. In service with Manufacturer: Chinese state arsenals. Enquiries to China
Albania, China, Congo, Iran, Iraq, Ka mpuchea, North North Industries Corporation, 7A, Yuetan Nanjie, Beijing,
Korea, Pakista n, Sudan, T a nzania, Vietnam, Zaire, Zamb ia People's Republic of.China.
a nd Zimbabwe.

FRANCE
Engin Principal de Combat
Development
In December 1982, following the collapse of the French/ Wes t
Germ a n MBT project, th e French prime minister advised
Parlia ment that studies would begin in 1983 for a successor to
th e current AMX-30 and AMX-30 B2 MBTs used by the
French Army . At the same time he stated that Fra nce was
read y to consider proposals by other European pa rtners for
such a n MBT.
Proj ect d efinition on th e Engin Principal de Combat
(EPC) was completed by the Atelier de Construction d'Issy-
les-Mou linea ux in 1985 and by that time five test rigs were
already being used in component d evelopment, one for th e
suspens ion, three for automotive trials a nd the fifth for the
wea pon system.
It is expected that six EPC prototypes will be built, th e first
being completed in 1989. Production should start at the
Atelier d e Construction Roanne in 1991 and first production
tanks completed in 1992 . The new ta nk is not expected to be
rel eased for expo rt unti l th e mid-1 990s.
Description
The EPC will have a conventional layout with th e driver at
th e front, turret in th e centre and engine and transmission a t
rea r. The turret wi ll have a low profile a nd an automatic
load er in the bustle. The commander will sit on th e right and
the gunner on the left, both wi ll be ab le to aim and fire the
ma in arma ment. Turret traverse and wea pon elevation will
be electri c with ma nual co ntrols for emergency use. Gun
elevation will be + 18° and depress ion - 8°.
The EPC wi ll be powered by a Poya ud V8X-1500 Hyper-
bar diesel developing 1500 hp coupled to a SOMA Minerva
ESM 500 tra nsm iss ion with four forw a rd and two reverse
gears and a hyd rostatic transmission. An a uxilia ry power
unit wi ll be fitt ed to allow th e main engine to be shut down if
required . With a maximum combat weig ht of 50 tonnes the
EPC would have a power-to-weight ratio of 31 hp/ tonn e,
more th a n a ny MBT in service today, including the Leopard
2 and the M I.
The suspension will be hydro-pneum a ti c with six road
wheels either side, th e idler at the front a nd drive sprocket a t
the rear.
Main a rma ment of th e EPC wi ll be a n improved 120 mm
smooth-bore gun firing both French and Wes t German
ammunition with combustible cartridge cases. The ba rrel
wi ll be th e same length as that of th e 120 mm smooth-gun
fitted to th e AMX-40 MBT but will have a shorter recoil and
a new breech for a higher mu zzle velocity. An APFSDS round
with a long rod penetra tor would have a mu zzle velocity of
between 1700 and 1750 metres a second. A HEAT round
with an anti-helicopter ca pability has a lso been mentioned.
The wea pon wi ll be fed by a n a utom atic loader holding 20

14
round s so enab lillg the ta nk crew to be redu ced to th ree,
co mm a nder, g un.n er a nd d rive r.
A 12.7 mm mac hine g un wi ll be mounted coaxially with
the ma in a rm a ment but this will no t have independ ent eleva-
tion as on th e ea'r1i er AMX-40/ AMX-32 a nd AMX-30. A
7.62 mm a nti-a ircraft machine g un wi ll be mo unted on th e
turret roof a nd co uld be used by th e comm a nd er or gunn er.
The fire-co ntro l sys tem wi ll includ e a modu la r th erma l
imag ing ca mera developed by SAT/ TRT . Sights fo r the
comm a nd er a nd g unn er will be by SF I M a nd have a day/
night ca pa b ility.
The ta nk will have a bas ic s teel a rmo ur shell to which wi ll
be add ed a layer of reactive a rmour whi ch will react wh en hit
by HEAT a nd oth er proj ec ti les. This type of a rmour is
alread y in service with the Israe li Arm y fi tted on M 60 a nd
C enturion seri es MBTs. I ncreased protection will a lso be
give n to th e ta nk aga ins t top effec t weapons. With such a hig h
power-to-we ig ht ra tio th e EPC wi ll be able to acce pt addI-
tion a l a rm our, ifreq ui red , wit hout d ecreasing th e ra ti o to a n
unacce pta ble d egree.
L ike th e AMX-30 series, the EPC wi ll have a n NBC sys-
tem a nd the a bili ty to be fi tted with a snorkel for deep ford ing.
Status: D evelop ment.
Manufacturer: When placed in produ ction th e EPC wi ll be
ma nufac tured by th e Atelier d e Co ns tru ction Roann e
(ARE ). Enqu iri es to Groupement Indus triel des Arm ements
T erres tres (GI AT ), 10 place G C le mencea u, 922 11 Sa int-
C loud, Fra nce.
AMX-40 Main Battle Tank
Development <
The AMX-40 MBT has been d esigned by th e Atelier de
C onstru cti on d ' Issy-les-Mouli neaux specifi citl ly for th e
ex po rt ma rket, with th e first pro totype co mp leted in 1983 a nd
first shown a t th e 1983 Sa tory Ex hi bition . By la te 1984 three
prototypes of th e AMX-40 had bee n comp leted , the fo urth
prototype was co mp leted in 1985.
Whereas th e A MX-32 was essen tia ll y a n upgrad ed
AMX-30 wit h a lower power-to-weight ra ti o, th e AMX- 40 is
a new ve hicl e a nd offers sig nifi cant ad va ntages ove r th e
Main co mponents of AM X-40 MBT
(1) night-vision ca mera (2) smoke dischargers (3) gunner's
telescope M58 1 (4) g unner's panel (6) AA52 machine gun
(7) tank commander's tv mon itor (8) tank commander's pane l
(9) tank command er's telescope M496 (10) cupo la
(11) commander's stab il ised sig ht M527 (12) radi os (13) NBC
compartm ent (14) north sensor (15) veh ic le tool chest (16) air
supply dust extractor (17) rad iator (engin e cooling)
(18) hydrauli c mechanism box (19) airfilter( cyc lon es and paper
fi lters) (20) anti-blast wa ll (21) extraction loading aid (22) skirts
(23) loader's panel (24) loader's seat (25) tank commander's
seat (26) lateral vehic le too l chests (27) gunner's seat
(28) servomechan ism electronics (29) instrument panel
(30) driver's seat (31) gear shift (32) steering wheel (33) 20 mm
gun with super-elevation device (34) hull ammunition magazine
(35) 120 mm gu n (36) protection bays (37) conn ector-fitted track
15

Front view of AMX-40 MBT with turret traversed to front and
driver's hatch closed (GIAT)
earli er lank in th e key a reas of armour protecti on , mobility
and fir epower. As th e AMX- 32 is only offered now with a
105 mm gun the AMX-40 is th e onl y French export MBT
with a 120 mm gun , a furth er d evelopment of which will be
th e ma in a rmament of th e EPC MBT which will enter service
with th e French Army in th e 1990s. The AMX-40 has
alread y been offered to Spain which has previously manu-
fact ured th e AMX-30 under licence for th e Spanish Army.
Description
T he layout of th e AM X -40 is similar to th e AMX-3 2's with
th e driver's compartment at th e front, turret in the centre and
engine and transmission at th e rear. Protection is provid ed
against infantry anti-ta nk weapons and tank rounds up to
100 mm in calibre over th e fronta l arc by laminate type
armour.
The driver sits on th e left a nd has a single-piece ha tch
cover and three forw ard fac ing periscopes, one of which is
integral with th e ha tch cover. The centre periscope can be
replaced by an image intensifi cati on periscope for night driv-
ing. T o the right of th e dri ver is some 120 mm ammunition
stowage.
The turret is similar to that of th e AMX-32 with th e
commander sitting on the right side and the gunner forw ard
and below him. The commander's cupola can be traversed
through a full 360 degrees, has a single-piece hatch cove r,
eight periscopes for all-round observation and a gyro-
sta bilised SFIM M5 27 sight mounted on th e left side of th e
cupola roof. This can be used for ta rget acquisition, laying of
main a rm ament a nd for observation, a nd has a magnification
of x 2 a nd x S in th e day mode and X I in th e night mode.
The AMX-40 is fitted with th e integrated COTAC fire-
control system also fitt ed in th e AMX-32 and AMX-30 B2
MBTs and fully describ ed in th e la tter entry. Mounted on the
right side of the mantlet (on th e AMX-32 on the left) is th e
DI VT 13A Thomson-CSF LLL TV camera which moves in
elevation with th e main arm a ment. This passive system, with
both th e commander and gunner provided with a monitor
screen, enables th e AMX- 40 to engage targets between 1000
and 2000 metres away, depending on the environmenta l
conditions, with the same acc uracy as in daylight. The com-
mander also has a roof-mounted M496 sight with a
magnifi cation of XS.
\6
The gunn er has an APX M 5S 1 sight with a magnifi cation
of X 10 and an M 550/ TCV 80 laser rangefind er with a maxi-
mum range of! 0000 metres. In addition th e gunn er has two
roo f-mounted periscopes for observa ti on.
The loader sits on th e left of th e turret and has a single-
p.iece hatch cover opening to th e rear and three perisco pes,
th e ones to his front and rear are turnta ble mounted. In the
left side of th e hull is a n a mmunition res upply hatch. Stowage
bas kets are provided on either side of th e turret and at the
rear are a stowage box and bas ket.
The AMX-40 is powered by a Poyaud V 12X 12-cylinder
di esel developing 1100 hp coupled to a Wes t Germ an ZF
transmission; on produ cti on vehicles this would be replaced
by the French ESM 500 a utoma tic transmiss ion which has
also been selected for th e EPC.
Suspension is of th e torsion ba r type with six dual rubber-
tyred road wheels, idler at th e front, dri ve sprocket at th e rear
and track return rollers. T he tracks are wider .than th ose of
th e AMX-32 and AMX-30 MBTs and can be fitted with
grousers if required , th ese being carried on th e top of th e
glacis pl ate to th e right of th e dri ver's position. The front two
road wheel sta tions have improved M ess ier dampers. The
upper pa rts of th e tracks are covered by armoured skirts th at
hinge upwa rds to allow access to th e engine for maintena nce.
T he skirts over the front fo ur road wheels are much thi cker
th an the rema inder as th ese provide la tera l pro tection for th e
crew compartment.
M ain arma ment of the AM X-40 is a 120 mm smooth-bore
gun which fires fix ed ammunition with a combustible car-
tridge case. An assisted loading d evice is installed which
ena bles ammunition to be loaded into th e breech while the
tank is moving or stati onary. The 120 mm smooth-bore gun
can fire APFSDS-T, APFSDS-T (practi ce), or HEAT
multi-purpose rounds .
A 20 mm F2 cannon is mounted coaxia ll y to the left of th e
main a rm ament and has independent elevati on from - S
d egrees to + 40 degrees to enabl e it to be used against slow-
Aying aircraft. A 7. 62 mm machine gun with a whit6 light
searchlight is mounted on the r ight side of the tank comman-
der's cupola. Mounted either side of the forward part of th e
turret is a bank of three electri cally-operated smoke dis-
chargers firing forwa rds.
Of the 35 rounds of ammunition carri ed for th e main
arma ment, 21 are in th e hull front to th e right of the dri ve r,
AMX-40 MBT from rear showing side skirts which provide
additional armour protection to forward part of vehicle (GIAT)
 of the crew and when in position enables the tank to prepare
its own fire position so reducing immediate requirements for
engineer support.
As an alternative to the normal electrically-operated
smoke dischargers either side of the turret, tl1!! AMX-40 can
also be fi tted with the G IA T ILacroix Galix protection sys-
tem. This can launch three types of grenade, fragmentation,
smoke and decoy.

SPECIFICATIONS

CREW 4
COMBAT WEIGHT 43000 kg
POWER-TO-WEIGHT
RATIO 25 hp/tonne
GROUND PRESSURE 0.89 kg/cm'
LENGTH GUN
FORWARDS 10.04 m
LENGTH HULL 6.8 m
AMX-40 MBT with turret traversed to left and showing extensive WIDTH
external stowage on bustle. This vehicle has the Galix protection overall 3.36 m
over tracks 3.18 m
system fitted on forward part of turret (GIAT) HEIGHT
to turret roof 2.38 m
to commander's sight 3.08 m
GROUND CLEARANCE 0.45 m
TRACK WIDTH 570 mm
MAX ROAD SPEED 70 km/h
AVERAGE ROAD SPEED 55 km/h
AVERAGE CROSS-
COUNTRY SPEED 50 km/h
FUEL CAPACITY 11 00 litres
MAX RANGE 600 km
with long-range fuel
tanks 850 km
FORDING
without preparation 1.3m
with preparation 2.3 m
with snorkel 4m
GRADIENT 70%
SIDE SLOPE 30%
VERTICAL OBSTACLE 1m
TRENCH 3.2 m
ENG INE Poyaud V12X 12-cylinder
diesel developing 1100 hpat
2500 rpm
Latest prototype of the AMX-40 MBT with commande r's hatch TRANSMISSION ZF automatic
open (G IAT) STEERING hydrostatic
SUSPENSION torsion bar
ELECTR ICAL SYSTEM 24 V
ARMAMENT
two drums each with five rounds and two separate racks of main 1 x 120mm
coaxial 1 x 20 mm cannon
two rounds each are in the turret bustle with armour protec- anti-aircraft 1 x 7.62mm MG
tion between them and the crew. smoke dischargers 2x3
Standard equipment for the AMX-40 includes a fire- AMMUNITION
main 37
extinguishing system for both crew and engine compart- coaxial 578
ments, emergency escape hatch to rear of driver's position , anti-aircraft 2250
NBC pack, faci lity to inject diesel fuel into the exhaust to lay a
smoke screen and built-in test equipment (BITE).
Status: Prototypes.
The fourth prototype of the AMX-40 MBT made its first
appearance in] une 1985 and was expected to go to Egypt for
Manufacturer: If and when placed in production the
trials late in 1985. The fourth prototype has been designe!i
AMX-40 will be manufactured by the Atelier de Construc-
specifically for hot climates and can operate in temperatures
tion Roanne. (ARE) .
of up to 50 degrees Centigrade without any degradation in
Enquiries to Groupement Industriel des Armements Ter-
performance.
restres (GIAT), 10 placeG Clemenceau, 922 11 Saint-C loud,
The fuel tanks of the AMX-40 contain 1100 litres of fuel ,
France.
sufficient for 600 km. This can be extended by two long-range
fuel drums mounted at the rear which can be quickly
jettisoned by the driver. The AMX-40 shown at Satory in
June 1985 was fitted with one long-range fuel tank and AMX-32 Main Battle Tank
another drum containing a further seven rounds of 120 mm
ammunition. Depending on the tactical situation, the Development
AMX-40 wou ld carry two drums of fue l or two drums of The AMX-32 has been developed from 1975 by the ARE
ammunition, or one of each . specificall y for the export market with the first prototype,
Mounted under the nose of the fourth AMX-40 prototype armed with the same 105 mm gun CN-105-F I as the
is a sectionalised dozer blade that is released manually by one AMX-30 MBT completed in 1979.

17

Second prototype of AMX-32 MBTwhich was first shown in June
1981. Th is photograph clearly shows the new side skirt which
provides increased lateral protection (GIAT)
T he second prototype, shown for the first time in June
1981 , has a redesigned turret and hull incorporating laminate
armour, new mantlet, no searchlight, repositioned DI VT 13
([rom the right to the left side of the main armament )
and redesigned track; these and other improvements
have increased the weight of the AMX-32 from 38000 to
40000 kg.
The second prototype of the AMX-32 was armed with a
120 mm gun but early in 1983 it was announ ced that this was
no longer being oITered although it is available for the
AMX-40. Four prototypes of the AMX-32 have been built
and one of which has been demonstrated in the Midd le East.
The commander's cupola, designated the TOP 7 VS, is
fixed, whereas the TOP 7 cupola on the AMX-30 B2 and the
basic AMX-30 can be traversed through a fu ll 360 degrees.
The 7.62 mm mach ine gun can be aimed and fired by the
tank commander from inside his cupola as the weapon is
mounted externa lly an d rotates by itself a round the cupola.
Mounted in the roof of the commander's cupola, on the left
side, is a gyro stabilised SFIM M527 sight which gives the
commander all-round observation and a llows him to a im and
fire th e mai n armament, even when moving across country.
The commander can also designate the target for the gunner
and th en resume his role of tank commander. The M527 has
a day mode (with a magnification of x2 or X8) and a. night
mod e (with a magnification of X I), the com mander's cu pola
also has eight periscopes for a ll- round observation.
Mounted on the left of the mantlet is a 01 VT l 3A
Thomson-CSF LLL TV camera which moves in elevation
with the main armament, th is is the same model as installed
on the AMX-30 B2 and the AMX-IORC.
This passive system enables the AMX-32 to engage targets
between 1000 and 2000 metres away, depending on th e
environmental conditions, with the same degree of accuracy
as in daylight.
The system consists of three ma in components, a tv
camera, monitors and a control unit.
Second prototype of AMX-32 MBT with redesigned hull front
(G IAT)

Description
The layout of the AMX-32 is a lmost identical to the AMX-30
described in the following entry but with major improve-
ments in the areas of fire-control, mobility a nd armour
protection .

Armament/ammunition
Main a rmament of the AMX-32 is id entical to the AMx-30
which is fully described in the next entry as is its range of
GIAT produced ammu nition.
Mounted to the left of the main arma ment is a 20 mm
Front view of second prototype of AMX-32 showing redesigned
M693 (F2) cannon which can be elevated independently to
hull front and turret (GIAT)
+40 degrees or linked to the main armame nt. A total of 480
rounds of ammu nition are carried for this weapon of wh ich
230 are for ready use. A 7.62 mm machine gun is mounted on
the right side of the commander's cupola with a total of2 150
rounds of am munition of which 650 are for ready use.
Mounted either side of the forward part of th e turret are
three electrica ll y-operated smoke dischargers firing for-
wards. An ammunition resupply hatch is provided in the left
side of the turret. At the rear of the turret on th e left is a
stowage box, on the right si de is a stowage basket. The
AMX-32 MBT has an NBC system fitted as standard, the
filters being changed from outside the vehicle.

Fire-control
The integrated COTAC fire-contro l system is a furth er
development of th e system installed in th e AMX-IORC
(6 X 6) reconn aissance ve hicle wh ich is in service with
France and Morocco.

18

The CC8A tv camera has a Thomson-CSF 25 mm
diameter supernocticon image tube and gives a 4° X 5° 30/
field of view with 625 lines and 50 images per half second . The
commander and gunner each have a RR 107 C tv monitor
with an II cm screen . On each of these screens th e observed
and aiming axes a re displayed, th e latter in th e form of a
single electronic graticule a utoma ticall y positioned by th e
fire-control computer. The BC 458 B control unit is operated
by th e tank comm ander and provides boresighting and
introduction of firin g corrections.
The gunner has an APX M58 1 te lescope with a
magnifi cati on of X 10 and an M 550/ TCV 80 lase r range-
finder with a maximum range of 10000 metres and a n accu-
racy of ± 5 metres. The fire-control sys tem also takes into
account the foll owing parameters: target elevation and
trave rse speed, slant, outside tem peratu re, wind speed ,
altitude and a mmunition.
The fire-control system enables stationa ry or moving
targets to be engaged under day and night conditions over all
combat ranges with a 90 per cen t hit probability.
The gunner has a roof-m ounted periscope while th e loader
has three periscopes; the front and rear ones are turntable-
mounted and th e side one is fixed .
Mobility
The AMX-32 can be fitted with the same H S 110-2 700 hp
engine as installed in th e AMX-30 or th e more recent HS
llO-S2 cooled super-ch arged engine developing 800 hp. This
is coupled to th e ENC 200 gearbox with lock up torque
Second prototype of AMX-32 MBT showing main components
(1) elevation sensor (2) gunner's telescope M581 (3) gunner's
panel (4) gunner's tv monitor (5) gun gyro-accelerometer box (6)
tank commander's tv monitor (7) tank commander's panel (8)
turret gyro-accelerometer box (9) cupola (10) tank commander's
telescope M527 (11) radio-sets (12) NBC compartment (13) flux
valve (14) case (15) radiator (engine cooling) (16) oil cooler
(gearbox coo ling) (17) mechanism box (18) air supply dust
remover (19) air filter (cyclones and paper filters) (20) loade r's
seat (21) tank commander's seat (22) gunner's seat (23) gyro box
(24) system electron ics box (25) tv camera 01 VT 13 (26) driver's
seat (27) reverser control (28) steering wheel (29) gear s hifting
station (30) 20 mm gun with supere levation device (31) main gun
(105 mm) (32) connector-fitted track (GIAT)
converter with five forward and one reverse gears and
hyd ros tat ic steering.
Suspension is similar to th e AMX-30 but th e to rs ion bars,
shock abso rbers an d bump stops have been strengthened to
take acco unt of the improved mobili ty.
Protection
The hull and turret are a combina tion of spaced armour,
conven ti onal armour a nd composite armour, with maximum
possible protection being provided over the frontal arc of th e
tank. Side skirts protect the upper part of th e s uspension and
th ese hinge upwards through 180 d egrees to give access to th e
suspension for maintenance.
19
Second prototype of AMX-32 MBT showing commander's cupola with externally mounted 7.62 mm MG and SFIM M527 stabil ised
periscopic sight (G IAT)

Optional equipment
This includes an air-conditioning system, fir e-extinguishing
system , ex haust-type smoke generator an d connector-type
tracks (basic equipment) or meta l tracks.

SPECIFICATIONS GRADIENT 60% AMMUNITION

SIDE SLOPE 30% main 47
CREW 4 VERTICAL OBSTACLE 0.9 m coaxia l 480
COMBAT WEIGHT 39000 kg TRENCH 2.9 m anti-ai rcraft 2150
UNLOADED WEIGHT 37000 kg ENGINE Hispano-Suiza HS 110 GUN CONTROL
POWER-TO-WEIGHT (see text) 12-cyli nder. water-cooled EQUIPMENT
RATIO 17.94 hp/tonne super-charged multi-fuel Turret power control electrO-hydrauli c with
GROUND PRESSURE 0.9 kg/cm' developing 700 hp at manual controls
LENGTH GUN 2400 rpm by commander yes
FORWARDS 9.45 m TRANSMISSION Minerva ENC 200 by gunner yes
LENGTH HULL 6.59 m (see text) comprising hydrauliC torque commander's override yes
WIDTH 3.24 m converter,S speed gearbox, Commander's fi reo
HEIGHT 2.96 m forward/reverse lever and control override yes
turret roof 2.29 m hydrostatic steering system Gun elevation/depression
GROUND CLEARANCE 0.45 m STEERING TYPE double differential main armament +20·/- 8·
TRACK WIDTH 510 or 570 mm STEERING CONTROL hydrostatiC. infinitely coaxial cannon +40·/- 8·
LENGTH OF TRACK ON varia ble AA MG +45·/ - 10·
GROUND 3.84 m SUSPENSION torsion bar Max rate power
MAX ROAD SPEED WHEEL TRAVEL traverse 360· in 12- 13 s
1st gear 10 'km/h bump 180mm Max rate power
2nd gear 17 km/h rebound 100 mm elevation 5.5·/ 1 s
3rd gear 26 km/h ARMAMENT Gun stabili ser
4th gear 42 km/h main l x 105mm vertica l no
5th gear 65 km/h coaxial 1 x 20 mm cannon horizon tal no
ROAD RANGE 530 km anti-aircraft 1 x 7.62 mm MG Elevation quadrant yes
FORDING 1.3m SMOKE-LAYING Traverse indicator yes
with preparation 2.2 m EQUIPMENT 3 smoke di schargers either
with snorkel 4m side of turret

Status: Demonstration prototypes . Not yet in production.
Manufacturer: When placed in production the AMX-32
wou ld be manufactured by Atelier de Construction Ro a nne
(A RE).
Enquiries to Groupement Industriel· d es Armements
Terrestres (GIAT), 10 place G C lemencea u, 92211 Saint-
Cloud , France.

20
AMX-30 Main Battle Tank
Development
In 1956 a joint French, Wes t German and Ita lia n require-
ment was drawn up for a European Main Battle Tank which
would be well-a rm ed, lighter a nd more mobile than ta nks in
service at tha t time such as the American M47/M48 and
British Centurion tan ks.
In 1958 France and West Germany started design work on
their respective tanks of which it was expected that one ta nk
would be selected for production. Prototypes built by both
countries were tested in 1963 at M ailly-de-Camp, Bourges
and Satory in France and at the Meppen ranges in Wes t
Germany. But in the end Wes t Germany adopted th e
Leopard as it was la ter called, France the AMX-30, while
Italy chose th e American M60A l which was subsequently
built und er li cence in Italy by OTO M elara.
Desig n work was carried out on the AMX-30 at th e Atelier
de Construction d' I ssy.-l es-Mo ulineaux und er th e direction
of th e Directi on des Etud es et Fabrications d' Armement
(now Direction Technique des Armements Terrestres), with
the first two prototypes being completed in 1960. A furth er
seven prototypes built with the Hispano-Suiza HS 110 12-
cyli nd er multi-fue l engine which was also fi tted to prod uction
tan ks were completed early in 1963 a nd in Ju ly of th at year
th e tank was adopted by the French Army as th e rep lacement
for its' American-supplied M 47 tanks. Before prod uction
began two pre-production ta nks were built.
Produ ction of th e AMX-30 began in 1966 at th e Atelier de
Construction Roanne (ARE ) which had previousl y been
building the AMX- 13 light tank, production of which was
transferred to Creusot-Loire to ena ble the factory to concen-
trate on th e AMX-30. It was a lso produced und er licence in
Spain, additional deta ils of Span ish AMX-30 prod ucti on are
given und er Spain in the second part of this book. As of May
1985 a total of 1900 AMX-30 and 190 AMX-30 B2 MBTs
had bee n bu il t.
Description
The hull of th e AMX-30 is made of roll ed steel plates weld ed
togeth er. It is divided into three compartments: driver's at
the front, fighting in the centre a nd th e engin e at th e rea r.
The d ri ver is seated a t the front of th e ve hicle on the left
with a single-piece hatch cover openin g to the left and three
periscopes. The centre periscope, depending on th e model of
th e ta nk, can be either a day periscope which can be replaced
by an infra-red or image intensifi cati on night periscope
(Thomson-CSF TH 9478), or a SOPELEM OB-1 6-A peri-
scope. This has a binocula r system for infra-red light by ni ght
and a monocula r sys tem for day dri ving. The in fra-red sys-
tem has a magnification of X I a nd a 35-degree fie ld of view
AMX-30 MBT
AMX-30 MBT with coaxia l 20 mm cannon elevated
independently of 105 mm gun (GIAT)
a nd the day sys te m has a similar magnifi cation and a 24-
d egree fi eld of view.
T he other three crew members are seated in the turret with
the commander a nd gunn er on the rig ht and the loader, who
also opera tes th e radio, on the left. The commander's cupol a
is a TOP 7 with ten periscopes for all- round vision a nd a
single-piece ha tch cover open ing to th e rea r. Mounted on th e
forward part of th e commander's cupola is a SOPELEM M
270 prism head . T his comprises a n armoured ho using and a
thi ck glass behind which is a prism, swivel.ling in elevation
a nd refl ecting th e image of th e terrain towards the M 267 day
sight or th e OB-23-A infra-red telescope (magnifi cation x4,
9-degree fi eld of view), th e obj ect lenses of which fit in its
lower part. On th e right of th e prism is a swivelling arm
which supports th e 7.62 mm machine gun a nd its PH-9-A
infra-red searchlig ht which has a 500-metre range when
being us ed in the infra-red mode a nd a 700-metre range in the
white light mod e. The wea pon can be eleva ted from -10 to
+ 45 degrees by a ha ndwh eel in the turret roof. The prism
may a lso be used to a im the coaxial 20 mm cannon, in which
case the head (of the prism ) is electrically servo-controlled by
the elevation swivel of th e 20 mm cannon. T he M 270 has a
magnifi cation of x 10 and allows the ta nk commander to
locate a nd id entify targets and bring the turret to bear onto
th e target. The tank comma nd er also operates th e
SOPELEM M 208 ra ngefind er which can be used either as a
telesco pe with a magnifi cation of X6 and a range of 600 to
3500 metres or by mea ns of a superim posed image when it
has a magnification of X 12 and a simila r range.
Mounted on the left side of th e turret, coaxial with the
main a rm a ment, is a SOPELEM PH-8-B searchlight, which
has a maximum ra nge of2000 metres when used in th e white
21
,
-1
light mod e and a range of I 000 metres in th e infra-red mod e.
The gunner, who is seated below and in front of the com-
mander, has a n M 271 day sight with a magnifica tion of X8
whi ch can be changed for a n OB-17-A sight. This is mounted
in the roof of the turret a nd has a luminous graticule,
magnification of x5.4 and a 7-degree fie ld of view. When
used with the PH-8-B infra-red search light it has a range of
800 metres. The gunner also has two periscopes.
The loader is seated on the left of th e turret a nd is provided
with a single-piece ha tch cover that opens to th e rear and two
periscopes. A small circular hatch in th e left side of th e turret
is used for replenishing ammunition and ejecting spent car-
tridge cases manually.
The engine is to the immedi a te rear of th e ' bulkhead
sepa rati ng the engin e compartment from the fighting com-
partment. The Hispano-Suiza HS 110 engine is manufac-
tured by Rena ult, and operates on oil, petrol or paraffin. The
engin e is wa ter- cooled and air is dra wn in above the chassis in
the rear pa rt of th e tank a nd blown down throug h the
radiator by a fa n driven by the engin e. The speed of the fan is
governed by th e water temperature.
The complete powerpack, comprising th e engine, co m-
bined gearbox and stee ring unit, and clutch assembly ca n be
removed in 45 minutes by a three-man tea m. The powerp ack
can also be run outside th e tank before insta llation.
The transmission consists of an a utomatic clutch, com-
bined gearbox and steering unit, brakes and two final drives.
In the basic version the centrifugal type clutch is activated
electrically by the gear shift lever; a non-synchronised
reverser enables the same number of gears to be engaged in
reverse as forwards. The combined gearbox a nd steering
mechanism contains the mechanically-operated gearbox giv-
ing five speeds both forwards and in reve rse and a triple
differential steering system.
The brakes are hydraulically operated a nd are used as
both service and parking bra kes. Each final drive comprises
spur-type right-angl e gears and a n epicyclic gear train .
The torsion bar suspension consists of fiv e rubb er-tyred
twin road wheels with the idler at the front a nd th e drive
sprocket at th e rear. There are fiv e track return rollers which
support the inside of the track only. The first, second, fourth
and fifth road wheels are mounted on bogies and the first and
fifth road wheels are provided with hydra ulic shock a bsor-
bers . The centrally-guided steel track has removabl e rubber
AMX-30 MBT of French Army with all hatches c losed . This
particular vehicle is not fitted with the infra-red/white searchlight
to left of 105 mm gun (GIAT)
22
Rear view of AMX-30 MBT showing turret bustle (G IAT)
pads and each track weighs 1580 kg. When new it has 83
links.
The AMX-30 can ford to a maximum depth of 1.3 metres
without preparation a nd 2 met res with preparation . When
deeper rivers are enco untered a snorkel is erec ted over the
loader's ha tch. Two types of snorkel are avai la ble, a wide one
for training and a mu ch thinn er one for operations, ie similar
in co ncept to th e Soviet snorkels fitted to th e T-54/T-55 and
T -62 MBTs. Before entering th e wa ter a ring is infl a ted
around th e turret, mantlet and cupol a using the electrically-
driven compressor, a nd two blanking pla tes are fitt ed over
the engin e compartment louvres; these are carri ed on the
right side of the glacis plate when not in use.
Sta nd ard equipment on all AMX-30s includes a battery-
opera ted electri c pump for refu elling and a lubricating pump
using th e tank's co mpressed air circuit. The power receptacle
in th e driver' s co mpartm ent can be used for recharging th e
ta nk' s batteries from another tank, a nd also for supplying th e
elec tric pump us ed for refu elling. The ta nk is a lso equipped
with an NBC sys tem, heater, automatic fire a larm system,
radios, crew interco m system a nd a n infa ntry telephone at
th e rea r.
Main a rma ment of th e AMX-30 is a 105 mm rifl ed gun
d esignated the CN-I 05-F I with a length of 56 calibres. The
gun does not have a mu zzle bra ke or a fum e ex tractor but is
fitted with a magnesium alloy thermal sleeve. A co mpressed
air syste m removes a ny fumes from th e barrel. The recoil
sys tem consists of two diametricall y-opposed hydraulic
bra kes and an oleo-pneumatic recupera tor for co unter-recoil
of th e barrel.
The 105 mm gun can fire HEAT, HE, phosp horous smoke
or illuminating rounds of a French ,desig n and can also fir e
sta nda rd 105 mm ammunition as used with th e L7 seri es of
weapons mounted in the Leopard I a nd M60 series ofMBTs.
The HEAT round is known as th e Obus it Charge Creuse
de 105 mm Modele F I, or OCC 105 F I or Obus G for sho rt.
It has been demonst rated that up to a range of3000 metres a
75 per cent hit probability can be achievec\, increasing to over
90 per cent a t 2500 metres. The proj ectil e has a very small
dispersion and the wea pon has m ax imum s ta ted rate offire of
eight rounds per minute.
The HE shell has an effective range of3500 metres in direct
fire and with th e gun elevated to +20 degrees a maximum
DESIGNATION (NATOj APFSDS· HEATt HE* Smoke illum inat ing
(French) OBUS FLECHE OCC(OBUSA) OC OBUS Fumigene OBUS Ec lairant
Incendiare

WEIGHT OF COMPLETE ROUND 17.1 kg 22 kg 20.8 kg 21.7 kg 17.8 kg

WEIGHT OF PROJECTILE 5.8 kg 10.95 kg 12.1 kg 12.77 kg 11.7 kg
WEIGHT OF FILLING n/app 0.78 kg 2 kg 1.77 kg 0.46 kg
TYPE OF FILLING n/app Hexolile HE WP illuminant
LENGTH OF PROJECTILE 541 .5 mm 465 mm 444 mm 444 mm 444 mm
MUZZLE VELOCITY 1525 m/s 1000 m/s 700 m/s 695 m/s 20 m/s

• Sub-projectil e weighs 3.8 kg, wi ll penelrate 150 mm 01 armour at an incidence of 60· at range of 5000 m
t Practice ve rsion is SCC. OCC will penetrale 400 mm of armour at O· and 150 mm of arm our a165·
* Practice ve rsion is PLPN

range of II 000 metres ca n be achieved. Other rounds avai l- g un was mounted to the left of th e ma in ar mament. This was
able include a phosphorous smoke incendiary a nd an provided with 600 rounds of ammunition.
illumin at ing round which wi ll illuminate a circle 800 metres
in diameter for 35 seconds. T he la test round to enter produc- AMX-30 MBT with tu rret traversed to rea r. Tank tra nsporter being
used is Tide lium 40 Amp li ro ll T 40 A (GIAT)
tion for the F rench Army is th e G IA T APFSDS. Bas ic
specifications of th e 105 mm rounds a re li sted above.
A total of47 ro unds of 105 mm ammun ition is carried of
whi ch 19 are in the turret ( 18 in the bustle) and 28 in the hull
to the right of th e driver.
Mounted to th e left of the main a rm am ent is a 20 mm
Model F2 (Type M693) cannon , wh ich can be elevated with
th e main armament but can a lso be elevated on its ow n to a
maximum of + 40 degrees for use against s low-flying aircraft
and heli copters. T he ca nnon has a maximum effective range
of 1500 metres and ca n be fi red by the gun ner or the tank
commander. The 20 mm ca nnon ca n be either dual feed
(with HEr' rounds with a muzzle velocity of 1050 metres per
second and ar mou r-pi ercing rounds with a muzzle velocity of
1250 metres per second), or single feed firing American M56
type ammunition. A total of 500 rounds of ready use am mu-
nition is carri ed with a further 550 rounds held in reserve.
When origina ll y int roduced into service a 12.7 mm machine

AMX-30 with thin snorkel entering river showi ng stowage space for snorke l on hul l rear (ECP Armees)

---- - ~
23
 AMX-30 B2
The AMX-30 B2, announced in June 1979, is essentially a n
AMX-30 with an integrated fire-contro l system based on a
laser rangefinder and an LLLTV system, new gearbox and
other improvements. The French Army ordered 50 vehicles
in both the 1981 and 1982 defence budgets and fi rst deliveries
were made to the 503rd Regiment at Mourmelon in J anuary
1982. The French Army is expected to take delivery of some
271 AMX-30 B2 MBTs. In add ition, 693 AMX-30s will be
converted to the AMX-30 B2 configuration. Between 1984
and 1988 it is expected that 5 11 modernised AMX-30 B2
tanks will have been delivered to the French Army with a
further 182 being delivered after 1988. Orders were for 182
conversions in 1984-85 and 273 for the period 1986-1988.
GIAT is now offering the AMX-30 B2 conversion kit to
CILAS/SOPELEM M409 sight as fitted to AMX-30S with optical existing overseas users of the AMX-30.
sight on left and laser rangefinder on right The COTAC FCS, officiall y designated the APX M581,
has been designed by the AMX-APX in collaboration with
Mounted to the right of the commander's cupola is a the Ateliers de Construction de Tarbes.lts main components
7.62 mm Model F I machine gun which can be aimed and are the gunner' s APX M544 te lescopic sight which is com-
fired from within the cupola. The weapon has an elevation of bined with an APX M579 electronic control system and an
+45 degrees and a depression of -I 0 degrees. A total of2050 APX M421 optical module contain ing a computer-
rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition is carried of which 550 are
ready for immediate use. The empty cartridge cases are
The complete 105 mm APFSDS round (left) with the projectile and
automatically ejected outside the tank. Maximum effective sabot (right)
range of the 7.62 mm machine g un is quoted as 700 metres.
Two smoke dischargers mounted either side of the turret
can lay a smoke screen which will cover the tank in eight
seconds.
The hydrau lic aiming control system is a SAMM CH
27- IS with elevation controlled through a hydrau li c actuat-
ing cylind er/shock absorber and traverse controll ed through
a hydraulic motor. The gunner is provided with dual hand le
controls and the tank commander has a single handle control
which can also be used to overrid e the Runner.
A more simplified version of the AMX-30 was developed
for expo rt with no night vision or NBC system and the
commander's cupola replaced by an S 470 cupola with an
externall y-mounted 12.7 mm machine gun rather than a
7.62 mm machine gun as insta lled on French Army
AMX-30s, a nd the coaxial weapon a 7.62 mm machine gun
rather than a 12.7 mm machine gu n or a 20 mm cannon.
For trials an AMX-30 was fitted with the 142 mm ACRA
guided missile system, but this was subsequently cancelled,
not for technical reasons, but because of the high cost of th e
missile rounds.
It is expected that in the future the French Army's
AMX-30 MBT fleet will be fitted with additional armour
protection on turret front, sides and top.

AMX-30S
For desert operations th e AMX-30S has been developed with
the following modifications: the fi tting of sand shields, reduc-
tion in the ratios of the gearbox which limits its speed to
60 km/h and a n engine developing only 620 hp at 2400 rpm.
At least one foreign a rmy has adopted the AMX-30S and its
tanks are fitted with a CILAS/SOPELEM M 409 sight. This
has· a day sight with a magnification of X8 and an 8-degree
fiel d of view, infra-red night sight with a magnification of
X4.5 and a 10-degree fie ld of view and a laser rangefinder
with a range of between 400 and 10000 metres. This
development allows the tank commander to range onto a
target without having to traverse the turret. In add ition the
laser rangefinder increases the first-round hit probability.

24

The AMX-30S has been designed specifically to meet the
requirements of countries in the Middle East and is known to be
used by Saudi Arabia (GIAT)
AMX-30 B2 from front showing coaxial 20 mm cannon and the
amount of 105 mm , 20 mm and 7.62 mm ammunition carried
(Christopher F Foss)
controlled graticule. T he laser rangefi nder is th e APX M 550
and is made by C IL AS under th e designation TCV 80. I t has
a max imum range of 10 000 metres and is accura te to ± 5
metres. The SOPELEM telescopic sight has a magnifi cation
of X 10 and is directl y coupled to th e main armament. In
AMX-30 B2 MBT showing LLLTV came ra mounted exte rnall y to
the right of the mantlet (GIAT)
addi tion to th e M 58 1 rangefind er telescope the gunn er has a
ro ta ta ble M 282 perisco pe, a fix ed M223 periscope and a tv
moni to r ass ociated with an LLL TV monitor.
The C OT AC FCS also incorpora tes an accelerometer-
type trunni on tilt sensor and a con trol pan el. T he tank com-
mander manuall y inserts informa tion via th e control panel
concern ing th e ty pe of amm unition being fired , d rift and
jump a ngles, cross wind velocity, altitude and ambient te m-
perature. Apart from the ammunition informa tion , most of
this in fo rma tion has to be inserted only once a d ay. T o
determin e lead a ngles for the engagement of moving targets,
a two-axis gyroscope is mounted on the sight to meas ure
target tracking rates in both az imu th and elevation.
Oth er parameters are a utomati cally acq uired by th e gun-
ner's rangefind er telescope including target distance, its di s-
place ment speed in elevation and azimuth and turret sla nt.
T hese pa rameters are processed by a lead computer built into
the te lescope which trans mits th e elevation and azimuth
corrections to th e gunn er's day sight by means of an optical
compensator and the gra ti cule of the LLL T V camera for
engaging ta rgets a t night.
In addition to th e te n M 268 periscopes in his cupola th e
commander a lso has an M 496 telescope with a magnifica ti on
of X 8 for fi ring th e 105 mm gun, for the secondary arm a men t
(eg 20 mm cannon and 7.62 mm machine gun) and aiming
assembl y comp rising an M59 1-02 prism head and an O B 49
monocular telescope.
M ounted externa lly on th e right side of th e turret is th e
J"LL TV camera with both th e ta nk commander and gunner
being provided with a tv monitor screen. T he screens display
an aim ing mark which enables the commander or gunner to
engage ta rge ts at ranges of up to 1000 metres. Additiona l
details of this syste m are given in th e previous entry for the
AM X -32.
The loader has a ·rota ta ble M 282 periscope and two fixed
M223 periscopes with th e dri ver having a central M223
periscope (or an OB 3 1A image intensifi cati on perisco pe)
and two fixed M223 periscopes.
T he engine of th e AMX-30 B2 has been d eveloped from
that of the AM X -30 and develops 700 hp at 2600 rpm; a s an
option G IAT can offer a super-charged version wi th an ou t-
put of 800 hp.
Two differen t gearboxes are offered . Firs t the ENC 200
which is a gearbox of the lock-u p torqu e converter type with
AMX-30 ARV in travelling order with s pare engine on top of hull
(ECP Armees)
25
fi ve forward and reverse speeds and hyd rosta ti c steering
controlled by a conventional steering wheel instead of sti cks.
T hi s system allows on-the-spot turning and gear changing in
bends.
The second gearbox is th e 5 SD which is a furth er
development of that installed in th e AMX-30 with fi ve s peed s
with interlocked pneuma tic control.
The suspension uses new to rsion ba rs which give improved
cross-country mobi lity. As an option it is possible to fit th e
AMX- 30 B2 with connector tracks which are qu ieter and
offer less resistan ce th a n conventional tracks.
The AMX-30 B2 is a lso fitted with a new collecti ve
press urisation sys tem with two circuits, one with comp lete
fi ltrati on for improved NBC protecti on. Supplementary
armouring of th e turret front and sides is und er development.

Variants AMX-30 with Pluton tactica l nuc lear missi le system with missile
elevated into ready to launch position (ECP Armees)
AMX-30 Armoured Recovery Vehicl e
This is designated th e AM X -30D and is d esigned to ca rry out
three maj or tasks: th e recovery of disabled and da maged
vehicles, replacement of maj or components such as engines,
and engineer work. Equipment provided includes a
hydra ulically-opera ted dozer blad e at th e front of the hu ll
which is used to sta bilise the vehicle while th e crane is being
used or dur ing winching or for dozing. M ounted on th e right
side of th e ve hicle is a hydra uli c crane which can lift
12 000 kg through 240 d eg rees or 15 000 kg when being used
to the front of'th e vehicle. The main winch has a max imum
capaci ty of 35 000 kg and is provided with 100 metres of
34 mm d ia meter cable while th e a uxiliary winch has 3500 kg
capacity and is provided with 120 metres of 11 .2 mm di am-
eter cable. There are two va ri a nts of th e AMX-30D, th e
AMX-30DI which can lift a maximum load of 15 000 kg
through a full 240 d egrees ra th er th anjust to the front of th e
vehicle and th e AMX-30D (S) which is for desert opera ti ons
and has modifi cati ons simila r to those fitted to the AM X -30S AMX-30 Combat Eng ineer Tractor (EBG) usi ng its telescopic arm
MBT. The AMX-30D has a loaded weigh t of 38 000 kg and to remove a tree (G IAT)
norma lly carries a spare engin e a t th e rear.
long a nd wi ll span a ga p of up to 20 metres. The bridge
AMX-30 Bridgelayer is 3. 1 metres wide or 3.92 metres when fitted with widening
The AM X-30 bridgelayer is not in service with th e French panels. Weight is 42 500 kg with th e bridge and 34 000 kg
Arm y and is basically a n AMX-30 MBT with its turret without.
removed and replaced with a scissors type bridge which
is la un ched over th e rea r of th e hu ll in fi ve minutes. The Pluton Surface-to-surface Miss ile System
bridge is a cl ass 50 and when opened out is 22 metres This is th e AMX-30 chass is fitt ed with a la un cher sys tem for
th e Pluton tacti cal nuclear missile sys tem and is used on ly by
AMX-30 bridge layer in travelling order (ECP Armees) the French Army. The Pluton has a max imum range of
120 km and can be fitt ed with a tacti cal nu clear wa rh ead of
either 15 or 25 kt. The French Arm y has fi ve regiments of
Pluton, each of three batteries with each battery having two
la un chers.

AMX-30 Combat Engineer Tractor

The AMX-30 Co mba t Engineer Tractor, or Engin Blinde de
Gen ie, is being developed and will re place the AMX-1 3
VCG, at present us ed by th e French Arm y engin eers, in th e
late 1980s. By early 1985 two prototypes of th e EBG had been
bu il t but produ ction had ye t to comm enc.e.
The EBG is designed for use in forwa rd areas and is
equipped with a front-m ounted hydra uli call y operated dozer
blade which is fi tted with six scari fy ing teet h, hydra ul ic
winch with a max imum capacity of 20 000 kg, hydra ulic
PTO and a work ing arm pivo ted at th e front of th e hu ll on th e

26
right side. The a rm is used to lift obstacles out of the way a nd
can be fitted with pincers to remove tree tru nks (s imila r to
those fi tted to the Soviet I MR combat enginee r vehicle) o r an
auger which can bore 220 mm di a meter holes to a dept h of
three metres.
Arma ment consists ofa 7.62 mm machin e g un, four smoke
dischargers, la un ching tube for demo li tion charges and four
mine la unching tubes. The 142 mm demo lition charge has
four folding fins, weighs 17 kg of wh ich 10 kg is explos ive a nd
has a maximum ra nge of300 metres. Each of the four mine-
launching a rms has a tube containing fiv e 139 mm diameter
anti-tan k mines, each of wh ich weighs 2.34 kg and contains
0.7 kg of ex plos ive. T he vehicle has a three-man crew: th e
comma nd er, a sapper and a dri ver, max imum road speed of
65 km/ h and can ford to a depth of 2.5 metres witho ut
prepa ra tion or four metres with preparation .
Thomson-CSF acquisition unit for Shahine SAM system
AMX-30 MDR Flail Tank
Development of this vehicl e has now been stopped.

Roland .Anti-aircraft Missile System

The Euromissile a nti-a ircraft missile system based on a red e-
signed AMX-30 MBT chass is has two missiles in th e ready to
la un ch position with a furth er eight missiles being carri ed
inside th e hull ready for ra pid reloading, eg four missiles for
each la un cher arm.
The· French Army uses two versions of th e system, the
Roland 1 clear weath er system a nd th e Rola nd 2 all weat her
syste m. Roland is also used by a number of other co untries
including Argentina (less than 10 Shelter units), Brazil (four
on Ma rder chass is), Fra nce (on AMX-30 chass is), Iraq ( 15
Roland 2 on AMX-30 chass is), Wes t German y ( 144 on
Marder 2 chass is in service with Army, additional .shelter
mounted systems on ord er), US Army (on 6 X 6 tru ck chas-
sis). On order for Nigeri a ( 16 on AMX-30 chass is), J ord a n Thomson-CSF firing unit for Shahine SAM system with six
(20 fire units via Iraq), Venezuela (4 to 6 on AMX-30 chas- missiles in ready to launch position
sis) a nd Spain ( 18 fire units ord ered on AMX-30 chass is).

Shahine Anti -ai rcraft Missile System
This has been developed specifi call y for Saudi Arabia by
Thomson-CSF who developed the ea rli er Crotale SAM
based on a 4 x 4 wheeled chassis.
A typ ical battery consists of a n acqu isition unit and four
firing units . The form er has a surveillance radar and a n
a utoma tic information a nd threat evalua tion sys tem tha t
Roland 2 on AMX-30 chass is in travell ing configuration
allows up to 40 targets to be registered on the com pute r a nd
18 targets to be ha ndled simu lta neo usl y.
The firing unit has a triple-channel fire co ntrol radar a nd
can simu ltaneously g uid e two missiles to th e targe t. Six R460
missiles a re carri ed in the read y to launch position . The
Sha hine is only in service with Sa udi Arabia.
AMX-30 DCA twin 30 mm self-propelled
anti-ai rcraft gun
This is th e AMX-30 chass is fitted with a SAMM TG 230A
two-ma n turret armed with twin 30 mm canno n an d 53
were purchased by Saud i Arabia to provide close range pro-
tection for its Shah in e SAM systems under the designation
AMX-30 SA.
Each 30 mm cannon has 300 rounds of read y use am mu-
nition with 600 rounds being carried in reserve in th e hull.
Types of ammunition th a t can be fired by th e Hispano-Su iza
HSS-83 1A automatic cannon includ e SAPHEI/T, HEIIT,
HEI , TP/T a nd T P . For travelling the Thomson-CSF Green
Eye radar can be retracted into th e turret bustle.

AMX-30S Sabre twin 30 mm self-propelled

anti-aircraft gun
This has been develo ped by T homson-CSF a nd SAMM with
th e ass istance ofG IA T. It is based on th e AMX-30S chass is

27
 155 mm GeT self-prope lled howitzer (G IAT)

cal load would consist of36 HE plus six smoke or 30 HE , six

AMX-30S fitted with Sabre turret armed with twin 30 mm cannon
and th e turret is a further development of tha t installed on th e
DCA described previously, main difference being tha t th a t
Sabre has improved electronics and the turret is welded
instead of cast. This system is still at the prototype stage.
155 mm Ge T Self-propelled Howitzer
This is an AMX-30 chassis with its turret removed and
replaced by a new fully enclosed turret fitted with a 155 mm
howitzer. The latter has an elevation of +66 degrees, d epres-
sion of -4 degrees and turret traverse of360 degrees. A total
of 42 projectiles and 42 cartridge cases are carried in th e
turret rear arranged in seven racks of six cartridge cases.
V arious ammunition combinations are available but a typi-
smoke and six illuminating.
The gunner can select single shots or bursts of six rounds
and firing can continue until th e ammunition is ex ha usted .
Average rate of fire is eight rounds per minute when being
used in automatic mode. Range depends on the type of
ammunition being used, for example 155 mm Model 56 HE
has a maximum range of 21 800 metres and 155 mm
Thomson Brand t RAP has a range of 30 500 metres.
A 7.62 mm or 12 .7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun is
mounted on the turret roof and two smoke dischargers are
mounted on the forward part of the turret, below th e 155 mm
howitzer, firing forwards. The four man crew of th e GCT
consists of commander, gu nner, load er and driver.
The 155 mm GCT self-propell ed howitzer is in service
with France, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. It is normally employed
in batteries of six weapons.

SPECIFICATIONS
(specilications in square brackets relale to AMX-30 B2 MAX ROAD RANGE 50Q-{)00 140~50] km GUN CONTROL
where this differs from AMX-30) FORDfNG 1.3 m EQUIPMENT
with preparation 2.2 m Turret power control electro-hydraulic with
CREW 4 with snorkel 4m manual controls
COMBAT WEIGHT 36 000 [37 0001 kg GRADIENT 60% by commander yes
UNLOADED WEIGHT 34 000 [35 300] kg SIDE SLOPE 30% by gunner yes
POWER-TO-WEIGHT VERTICAL OBSTACLE 0.93 m commander's override yes
RATIO 20 [18.91 ] hpltonne TRENCH 2.9 m Commander's fire-
GROUND PRESSURE 0.77 [0.851 kg/cm' ENGINE Hi spano-Suiza HS 110 control overrid e yes
LENGTH GUN (see text) 12-cylinder, water-cooled Max rate of power
forwards 9.48 m super-charged multi-fuel traverse 360' in 12-13 s
rear 8.73 m developing 720 hp at Max rate of power
LENGTH HULL 6.59 m 2000 rpm elevation 5.5'/ 1 s
WIDTH 3.1 m AUXILIARY ENGINE none Main armament elevation/
HEIGHT TRANSMISSION mechanical with 5 depression +20'/ -8'
to hull top 1.5 m (see text) gears in both Secondary armament
to turret top 2.29m directions elevation/depression +40'/- 8'
overall, including STEERING tripl e differential 7.62 mm armament
searchlight 2.86m (see text) elevation/depression + 45'/- 10'
FIRING HEIGHT 1.81 m CLUTCH centrifugal Gun stabili ser
GROUND CLEARANCE 0.45 [0.44] m SUSPENSION torsion bar vertical no
TRACK 2.53 m ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 28 V horizontal no
TRACK WIDTH 570 mm BATIERIES 8 x 12 V, 100 Ah Elevation quadrant yes
LENGTH OF TRACK ON ARMAMENT Trave rse indicator yes
GROUND 4.12 m main 1 x 105 mm ARMOUR (estimated)
MAX SPEED coaxial 1 x 20 mm cannon Hull front 79mm
1st gear 7 km/h (or 1 x 12.7 mm MG) Hull si des front 57 mm
2nd gear 15 km/h anti-aircraft 1 x 7.62 mm MG Hull sides rear 30mm
3rd gear 26 km/h SMOKE-LAYING Hull top 15mm
4th gear 43 km/h EQUIPMENT 2 smoke dischargers Hull bottom 15mm
5th gear 65 km/h either side of turret Hull rear 30mm
AVERAGE SPEED AMMUNITION Turret front 80.8 mm
road 50 km/h main 47 Turret sides 41 .5mm
cross-country 35-40 km/h coaxial 1050 (480) Turret rear 50 mm
FUEL CAPACITY 970 [900J litres anti-aircraft 2050 (2070) Turret top 20mm

28

AMX-30 DCA tw in 30 mm SPAAG wi th rada r e rected
GERMANY, FEDERAL REPUBLIC
New West German MBT
In 1985 it was a nno un ced th a t a whole new genera tion of
armoured vehicles would be developed for th e Wes t German
Army.
Prior to this a nnouncemen t it was fairl y certa in th a t prior-
ity was to be given to th e new MBT, usuall y referred to as th e
Leopa rd 3 with a n in service da te of 1993.
Under the new pla ns th e first vehicle to be fi elded will be a n
anti-tank vehicle of which 1700 a re req uired with first
del iveries du e in 1994.
T he second veh icle will be a n anti-ta nk/anti-hel icopter
ve hicle with 800 requ ired from 1995.
The third new vehicle wi ll be an MICV of which 2500 are
req uired from 1996.
The last vehicle to en te r service will be a new MBT, with
1300 being required with first deli ve ries du e from 1998 at th e
earl iest.
Leopa rd 2 MBT a rmed with 120 mm s mooth-bore g un
Driver Training Tank
This is basically th e AMX-30 MBT with its turret replaced
by an observa tion type turret and is used for driver training.
Status: In production. I n service with Chile (50 ordered but
in M a rch 1982 Fran ce a nno unced th a t it had suspend ed
delivery of th e fin a l 29 veh icles), Fra nce ( 1173 MBTs
plus 134 ARVs, GCT, Pluton a nd Rol a nd va ri a nts),
Greece (a nd ARV ), Iraq (plus Ro land 2 and GCT ), Q a ta r
(and AR V), Sa udi Ara bia (AMX-30S us ed plus ARV,
AVLB , DCA, GCT a nd Sha hine), Spa in (299 MBTs in
Army a nd 36 in Marines, ARV, qv Spain in Part 2), U nited
Ara b Emira tes (and ARV ), a nd Venez uela (and four ARVs) .
Manufacturer: Atelier de Construction Roanne (ARE) .
Enquiries to Groupement Industriel des Ar mements T er-
restres (GIAT), 10 place G C le menceau, 922 11 Saint-C lo ud ,
France.
Leopard 2 Main Battle Tank
Development
Once production of th e Leopa rd I was und er way Po rsche
was awa rd ed a contract to carry out furth er development of
th e tank to increase its combat effectiveness. This contrac t
expired in 1967, a t which time W es t G erm a ny a nd th e United
Sta tes were alread y developing th e MBT-70 and th e ag ree-
ment covering it did not allow for a na tional ta nk develop-
ment programme.
West Germ any did however develop new components for
the Leopa rd I, some of which were to provide a bas is for a
new ta nk. In 1968 Krauss-M a ffei was subsequ ently awa rd ed
a contract worth DM25 mi ll ion to build two prototypes of a
new MBT. T his resembled the la te produ ction Leo pa rd
IA3/lA4 and had a n improved fire-control system , different
sta bilisa tion systems , new engine a nd tra ns mission a nd was
a rmed with a 105 mm rifl ed ta nk gun, 7.62 mm coa xial
machine gun a nd a remo te-controlled 7.62 mm a nti-aircraft
machine g un.
In 1969 it became a ppa rent th a t the MBT-70 would not
get pas t the pro totype stage and efforts were made to ada pt
29
Cutaway drawing of Leopard 2 MBT armed with 120 mm
smooth-bore gun

ce rta in MBT-70 co mponents to a new G erm an tank. This sta ndardise their ta nk programmes . In July 1976 th e M oU
development study was known as th e Eber (o r Boa r). There was amend ed to include effort s to sta nda rdise some ta nk
was a lso a study based on th e previously mentioned two compon ents between th e two countries. These included the
prototypes, fo r a new ta nk called th e K eiler (Wild Boar). engine, tra nsmission , gunn er' s telescope, night vision
In 19 70 th e MBT-70 proj ec t was cancelled a nd th e USA equipm ent, fire-control system, tracks a nd ma in a rm a ment.
went on to d evelop a more a ustere version of th e MBT-70 To mee t th e requirements of th e USA, W est G erm a ny
called the XM803 whi ch was soon ca ncelled by C ongress built anoth er model called th e Leopa rd 2 AV (Austere V er-
beca us e of its rising cos ts. The U SA th en started o n a new sion). It had a different a nd more simple fir e-control system,
MBT proj ect th a t culmin a ted in th e XM I MBT, first pro- a s ta nd a rd 105 mm rifl ed ta nk gun as fitted to the Leopard I
du ction models of whi ch were completed early in 1980. a nd M60 series a nd a tu rret a nd hull whi ch incorpora ted a
In 19 70 W est G erm a ny took th e decision to proceed with a spaced multi-l ayer a rmour, as well as m a ny other detailed
new ta nk called th e Leopa rd 2 a nd a total of 16 hulls and 17 improvements influenced by th e confli ct in th e Middle East
turrets we re completed by Kra uss-Maffei between 1972 and in 1973. Two Leopa rd 2 A V hulls a nd three turrets were
1974. All of th e prototypes used th e Renk tra nsmission ou t of built. One compl ete Leopa rd 2 A V ta nk a nd one chassis
th e MBT-70 prototypes a nd 12 powerpa cks used th e MTU
eng ine of the MBT-70. A s tud y was a lso made of mo unting Production Leopard 2 MBT from front with driver's hatch closed
th e A meri ca n 152 mm Shillelagh wea pon system into th e and 7.62 mm MG at loader's station
Leopa rd 2 but this idea was soon dropped .
T en of th e proto types were equipped with a Rheinmetall
105 mm smoo th-bore g un and th e remainder were fitt ed with
a Rheinm eta ll 120 mm smoo th-bore g un . Two of the chassis
were fitt ed with a hydro-pneumati c suspension but th e
adva nced to rsion ba r suspension with integra ted fri ction
d a mpers was adop ted.
Va ri ous types of fire-control sys tems were fitted in th e
prototype vehicles a nd one even had a remote-controlled
20 mm a nti-a ircra ft cannon mounted on th e turret roof.
The pro totypes und erwent eng ineer series tests between
1972 a nd 19 74, th en troop tests a nd in early 1975 cold
weath er tri als in C a nada, foll owed by d ese rt trials in Yuma,
Arizona.
In 1974 th e USA a nd W es t G erm any signed a M emora n-
dum of Und ersta nding (M o U ) und er whi ch both co untries
a ffirm ed th eir intenti on to make a ll reasonable efforts to

30

Production Leopard 2 MBT from rear
were deli ve red to th e USA for trials in September 1976. But
as ex pected, the USA chose one of th e two competing
Ameri can designs, th e C hrysler XM I. The U SA did however
adopt th e Rheinmeta ll 120 mm smooth-bore gun and first
pro du ~ ti on MI A l s with this weapon were completed in
August 1985 . At present there a re no plans to retrofit earli er
Mi s with this new gun .
In 1977 the Federal German Army selected Kra uss- M affei
as prime contracto r for series produ ction for th e Leopard 2
and pl aced a n ord er, with options, for 1800 MBTs of which
990 will be built by Kra uss-Ma ffei, th e rema ining 8 10 by
Krupp M a K of Kiel .
The first pre-producti on Leopa rd 2 MBT was deli vered to
the Federa l Germ an Army la te in 1978 for training.
Krauss-Maffei a nd M aK of Kiel d elivered three pre-
Production Leopard 2 MBT
produ cti on Leopa rd 2 MBTs in 1979 and a fter firin g trials a t
Rh einmetall's range at U nterluss, it was d elivered to Troop
Comba t School 2 a t Munster. The fi rst producti on Leo pa rd 2
was handed over by Kra uss-Maffei in O ctober 1979 in
Munich. Four ta nks were delive red in 1979, 100 in 1980, 180
in 198 1 a nd by 1982 production was running a t 300 a year (25
a month ). In 1982 it was announced tha t th e total cos t of th e
Leopard 2 progra mme for th e West German Army was
DM 8 150 million with the fi rst prod uction lots being for 380,
450 and 300 tanks. The last two production lots comprise 300
and 370 ta nks. Producti on for th e Fed eral German Arm y
Drawing of production Leopard 2 MBT with
turret traversed to rear
31
should be completed in 1987. Both companies installed new
producti on and integ ra ti on facilities a t Munich and Kiel .
All Wes t Germ an tank brigades (wi th th e exception of 4)
will be iss ued with th e Leopard 2.
M eanwh ile an upd a ting progra mme is underway, bring-
ing th e first produ cti on lot up to th e technical standards of th e
current seri es tanks. This prog ra mme is du e to be completed
in 1987.
Dutch Leopard 2 Programme
In M a rch 1979 th e Dutch placed an ord er for 445 Leopard 2s
for deli very from 1982 to 1986 to replace 369 Centurion
MBTs and 130 AMX-1 3 light tanks; of th ese M aK will build
167 and Krauss-Ma ffei th e re maind er. The order is worth
FI 2400 million. Dutch industry will pa rticipate in th e pro-
ducti on of pa rts and components at approximately 60 per
cent of the value of th e ord er. In addition Dutch industry will
be provided with new ex port possibili ties for produ cts not
di rectl y concerned wi th th e Leopard 2 contract. The price is
based on the price of th e Wes t Germa n vehicles, including th e
additiona l cos ts of moving produ cti on to the Neth erl ands and
amou nts to a bout DM 3.2 milli on (basis 1980) per ve hjcl e,
not including th e cos t of periph eral equipment for th e vehi-
cle's wea pon. The fi rs t four Leopard 2 MBTs for th e Dutch
Army were completed in mid- 198 1. M a in contract deli veri es
began in July 1982 a nd by November th at year ten vehicl es
were bein g deli ve red a month with fin al deli veries ex pected to
take pl ace in May 1986. They have different 7.62 mm
machine guns (FN in place of Rh einmeta ll MG3s), smoke
discharge rs, pass ive night perisco pe for th e dri ver, radi os and
intercom equipment from the West Germ a n ve rsion.
In 1983 th e Royal Neth erl ands Arm y's 4 1st Armoured
Brigade sta ti oned in Wes t Germ any became th e first Dutch
Arm y unit to be equipped with th e Leopa rd 2.
Swiss Leopard 2 Programme
In August 1983, th e Swiss Army announ ced that a fter
eval ua ting th e Leopa rd 2 and M I MBTs th e form er had been
selected . A total of 380 will be ordered in one lot, th e first 35
coming direct from Kra uss-Ma ffei in West Germany a nd th e
rema inder mad e und er li cence in Switze rl and. The first 35
ta nks, called th e pz 87, will be deli vered in 1987 and used for
tra ining. The first Swiss ta nk battalion is ex pected to become
opera ti ona l in 1988.
Production Leopard 2 MBT showing armoured skirts towards
front of vehicle and latest camouflage paint scheme of West
German Army
32
Leopard 2 MBT climbing a slope clearly showing suspens ion
detai I and armour protection above first and second road wheel
stations
Prime contractor for th e licence producti on in Switze rland
will be Contraves with fin al asse mbly taking place at th e
Federal Constructi on Works a t T hun, where th e p z 6 1 and
pz 68 MBTs were built and where th ese a nd Centurion
MBTs are overh a uled today.
Produ ction of th e Leo pard 2 in Switze rl and will be a t th e
rate of six tanks a month with fin al deliveri es ta king place in
1993 .
It is expected tha t between 60 and 70 per cent of th e
Leopard 2 will be built in Switze rland with Saurer (NAW )
building th e eng in e and SLM th e transmission.
Swiss Leopa rd 2s will be simila r to th e West German
Leo pard 2s but have Swiss radi os and intercoms, Swiss
coaxial a nd anti-aircra ft machine guns. Sw itzerland has also
decided to insta ll th e Bri tish Graviner C rew Bay fi re and
ex plosion sup pression sys tem.
Description
The hull of the Leopa rd 2 has a spaced multi-layer armour
and is di vided into three compa rtments: dri ve r's a t th e front,
fighting in th e centre and engin e at th e rea r.
The dri ver is seated a t the fro nt of th e hull on th e right side
and is provid ed with a single-piece hatch cover tha t opens to
th e left and three observation periscopes . The centre peri-
scope can be re placed by a passive night periscope. So me of
the a mmunition suppl y is stowed to th e left of the dri ver.
The turret is in th e centre of the ve hicle with th e comman-
d er and gunn er on th e ri ght a nd th e loader on the left. T he
commander is provided with a circular hatch cover tha t
opens to th e rear and perisco pes for all-round observati on. A
PERI-R 17 primary stabili sed pa noramic periscope mounted
in front of th e commander's hatch can be traversed thro ugh
360 degrees ena bling th e comma nder to observe the terrain
and lay th e main a rm ament, with magnifi cati on of x2 and
X8.
The gunner has a du al-magnifi cati on stabilised EMES 15
sight wi th integrated laser rangefind er, apd th erm al image
unit (WBG ) which a re linked to th e fire-control computer.
H e a lso has a n aux iliary sighting telescope FERO-Z 18 with a
magnification of X8 a nd the RPP 1-8 compu te r- controlled
board testing system.
The EMES 15 is a primary stabilised binocular sighting
instrument for th e gunn er. The mirror head of th e perisco pe
is sta bi li sed a rou'nd two axes, th e d ay path has a magnifi ca-
tion of X 12 and a 5-d eg ree fi eld of view.
Th e lase r rangefind er has a ra nge of 9990 metres a nd is
acc ura te to ± 10 metres with meas uring dista nces show n to
three digits togeth er 'with th e fire preparation a nd selected
type of a mmunition in th e lower pa rt of th e gunn er's s ig ht.
The fire-co ntrol co mputer calcula tes successively the angle
of sight a nd lateral angular lead fo r th e m a in ar mament. The
foll ow ing pa ra meters a re taken into acco unt, target distance
(from lase r rangefi nd er), a ngle of tilt of th e vehicle, direction
of motion in rega rd to th e target, latera l wind and ba llisti c
da ta of a mmuniti on. The data calcu lated by th e fir e-co ntrol
computer is fed into th e weapon slave syste m which guid es
th e wea pon to th e line of sight of th e EMES 15 or PERI-R 17.
The th erm a l image uni t integ rated in th e EMES 15 enables
th e a rm a ment to be a im ed a nd fired at night or in bad
wea th er or a t ca mo ufl aged ta rgets.
The g unn er a lso has a roof-mounted obse rva tion peri-
sco pe. The load er is seated on th e left s id e of th e turret a nd
has a single-piece ha tch cove r that ope ns to th e rear a nd a
single obse rvation periscope. An a mmunition res uppl y ha tch
is provided in th e left sid e of th e turret a nd there is a stowage
basket at th e turret rea r.
The engine compartm ent at th e rear of th e hull is separated
from t~ e fightin g co mp a rtm ent by a fireproof bulkhead . The
MTU MB 873 engine is co upl ed to a Ren k HSWL 354
hydro-kineti c plan etary gea r shift with a n integra l se rvice
brake.
Rheinmetall-developed 120 mm ammunition for the Leopard 2,
APFSDS-T on left and HEAT-MP-T on right. Both have a
combustib le cartridge case
The suspension with torsion bars co nsists each side of
seven du a l rubber-tyred road wheels with the idler at the
front a nd th e drive sprocket at the rear, and four track return
ro llers. Advanced fr iction dampers a re provided at th e fir st,
second, third, six th a nd seventh road wheel stations. The
D iehl tracks have rubb er-bushed pins with removab le rubber
pads, wh ich can be replaced by snow grousers. The rear
two-thirds of th e top of th e tracks a re covered by steel-
reinforced r ubber skirts which can be fo lded up to allow
access to th e suspension for maintenance. The front third of
th e top of the track is covered by special armoured boxes
which can be rotated upwards both for maintena nce a nd to
red uce th e overall width of the vehicl e for rail travel.
Standard equipm ent on the Leopard 2 includes an NBC
system, powerpack prehea ting, crew compartment hea ter,
fire-ex ting uishing system, electri c bilge· pumps a nd a hu ll
esca pe hatch behind th e dri ver.
Th e 120 mm smoo th-bore gun has been developed by
Rh einmeta ll a nd weighs 1905 kg (ba rrel, th erm al shroud ,
bore evac ua tor a nd breech) with a barrel length of5. 3 metres
and has a drop block breech mechanism. Firing is electric
with emergency fir ing induced by mea ns of an impu lse
generator. When fired , th e weapon recoils and is brought
back into position by a rec uperator. At th e same tim e the
breech block opens a utomaticall y. The 120 mm smooth-bore
g un fires two typ es of a mmunition, APFSDS-T and
HEAT-MP-T, eac h of which has a practice version. The
APFSDS-T has a n effective range of well over 2000 metres
and th e HEAT -MP-T has a high d egree of effectiveness
against both soft and ha rd targets. Both fin -stabi lised rounds
have a se mi- co mbu stible cartridge case with a metal base
stub which is ejected into a bag und er th e gun . Briefd etai ls of
th e a mmunition are as fo llows:
Type of projectile APFS05-T APFS05-T(P) HEAT-MP-T HEAT-MP-T(P)
DESIGNATION DM-13 DM-28 DM- 12 DM-1 3
CARTRIDGE
WEIGHT
(inel. prope llant) 19 kg 17 kg 23 kg 23 kg
CARTRIDGE
LENGTH 884 mm 884mm 981 mm 981 mm
PROJECTILE
WEIGHT 7.3 kg 5. 6 kg 13.5 kg 13.5 kg
PROPELLANT
WEIGHT 7.1 kg 7. 1 kg 5.4 kg 5.4 kg
Of42 rounds of a mmunition carried some a re stored to th e
left of th e dr iver a nd so me in th e left side of th e turret bustle.
If th e latter is hit it will explod e outwards du e to blow-out
panels.
A 7.62 min Rh einmeta ll MG3 machine gun is mounted
coaxia ll y to the left of th e main a rmam ent and a simi la r
weapon can be mounted on the loader's hatch . Mounted on
either side of th e turret a re eight smoke dischargers.
Variants
Krupp M aK is developing a new armoured engin ee r tank
(E nginee r Tank 2) , althou gh no prod uction contract has
bee n award ed so far.
Porsc he and Krupp M a K a re developing a new a rmoured
'recovery vehicle based on th e chass is of the Leopa rd 2 und er
th e des igna tion Bergepanzer 3.
The chass is or the Leopa rd 2 co uld a lso be used to mount
33
the turret of the Gepard a nti-a ircra ft tan k now in service with Avco-Lycoming AGT-1 500 gas turbine in 1978 for tria ls
Belgium , W es t Germany and th e Neth erl ands (with Dutch purposes by Krupp M a K at Kiel .
ra th er than W est G e rm a n radars ) . Deta ils of the V ickers Mk 7 MBT whi ch uses th e chass is o r
A Leo pard 2 prototype was fi tted with th e American th e Leo pa rd 2 MBT a re given und er the U nited Kingdom .

SPECIFICATIONS
CREW 4 FUEL CAPACITY 1200li tres AMMUNITION
COMBAT WEIGHT 55 150kg MAX RANGE main 42
POWER-TO-WEIGHT road 550 km MG 4750
RATIO 27.27 hp/tonne FORDING 1m GUN CONTROL
GROUND PRESSURE 0.81 kg/cm' with preparati on 2.35 m EQUIPMENT
LENGTH GUN wi th snorkel 4m Turret power con trol electro-hyd rau li c/manual
FORWARDS 9.668 m GRADIENT 60% by commander yes
LENGTH GUN REAR 8.51 m SIDE SLOPE 30% by gunner yes
LENGTH HULL 7.722 m VERTICAL OBSTACLE 1.1 m commander's override yes
WIDTH SKIRTS TRENCH 3m Commander's fi re-
UNFOLDED 3.54 m ENGINE MTU MB 873 Ka 501 4-stroke, control override yes
WIDTH INCLUDING 12-cylinder mult i-fuel, Gun elevation/
SKIRTS 3.7 m exhaust turbo-charged, depression +20°/-9°
HEIGHT liquid-coo led developing Gun stabiliser
to lurret top 2.46 m 1500 hp at 2600 rpm vert ical yes
to commander's TRANSMISSION Renk HSWL 354 hyd ro- horizonta l yes
periscope 2.79 m kinetic planetary gear shift , 4 Range sell ing d evice yes (laser)
hull top 1.769 m forward and 2 reverse gears Elevation quadrant yes
firing height 1.99 m CLUTCH torque converter Trave rse indi cator yes
GROUND CLEARANCE SUSPENSION torsion bar
front 0.53 m ELECTRI CAL SYSTEM 24 V
rear 0.48 m BATIERIES 8 x 12 V, 125 Ah
TRACK 2.785 m ARMAMENT
TRACK WIDTH 635 mm main 1 x 120mm
LENGTH OF TRACK coax ial 1 x 7.62 mm MG
ON GROUND 5.245 m anti-aircraft 1 x 7. 62 mm MG
MAX ROAD SPEED SMOKE-LAYING
forwards 72 km/h EQUIPMENT 8 smoke di schargers
reverse 31 km/h either side of tu rret

Status: In produ cti on. In service with Dutch a nd W est
G erm a n Armies. Ordered by th e Swiss Army a nd wi ll be
ma nura ctured und er licence in Switze rland. Krau ss-Maffei
have proposed a new MBT called Lin ce to SfJain, detai ls or
this a re give n in Pa rt 2.
Manufacturers: Kra uss-Ma ffei AG , Ordn a nce Division,
Kra uss- M a ffei Strasse 2,8000 Munich 50, Federa l Republi c
or Germany. Krupp M a K M aschinenb a u GmbH , PO Box
9009, 2300 Kiel 17, Federal Re publi c or G erm any.

Leopard 1 Main Battle Tank
Development
In Nove mber 1956 a Milita ry Requirement was iss ued ror a
new MBT with th e rollowing specificat ions: combat weig ht or
30 tonn es, power-to-weight ra tio or 30 hp/ tonne, width or
3. 15 metres, heig ht or 2.2 metres, m ax imum road speed or65
km/ h, a ir-coo led multi- ru el engin e, 105 mm g un a nd tw o
mac hin e g uns. In Jun e 1957 th e Federa l Repub lic or
G ermany a nd France agreed to develop a tank to mee t th ese
specifi cations a nd in Ju ly 1957 th e J oint Technical C ha rac-
ter isti cs were issu ed , th e onl y difference betwee n th e two
co untri es being in th e overa ll width orthe ta nk. In September
1958 Ita ly j o ined th e proj ec t which res ulted in supp le ments
to the Techni cal Characteristics being iss ued in October
196 1.
W est G ermany rormed two des ig n tea ms, T ea m A a nd
Team B. In Fra nce th e D irec tion des Etudes et Fabrication
d' Arm ement (now th e Direction T echniqu e des Armements
Terrestres) was th e ove ra ll co ntrac tor with th e des ign work
being carried out a t th e Atelier de Construct ion d' Issy-Ies-
Mou lin ea ux a t Satory .
The 'West German Team A co mprised Po rsch e, J ung,
Luth er and Jord a n a nd M a K a nd T ea m B co mprised
Ingeni e urbi.iro W a rn eke, Rh eins ta hl Hano mag a nd H ens-
chel. Turrets and a rm a ment were d es igned by Rh einmeta ll
a nd Weg ma nn.
Team A's first prototy pe was co mpl eted in Jun e 1960.and
the second in August the same yea r. Team B co mp leted its
first prototype in Ma y th e sa me yea r.
The four prototypes we re deli ve red ror tr ia ls ea rl y in 196 1.
The tri a ls, which were ca rri ed out a t Trier a nd late r a t
M ep pen, were comp leted in April 1962. It was then decided
to concentra te on th e Team A des ign, even though it was
found to have a number or deficiencies during tri als; this was
hardl y surprising considering th e very short develop ment
period a nd th e fact th at tank development in Germ a ny had
bee n stopped sin ce 1945 . Befo re th e tria ls were comp leted in
April 1962 a rurth er ord er was placed with Team A for 26
ta nks with turrets designed by Wegmann, an d T ea m B was
a wa rd ed a contrac t ror a rurth er six tanks with turrets
d e ig ned by Rh einm etall. Following the decision to co ncen-
trate on th e T ea m A d esign only two o rth e second se ries rrom
T ea m B were co mp leted. The 26 ta nks were known as th e
seco nd seri es a nd had num erous improvements including
increased a rmour protection, imp roved suspe nsion, ten-
cylinder di esel engine coupl ed to a new tra nsmiss ion, modi-
fi ed fire -control equipm ent a nd th e Briti sh 105 mm L7 se ries
gu n . Trials with the second se ri es were GOmp leted ea rl y in
1963.
Befo re th e seco nd se ries had eve n co mpl eted th eir tria ls a
pre-produ cti on batc h or 50 tanks was ord ered , which incor-
pora ted ma ny improvements as a res ult or th e ea rlier tria ls
including th e repla cement or th e 12.7 mm ranging mac hin e

34
Leopard 1A1A1 of West German Army fitted with applique
armour to turret sides and mantle!. 105 mm gun does not have
thermal sleeve
gun with an optical rangefind er. During tri a ls with the ra ng-
ing mac hine gun (w hi ch was fitt ed on la te Centuri on tanks
with th e 105 mm g un , a nd la ter fi tted to the C hi efta in ), it was
found th at it limited the ra nge of th e 105 mm gun to between
1500 and 1800 metres.
Comparative tr ia ls betwee n th e Wes t German des ign and
th e French AMX-30 were carri ed out fro m 1962, but inJ ul y
1963 th e Defence Committee of th e Fed era l G erm a n Pa rlia-
ment decided to go a head with th e production of th e W es t
Germ a n design, whi ch la ter beca me known as the Leo pard ,
eve n though th e ma in comparati ve trials had yet to ta ke
place.
In Jul y 1963 Kra uss-Ma ffei of Muni ch was nominated
prim e contractor for th e Leopard I MBT an d Krupp M a K of
Kiel was selected as ge nera l co ntractor fo r production of th e
a rmoured recove ry ve hicle, a rmoured eng in ee r ve hicle a nd
the a rmoured bridgelayer. Krupp M a K a lso bu ilt a sma ll
number of Leopa rd I MBTs.
The first production Leopa rd was hand ed ove r to th e
Federal G erm a n Arm y in September 1965, a nd since th en the
tank has bee n adopted by nin e ot her co untri es in cluding
Ital y, where it has bee n ma nufact ured und er lice nce by OTO
Mela ra (qv) . Produ ction of th e Leopa rd I was compl eted by
Kra uss-Maffei in 1979 but res um ed aga in by bo th ma nufac-
turers ea rl y in 198 1 to mee t th e requirements of Greece a nd
Turkey.
Description (Leo pa rd I A I )
The a ll- we lded hull is di vided into two co mpart ments, th e
crew co mpa rtm ent at th e front a nd eng ine compa rtm ent at
th e rear.
The dri ver is seated a t th e front of the hull on the ri g ht a nd
is provided with a s ing le-piece ha tch cover th at opens to the
left. In front of th e ha tch a re three perisco pes, the ce ntre one
of which can be replaced by a n infra-red or image-
intensifi cation periscope for ni g ht dri ving.
The a ll-cast turret is mounted in th e centre of the hull with
th e co mmand er and g unn er seated on the rig ht a nd the
loader on th e left. Both th e co mm a nd er a nd th e load er have a
single-piece hatch cover th a t opens to the rear. The co m-
ma nd er is provided with eig ht periscopes for a ll- round obse r-
vat ion, one of whi ch can be replaced by a n im age
intensifi cation perisco pe for night observation. The g unn er
Leopard 1A 1A1 MBTclimbing ve rtical obstacle . Noteadditional
turret and mantlet armour
has one observation periscope whi le th e loader has two.
Mounted in th e turret roofin front of th e co mm a nd er's ha tch
is a TRP 2A zoom peri scope with a magnifi ca tion of X 6 up to
x20. Thi s is swivel-mounted and can a lso be m oved ve rti-
call y by ha nd within th e gun eleva ti on ra nge. When th e
co mm a nd er actuates a switch th e periscope is automaticall y
slaved to th e g un. For night obse rva tion the co mmander can
replace th e zoom perisco pe with a n infra-red sig ht.
The g unn er is seated in front of a nd below th e commander
a nd is provided with a TEM 2A ra ngefind er wh ich can be
used in eith er th e co in cidence or ste reosco pic mod es . It has
magnifi cat ions of X 8 a nd X 16 a nd is mecha ni call y linked to
the g un a nd provid ed with super-eleva ti on ca ms to co mpute
th e s uper- eleva tion ang le for two types of ammu niti on. The
gunn er a lso has a TZF I A telesco pe mounted coaxia ll y with
th e ma in arma ment which has a magnifi cation of X8 a nd is
provided with a mova ble scaled graticul e to set th e super-
eleva ti on for the different types of a mmunition . There is a n
ammun ition res upply ha tch in th e left side of th e turret a nd a
stowage basket a t th e turret rea r. Mounted over th e main
a rm a ment is an XSW-30- U infra-red/w hite searchlight,
whi ch ca n be removed a nd stowed a t th e rea r of th e turret
when no t requ ired. In th e infra-red mode in conjun cti on with
a n infra- red sight wh ich can be mo unted in place of th e
comm a nd er's TRP 2A perisco pe it has a ra nge of 1200 met res
a nd in th e white lig ht mod e a ra nge of 1500 metres .
The engine co mpar tm ent a t th e rear is se pa rated from th e
fighting co mpartment by a fireproof bu lkh ead. The co mpl ete
power pack, consisting of th e engine, tra ns miss ion a nd cool-
ing sys tem, is provided with quick-disco nn ect co uplin gs
wh ich a llow th e entire powerp ack to be repl aced in th e fi eld
within 20 niinutes.
The steer/shift tra nsmission is co upled directly to th e
engine a nd has four forwa rd a nd two reve rse gears as we ll as a
pi vot turn ca pa bility, a nd a torqu e co nve rter and lock-up
clutch . The gears ca n be sh ifted electro- hydra ulica ll y with-
out interruption of tract ive forces a nd th e speed ra nge ca n be
pre-selec ted manu a ll y, gea r cha nging being automatic.
The running gea r co nsists each side of seve n dual lig ht
meta l rubb er-tyred road wh eels with th e dri ve sprocket at th e
rear, idl er a t th e front a nd four track return roll ers. The first ,
seco nd, third , sixth a nd seventh road whee l sta ti ons a re
provided with hydra uli c shock a bsorbers. The Diehl tracks
a re provid ed with rubb er-bu shed co nn ec tors a nd th e
35
Leopard 1A3 MBT

th e USA . Some countries use Wes t German am munition a nd

others British .
Of 55 round s of ammunition carri ed, 42 a re in th e hull and
13 in th e turret. Details of th e ammunition a re given in this
section und er M60 se ries (USA) a nd Centurion (UK).
Kra uss-Ma ffei states that th e first rou nd hit probability of
th e Leo pa rd I , even when on th e move a nd fi ring at moving
targets, was significantly increased by th e in co rporation of
th e g un sta bilisation system a nd of mod ern fire-control sys-
tems, th e la tes t of wh ich has a prim a ry s tab ilised line of sight,
laser ra ngefi nder and a n integral th erm a l imaging sys tem .
Mounted coaxia ll y with th e m ain arma men t is a 7.62 mm
Rh einm etall MG 3 machin e gun which is provided with 1250
rounds of ready-use ammunition. The coax ia l machin e gun is
SABCA FCS showing system's major components operated by the gunner but can a lso be o pera ted by th e tank
commander in th e overrid e mode. A second MG 3 machin e
rubb erised track pads can be repl aced by snow g ro us ers. gun is mo unted at th e co mm a nd er's or loader' s stat ion for
Steel-reinforced rubber skirts for th e top of th e tracks can be a nti-a ircra ft defence. Four electri call y-operated smoke dis-
fold ed ve rti call y for m aintena nce. Th e track skirts perform chargers are mounted on eith er side of the turret.
two fun ctions: th ey increase th e balli stic protection and a lso
reduce the whirl-up of dust. Variants
The NBC sys te m is ins ta lled at th e front of th e hull a nd
produces a n over-pressure in the crew compartment. In Leopard 1A1A1
norm a l use the system provides the crew with clean dust-free The first model of the Leo pard to enter service with the
a ir, and in the NBC mod e removes conta min a ted pa rticl es by Federal German Army was called th e Leopa rd I of which
an additional purifi cation process . 1845 were built in th e first, seco nd , third a nd fourth ba tches.
Standard equipm e nt includ es an a utomatic fire- From 197 1 th ey were fitt ed with a thermal sleeve for the ma in
ex tin g uishing system, hea ter, hull esca pe ha tch and infra-red a rmament, g un stabi lisation sys tcm, new tracks, latera l skirt,
reRec tin g pain t.
For und erwater o pera tions th ere are two fording sha fts
ava ilabl e, one for fording to a depth of2.25 metres and a n Leopard 1A 1A 1 of Federal German Army fitted with
ex tra shaft for fording to a depth of 4 metres. Either shaft is Hoffmann-Werke AFV gunfire simu lator over 105 mm gun
fitted ove r th e commander's hatch , down which a ir for th e
engine is dra wn and th e ex ha ust leaves via th e exhaust pipes
in th e no rm a l ma nn er. Before e ntering th e water a ll open ings
a re sealed; the turret ring by a n inRata ble rubber rin g. A
hydra uli c sys tem controls the engine comb ustion a ir inta ke,
dust ej ection blower va lves of the combustion air clea ners,
ex ha ust Raps of th e eng ine a nd heater, press ure venti lation in
the eng ine compartmellt as well as th e dust ejection valves
and a ir intake of th e NBC sys te m. Two bilge pumps remove
any water that ente rs the vehicle.
Main a rmam ent of th e Leopard I is a British-supplied
105 mm L 7A3 riR ed tank gun which consists of a single- piece
ba rrel with a screwed-on breec h-block a nd a bore evac ua tor.
The ba rrel can be cha nged in th e fi eld in about 20 minutes.
The semi-automatic breech mechanism a uto matica ll y opens
after each round is fired , ejecting th e empty cartridge case
into th e bag under th e breec h.
The Leopard I can fire a ll the standard 105 mm ro unds
manufac tured by W es t G erma n y, th e United Kingdom a nd

36

Leopard 1A2 fitted with therma l s leeve for 105 mm gun , and
infra-red/white light searchlight over main a rm ament
Leopard 1A3 which was the first production model Leopard 1 to
have a turret of a ll we lded construction incorporating spaced
armour
modifi ed tu rret ha tches a nd modifi ed wading equi pment.
The sta bi lisati on sys tem con trols th e g un in eleva ti on a nd
traverse so th a t th e g unner is a ble to obse rve th e terra in,
acquire a nd th en engage th e ta rget whi le moving ac ross
coun try with a hi gh degree of firs t-round hit proba bili ty.
With th ese mod ifi cati ons th e Leopa rd I beca me th e Leopa rd
l A I. These tanks ha ve since bee n fitted with add-on a rm o ur
to th e turret and gun shi eld a nd a re now known as th e
Leopa rd l AI A I. T he additi ona l add-on a rm our consists of
fl exib ly-mounted, screwed-on a rm our steel pla tes with two-
faced rubber lin ing. The a rm our a lso cove rs th e turret bustle
back a nd th e gun shi eld is also reinforced with a rm our steel
pla tes. In addi tion, a rmo ur steel pla tes a re welded onto the
sloped front roof secti on. The ex tra we ig ht ca used by th e
fittin g of this additi ona l a rm our is a bout 760 kg, whi ch ma kes
th e vehicle a pproxima tely th e same weig ht as the Leo pa rd
lA4.
Leopard 1A2
The fifth production ba tch of Leo pa rd s fo r th e Federal G er-
ma n Arm y consisted of343 ta nks of whi ch 232 were built with
the modifi cati ons of th e Leopa rd I A I (but without th e spaced
armour on turret a nd ma ntlet) but in additi on have a turret of
stronge r cas t steel, improved NBC sys tem a nd pass ive
image-intens ifi cati on nig ht viSIOn equ ipment for bot h th e
co mm a nd er a nd dri ver.
Leopard 1A3
A tota l of 11 0 Leo pa rd IA3 ta nks o ut of th e fifth produ c tion
ba tch were deli ve red to th e Federa l G e rm a n Arm y, inco r-
pora tin g a ll th e im provements of th e Leo pa rd IA I a nd I A2
but with a new weld ed turret of spaced a rm o ur with a
wedge-shaped ma ntl et. The turret rea r stowage bin has bee n
incorpora ted into th e contour of th e turret whi ch acco mm o-
d a tes th e sea rchli g ht wh en it is not mounted over th e ma in
arm a ment. In additi on, th e loader's perisco pe is adjusta bl e
in bo th eleva tion a nd az imuth. In 198 1 th e Gree k G ove rn-
ment ord ered 106 Leo pa rd I A3 MBTs plus a n option for a n
addition a l 11 0 ve hicles for d eli very fro m Februa ry 1983
throug h to Apri l 1984. Kra uss-Ma ffei of Munich bui lt 73
MBTs a nd Krupp M a K of Ki el 33 MBTs a nd fo ur ARVs.
The Turkish o rd er for 8 1 Leo pa rd I s comprised four ARVs to
be bu il t by Krupp-M a K a nd 77 Leopa rd IA3 MBTs (5 4
bui lt by Kra uss- M a ffei a nd 23 by Krupp M a K ).
Leopard 1A4
Th is was th e fin a l produ cti on m odel of th e Leopa rd I fo r th e
Federa l G erm a n A rm y of whi ch 250 were bui lt, 2 15 by
Kra uss- M a ffei a nd 35 by Krupp M a K. It is simil a r to th e
Leo pard IA3 but has a n integra ted fire-co ntrol sys tem con-
sisting of a sta bi lised pa nora mi c te lesco pe fo r th e ta nk co m-
ma nd er, g unn er's prima ry sight with integra l s tereosco pic
rangefind er co up led to th e fu ll y-sta bi li sed ma in a rm a ment
a nd co ntrolled by a ba lli stic computer.
West German Army Modification Programme
In 1982-83 six W es t G erm a n Army Leopard I MBTs were
fitted with different fire-control systems for compa ra tive
tria ls. These were th e AEG- T elefunk en Lemsta r M / EMES
17, Krupp-Atlas Elektroni c FLP- IO/ EMES 18 a nd th e Zeiss
AFLS-L/EMES 12A4. All of th ese had a th erm al imag ing
sys tem for use und er poor sig htin g a nd nig ht co mba t
conditi ons.
The W es t G erm a n Arm y fin a ll y accepted th e Krupp- A tlas
EMES 18 combined with th e th erm a l imag ing sys tem in
1984.
It is ex pec ted th a t a ce rtain qu a ntity, pro ba bly a bo ut 1300,
of th e Wes t G erm a n Arm y Leopa rd I MBT fl ee t will be
retrofi tted from 1986 throu gh to th e early 1990s.
Leopard 1A4 MBT with s paced armour turret
37
 In order to overcome future battlefield threats, meas ures
are also to be und ertaken to enh a nce the protection of th e
Leopard I by add-on a rmour a nd of second a ry protective
devices such as a n explosion suppression sys tem for the crew
compartment.

Optional equipment for Leopard 1 MBT

Krauss-Ma ffei offers a large number of modifi cation kits for
th e Leopard I MBT: such as all ammunition stowed below
the turret ring, additional armour for th e turret and mantlet,
a rmoured skirts, a utomatic transmission a nd gear shift, Bel-
gian SABCA FCS (already adopted by Australia, Belgium
a nd Canada), brackets on glacis plate for snow· gro us ers,
dozer blade (already adopted by Australia), driver's peri-
scopes fitted with washers and a wiper blade (already
adopted by Denmark ), improved turret and trunnion bear-
ings, modifications to FCS to allow a 105 mm gun to fire
APFSDS rounds, improved combustion cleaners, external
stowage boxes on hull sides (already adopted by Australia
and th e Neth erlands ), snorkel, passive periscope for com-
ma nd er a nd driver , replaceable track pads, new W est Ger- Product improved Leopard ARV lifting a complete turret off a
man fir e control system EMES 18 that can have a n integral Leopard 1 MBT. Note stabiliser in lowered position at hull rearof
thermal imaging system based on US common modules, ARV
passive LLL TV sighting system PZB 200, stabi lisation sys-
tem for the main armament, a nd a tropical kit.
The PZB 200 system consists ofa combined low-light-level
tv camera for terrain surveillance and sighting of targets,
which is mounted on th e gun mantlet a nd so moves in eleva-
tion with the main armament, monitor tha t can be seen both
by the commander and gunner, control panel with on/off
switch, dimm er control for graticu le illumination, focusing
switch and selector switch for ex treme illumination levels a nd
simple built-in test equipment.
The complete dozer blade unit consists of the dozer blade,
two pivot-mounted push arms and a hydraulic unit for lifting
and lowering th e blade. The complete dozer blade can be
attached or removed in approximately ten minutes without
the need ofa crane or an ARV and can be locked mechani-
cally for travelling. All control elements are packaged into a
wa te rtight unit so that earth moving is possible during ford-
ing operations. A utility ou tlet for power supply is sta nd a rd Leopard AEV using dozer blade
equipment on the vehicle. A simple control panel is attached
to th e driver's station a nd th e power supply and control ca ble Export Leopard 1 MBTs
passes through th e open driver's hatch or a lternatively, one of Almost every co untry that has ordered th e Leo pa rd 1 MBT
the slots normall y occupied by th e vision block. and its many variants have specified modifications to suit
Leopard 1A1A1 MBT armed with 120 mm Rheinmetall their own specific needs. Details of these, wh ere app lica bl e,
smooth-bore gun as installed in Leopard 2 MBT are give n in th e indi vidual co untry entries, eg Australi a,
Belgium, Canad a, D en ma rk , Greece, Ita ly, Netherlands,
Norway a nd Turkey.

Leopard 1 with 120 mm Gun

For trials purposes, Rh einmetall have fitted three Leopa rd I
series MBTs of th e West German Army with the same
120 mm smooth-bore g un as insta lled in th e Leo pard 2 MBT.

Leopard Armoured Recovery Vehicle

The Leopa rd ARV was designed by Porsche and th e first
production vehicle was co mpleted in September 1966 by
Kru pp MaK of Kiel. The ARV is based on th e chassis of th e
MBT but has a new hull. Standard equipm ent includes a
dozer blade at th e front of the hull, hydra uli call y-operated
crane on the right side of th e hull wh ich is pivoted a t th e front,
main winch with a ca pacity of 35 tonnes (w hi ch can be

38
increased to 70 to nn es with a g uid e pu lley), electri c wrench
and a welding sys tem. The vehicle, wh ich we ig hs 39 800 kg
and has a four-m a n crew, has bee n des ig ned for recovery of'
da maged ve hi cles, tow ing disab led ve hicl es, cha nging ve-
hicle components and li fting complete veh icles weighing up
to 20 ton nes, carryi ng a spare Leopard MBT powerpack,
dozing, a nd refuelling a nd defuelling ot her vehicles . Arma-
ment consists of a bow-mounted 7.62 mm MG 3 machine
gun , 7.62 mm MG 3 a nti- aircra ft machin e g un a nd s moke
dischargers. In 1978 the Federal German Army took deli very
from Krupp MaK of 100 product- improved Leopa rd ARVs
wh ich have a hyd ra ulicjack mounted at the rea r of th e hull on
th e rig ht side a nd a more powerfu l cra ne.

Leopard Armoured Engineer Vehicle

Th is is based on the Leopa rd ARV a nd en tered produ ction in Leopa rd driver training tank of Fede ral German Army
1968. The on ly d ifferences between the AR V an d th e AEV
a re that a hea t exc ha nge r has been install ed, explos ives are
carri ed for demoli tion wo rk, a n a uger is carried in place of the
spare powe rpack on the rear of the hull a nd th e dozer blade
can be fitted with scari fiers to rip up the surface of roads .

Leopard Bridgelayer
After tri a ls with two com peting des ig ns, model B was selected
for production a nd the first produ ction ve hicles were co m-
plete<;l by MaK in 1975. The a lu m iniu m bridge is la un ched
over th e front of th e vehicle as follow s: on arriva l a t th e
obstacle th e vehicle lowe rs th e support blade a t the fro n t or
the hull , the lower ha lf of th e bridge slides forwa rd s until its
end is lined up with the end of the upper half, the two sections
are locked together, exte nd ed over th e gap a nd lowered into
position, the cantilever arm is withd rawn , the support blad e
ra ised a nd the veh icle can th en be driven away. T he bridge is
22 metres long wh en opened o u t a nd can span a ga p of u p to
20 metres. W eigh t of the bridge a nd vehicle is 45 300 kg.

Leopard Driver Training Tank
This is essenti a ll y a n MBT wit h its turret removed a nd
replaced by an observation ca bin with seats for th e instru ctor
a nd two trainee d rivers with th e th ird tra in ee dri ver seated in
th e norma l pos ition at the front of th e hull. If required the
instru ctor ca n tak e ove r control of th e vehicle at a ny time.
The dri ver train ing ta nks used by Belgium and the Nether-
lands do no t have th e dumm y g un barrel as fitted to th e W est
German L eo p a ~d dri ver training ta nks .
Gepard twin 35 mm se lf-propelled anti-aircraft gun s howing
amount of on-board ammunition carri ed
Leopard GPM Engineer Vehicle
After evaluating prototypes sub mitted by Krupp MaK a nd
EWK, EWK's has been selected for service with th e Federa l
German Arm y. So far no production ord er has been placed
for this ve hicl e.

Bibe r a rm oured bridg e layer of West German Army laying its
bridge in position
Gepard Anti-aircraft Vehicle
To replace the twin 40 mm SPAAGs used by th e West Ger-
man A rm y prototypes of both twin 30 mm a nd tw in 35 mm
sys tems we re built based on a Leopard I chass is. After tria ls
the latte r was selected for produ ction a nd 420 we re bu ilt by
Krauss- Maffei for W es t Germany (deli vered between 1976
a nd 1980), Belgium (55 de li ve red from 1977 to 1980) a nd the
Nethe rla nds (95 deli ve red from 1977 to 1979 a nd ca lled the
CA I ). Of th e 420 West German ve hicles the first 195 a re
call ed the B2 a nd the remaining 225, wh ich have a Sie mens
lase r ra ngefi nd er, a re designated th e B2L.
The Belgia n a nd ' W est German ve hicles have AEG-
Telefunk en (target tracking) and Siemens (search) wh ile th e
Dutch ve hi cles have th e Holl a nds e Signaala ppa ra ten surveil-
la nce a nd tracking radars .
The Gepard is a rm ed with twin 35 mm Oerlikon KDA
cannon each of whi ch have a cyclic rate of fire of 550 rpm.

39
Each cannon is provided with 3 10 rounds of anti-aircra ft and
20 rounds of APDS ammunition, the latter for engaging
ground targets. The guns have powered elevation from -10
degrees to +85 degrees and the turret can be trave rsed
through a full 360 degrees. The West German and Belgian
versions have four smoke d ischargers either side of th e turret
while the Dutch vehicles have six.
ATAK 35
As a private venture, the Swiss company of Contraves has
upgraded a Dutch CA I to AT AK 35 configuration, a lthough
this turret can be installed on other chass is. This ve rsion has
much improved electronics and has been demonstrated in
West G ermany and Austria.
Roland 2 SAM on Leopard 1 Chassis
In 1982 Krupp M a K , Bloh m and Voss and Euromissile
proposed that th e chassis of the Leopa rd ARV could be
modifi ed to accept th e Rola nd 2 SAM system. The latter is at
present produced mounted on th e AMX-30 MBT chassis,
Marder MICV chassis and in a mob ile shelter.
Leopard 155 mm Self-propelled Gun
T his was developed as a private venture by Krauss-Malfei
and G I AT of France a nd bas ica ll y consists of a Leopard
chass is with the turret of th e French 155 mm GCT self-
propelled gu n wh ich is normally mounted on the AMX-30
chassis. This has not so far been adopted by any country.
76 mm Anti-aircraft Tank
Krupp M aK and OTO-Melara of Ita ly have sugges ted th at
th e Leopard chass is be fitted with th e same turret armed with
the 76 mm gun as fitted to th e OTO 76/62 76 mm self-
propelled anti-a ircra ft gun. Details of th e latter are give n in
th e entry for the OF-40 MBT und er Ita ly.

SPECIFICATIONS

Model Leopard 1 Leopard 1A4 Model Leopard 1 Leopard 1A4

CREW 4 4 AMMUNITION
COMBAT WEIGHT 40000 kg 42400 kg main 55 60
UNLOADED WEIGHT 38700 kg 40400 kg 7.62 mm 5500 5500
POWER-TO-WEIGHT GUN CONTROL
RATIO 20.75 hpltonne t 9.57 hpltonne EOUIPMENT
GROUND PRESSURE 0.86 kg/cm' 0.88 kg/c m' Turret p er control electro-hydraulic/manual electro-hydraulic/manual
LENGTH GUN by commander yes yes
FORWARDS 9.543 m 9.543 m by gunner yes yes
LENGTH HULL 7.09 m 7.09 m commander's override yes yes
WIDTH OVERALL 3.25 m 3.37 m Commander's fire-
(without skirts) (with skirts) control override yes yes
HEIGHT Max rate of power
to top of commande~s traverse 360' in15s 360" in 15 S
periscope 2.613 m 2.764 m Max rate of power
FIRING HEIGHT 1.88m 1.88 m elevation 4.1' /5 4.1'/5
GROUND CLEARANCE 0.44 m 0.44 m Gun elevation/
TRACK 2.7 m 2.7 m d epression +20'/-9' +20' /- 9'
TRACK WIDTH 550mm 550mm Gun stabiliser
LENGTH OF TRACK vertical yes (refitted) yes
ON GROUND 4.236 m 4.236 m horizontal yes (refi tted) yes
MAX ROAD SPEED 65 kmlh 65 kmlh Rang e setting d evice yes yes
FUEL CAPACITY 955litres 9551itres Elevation quadrant yes yes
MAX RANGE Trave rse indicator yes yes
road 600 km 600 km ARMOUR
cross-country 450 km 450 km Hul l nose 70 mm at 55' 70 mm at 55'
FORDING 2.25m 2.25 m Hull g lacis 70 mm at 60' 70 mm at 60'
with preparation 4m 4m Hull glacis top 25 mm at 83' 25 mm at 83'
GRADIENT 60% 60% Hull sides upper 35 mm at 50' 35 mm at 50'
SIDE SLOPE 30% 30% Hull sides lower 25 mm at go' 25 mm at 90'
VERTICAL OBSTACLE 1.15m 1.15m Hull top 10mm 10mm
TRENCH 3m 3m Hull fl oor 15mm 15mm
ENGINE MTU MB 838 Ca M500. 10-cylinder multi-fuel Hull rear 25 mm at 88' 25 mm at 88'
developing 830 hp at 2200 rpm Turret mantlet 60mm n/av
TRANSMISSION ZF 4 HP 250 planetary-gear shift with hydraulic Turret front 52 mm n/av
torque converter. 4 forward and 2 reverse gears Turret si des 60mm n/av
STEERING regenerative double differential Turret rear 60mm nlav
CLUTCH torque converter with mechanical interlock
SUSPENSION torsion bar torsion bar
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24 V 24 V
BATIERIES 8 x 12V. 100Ah 8 x 12 V. 100 Ah
ARMAMENT
main 1 x 105mm 1 x 105 mm
coaxia l 1 x 7.62 mm MG 1 x 7.62 mm MG
anti-aircraft 1 x 7.62 mm MG 1 x 7.62 mm MG
SMOKE-LAYING
EOUIPMENT 4 smoke dischargers either side of turret

Status: Production as required. In service with Australia, Manufacturers: Krauss-Maffei AG, Ordnance Division,
Belgium, Canada, Denmark, W est Germany, Greece, Italy, Krauss-Maffei Strasse 2, 8000 Munich 50, Federal Republic
Netherlands, Norway and Turkey. of German y .. Krupp MaK Maschinenbau GmbH, PO Box
9009, 2300 Kiel, Federa l Republic of Germany .

40

ATAK 35 twin 35 mm system based on Leopard I chassis
th e VC I (Vehi culo C omba te Infa nteria), subsequ ently
rena med VC TP. The co ntract covered th e design, d evelop-
men t a nd cons tru cti on of three pro totypes of both the TAM
and th e VC r.
The main reason fo r th e decision to develop a tank in th e
30-tonn e class ra th er tha n th e norma l 40- to 50-tonne class
was th a t ma ny bridges a nd roads in Sou th Ameri ca could no t
sta nd up to th e heavier ta nks. An add ed adv antage was th a t it
ena bl ed Argentina to have a tank and an infa ntry comba t
vehicle th a t were both based on the same chass is with res ult-
ing logisti cal, training a nd economic ad vantages. In terms of
firepower th e TAM is at least as good as th e Leopa rd I MBT .
The first pro totype of th e TAM was co mpleted in Sep-
tember 1976 with th e second a nd third pro totypes being
fini shed the following yea r. On completion of compa ny tri a ls
in W est Germ a ny the T AMs were shipped to Argentina for
both opera tional a nd fi ring trials. The TAM will replace th e
'Sherma n ta nks currently used by Argentina a nd it is
ex pected th a t a bout 200 TAM s a nd 300 VC I s will be built in
Argentina. Ch assis construction a nd fi nal assem bl y a re car-
ried out in Buenos Aires whil e constru ction of th e turret a nd
th e integrati on of the gun a nd fire-control system ta ke place
a t Rio T ercero. Thyssen H enschel continues to suppl y majo r
com ponen ts to Argen tina for both the TAM a nd VC I. Addi-
tional informa ti on on the TAM progra mme is given in this
section und er Argentina .

Description
The chassis of th e vehicle is based on th e one used fo r the
M a rd er MIC V used in large num bers by the West Germ a n
Arm y, but strength ened to ta ke acco unt of the increased
weight of th e vehicle a nd th e stresses ca used by firin g th e
main a rma ment.
The hull of th e T AM is all welded with th e well-slo ped
glacis pla te providing protection against small a rms fire, shell
splinters a nd a rmo ur-piercing rounds up to 20 mm in calibre.
T he dri ver is seated at th e front of th e hull on the left sid e
a nd steers the vehicle with a conventional stee ring wheel. H e
CA 1 twin 35 mm self-propelled anti -aircraft gun as used by
Dutch Army which has different radars to those fitted to the model is prov ided with a single-piece ha tch cover th a t opens to th e
used on West German and Belgian Gepards right a nd three perisco pes. Two escape hatches a re provided ,
one in the fl oor of th e vehicle and one a t th e rear.
The engine is mo unted to th e right of th e driver with th e
Leopard 1 p rodu cti on
MBT ARV AEV Bridgelayer Gepard Trai ning Total
glacis pla te hinged on th e right to allow access to the engine
Australi a 90 6 ni l 5 nil nil 101 for maintena nce. On th e pro totype th e engine was identical
Belgium 334 36 6 nil 55 12 443
nil nil 128
to th e one installed in th e M a rd er MIC V a nd d eveloped
Canada 114 8 nil 6
Denmark 120 nil nil nil nil nil 120 600 hp a t 2200 rpm but production vehicles have a super-
West Ger. 2437 544" 36 105 420 60 3602
Greece 106 4 nil nil ni l nil 11 0
Italy 920t 69 12 nil nil nil 1001
Netherl'd 468 52 14 14 95 12 655
TH 301 with 105 mm gun in travelling lock (Chri stopher F Foss)
Norway 78 6 nil nil nil nil 84
Turkey 77 4 nil nil nil nil 81

" 444 standard plus 100 product improved

t 200 from West Germany, remainder built under licence
in Italy + 160 specialised versions subsequentl y
ordered (64 bridg elayers, 68 ARVs and 28 A EVs)

TAM Tank

Development
In mid-197 4 th e W es t Germa n company of Thyssen H ens-
chel was a wa rd ed a contract for th e design a nd development
of a new medium ta nk for th e Argentinia n Army und er the
designa tion of th e TAM (T a nqu e Argentino M edi a no), as
well as a n infa ntry comba t vehicle under the designa tion of

41
charged engine that develops 720 hp at 2400 rpm. The
engine is coupled to a Renk HSWL-194 planetary gearbox
which gives four gears in both directions. The steering system
is of the stepless hydrostatic type.
The all-welded turret is mounted to the rear of the vehicle
with the commander and gunner on the right and the loader
on th e left. The commander is provided with a single-piece
hatch cover and eight periscopes. Mounted in front of his
hatch is a non-stabilised Steinheil Lear Siegler TRP-2A
panoramic sight with a magnification of between X6 and
X 20, identical to that fitted to th e Leopard 1 MBT which can
be replaced by an infra-red sight. The commander also oper-
ates the coincidence rangefinder. The gunner is seated for-
ward a nd below the commander and is provided with a Zeiss
TZF sight with a magnification of x8, combined with a
swivelling and tilting periscope. The loader is provided with
a single-piece hatch cover that opens to th e rear with a tilting
periscope mounted in front of him. An ammunition-loading TH 301 with main armament in travelling lock and long-range fuel
tanks at rear undergoing trials
port is provided in the left side of the turret. Mounted in the
hull rear is a hatch that can be used either as an emergency
exit or to reload the vehicle rapidly with ammunition.
The torsion bar suspension system consists of six rubber-
tyred road wheels with the drive sprocket at th e front, idler at
the rear and three track return rollers. The first, second, fifth
and sixth road wheel stations have hydraulic shock absor-
bers. The tracks are Diehl with removable rubber pads. The
tops of the tracks are covered by detachable rubber skirts.
To extend the TAM's range two 200-litre long range fuel
tanks can be fitted at the rear. The basic vehicle can ford to a
depth of 1.4 metres but with preparation it can ford to 2.25
metres, or 4 metres with a snorkel. Standard equipment
includes a n NBC system, combustion heater for both cold
engine starts and the crew compartment, electric bilge
pumps, and a fire-extinguishing system that can be operated
manually or automatically.
The main armament comprises a 105 mm gun that fires a
wide range of fixed ammunition including APDS , APFSDS, Prototype of 57 mm support tank showi ng Hug hes TOW launcher
HEAT, HE-T, HESH and WP-T. It is provided with a fume to right of main armament
extractor and is fully stabilised in both planes. Fifty rounds of
105 mm ammunition are carried of which 20 a re in the turret. The gunner has a fully stabilised telescope with a magnifi-
Mounted coaxially with the main armament is a 7.62 mm cation of X8 and an integral laser rangefinder.
machine gun manufactured under licence in Argentina from Its main armament is a Rh ei nmetall-developed 105 mm
FN of Belgium. A similar weapon is mounted on the roof of gun designated th e Rh 105-30 firing APFSDS , APDS, HEAT
the tank for a nti-aircraft defence. Four Wegmann smoke and HEP projectiles a nd with an elevation of + 18 degrees
dischargers are mounted on either side of the hull. and d epress ion of -7 degrees. The turret can be traversed
Optional equipment includes additional armour protec- through a full 360 d egrees in 15 seconds and the main arma-
tion, radios and an intercom system. ment is fully s tabilised .
Information on target range is fed to the computer manu-
Variants ally by the tank commander or a utomatically by the laser
rangefinder, which has a ra nge of from 400 to 5000 metres.
TH 301 Angle of cant and lead angle is also fed automa ti cally a nd the
Using company funds, Thyssen Henschel has built a fourth type of ammunition to be fired is fed in manually.
prototype of the TAM called the TH 30 I (this was originally For engaging targets at night there is an LLL TV camera
called the TAM-4), which was completed late in 1978. mounted on th e mantlet which moves in elevation with th e
Externally it is very similar to the model design ed for main armament. Both command er and gunner have a tv
Argentina but internally has significant differences in its monitor screen a nd in addition to the optical cross- h a ir~
powerpack and fire-control system. being displ ayed a second set of electronically generated
In addition to eight periscopes for all-round observation, cross-hairs is superimposed onto the tv picture. The latter
the commander has a PERI Rl2 sight as fitted to the final changes in accordance with the variabl e angle of aim (ind e-
production model of the Leopard 1, th e Leopard lA4. This pendent of a mmunition type a nd target range) , and is also
stabilised sight has an elevation of +60 degrees, a depression corrected for ve hicle cant. The two sets of cross- ha irs are then
of -10 degrees and can be traversed through a full 360 brought together and the main armament fired.
degrees. It has a magnifica tion of X2 or X8 and is fitted with The TH 301 is powered by an MB 833 Ka 500 diesel
an external wiper. developing 720 hp coupled to a Renk transmission which is

42
 TAM tank

fi tted with a hydro-dyna mic retard er which is used to aug-
ment the steering effort in addition to being used for braking
th e vehicle.
U nder development is another versio n of th e TAM which
has th e same fire-control system as th e TH 301 but with a
120 mm gun and powered by a 600 hp diesel.
VCTP MI CV
Similar to Wes t German Marder MICV but developed to
meet requirements of Argentina.
Dragon 30 mm SPAAG
This system, fitted with two man turre t armed with twin
30 mm cannon was developed to th e prototype stage but is no
longer offered.
155 mm SPG
Proposal only. Bas ic chassis fitt ed with same turret as in-
stalled on th e French 155 mm GCT self-propelled gun on
AMX-30 MBT chass is.
APFSDS (pre-fragmented) a mmunition a nd be fitted with an
optronic fire-control system.
57 mm support tank
This vehicle can be based on th e Marder or TAM chass is and
the first prototype was shown in November 1977. It is a j oint
development between Bofors who are responsible for th e
57 mm gun and its associated ammunition and Thyssen
H ens chel.
It has been designed to underta ke a va ri ety of roles on the
battlefield including anti-tank, anti-helicopter, anti-APC
and th e destruction of soft skinned vehicles.
Armament consists ofa Bofors 57 mm gun with an eleva-
tion of +45 d egrees, d epress ion of -8 d egrees and turret
traverse a full 360 degrees. A 7.62 mm machine gun is fitted
coaxial with the main armament and mounted on the right
side of th e turret is a la un cher for a Hughes TOW ATGW. A
total of 148 rounds of 57 mm (AP, HE and proximity fu zed)
ammunition are carried plus six Hughes TOW ATGW.
The three man crew consists of the commander, gunner
and dri ver, and three infantrymen can be carried in the hull
a t the rear.

57 mm SPAAG Marder with FL-20 turret

This is a proposal by Thyssen H ens chel and Bofors and In 1985 a M arder chassis was fi tted with th e new French
would be armed with a 57 mm gun, developed from a naval Fives-Cail Ba bcock FL-20 turret armed with a 105 mm gun
weapon of the same calibre, which would fire AP and and a 20 mm coaxial cannon.

SPECIFICATIONS (TAM)
with auxiliary tanks 900 km ARMAMENT
CREW 4 FORD tNG 1.4 m main 1 x 105mm
COMBAT WEIGHT 30500 kg with preparation 2.25 m coax ial 1 x 7.62 mm MG
UNLOADED WEIGHT 28000 kg with snorkel 4m anti-aircraft 1 x 7.62 mm MG
POWER-TO-WEIGHT GRADtENT 65% SMOKE-LAYtNG
RATIO 23.27 bhp/tonne SIDE SLOPE 30% EQUIPMENT 4 smoke di schargers
GROUND PRESSURE 0.77 kg/cm' VERTICAL OBSTACLE 0.9 m either side of turret
LENGTH GUN TRENCH 2.5 m AMMUNITION
FORWARDS 8.23 m TURNING RADIUS main 50
LENGTH HULL 6.775 m 1st gear 6.5 m machine gun 6000
WIDTH 3.12 m 2nd gear 13.5 m GUN CONTROL
HEIGHT TO TURRET TOP 2.42 m 3rd gear 20 m EQUIPMENT
GROUND CLEARANCE 0.44 m 4th gear 30 m Turret power control electro-hydraulicl
TRACK 2. 62 m ENGINE super-charged MTU MB 833 manual
TRACK WIDTH 450 mm Ka 500 6-cylinder diesel by commander yes
, LENGTH OF TRACK developing 720 hp at 2200 by gunner yes
ON GROUND 3.9 m rpm command er's overrid e yes
MAX ROAD SPEED TRAN SMISSION Renk HSWL-194 planetary Commander's fire-
1st gear 16 km/h with 4 speeds both forward control override yes
2nd gear 31 km/h and reverse Gun elevation/depression +18'1- 7"
3rd gear 47 km/h STEERING stepless hydrostatiC Gun stabiliser
4th gear 75 km/h SUSPENSION torsion bar verti cal yes
FUEL CAPACITY 650litres ELECTRI CAL SYSTEM 24 V horizontal yes
MAX ROAD RANGE 550 km BATIERIES 6 x 12 V,100Ah

43
Status: Production in Argen tin a. In service with Arge ntina,
Pana ma and Peru .
Manufacturer: Thyssen H enschel, Pos tfach 102969, D-3500
Kasse l, Federal Republi c of Germ any.
Marder MICV chassis fitted with FL-20 turret armed with 105 mm
gun and 20 mm coaxial cannon
INDIA
Vijayanta Tank Production
In August 196 1 foll owing the evaluation of competing British
and Wes t Germ an MBT d esigns to meet an Indian require-
ment for a new MBT to be ma nufactured in India, an agree-
ment was signed between Vickers Limited of the U nited
Kingdom and th e Indian Government. This agree ment
covered building prototypes in th e U nited Kingdom, supply-
ing a sma ll quantity of producti on tanks and building a new
facility at Avadi, near Madras, to und erta ke produ cti on of
th e Vickers MBT. The Indians call the ta nk th e Vijayanta , or
Victorious.
The first two prototypes were completed in 1963 and one
was sent to Indi a and th e oth er retained in th e United King-
dom for development work. The first production tanks were
deli vered fro m Vickers Elswick works in 1965 . The first
Indian Vij ayanta, which was mainly built from components
supplied by th e United Kingdom, rolled off th e produ cti on
Indian Army Vijayanta MBT (Indian Ministry of Defence)
44
line at Avadi in J anuary 1965 . Since then India has progres-
sively und ertaken th e produ ction of more and more of th e
tank. As originall y built th e Vickers Mk I MBT weighedjust
und er 39 tonnes but it is believed that Indi an manufacturin g
methods increased th e weight ofIndi an models to between 4 1
and 42 tonnes. Full details of th e Vijayanta ta nk are given in
th e United Kingdom secti on und er th e Vickers MBT. Ea rl y
in 198 1 M arconi Rada r Systems was awa rd ed a £6 million
contract for its SFCS 600 ta nk fire-control system for th e
V ij ayan ta MBT with a £6 million option for additional sys-
tems. Each contract is for 70 sys tems ma king a total of 140,
but this option has not been exercised. In 198 1 Ba rr and
Stroud supplied a Tank Laser Sight (as insta lled in the
C hiefta in and oth er AFVs) for tri a ls in the V ijayanta MBT.
In 1983 Vij ayantas fitted with Vickers Defence Sys tems
powerpack (using a Rolls-Royce Condor di esel) and a C u m-
mins powerpack (using a C ummins KTA III di esel) were
tested in India. In mid- 1983 it was announ ced that Indi a was
to ord er 250 Leyla nd L60 engines for its Vijaya ntas in two
ba tches, th e first consisting of 150 engin es. The L60 is pro-
du ced in I ndia but local produ ction cannot meet th e demand
for bot h new a nd reb ui lt engines for the Vijayanta Oeet.
Early in 1985 India n so urces sta ted that MTU of Wes t
Ger ma ny was to s upply 12 diese l engines to India, six for th e
Vijayanta and six for new Arjun MBT.
Variants
Entering service with the Indi an Arm y is a Vijayanta c hass is
with a n additi onal road wheel eith er side. Its tu rret has been
replaced by a Soviet 130 mm M-46 fie ld g un firin g over th e
rear. The 130 mm gu n has limited traverse with over 30
proj ectiles a nd cha rges being carri ed .
In 1983 it was repo rted that India was to ship a Vijayanta
chass is to France to have the turret of th e French 155 mm
GCT self- propelled g un fitted for tria ls purposes.
Arjun MBT
In the ea rl y 1970s the Combat Vehicle Research a nd
Development Estab lishment at Avadi started des ign work o n
a new MBT which fin a ll y made its first ap pearance in ea rl y
1985. This is call ed the Arjun a nd we ighs about 50 tonnes , its
ex tern al a ppea ra nce is simi la r in some respects to the West
German Leopard 2 ~BT , es peciall y in turret design. In
ISRAEL
Merkava Main Battle Tank
Development
In the 1950s Israel ob ta ined mos t of its a rmoured fighting
vehicles from France (modifi ed Sherman tanks a nd AMX- 13
light ta nks) and th e U nited Kingdom (Centurion MBTs).
The United Kingdom provided Israel with two C hiefta in
tanks for trials before the 196 7 Middl e Eas t wa r but a fte r the
wa r declined to provide th em in qu a ntity, but furth er sup-
Merkava Mark 1 MBT clearly showing turret profile and turret basket at rear (Israeli Ministry of Defence)
Apri l 1985 it was stated that by 1988 20 proto types of th e
Arjun MBT wou ld be completed to ena bl e ex tensive tria ls of
key s ubsystems such as a rm a ment, fir e-co ntro l, powerpack
and sus pension prior to th e s ta rt of fu ll-scale produ ction. By
th e time th e first prototype of th e Arjun was un veiled in April
1984 Rs 300 mill ions had alread y been spent on the proj ect.
The Explosives Research a nd D evelo pment La bora tory a t
Pune in Ma haras htra has developed a new high-energy
propella nt which wi ll be used in the 120 mm smooth-bore
gun to give a hi g her mu zzle ve locity a nd th erefore grea ter
penet ra ti on charac teristics .
Indian T-72 production
It was ori ginall y intend ed to ord er only a small number of
T-72s pending th e production of th e new Indian MBT but as
th is has fallen behind schedul e additio na l T-72s have been
ord ered. It is also reported th a t India is currentl y tes ting a
number ofT-72 s with new powerpacks su pplied by General
Motors, D etroit Diesel a nd Cummins. The remaining 97
Centurion ta nks (so me of th e ea rli er ones have found th eir
way to South Afr ica) have been withdraw n from servi ce a nd
are awa iting d isposal.
Manufacturer: Avadi Company, 29 Mount Road , Madras,
Ind ia.
pl ies of th e Cen turion tank were made availa ble. M 48 ta nks
we re s upp lied by Wes t Germa ny unti l Arab press ure s to pped
this so urce of ta nks as well. Israel's only so urce of ta nks then
became th e USA which suppli ed M4·8s, M60s and M 60A l s.
If th e Arabs put press ure on th e USA to stop furth er su pplies
of ta nks to Israel th e country wou ld be left with no so urce for
MBTs a nd so it was d ecided to proceed with the d evelopment
of a n Israe li tank th a t would, where possible, use componen ts
from th e existing M48/ M60/Centurion ta nks.
45
 Israe li ex perience in th e 196 7 campaign proved th a t mo bil-
ity was no s ubstitute for a rmour protection a nd they th erefore
decided a t an ea rl y stage th a t the ma in emphasis wo uld be
placed on a rmour with firepower a nd mobility second a nd
third priorities. D esig n work on th e ta nk sta rted as ea rl y as
1967 but deta il ed design wo rk , und er th e direction ofC enera l
Israel T a l, did not begin until Aug ust 19 70. Prior to th e
constru ction of th e first prototy pes of th e M erk ava, a number
of tes t rigs based on M48 a nd C enturion ta nk chassis were
co mpleted to prove th e bas ic conce pt. The first proto type of
th e M erk ava was comple ted in 19 74.
In M ay 1977 Israe l fin a ll y a nn oun ced that it had
developed a new MBT called th e M erkava (o r Cha ri ot) to th e
prototype stage and th a t a se ri es produ cti on run of40 ta nks
was being built. First produ ction tanks were d elivered to th e
Israe li Arm y in 19 79.
The M erkava Mk I was first used in action during th e
fi g htin g in th e Leba non in 1982 . First produ ction M erk ava
Mk 2s were deli ve red to th e Israe li A rm y in D ecember 1983
and by ea rl y 1985 to ta l produ cti on is believed to have
a mounted to ove r 400 ve hicles. Main components of Elbi t digital fire-con tro l system for Merkava
Mark 1 MBT (left to right) loader's, com mander's and gunner's
Description unit
The hull of th e M erkava is m ad e of cast a nd welded a rm o ur
with a well-sha ped g lacis pla te with th e ri g ht side higher than
th e left. Behind th e first la yer of cast a rm o ur is a space fi ll ed
with di esel fu el a nd th en a noth er laye r of armour. T his
spaced a rm o ur g ives th e ta nk protection fro m HEAT proj ec-
ti les a nd ATCWs.
The layo ut of th e M erkava is un conventiona l with th e
turret and fi g hting co mpa rtm ent a t th e rea r of th e ve hicl e.
The dri ve r is seated on th e left side of th e hull , forw a rd of th e
turret, with th e engin e co mpa rtm ent to his ri g ht. The drive r
is provided with a one- piece hatch cover th a t opens to th e left
and three obse rva tion peri scopes for dri ving with th e ha tch
closed ; th e centre one can be replaced by a passi ve one for
nig ht dri ving . The dri ver ca n reach his co mpa rtm ent thro ugh
th e ma in crew compa rtm ent as th e backres t of th e dri ver's
seat fold s forw a rd s.
T he T eledyn e Continenta l AVDS-1 790-6A V-1 2 di esel
develops 900 hp a nd is coupled to a n Alli son CD-850-6BX
tra ns m ission. The eng ine is in fact a more powerfu l version of
th e engine fi tted to th e M60 and M 60AI MBTs a nd the
tra nsmiss ion is a lso sim il a r to th a t ins tall ed in th ese ta nks.
Access to th e engin e comp a rtm ent is via two fl a ps whi ch a re
opened by springs after th e locks a re released. The engine ca n
be replaced in th e fi eld in a bout 60 m in utes . The air cooli ng
filter vent is positioned in th e upper part of th e hull, fo rwa rd
of th e dri ve r's seat, with th e outlet being located on th e
oppos ite s ide. The ex ha ust outl et is on th e ri ght side of th e
hull , a bove the skirting plates civer th e second road wh eel.
The wedge-shaped turret, wh ich has bee n desig ned to
acce pt eith er a 105 mm (M68 ) or 120 mm g un, is cast with a
welded front. It has a sma ll cross-secti on a nd a la rge ove r-
ha ng a t th e rea r. The radi os a nd hydra uli cs a re mo unted in Gunner's station on Merkava Mark 1 MBT
th e turret bustl e. The co mmander is seated on th e ri ght sid e
of th e turret wit h th e g unn er seated forwa rd and below th e
comm a nd er. The co mma nd er has no cupola but is provid ed X4 to X 20. The rota ting head of th e co mm a nd er's perisco pe
with a ha tch cover th a t opens to th e rea r a nd fi ve per isco pes is li nked to th e turret trave rse system by a co unter-rota ting
fo r a ll- ro und observation . The comm a nd er's ha tch ca n be device. The gunn er's opti cs a re in th e forwa rd pa rt of th e
ra ised m a nua ll y to g ive direct a ll- ro und obse rva tion whi le turret roof a nd rig ht-a ngled ribs in front of the opti cs stop
reta ining full overh ead protection. M ounted forward of his shell-splinters a nd s ma ll a rms fire from da maging th em. The
ha tch cove r in th e roof of th e tank is a sig ht that can be g unn er's perisco pe has mag ni fica ti ons of X I' a nd x 8 a nd
tra versed throug h 360 d egrees , with a magnifi cation ofri'om in co rpora tes a lase r ran gefi nd er. The loader is seated on the

46
left rea r s ide of the turret and is provid ed with a single-piece
ha tch cover opening to the rea r.
There a re three ha tch cove rs in the rea r of the hull: the left
one g ives access to th e batteri es a nd th e rig ht o ne g ives access
to th e NBC pack . The centre one is a two-pa rt d oo r, the upper
part opening upwa rd s and th e lower pa rt downwards,
through whi ch a mmunition or wounded ca n be loaded. This
hatc h can be opened from th e outsid e but locked from the
in side. A 60- litre wa ter ta nk is provided a bove th e rear ha tch .
The in fantry telephone is mo unted a t th e rea r of the hull on
th e left s id e. More recentl y some M erk ava MBTs have been
observed fitt ed with closely-spaced cha in s with ball ends.
These detonate HE AT projecti les before th ey can hit th e
turret rin g.
The Mark I M erkava has six Centuri on-type rubber-tyred
road wh eels either s ide with th e dri ve sprocket a t th e front,
idler a t th e rea r a nd fo ur track return roll ers. Each road wheel
is suspen ded by a separate helical sp ring with suspension
a rms fo r two road whee ls each caged in a housing.
A white lig ht and a n infra-red driving lig ht mounted on Merkava Mk 2 MBTshowing additional armour protection on side
of turret (Israeli Army)
either s id e of th e glac is plate ca n be folded d own in action to
avo id da mage fro m s hell splinters and sma ll a rms fir e. The
I kW searchli ght is mounted ve rticall y in th e bustle und er
A co nventi ona l three segment type sabot is used a nd its trip le
a rmour protection to the rea r of th e loader's pos itio n a nd is
controll ed by th e ta nk comma nd er. The M erk ava is equip- base modifi ed M 30 propellant co nta in s a n effi cient
tita nium-dioxide redu cing liner.
ped with a n NBC system a nd a Spectronix explos ion sup-
press ion sys te m. The ma nufacturer s tates th at th e A PFSDS-T projecti le is
effecti ve aga in st both s ta tionary and moving ta rge ts a t ra nges
Main a rm ament is a sta nd a rd 105 mm M68 rifl ed tank g un
fi tted with a th ermal sleeve, m a nufactured in Israel by Israe l of up to 4500 metres a t a n angle of a ttack of60 d egrees. Th e
proj ectil e wi ll penetra te 150 mm H eavy NATO Single
Military Indust ri es a nd a lso fitted to most other Israe li tanks.
(HNS ) ta rge t of homogeneo us roll ed steel a rm o ur pla te a t a n
It has an eleva ti o n of +20 degrees a nd a depression of - 8.5
obliquity of 60 degrees a t a stri king ve locity equiva lent to
degrees . A travelling lock is provid ed for the 105 mm gun on
2000 metres in ra nge.
th e ri ght s ide of th e glac is pla te. The M erk ava ca rri es a total
Bas ic specifi ca tions of th e APFSDS-T ro und are :
of 92 rounds of 105 mm a mmunition of whi ch eig ht a re
stowed below th e turret rin g for ready use a nd th e rema ind er
WEIGHT OF CARTRIDGE 18.7 kg
in th e hull rear, 12 in two-round conta iners a nd 72 in fo ur- LENGTH OF CARTRIDGE 885 mm
round co nta in ers . No a mmunition is stowed a bove th e turret WEIGHT OF PROJECTILE 6.3 kg
rin g, a nd a ll a mmunition is in specia l conta in ers. In additi on LENGTH OF PROJECTILE 417 mm
PROPELLANT TYPE Triple base. MP. M30M
to the sta nd a rd 105 mm HEAT a nd HESH rounds th e g un PROPELLANT WEIGHT 5.8 kg
wi ll fire a new APFSDS-T ro und developed by Israe l Milit- MUZZLE VELOCITY 1455 m/s econd
TRACER BURNIN G TIME 3.5 seconds
ary Ind us tri es.
The Israe l Mi li tary Industries A PFSDS-T rou nd is of th e
hyper- velocity kin eti c energy type with a swaged tun gs ten A 7. 62 mmmac hin e g un is mounted coaxia ll y to the left of
alloy core. It is fin-stab ilised with a slipping obturator ba nd . th e m a in ar ma ment and a sim ilar wea pon is mounted a t th e
commander' s a nd loader' s sta tion. The coaxia l machin e g un
Merkava Mk 1 MBT from the rear show ing external stowage is fed from a 2000-round co ntinuous belt whi ch is betwee n th e
basket on turret rear and entry hatches in hull rear (Israeli Ministry pl a tes of th e spaced armo ur. The MGs a re MAGs, ma nufac-
of Defence)
tured und er lice nce from FN of Belgium. A 60 mm Solta m
morta r is ca rri ed by th e Merkava for which 30 morta r bo mbs
a re stored in a compa rtm ent in th e turret rea r. This mortar
fires hi g h explos ive, smoke a nd illuminating bombs a nd helps
to co nserve 105 mm a mmunition.
During th e 1973 Middle East war m a ny Israe li ta nks ra n
out of a mmunition a nd so th e M erkava has been designed to
carry a la rge suppl y in the rear of th e hull. The M erkava can
also be used as a comm a nd post with th e a mmunition s upply
co nta iners removed. By reducing th e am muniti on load the
M erk ava ca n also carry troops, for exa mpl e ten infa ntry ca n
be carr ied by redu cing th e a mmunition load by 45 rounds or
a three-man commando squad toge th er with th eir rad ios if
the a mmunition load is reduced by 25 rounds. It must be
emphas ised th at the a bility to carry infa ntry is onl y a n option
for use in specia l circumsta nces as th e in fa ntry have no vision
dev ices a t all.

47
Merkava Mk 1 MBT with 105 mm gun fitted with thermal sleeve
Variants

M erkava has a digita l fire-control sys tem designed by Elbit Merkava Mark 2
Computers Limited of H a ifa and a laser ra ngefi nd er which In 1983 th e M erkava M ark 2 replaced th e earlier Mk I in
can be used by the commander or gu nner. The laser production. Main improve ments over the original produc-
rangefi nd er is manufactured by Elop-Electri cal a nd feeds tion model include a layer of special a rmour on the front and
informa tion into the co mputer. The system is built around a sides of the turret, 60 mm mortar is mounted on the left sid e
Central Processing Unit a nd consists of operation units, co n- of th e turret and can be now loaded a nd fired from within the
trol a nd feedback servo loops a nd sensors. The system turret, steel skirts that protect th e s uspension a re backed by
includes three operation units, g unner's, co mmander's a nd special armour, fire-control sys tem has a number of im-
loader's. The gu nn er's is th e main unit and provides all provements including a Neodymium-YaG laser rangefi nd er
ma nu al inputs necessary for ballisti c co mputation . It also in place of th e original Neodymium-glass laser rangefinder
includes a logistic pa nel which enables sys tem bore sig htin g a nd a more ad vanced computer.
a nd syste m BITE, as well as th e displ ay of pre-select inputs. The original 900 hp diesel engine has been reta ined but the
The unit also includes th e foll owing manual inputs: type of new Israeli-designed and built transmission is mu ch more
a mmunition (six types) and recoil compensation insertion for efficient and has enabled range of the M erkava to be
each ty pe of a mmunition, in elevation and defl ection. The increased by 25 per cent to 500 km with onl y a slight increase
co mma nd er' s unit provides a readout of the system's display, in fu el capacity.
ra nge and a mmunition inputs . The loader's unit provid es
a mmunition inputs . Merkava Mark 3
The con trol loop transfers th e computer super-elevation This is now und er development a nd expected to enter pro-
inform at ion to th e hydraulic g un elevation drive a nd th e d uction between 1985 and 1990. Armour wi ll be a 100 per
ballistic move dri ve. In addition defl ection data is transferred cent improvement over th.e Mark I; Mk 3 wi ll a lso incorpo-
to th e moving graticule. The feedback loop ensures th a t the rate improved suspension (hyd ro-pneu m a ti c), new armour
ac tu a l super-eleva tion a nd gra ti cule defl ection data are iden- probably integra ted with a vehicle pro tectio n sys tem, new
tical to th e co mputed data a nd will correct th e error accord- powerpack with engine developing 1400/1500 hp giving a
ingly. power-to-weight ratio of 23 to 25 hp/ tonn e, acceleration of 0
The sys tem includes a utom a ti c sensors, lase r ra ngefi nd er, to 32 km/ h in eight seconds plus a ll of the improvements
turret cant angle indicator a nd targe t a ngular velocity senso r. including probably a 120 mm gun. The la tter may be the
Optional sensors includ e cross wind velocity, charge tem-
pera ture, ba rrel bend and a mbient a ir density. Merkava Mark 1 MBT with 105 mm gun fitted with thermal sleeve
M a nual operation of the electri cal system if th e computer
fa ils is m ade possible with a ha nd wheel drum and mo unted
scales, conn ected to the mecha ni cal gearbox, to give eleva-
ti on a ngle co mpensation a nd ra nge to ta rget for a ll types of
proj ectil es. The co mm a nd er can, if required, ta ke over con-
trol of the ma in a rm a ment a nd fire the g un. The main a rm a-
ment is sta bilised in both pla nes as an American Cadillac
Gage stabilisation system is fitted as standard . This is
ma nufac tured und er li cence in Israe l by PML Precision
M echa nism Ltd. It is probab le that a therma l imaging sys-
tem will be fitted in th e future.
It has bee n confirmed that E lop-Electronic Industries
Limited supplies th e co mm a nd er's night vision goggles,
nig ht dri ver's periscope, pa rt of th e fire-control system and
laser ra ngefinder and th e tank co mmander's turret co ntrol
ha ndl e. T adiran supplies com munica tions equipment, Ashot
Ashkelon th e ta nk tracks, Shahal th e shock absorbers, a nd
Urdan Industries s uppli es hull a nd turret armour as well as
dri ving sprockets, road wheels, s uspension a rms and tracks.

48
American model of the Rheinmetall 120 mm smooth-bore Israeli Upgraded Centurion Main Battle Tank
gun produced iA the US for the MIA !.
Development/Description
155 mm Self-propelled gun The Centurion MBT entered service with the Israeli Armour
Early in 1984 it was reported that Sol tam was developing a Corps in 1959 but was not initially liked by its crews as it was
155 mm self-propell ed gun on the Merkava chassis. more complex than the Sherman tanks used at the time.
One of the main drawbacks of the Centurion was its
Dozer mine-clearing equipment Meteor petrol engine which gave the tank a relatively low
Some Merkava MBTs have attachment plates under the hu ll power-to-weight ratio and a very high fuel consumption
front to enable them to be fitted with Israeli designed and which limited its operational range. T he cooling system also
produced mineclearing equipment and dozer blades. gave a lot of trouble as did the air-cleaners.
In the late I 960s a decision was taken to rep lace the Meteor
petrol engine with a diesel and after trials with three different
SPECIFICATIONS (Mk 1) engines, the T eledyne Continental A VDS-1790-2A diesel
CREW 4 was selected, as it was also being installed in the Israeli
COMBAT WEIGHT 60 000 kg
UNLOADED WEIGHT 58000 kg
Armoured Corps' M48A2 tanks which were being modern-
POWER-TO-WEIGHT ised then. The original Merritt-Brown Z51 R manual gearbox
RATIO 15 hp/tonne was replaced by the Allison CD-850-6 automatic which
GROUND PRESSURE 0.9 kg /cm'
LENGTH GUN greatly reduced driver fatigue as well as simpli fy ing training.
FORWARDS 8.63 m To accommodate the new powerpack the rear of the hu ll
LENGTH HULL 7.45 m
WIDTH 3.7 m had to be enlarged, but even so the engine had to be installed
HEIGHT at an inclination of3.5 degrees front side up. This meant that
to commander's cupola 2.75 m
to turret roof 2.64 m
elevated top decks had to be fitted to accommodate the
FIRING HEIGHT 2.15m cooling air outlets that vented upwards through louvres
GROUND CLEARANCE 0.47 m above the transmission compartment. Externall y the modi-
TRACK WIDTH 640mm
LENGTH OF TRACK fied Israeli Centurions, officially designated the Upgraded
ON GROUND 4.78 m Centurion (not the Ben-Gurion), is recognisable by its raised
MAX ROAD SPEED 46 km/h
ACCELERATION engine decks and air filter boxes on the trackguards.
o to 32 km/h 13 s The Upgraded Centurion, which entered service with the
RANGE 400 km
FUEL CAPACITY 900 litres
Israeli Armoured Corps in 1970, also has increased fue l
FORDING 1.38m capacity, more efficient air-cooled braking system, new fire-
FORDING WITH extinguishing system, improved amm unition layout with 72
PRE PARATlON 2m
GRADIENT 60% rounds of 105 mm ammunition carried, and a new electrical
SIDE SLOPE 38% system.
VERTI CAL OBSTACLE 0.95m
TRENCH 3m Some Centurions have been observed with a 12.7 mm M2
ENGINE Teledyne Continental HB machine gun over the gun barrel. This was originally
AVDS-1790-6A V-12
diesel developing
fitted for training but was used in urban fighting in the
900 hp Lebanon in lieu of the 105 mm M68 gun. The 12.7 mm
TRANSMISSION Allison CD-850-6BX machine gun is fitted with one box of ready use ammunition
SUSPENSION Independent, helical
spring and volute and fired by an electrically-operated solenoid from within the
bumper spring turret.
ROAD WHEEL +210mm
ARM TRAVEL -85mm The Upgraded Centurion has a maximum road speed of
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24 V 43 km/ h and twice the cruising range of the Centurion Mk 5
BATIERIES 8 x 12 V (500 Ah)
ARMAMENT
on which it is based .
main 1 x 105mm
coaxial 1 x 7.62 mm MG Variants
anti-ai rcraft 2 x 7.62 mm MG
AMMUN ITION The Upgraded Centurion can also be fitted with applique
main 62 (nominal, can be reactive armour and various types of mine roller (similar to
as high as 85)
coaxial/anti-aircraft 10000 the Soviet PT-55's) and a mine plough (similar to the Soviet
GUN CONTROL KMT-4's) can be fitted at the front of the tank.
EQUIPMENT
Turret power control electro-hydraulicl
The RKM bulldozer attachment is produced by Urdan
manual Industries L imited and is intended for use on the M48, M60
by commander yes and Centurion tanks of the Israeli Army although it is also
by gunner yes
Gun elevationl suitable for installation on foreign vehicles.
depression +20'1- 8.5' It consists of three major components:
Gun stabi liser
vertical yes the bulldozer blade, which is a standard blade with some
horizontal yes modifications to improve its performance in sandy soils as
found in the Middle East; the electro-hydraulic unit, which is
connected to the tank's 24 V electrical system to supply
Status: In production . In service with the Israeli Army. hydraulic pressure to the main cylinder. The electro-
hydrau li c system and all the movements of the bu lldozer
Manufacturer: Israeli Ordnance Corps facility at Tel a blade are controlled by a control unit in the driver's com-
Shumer, near Tel Aviv, Israel. partment and the main structure which houses the e1ectro-
hydraulic unit and is attached to the user tank. I t carries the

49
Upgraded Centurion MBT of Israeli Army showing modified rear engine deck to accommodate Continental AVDS-1790-2A diesel
e ngine with Allison CD-850-G trans mi ssion

Is raeli Army Upgraded Centurion MBTwith turret traversed to left. Note turret basket, new commander's cupola, infra-red driving lights
and mounting points for applique reactive armour on the glacis (Kensuke Ebata)

bulldoze r blad e 'and th e ma in actua ting cylinder. Centurion MBTfitted with dozer blade . Turret is traversed to
T he d rive r operates th e a ttachm ent from a d etacha ble rear
co n tro l unit ins ide th e driving co mpa rtm ent, th e sys tem has
four basic mod es of opera ti on :
Bla d e u p. In th is mod e th e bulldoze r bla d e is lifted to its
maximum heig ht for travel.
Bla d e fl oa ting. In this mod e th e bulldozer blad e is released
a nd lo wered until it rests on th e soil sur face for earthmoving
parallel to th e soil contour.
Bla d e down. In this mod e th e blad e is used for heavy duty
earthmoving.
Bla d e d ow n a nd ro uters ex tend ed. Used for routing sur-
faces wh en th e tank is being dri ven in reverse.
The RKM bulldoze r a ttachm ent can be insta lled by th e
tank crew in a bo ut 30 minutes a nd th e system is fitted with
sta nd a rd NATO in te r-ta nk conn ectors. for a ttaching to th e
use rs' ta nks' 24- vo lt power suppli es. The system can be

50
 In ea rly 1984 it was a nno unced that th e Israeli Ordna nce
Corps had d evelo ped a low cost fi re-cont rol system which
would be fitted initi a ll y to Israe li M48 a nd Centurion tanks
a nd a t a la ter da te to th e T-55 tanks used by some reserve
units. The fir e-control system can be ins ta lled in under a day
a nd includes a computer developed by Elbit Computers and
optics by EI-Op.
It is also reported that some Israe li M 48 a nd Centurion
tanks a re to be fitted with a n Astronautics fire-control sys-
tem, th e FCS- IO for th e M48 and FCS-20 for th e Centurion.

Manufacturer: The Upgraded Centurion progra mme was

carri ed o ut a t Israeli Ordna nce Corps Workshops at T el a
Shumer, nea r Tel Aviv, Israel.

Israeli Sherman Tanks

Israe li Army Centurion chassis modified to carry and launch
290 mm rockets
When th e sta te of Israel was found ed in 1948 its a rm oured
forces consisted of 12 French Hotchkiss H- 35/39 ta nks two
removed in a bout 15 minutes. In th e Israeli Army it is iss ued British Cromwell tanks, two Ame rican Sherm a n tankS' plus
on th e scale of one or two per tank compa ny. an assort ment of light a rmoured veh icles, ma ny of which
The Israe li Ar my also uses th e Centurion ARV Mk 2 and were made locall y a nd suitable on ly for interna l security
some ta nks have had their turrets removed for use as tu gs . As operations. Betwee n 1949 a nd 1954 add iti onal Shermans
a private venture Sol ta m has fitted a Centurion chassis with a were obtai ned from a va ri ety of so urces. These models
turret-mounted 155 mm gun/ howitze r, but this has ye t to be included th e M 4A I (75 mm gun), M4A I ( 105 mm how-
placed in prod uction. itzer) , M4A I (locall y fitted with ex-Swiss Krupp MI9 11 fi eld
g un in place of 105 mm howitzer), M4A2 (75 mm g un ) a nd a
single Sherman 17-pounder. In 1954 a single M I 0 ta nk des-
Centurion APC
, troyer was obtained. Israe l then emba rked on its own Sher-
Some Israeli Centurions have had their turrets removed for
ma n retrofi t programme.
us e as armoured personnel carri ers in Southern Lebanon .
The hull armour a round th e turret rin g has been bui lt up to
the front, sides and rear a nd 7.62 mm/l 2.7 mm machine M1 Super Sherman
guns have been mounted a ro und th e top to provide sup- In 1956 Fra nce d elivered a batch of 100 M4A I E3 a nd
pressive fire. M4A IE8 Sherm a n ta nks fitted with 76.2 mm guns. These
ta nks were rena med M I Su per Sherman by Israel and were
used during th e 1956 a nd 1967 Arabiisraeli wars, after which
290 mm multipl e rocket syste m
they were transferred to border security units or rebuilt for
The Israe li Army uses a number of Centurion chass is with
other ro les .
th eir turrets removed a nd fitted with a three-round la un cher
for a 290 mm rocket designed by Israel Military Industries.
M50 Mark 1 and M50 Mark 2 Shermans
Note on Israeli MBTs During 1954 Israeli technical experts went to Bourges
During th e fighting in th e Leba non in th e summer of 1982 Arsenal in France to desig n a turret mo unting for th e
ma ny Israeli M 48, M60 an d Centurion seri es MBTs were Sherman using the French 75 mm CN- 75-50 ta nk g un. Two
observed to be fitted with a pplique armour.
Late in 1983 it was confi rm ed th a t this was reactive armour M50 Sherman tank of Israel i Army wi th tu rret trave rsed to rear
developed by Rafae l Armament Developmen t Authority (Israe li Army)
with produ ction a nd ma rketing being und ertaken by Israel
Military Industries. This a rmour, call ed Blazer, is suitab le
for insta lla tion on a ll types of MBT a nd adds less th a n
I tonne to the ve hicle weight. It consists of small panels of
armou r bolted onto th e hull an d turret reacting to HEAT
attack but not activated by sma ll ar ms a mmunition, artillery
fire or a rti llery fragments . Once a panel has been hit it no
longer provides protection but th e ma nufactu rer believes
th at the poss ibility of a pa nel being hit twice is remote.
On a n M60AI type MBT a bout 10 squ a re metres a re
protected including the turret roof. Blaze r provides a high
degree of protection aga inst at tack from HEAT proj ecti les
such as those fi tted to Soviet RPG-7 a nd Sagger type
weapons.
Israe li Centurion a nd M60 series tanks have also been
obse rved fitted with smoke grenade la un chers on either sid e
of the 105 mm gu n.

51
prototypes were built, one on an M 4A2 hull and the oth er
on th e single M I 0 hull. M odifi cations und ertaken included
severa l to th e a mmunition ej ection system, replacement of
th e weld ed-on steel box on th e turret rear by a cast counter-
weight fill ed with lead , a specially ad ap ted telescopic sight
and a new ammunition feed system.
A pre- produ ction model was completed in 1955 and by
1956 th e first M 50 M a rk I Sherm ans had been rebuilt from
M4A4 hulls and French-supplied turret castings in Israeli
workshops. One company ofM 50 M ark I s was subsequently
used in th e 1956 war.
As a res ult of combat experience several modifi cati ons
were carried out on th e produ ction line. Because oh he modi-
fi cati ons th e last of th e initia l ba tch of 50 Sherman M 50
Ma rk I conversions was not delivered until April 1959. By
this time th e origin al Continental petrol engines, narrow
tracks and VVS suspensions were beginning to present con-
siderabl e maintenance problems du e to th e increased weight
of th e turret and a rma ment. Their replacement with a 460 hp
di esel a nd HVSS suspension was started. The M 4A3 hull M51 Sherman , armed with 105 mm gun (Israeli Army)
was considered ideal for this as it was a lready fitted with a
radi a tor. Several hundred M 4A3 hulls were bought from a
Other improvements includ ed replacing th e original bulky
variety of so urces. The fi rs t ba tch of C ummins diesel engines
battery charger with a small and compact dyna mo, fitting a
a rrived in 1960 to be fit ted into th e M 50 Ma rk 2 as this
white light/ infra-red searchlight over th e main arma ment,
version was designa ted . The prototypes had been tested late
fitting two smoke dischargers either side of th e turret and
in 1959. La ter two smoke dischargers were fi tted to either side
replace ment of the locking asse mbly and hydra ulic controls
of th e turret.
by a new SAMM CH 23-1 system based on th at fitted to th e
The 75 mm CN-75-50 gun fired th e following types of
AM X -1 3 light tank th en in service with the Israeli Army.
a mmunition:
After tria ls with th e prototypes it was found necessary to fit
the gun with a mu zzle brake.
Type AP AP HE The modifi cations took abo ut 25 000 ma n hours per· tank
DESIGNATION POT-51 A PCOT-51P nla and res ulted in th e comba t weight being increased to 39
WEIGHT OF COMPLETE
ROUND 21 kg 21 kg
tonnes. The maximum road speed is 45 km/ h and th e opera-
20.6 kg
WEIGHT OF PROJECTILE 6.4 kg 6.4 kg 6.2 kg tional range is 270 km.
MUZZLE VELOCITY 1000 m/s 1000 m/s 1000 m/s The M 5 1 was first used operationall y in the pre-1 967 war
PENETRATION 11 0 mm/0· 170 mm/O· n/app
60 mm/60· 40 mm/60· bord er conflict with Syria. It was subsequ ently used in th e
1967 war, 1968-70 wa r of attrition and th e 1973 war. In 1973
it successfull y engaged Soviet T-62 MBTs used by Egy pt and
M51 Sherman Syria.
Although th e M 50 Sherm an was capable of successfully The 105 mm gun fi res a no n-rota ti ng hollow charge anti-
engaging Soviet T-34/85 and T-54/T -55 series tanks th e tank round (the O CC 105 F I), HE mod el 60, smoke and
Egyp tia ns began receiving increased qu antities of Soviet I S-3 practi ce rounds. The firs t is similar to that fired by the French
heavy tanks in the early 1960s and a newer a nd more capa ble AMX-30 MBT and has a mu zzle veloci ty of 905 metres a
gun was needed to meet the threat. second and will penetrate 360 mm of a rmour at an incidence
The I sraelis initia ll y looked at th e French 105 mm of 0 deg rees or 150 mm at 60 degrees.
CN-I05-F I 56-calibre tank g un with a max imum mu zzle Following th e 1967 wa r the regular a rmoured units were
velocity of 1000 metres a second fi ring a HEAT proj ectile. re-equipped with more modern M BTs, allowing some of the
H owever it was found tha t the gun was too long and the M I/ M50/ M 5 1 series to be transferred to the reserve mechan-
mu zzle velocity too high to operate effi cien tly from a modifi ed ised brigades and bord er defence units. C hile has taken deli v-
Sherm an turret, prima rily because of the lack of space during ery of about 100 M 5 1 Sherm an tanks .from Israel. T he
recoil. remainder of th e older Sherm ans were th en reworked into a
The Israelis th en re turned to Bourges Arsenal to modi fy a va ri ety of specialised versions; d escriptions follow.
CN-I05-F'1 to meet their requirements. T his resulted in th e
ba rrel length being reduced by 1.5 metres to obtain an Armoured Ambulance
accepta ble mu zzle velocity of 800 metres a second. The new This is a rebuilt Sherm an M 50 with the turret removed and
gun was d esignated the 105 mm DI 504 tank gun, 44 calibre engine repositioned in the front. It is simila r in overall shape
with a mmunition mad e in Israel. to th e armoured command pos t vehicle and M50 self-
The S herm an mod el chosen 'for this conversion was the propelled howi tzer and fi rs t en te red servi ce in 1969 for use in
M 4A l. The tanks were stripped back to th eir hulls, fitted fron t-line areas during th e war of a ttrition. T he patients we re
with a C ummins 460 hp diesel engine, E8 HVSS suspension carri ed on stretchers in th e rear of the vehicle which was
modifi ed steerin g, transmission and ex ha ust, wider tracks provided with extensive medical equi pment. T o facilita te
and a new turret mantlet, turret bustle a nd ammunition rapid removal of wounded men fro m th e battlefi eld a trap-
stowage to hous e th e new 105 mm gun and its ammunition. door was provided in th e fl oor of th e vehicle.

52
Artillery Observation Post Vehicle
This is a Sherman MI with its turret removed and replaced
by a scissors type hydraulically-operated arm, on top of
which is mounted a platform for arti llery observation per-
sonnel. I t is known as the cherrypicker and was used for the
first time during th e war of attrition.

Armoured Command Vehicle

This is a rebuilt Sherman M50 with turret removed, engine
repositioned to the front and superstructure added to the
rear, on top of which is mounted the commander's cupola
with a pintle-mounted 7.62 mm machine gun. Its overall
shape is similar to the armoured ambu lance and it entered
service in 1967.
Sherman with hydraulically-operated dozer blade for clearing
Engineer and Mine-clearing Versions obstacles in forward areas (Israeli Army)
The Israeli Army is known to have used M4 flail type mine-
clearing tanks and a small quantity of Sherman bridgelayers
but it is not known if any of them are still in use.
The Israeli Army uses two modified Sherman tank chassis
in the armoured engineer role. The first of these is a Sherman
with a cast hull and horizontal volute su~pension system,
turret traversed to rear and armament removed , searchlights
fitted, and a hydraulically-operated dozer blade fitted at the
front of the hull. The bow machine gun has also been
removed on this model.
The second vehicle is called the Trail Blazer by the Israeli
Army and uses a modified Sherman chassis with a welded

Medical evacuation tank based on rebuilt Sherman chassis

(lsra~li
Army) M51 Sherman with turret traversed to rear

hull and horizontal volute suspension system and the turret

removed. Mounted at the front of the hull on the right side is a
large hydrau lica lly-operated crane, similar to that installed
on the Leopard I and AMX-30 ARVs, which is us ed for
removing obstacles and changing powerpacks in the field.
When not required this lies along the, right side of the hull.
Mounted at the front and rear of the Trail Blazer are
hydraulically-operated blades; the rear one is normally used
when the Trail Blazer is in the recovery mode, while the front
one can be used to clear obstacles as well. The winch com-
partment is in the centre of the hull where the turret was
previously situated and stowage boxes are mounted along
eac.h side of the hull.

Trail Blazer tank based on Sherman chassis with dozer blade
raised, rear spades raised and hydraulic crane in travelling
position on right side of hull (Israeli Army)
Sherman with AMX-13 Turret
In the 1967 campaign Israel captured a quantity of Sherman
tanks from the Egyptians fi tted with a French AMX-1 3 turret
armed with a 75 mm gun. These had been supplied by the
French in the early 1950s. As far as it is known these tanks
were not taken into service with the Israeli Army although
their chassis were probably converted to other roles.

155 mm Self-propelled Howitzer M50

This was developed in the late 1950s by France to meet the
requirements of Israel and consists of a much modified
Sherman tank chassis fitted with a French 155 mm Model 50
howitzer at the rear of the hull. This weapon has a maximum
elevation of +69 degrees and fires a 43 kg HE projectile to a
maximum range of 18000 metres. The modifications to the
hull have been extensive and include moving the engine to
the front ofthe hull a longside the driver. The main drawback

53
155 mm self-propelled how itzer M50 in travelli,ng configuration
(Israeli Army)

160 mm self-prope ll ed mortar with mortar at low e levation and

of thi s weapon is th at th ere is no overh ead protection for th e fu ll front lowered to hori zonta l (Israe li Army)
gun crew and li mited trave rse of th e a rm a ment.

155 mm L-33 Self-Propelled G!,.Jn/Howitzer

This has been designed to meet th e requirement of th e Israeli
Arm y by Soltam and consists of a rebuilt Sherm an M 4A3E8
chassis fitted with a Cummins di esel engine, all welded full y
enclosed armoured superstru cture and a Soltam ISS mm
M-68 gun/ howitzer. The latter has an elevation of + 52
degrees, depression of - 3 degrees and a total traverse of60
degrees. A total of 60 rounds of ISS mm separate loading
a mmunition are carried of which 16 a re for ready use. M axi-
mum range is 21 000 metres. The L-33 has a crew of eight
men and a load ed weight of 41 500 kg. It entered servi ce in
1973 and first saw action in th e sa me year during th e Yom
Kippur war.

160 mm Self-propelled Mortar 155 mm L-33 self-propelled gun/howitze r showing roof-mounted

Thi s conversion was und erta ken by th e Solta m company of
Haifa from 1969 and consists of a Sherman (or M7 Priest)
chassis with the turret and superstru cture removed and
replaced by vertical sides, front and rear, with th e front being
capa ble of being lowered to th e hori zontal. The 160 mm
breech-loaded morta r mounted in th e centre of the vehicl e
fires forw ards, has a limited traverse and can be elevated
from +43° to +70°. The mortar fires an HE bomb weighing
40 kg to a maximum range of9600 metres, HE content being
5 kg, or two types of smoke bomb . Average rate offire is fi ve
to eight bombs a minute. A tota l of 56 morta r bombs are
stowed a long th e sides of th e vehicle and below th e floor on
which th e mortar is mounted . Access to th e la tter bombs is by
a hatch to the right of the dri ver. A 7.62 mm or a 12.7 mm
machine gun is mounted on each side of th e vehicle for
anti-a ircraft use. The vehicle has a crew of eight, loaded
7.62 mm anti-aircraft machine gun (Israe li Army)
weight of 36 654 kg, and is powered by a 430 hp Cummins
di esel, which gives th e vehicle a maximum road speed of
43 km/ h and a range of 300 km .
Multiple Rocket Launcher
The Sherman chassis has a lso been us ed as th e laun cher for
trials with th e Israe l Milita ry Industries 290 mm mu ltipl e
rocket system. Deta ils of thi s, not based on Centurion chass is,
were given for th e entry on th e Centurion MBT under Israel
on page 53 .
Status: In servi ce with th e Israe li Arm y and Lebanese
C hristia n Militia (M 50). So me Israe li M 5 1 Sherm an tanks
a re kn own to have been suppli ed to C hile in recent yea rs.

ITALY
New Italian MBT
In 1984 OTO-Mela ra and FIAT form ed a consortium to
design a new MBT and a n 8 X 8 tank destroyer to meet th e
requirements of the Ita lian Arm y.
FIAT, or INVEC O as it is now known, will be res ponsible
for th e automotive components whil e OTO-Melara will be
responsibl e for the wea pons.
Because of their res pecti ve ex peri ence in' tracked and
wheeled a rmoured vehicles, OTO-Melara will concentra te

54
OF-40 Mk 1 MBT
on the MBT while INVECO ha ndl es the 8 x 8 ta nk
des troye r.
The new MBT wi ll be a further d evelopment of th e OF-40
Mk 2 produ ced by OTO-Melara for the Un ited Arab
Emirates and wi ll have im proved armour protection, a new
1200 hp FIAT engine coupled to a ZF tra nsmission, new
suspension, possibly hydro-pneumatic, a nd a 120 mm
smooth-bore gun.
The 120 mm smooth-bore g un will be th e West German
Rheinmeta ll weapon as installed in th e Leopard 2 a nd
American M I A I or the G IA T 120 mm weapon as install ed in
the AMX-40.
T he Italian Army requires an ea rly operational capa bility
for its new MBT so there wi ll be no prototypes as such.
Production is expected to begin in 1987 with first deliveries in
1988. It is ex pected that the first production batch will be for
200 to 250 vehicles to replace part of the rem aining M 47 fl eet.
The Ita lian Army Leopard Is will need replacing in th e
1990s bu t it is no t clear whether Italy will d evelop a new
MBT or join with France (in EPC proj ect) or W es t G ermany
(in the new Combat MBT ).
A major stumbling block in either proj ect cou ld be the
ex port market as Italy wou ld want to produce a MBT for
both home and export markets to ensure a longer produ ction
run .
Status: D evelop ment.
Manufacturer: OTO-Melara, via Va ldilocchi 15, 19 100 La
Spezia, Ita ly.
OF-40 Main Battle Tank
Development
The OF-40 MBT has been designed from 1977 by OTO-
Melara and FIAT specifically for th e export market, with th e
former responsible for overall design a nd production a nd the
la tter for th e powerpack. The first prototype of the OF-40 (0
for OTO-Melara , F for FIAT a nd 40 for th e approximate
weight) was completed in 1980. The United Arab Emirates
placed an order for 18 OF-40 Mk l s with the first of th ese
being delivered in 198 1. Further development res ulted in the
OF-40 Mk 2 of which l 8 have been ordered a nd deli vered to
the United Arab Emirates together with three ARVs based
on the same chassis.
The originall 8 OF-40 ~k Is a re now being broug ht up to
Mk 2 standard in the United Arab Emirates.
Description (Mk 1)
The all-welded hull is divided into three compartm ents:
dri ver's at the front, fighting in th e centre a nd engine and
transmission a t the rear. The driver is seated at th e front on
the righ t side a nd has a single-piece ha tch cover that lifts a nd
swings to th e left. There are three unity periscopes in fron t of
him, th e centre one of which ca n be replaced by an Aerita lia
image intensifi cation periscope for night dri ving.
To the left of th e driver is th e NBC pack and 42 round s of
105 mm a mmunition an d behind him there is a n oval
emerge ncy hull escape ha tch.
The all-weld ed turret is in th e centre of the hull with the
co mm a nder a nd g unn er on th e right and the loader on th e
left. The co mmander has a circular ha tch cover that opens to
the rear a nd eight unity periscopes for a ll-round observation,
one of whi ch can be replaced by a n Ae rita lia image
intensification periscope. The commander's seat can be ele-
vated by a manually-operated hydra uli c system a nd a foot-
operated va lve enab les him to lower the seat quickl y in a n
emergency.
The co mm and er d oes not have a cupol a but mounted in
th e roof forward of his hatch is a French SFIM VS 580-B
panoramic sight which can be stabilised and fitted with
image intensifi cation nigh t vis ion equipment. This enables
the tan k commander to detect a nd identify th e target a nd he
can th en either hand over to th e g unn er or engage th e target
himself.
The gunner is seated in front of a nd below the com mand er
an d has one forward facing roof- mounted periscope a nd a n
OF-40 Mk 1 MBT from front showi ng wedge-shaped mantlet
and thermal sleeve for 105 mm gun
55

OF-40 Mk 2 MBT firing OTO-Melara 105 mm rifled gun during
trials in Italy
opti cal sight with a m agnifi cation of x8. It is mo unted
coaxia ll y with th e 105 mm gun in a M 114 telescopic mount.
The load er sits on th e left of th e turret a nd has a circul ar
ha tch cover th a t opens to th e rear, in front of whi ch a re tw o
roof-m o unted peris co pes th a t give observa tion to th e front
a nd left side.
. The m ain arm a ment of th e O F-40 is a n OTO-Mela r-a
desig ned a nd ma nufactured 105 mm 52-calibre rifl ed ta nk
g un with fa lling wedge breech- block, concentric buffer a nd
spring rec uperator. The gun is fir ed electri cally but ca n also
be fired by a manually-actu a ted impulse generator. During
co unter-recoil th e a utoma ti c breech-block opens and ej ects
th e spent cartrid ge case into a bag und er th e breech.
The ba rrel is provided with a th erm al sleeve and a bore
evacua tor. The gun fires all sta nd a rd NATO 105 mm
a mmunition a nd a well-tra ined crew can achieve a ra te offir e
of nin e rounds a minute. As a n option th e main arm a ment
can be sta bilised in both elevation a nd trave rse.
Fifty-seven rounds of 105 mm a mmunition are carried, 42
to th e left of th e dri ve r a nd 15 in th e turret for read y use.
A 7.62 mm machin e g un is mounted coaxia lly to th e left of
th e ma in arm a ment and a simila r wea pon is mo unted on th e
turret roof for anti- aircra ft us e.
Mounted externally on either sid e of th e turret a re four
electri cally opera ted smoke dis chargers.
The fir e-control system has been designed by Offi cine
G alileo a nd consists of th e g unn er' s fire-control system , g un-
ner's telescope which moves in elevation with th e m ain
a rm a ment, command er' s sta bili sed day/ nig ht roof-mounted
sight a nd the turret/gun electro-hydraulic dri ve syste m.
The gunn er's fir e-control sys tem consists of an Aerita li a
C 125 optical sight with a magnifi cation of X 8 and range scale
for APDS , HEAT a nd HESH 105 mm proj ectiles and
7.62 mm machine gun a mmunition ; Seleni a VAQ-33 laser
ra ngefind er with a range of between 400 and 9995 metres;
laser feeding- and control equipm ent; fir e-control computer;
control d evice and read-out for the ta nk commander, gun-
ner' s controls and eleva tion senso r.
The comma nd er' s roof-m ounted SFIM VS 580-B sight
can be traversed throug h a full 360 degrees, has a
m agnifica tion of x 8, stadia metric ra ngefinding capa bility
a nd ra nge scales for APDS , HEAT a nd HESH a mmunition.
56
Turret traverse a nd g un eleva tion a re electro-hydraulic;
with turret traverse a t a ra te of 360 degrees in 17 seconds a nd
gun eleva tion from - 9 d egrees to + 20 d egrees a t 7 degrees a
second . The turret/gun drive sys tem is controll ed from the
g unn er's ha ndl e but an ove rrid e sys tem a llows th e comma n-
der to ta ke over th e laying and firin g of th e main armament if
required a nd manual controls a re provided for emergency
use.
The engin e, transmission a nd cooling system are
assembled to form th e powerpack which is supplied by FIAT
read y for installation in th e ta nk a nd can be removed by four
men with a cra ne in und er 45 minutes . The cabl es and wires
a re provid ed with quick disco nn ec t co uplings a nd ifrequired
th e powerpack can be run outside th e vehicle for testing.
The engine is a MT U ten- cylind er, four-stroke, pre-
combusti on cha mber, super-cha rged multi-fuel d eveloping
830 hp at 2200 rpm and is fitted with a tropicalisa tion kit to
control th e fu el supply a nd prevent th e engine from overh eat-
ing.
C ombustion air is ta ken in by two super- charged blowers
through th e two air cleaners. The tw o dry air cleaners a re
fitted in th e sid e recess in front of th e engine compartm ent
a nd a ir enters through th e intake scoops on the hull deck.
Screens mounted in front of the scoops prevent large particles
such as lea ves entering th e vehicle.
A cyclone filter battery purifi es th e air from coars e dust
a nd la rge surfaced mi cro-top filte rs retain th e fin e dust. The
coarse dust ej ected by the cyclone filters is continuously
blown outsid e by a dust blower insta lled in each air clea ner.
The exh a ust gases a re ta ken from each cylinder. liner by
fl exible corruga ted tube compens ators through an exh a ust
ma nifold into th e exh a ust mufRers in th e side recesses of the
engine co mpa rtm ent.
The engine of th e OF-40 is liquid cooled through a self-
contained cooling system with intern a l pressure controlled
by a pressure reli ef a nd und er press ure valve. On either sid e
of th e tra nsmission is a cooler with a control fa n on the
vertical a xis between th e two coolers to suck th e necessa ry
cooling a ir from th e top through th e cooling air inta ke grille
and force it through th e two coolers. When dee p fordin g, this
du ct is fill ed with wa ter and th e fa n, coolers and mixing
cha mber a re th erefore co mpl etely fl ooded.
OTO Melara OF-40 Mk 2 MBT showing thermal sleeve for 105 mm
gun and LLLTV camera on gun mantlet

Model of Otomatic 76/62 76 mm se lf-propel led anti-aircraft gun
system with turret traversed to rear and radars in operating
position
Engine torque is transmitted to a torque converter which is
followed by a four-speed planetary gearbox with two reverse
speeds. The individual speeds are shifted electro-
hydraulically by a shift lever alongside the driver.
There is a separate clutch between the engine and ZF
transmission which can be operated manually from the crew
compartment. Thus provides easy starting at low tempera-
tures as the starter has to crank the engine only and not the
transmission.
The steering works through a longitudinally super-
imposed gearbox so steering movements do not cause essen-
tial power losses in the gearbox. Steering movements are
mechanically transmitted from the control handle at the
driver's station to the control valve.
The final drives are on either side at the rear of the vehicle
and are of the planetary type. The transmission is connected
to the final drives by an internally toothed sleeve which can
be loosened from the outside when the powerpack has to be
removed.
The suspension is of the torsion bar type with seven dual
rubber-tyred road wheels on each side. The first three and
last two road wheels have hydraulic shock absorbers and
bump stops to prevent excessive wheel travel. The adjustable
idler is at the front, drive sprocket at the rear and there are
five track support return rollers on each side.
The track is th e rubber-bushed connector type with the
individual track shoes joined by end connectors and centre
guiding teeth. The upper part of the track and suspension is
covered by a steel-reinforced rubber skirt which keeps dust
down and provides a degree of protection against attack by
HEAT projectiles .
The OF-40 has three independent braking systems; ser-
vice, parking and emergency systems .
The tank can ford to a depth ofl.2 metres without prepara-
tion and an optional semi-deep fording hydraulic system
enables it to cross streams to a maximum depth of2.5 metres.
A snorkel can be fitted which enables the OF-40 to ford to a
depth of 4 metres. An electrically-operated bilge pump is
fitted in both the engine and crew compartment, each with
the capacity of 120 litres a minute.
The overpressure NBC system is mounted at the front of
the hull to the left of the driver. Fresh air is drawn into the
vehicle by a blower and is then separated from the coarse dust
in a cyclone filter. The NBC protection filter is down-stream
of the course dust filter and retains all NBC agents. The dust
collection compartment of the cyclone filter is continuously
kept free of dust by a dust ejector blower. Pressure in the tank
is monitored by a pressure gauge in the crew compartment.
An automatic fire -extinguishing system in the engine com-
partment has spray tubes and nozzles connected to a battery
of bottles in the crew compartment containing the fire extin-
guishing agent. This system is activated at 180°C through a
fire wire in the engine compartment.
Variants
OF-40 Mk 2 MBT
The OF-40 Mk 2 is essentially the Mark I fitted with the
Galileo OGI4L2A fire -control system which includes a
stabilisation system for the 105 mm gun and sensors for wind
velocity, powder temperature, ambient temperature and
type of ammunition. The OG 12L2B fire control system is
similar but has a stabilised line of sight.
In the OF-40 Mk 2 the tank commander has a day/night
periscope that is self-stabilised during panoramic search and
is slaved to the gun stabilisation when used for firing.
Thegunner has a sight with a magnification of X 7 and X 14
that incorporates a laser rangefinder as well as a telescopic
sight with a magnification of X8 that is coaxial with the
105 mm gun.
Mounted coaxially on the right side of the turret is a
LLL TV camera with the monitor in turret.
Deliveries of the second batch of 18 OF -40 Mk 2 tanks to
the United Arab Emirates began in 1984 and were completed
in 1985. The Mk I s are now being brought up to Mk 2
standard.
OF-40 ARV
Three of these have been built for the United Arab Emirates
and is essentiall y OF-40 chassis with a spade, hydraulic
crane with a lifting capacity of20 tonnes and a main winch
with a capacity of 30 tonnes which can be increased to
60 tonnes if required .
New engine
Currently undergoing trials is the FIAT V-12 MTCA diesel
which develops 1000 hp with a possible increase to 1200 hp.
This may be installed in the OF-40 so increasing its power-
to-weight ratio to 25 hp/tonne.
Palmaria 155 mm Self-propelled Howitzer
This has been developed from 1977 by OTO-Melara
specifically for the export market with the first prototype
being completed in 1981. So far orders have been placed by
Libya (210) and Nigeria (25) with Argentina ordering 25
turrets for modified TAM chassis.
The chassis is similar to the OF-40 MBT, the major differ-
ence being that the Palmaria is powered by a V-8 diesel
developing 750 hp instead ofa V-IO developing 830 hp.
The 155 mm howitzer has an elevation of + 70 degrees,
depression of -5 and turret traverse of 360 degrees. The
howitzer can fire HE, illuminating or smoke projectiles to a
maximum range of 24 000 metres or a HE rocket assisted
projectile to a range of 30 000 metres. 30 rounds of separate
loading ammunition are carried; if required the system can
57
 35 mm Self-prope lled Anti-aircraft Gun
For trials purposes a Palmaria chassis has been fi tted with the
AT AK twin 35 mm anti-aircraft turret designed as a private
venture by Contraves.

76/62 76 mm Se lf-propel led Anti-aircraft Gun

OTO Melara Palmaria 155 mm self-propelled howitzer with turret
traversed to front
be fitted with an a utomatic loader to increase its rate of fire.
Palmaria has a five man crew consisting of the driver who
is seated in the hull at the front of th e vehicle and the
com mand er, gunner, charge handler and magazine operator
seated in the fully enclosed turret. Combat weight of the
sys tem is 46 000 kg and unloaded weight is 43 000 kg.
This is being d eveloped as a private venture by OTO-Melara
and is essentially an OF-40 MBT with a new fully enclosed
turret armed with a 76 mm gun developed from a naval
weapon of the same calibre for use in the anti-aircraft/anti-
helicopter rol e firing proximity-fuzed fixed ammunition.
The 76 mm gun has a maximum range of6000 metres and
cyclic rate of fire of 120 rounds a minute, although bursts of
five to six rounds would normally be fired. A total of 100
rounds of ammunition are carried, 70 in th e turret (of which
28 anti-aircraft and three anti-tank are in the feeding and
loading system) and 30 in the hull . Turret traverse and
weapon elevation is powered and the gun has a maximum
elevation of +60 degrees and a depression of -5 degrees.
Various types of fire control system can be fitted. A
7.62 mm machine gun is mounted on the turret rooffor local
defence and four smoke dischargers are fitted either side of
the turret.
Two prototypes of the OTO-Melara 76/62 76 mm self-
propelled anti-aircraft gun system are being built.

SPECIFICATIONS

CREW 4 TRANSMISSION ZF power shifting 4-speed (4

COMBAT WEIGHT 45500 kg forward and 2 reverse)
UNLOADED WEIGHT 43100 kg planetary type with hydraulic
POWER-TO-WEIGHT torque converter
RATIO 18.24 hpltonne SUSPENSION torsion bar
GROUND PRESSURE 0.92 kg/cm' ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24 V
LENGTH BATIERIES 8 x 12 V
gun forward 9.22 m ARMAMENT
gun rear 8.114m main 1 x 105mmgun
hull 6.893 m coaxial 1 x 7.62 mm MG
WIDTH AA 1 x 7.62 mm MG
without skirt s 3.35m (or optional 12.7 mm MG)
with skirts 3.51 m SMOKE DISCHARGERS 4 either side of turret
HEIGHT AMMUN ITION
turret roof 2.42 m main 57
commander's sight 2.68 m MG 5000
FIRING HEIGHT 1.89m GUN CONTROL
GROUND CLEARANCE 0.44 m EQUIPMENT
TRACK WIDTH 584 mm Turret power control electro-hydraulicl
LENGTH OF TRACK manual
ON GROUND 4.25m by commander yes
MAX ROAD SPEED by gunner yes
forwa rds 65 km/h commander's override yes
reverse 25 km/h Commander's fire-
FUEL CAPACITY 1000litres control override yes
MAX RANGE Max rate power
road 600 km traverse 360·/17 s
FORDING Max rate power
without preparation 1.2m elevation 7· s
with preparation 2.25m Gun elevationl
with snorkel 4m depression +20·1-9·
GRADIENT 60% Gun stabiliser
SIDE SLOPE 30% vertical no (optional)
VERTICAL OBSTACLE 1.15m horizontal no (optional)
TRENCH 3m Range setting
TURNING RADIUS pivot turns device yes
ENGINE MTU 90· 10-cylinder, Elevation quadrant yes
4-stroke, pre-combustion Traverse indicator yes
chamber. super-charged
multi-fuel developing 830 hp
at 2200 rpm

Status: In production. In service with United Arab Manufacturer: OTO-Melara, via Valdilocchi 15, 19100 La
Emirates . Spezia, Italy.

58
 JAPAN
Future Japanese MBT with sta nd ardi sati on taking place in 1988. There is a poss ibil-
ity th a t stand ardisation of th e TK-X could be delayed by one
or two years, in which case it would become the T ype 89
In fi scal year 1984 tlie T echnical Research and Development
(H achi-kyu Shiki Senshya) or the Type 90 (K yu-Maru Shiki
Institute of theJ apanese Self-Defence Agency started studies
Senshya). The J apanese Ground Self-Defence Force has a
of key components for a future MBT, even th ough th e TK-X
requirement for between 600 a nd 800 STCs to replace its
(under the designati on T ype 88) is not ex pected to enter
T ype 6 1 MBTs.
produ cti on and service until 1988.
Initia l component development will cost 200 million yen.
It is ex pected tha t th e new MBT, which co uld enter service in SPECIFICATIONS OF TYPE 88 (provisional)
the early pa rt of th e next century, will have a gas turbine or a
CREW 4
di esel engine and have semi-active suspension. WEI GHT 48 000 to 50 000 kg
LENGTH HULL 7. 5 m
WIDTH 3.5 m
HEI GHT 2.4 m
MAX ROAD SPEED 70 km/h
STC (or TK-X) Main Battle Tank RANGE 500 km
ENGINE Mitsubishi 1ZG
tur bo-c harged water-
Development coo led la-cy linder
Research and development of a new MBT, designa ted th e di esel d eve loping
1500 hp
STC , began in 1976 by the T echnical Research H eadqu ar- ARMAMENT
ters of th e J apanese Self-Defence Agency. Funding for th e main 1 x 120mm gun
coaxial 1 x 7.62 mm MG
engine, gun, a mmunition and fir e-control system was sta rted anti -aircraft 1 x 12.7 mm MG
in fisca l year 1977 and fundin g for th e suspension and new
armour in fi scal yea r 1978. The 1979 budget provid ed addi-
tionaHunds for th e gun and a mmunition as well as the hull Status: D evelop ment. Not yet in produ ction or service.
and turret.
Prime contractor for the STC is Mitsubishi H eavy Indus-
tries, with th e J apan Iron Works responsible for th e arm a-
ment and Mitsubishi Electric for th e fir e-control system. Type 74 Main Battle Tank
Suspension of the TK-X will be a hybrid hydro-pneuma ti c/
torsi on bar type and will enable th e tank to change a ttitude in Development
longitudinal direction only, for example on reverse slopes. Mitsubishi H eavy Industries a nd th e J a panese Ground
Unlike the current Type 74, it will not be a bl e to compensate Self-D efence Force began proj ect definiti on studies for a new
for transve rse changes. MBT to succeed th e T ype 61 in 1962. T o prove th e basic
The TK-X is powered by a Mitsubishi 10ZG ten- cylind er conce pt, a number of tes t rigs was built a nd tes ted between
air-cooled di esel developing 1500 hp, b ut th e cooling sys tem 1964 and 1967. Constru ction of the first two prototypes began
is believed to consume 300 hp so with a comba t weight of at the M aruko works of Mitsubishi H eavy Industries la te in
50 tonnes, power-to-weight ratio of TK-X would be a bout 1968 and was completed in September 1969. They were
24 hp/ tonne. It was originally intended tha t the combat called the STB-l , and conta ined many features of oth er tanks
weight of the new MBT would be about 43 tonnes, but recent und er development a t that time, for exa mple th e hyd ro-
information has indicated tha t it will be between 48 and pneum atic suspension system of th e MBT-70, hull of th e
50 tonnes.
T he 120 mm smooth-bore tank gun will fir e APFSDS and Type 74 MBT with 12.7 mm AA MG (Keiichi Nogi)
HEAT-FS proj ectiles, the form er d eveloped by D aikin
Industry Co and th e latter by K omatsu Machinery Co . For
trials a 105 mm rifl ed tank gun was bored out to 120 mm
smooth-bore, and for comparison a 120 mm rifl ed gun was
also built. Compara tive trials with th e 120 mm guns have
been compl eted and th e first actu al 120 mm smooth-bore gun
was completed la te in 1979. Production tanks will have a
120 mm Rh einmetall g un mad e und er li cence.
J apanese sources say tha t th e tank will have an a utomati c
loader. As it has a four-man crew this could mean th at the
magazine only holds a small number of ready use ammuni-
tion, or a load- assist device only is provided .
The armour will be of the multipl e-layer type with cera mic
cells, developed by a team ofJ apanese manu fac turers includ-
ing the Kyoto Ceramic Co Limited. The fir e-control system
will be an advanced ty pe with a mini- or micro-computer a nd
a tv fun ction and it is possible th at an anti-aircraft and a n
ECCM capability will be provided. The first two prototypes
of the STC MBT were to be completed by fis cal year 1982,

59

Type 74 MBT from rear showing turret bustle (Ryuta Wantanabe)
Type 74 MBT with suspension raised giving 0.2 m ground
clearance (Keiichi Nogi)
Leopard I , 105 mm gun as used by the Leopard I, M60,
Centurion and other MBTs and a turret similar to that ofthe
AMX-30. The STB-I had an au tomatic loader for the British
L 7A I gun which was subseq uently manufactured in Japan
by the Japan Steel Works Limited with a 12.7 mm (0.50)
Browning M2 HB machine gun mounted towards the rear of
the turret which could be aimed and fired from within the
tank.
The STB-I was followed in 1971 by the STB-3 , which had
the automatic loader removed as it proved both too complex
and too expensive, the remote-controlled 12.7 mm (0.50)
machine gun replaced by a more simple mount and the turret
slightly different in shape with a much longer bustle.
The first production contract was placed before the final
model, the STB-6, appeared in 1973. The first Type 74 MBT
was completed in September 1975 and by Janua ry 1980 some
225 had been built.
Under the Fourth Defence Plan, which ran from fiscal year
1972 to 1976, 160 tanks were ordered, the fisca l year 1980
order was for 100 units, fiscal year 1981 order was for 72, and
the fiscal year 1982 budget was for 80 Type 74 MBTs . For
fiscal year 1983 a total of75 Type 74s were requested but only
60 were approved. For fiscal year 1984 75 Type 74s were
requested but only 60 were approved. The fiscal year 1985
request was for 68 Type 74s but again only 60 were
authorised.
Under the fiscal year 1981 Mid-term Defence Programme
60
Estimate (FY 81 MDPE) which commenced in FY 1983,3 73
Type 74 MBTs will be ordered giving a total of850 Type 74
MBTs in service by the end of 1988.
Description
The hull of the Type 74 MBT is all-welded steel and is
divided into three compartments: driver's at the front,
fighting in th e centre and engine a t the rear.
The driver is seated at the front of the vehicle on the left
side and is provided with a single-piece hatch cover that
opens to the left. ThreeJM 17 Mod 2 periscopes are mounted
forward of this hatch cover and an infra-red periscope can be
mounted in th e centre of the hatch cover and used in conjunc-
tion with the infra-red driving lights.
The turret is all cast with the commander and gunner
seated on the right and the loader on the left. The comman-
der's cupola can be traversed through 360 degrees and has a
single-piece hatch cover that opens to the rear. There is aJ3
infra-red periscope sight with an integral laser rangefi nder
and a magnification of X I and X8 in the forward part of the
commander's cupola and he also has five periscopes, two on
either side and one to th e rear. The gunner is seated forward
of the commander and is provided with a J2 IR periscopic
sight with a magnification of X I and X 8 in the turret roofand
a telescope linked to the main armament. The loader has a
single-piece hatch cover that opens to the rear and a peri-
scope mounted forward of his hatch. There is an external
stowage basket at th e rear of the turret.
The engine and transmission are mounted at the rear of the
tank with th e exhaust pipes and silencers mounted on the
running boards to the rear of th e turret. The maximum
quoted road speed of the Type 74 is 53 km/ h but reli able
sources have indicated that its top speed is at leas t 60 km/h.
The suspension is hydro-pneumatic and can be adjusted to
suit the type of terrain being crossed . There are five dual
rubber-tyred road wheels with the drive sprocket at the rear
and the idler at the front. There are no track return rollers.
The hydro-pneumatic suspension can be operated either by
the commander or the driver and enables the tank to be
inclined six degrees forwards or backwards, nine degrees left
or right and raised or lowered giving a minimum ground
clearance of 200 mm and a maximum ground clearance of
650 mm.
Standard equipment includes infra-red driving lights,
infra-red searchlight to the left of the main armament and an
Type 74 MBT with suspension lowered (Keiichi Nogi)
Type 74 MBT

NBC system. In the white light mod e th e searchlight has a

max imum range of 3000 metres and in th e infra-red mod e a
range of 1000 metres. One T ype 74 MBT in each compa ny is
fitted with a dozer blad e.
Main arma ment consists of a 105 mm rifl ed tank gun (the
British Royal Ordnance L7 seri es made und er licence in
J apan) which fires the standard range of a mmunition includ-
ing APDS-T and HESH-T. Unlike oth er tanks fitted with the
gun th e T ype 74 is not fitted with a th erm al sleeve for the
main arm ament. The gun has a drop block-breech mechan-
ism and a new concentric recoil mechanism to redu ce the
volum.e of the upper part of th e gun as well as redu cing th e
frontal area of the turret. The gun control equipment
includes a Nippon Electric laser rangefind er mounted in th e
commander's sight, which also provid es inputs to th e Mit-
subishi Electri c ballistic computer co nn ec t~d to the gunner's
sight. T a rge t range is fed to th e computer automa tically but Type 74 MBT with infra-red/white searchlight mounted to left of
trunnion tilt, ba rrel wear, a mmunition type and tempera ture main armament (Keiichi Nogi)
are fed in manually. The main arm ament is stabilised in both
the ve rti cal a nd hori zo ntal planes.
A 7.62 mm T ype 74 machine gun is mounted coaxially
with the main a rm ament and a 12.7 mm (0.50) Browning M2
HB machine gun is pintle-mounted in th e centre of the turret
forward of the commander's and load er' s positions. This has
an elevation of + 60 degrees and a d epression of -I 0 degrees.
Three smoke discha rgers are mounted either side of the
turret.

Variants

Type 78 Armoured Recovery Vehicle

The prototype of an ARV based on the chassis of the Type 74
MBT was completed in 1974 and standardised as th e T ype Type 78 ARV in travelling order
78 ARV in 1978. In appeara nce it is very similar to the
(Kensuke Ebata)
Provisional drawing of the AW-X twin 35 mm self-propel led
anti-aircraft gun system on Type 74 MBT chass is

61
French AMX-30D and West German Leopard I ARVs with Status: In production. In service with theJapanese Ground
the crew compartment at the front, hydraulically-operated Self-Defence Force.
dozer blade at the front of the hull and an hydraulic crane on
the right side of the hull. Manufacturer: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Sagamihara.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, 5- 1, Marunouchi 2-chome,
AW-X SPAAG Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
The prototype of the twin 35 mm self-propelled anti-aircraft
gun system, call ed the AW-X, is mounted on a modified
Type 74 MBT chassis for trials. Type 61 Main Battle Tank
Development
When the Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force was formed
SPECIFICATIONS
in 1950 one of its first requirements was for tanks. To meet its
CREW 4 immediate needs the USA supplied Japan with numbers of
COMBAT WEIGHT 38000 kg
UNLOADED WEIGHT 36000 kg
Sherman and M24Chaffee tanks. A few American M47 tanks
POWER-TO-WEIGHT supplied for trials had the drawback of not being designed for
RATIO 19.7 hp/tonne the small stature of the Japanese and their bulk and weight
GROUND PRESSURE 0.85 kg/em'
LENGTH GUN made them unsuitable for transportation in many parts of
FORWARDS 9.41 m Japan.
LENGTH GUN REAR 7.84m
LENGTH HULL 6.7 m Design work on the first Japanese post-war tank began
WIDTH 3.18m under the direction of the Ground Armaments Directorate at
HEIGHT
including NA MG 2.67 m (with 0.65 m
the Technical Research and Development Headquarters of
ground clearance) the Japanese Self-Defence Force in 1954. The first four pro-
to turret top 2.48 m (with 0.65 m totypes were completed in 1957 and comprised two model
ground clearance)
to turret top 2.03 m (with 0.2 m ST-Als and two model ST-A2s.
ground c learance) The four prototypes were followed by two ST-A3 and ten
GROUND CLEARANCE adiustable from
0.2-0.65 m ST-A4 tanks which were almost identical to production
TRACK 2.7 m tanks. In April 1961 the tank was standardised as the Type 61
TRACK WIDTH 550mm
LENGTH OF TRACK
MBT and first production tanks were completed in 1962.
ON GROUND 4m Production was very slow initially: ten tanks were produced
MAX ROAD SPEED 53 km/h in 1962 with a similar number the following year, 20 in 1964,
FUEL CAPACITY 950litres
MAX RANGE 300 km 30 in 1965 and 30 in 1966. The 1OOth Type 61 was completed
FORDING 1m in November 1966. By late 1970 250 tanks had been com-
with preparation 2m
GRADIENT 60% pleted and it is believed that total production amounted to
SIDE SLOPE 40% about 560 units. The Type 61 is still used by the Japanese
VERTICAL OBSTACLE 1m
TRENCH 2.7 m
Ground Self-Defence Force but has been supplemented by
ENGINE Mitsubishi 10ZF Type the Type 74 MBT, also manufactured by Mitsubishi.
22 WT 100cy lind er As of 1983 the Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force' had
air-cooled diesel
developing 750 hp at 559 Type 61s on strength. The first two Type 6 1s were retired
2200 rpm in December 1984. A total of36 Type 61s were retired in 1985
TRANSMISSION Mitsubishi MT75A
manual with 6 forwa rd with a further 25 in 1986.
and 1 reverse gears
STEERING double differential Description
SUSPENSION hydro-pneumatic.
variab le The all-welded hull of the Type 61 is divided into three
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24 V compartments: driver's at the front; fighting in the centre and
ARMAMENT
main 1 x 105mm the engine at the rear.
coaxia l 1 x 7.62mm MG
anti-aircraft 1 x 12.7mm MG
SMOKE-LAYING Type 61 MBTs with nearest tank fitted with infra-red searchlightto
EQUIPMENT 3 smoke dischargers left of main armament (Kensuke Ebata)
either side of turret
AMMUNITION
main 55
coaxial 4500
anti-aircraft 660
GUN CONTROL
EQUIPMENT
Turret power control electric/manual
by commander yes
by gunner yes
Gun elevat ion +9.5· (+15·
using suspension)
Gun depression -6.5· (-12.5·
using suspension)
Gun stabiliser
vertical yes
horizontal yes
Elevation quadrant yes
Traverse indicator yes

62
Type 61 MBT with commander's hatch open
The driver is seated at the front of the hull on the right side
and is provided with a single-piece hatch cover that opens to
the right. Three periscopes are mounted forward of his hatch.
The turret is cast with an overhanging bustle similar to
that of the M47 tank and a light sheet steel stowage box at the
very rear.
The commander a nd gunner are seated on the right of the
turret 'with the loader seated on the left. The commander's
domed-shaped cupola, which can be traversed through 360
degrees, has a single-piece hatch cover in its rear, which
opens backwards. The cupola has four vision blocks and
mounted in the lower part of the cupola is a coincidence
rangefinder with a magnification of x 12. The commander is
also provided with a periscopic sight with a magnification of
x 7 mounted in th e forward part of the cupola roof The
gunner is seated forward of the commander and is provided
with a telescopic sight with a magnification of X6 and a
periscope with a magnification of x 4. The loader is seated on
the left side of the turret and has a single-piece hatch cover
opening to the rear. A single periscope is mounted in the
turret roof in front of the hatch cover.
The engine is mounted at the rear of the hull and is cooled
by two axial-flow cooling fans mounted over the top of the
engine.
The torsion bar suspension consists of six dual rubber-
tyred road wheels with the drive sprockets at the front and the
idler at the rear. There are three track return rollers and the
Type 61 MBT
Type 61 MBT modified to resemble Soviet T-54/T-55
mine-clearing tank (Tank Magazine)
first, second, fifth and sixth road wheel stations are equipped
with hydraulic shock absorbers.
Main armament is a Type 6 1 90 mm rifl ed tank gun which
is manufactured by th e Japan Steel Works. This is fitted with
a fume extractor and a T type muzzle brake. Types of
ammunition fired incl ude APC with th e projectile weighing
10.95 kg and HE with the projectile weighing 10.62 kg.
Mounted coaxially with the main armament is a 7.62 mm
(0.30) Browning M191'9A4 machine gun while a 12 .7 mm
(0.50) Browning M2 HB machine gun is mounted on th e
commander's cupola for anti-aircraft use. This can be aimed
and fired from within the tank and some vehicles have had a
shield provided for this weapon .
The Type 61 has no NBC system or deep wading equip-
ment. Some models have been fitted with an infra-red search-
light to the left of the main armament and infra-red driving
lights.
Variants
Armoured Vehicle-launched Bridge Type 67
This is the basic MBT with its turret removed and replaced
by a scissors bridge laid to the front of the vehicle. When
opened out the bridge is 12 metres long and will span a gap of
up to 10 metres. It has a maximum capacity of 40000 kg.
63
Type 70 armoured recovery vehic le with A-frame to rear and
dozer blade raised
Type 61 MBT with turret traversed to rear and commander's
machine gun cupola hatch open (Keiichi Nogi)

a lig ht crane. T he Type 67 weighs 35 000 kg and has a crew of

four.

Armoured Recovery Vehicle Type 70

Type 67 armoured bridge layer laying its scissors bridge in
position (Kensuke Ebata)
Launching time is between three and five minutes and the
bridge can be picked up from either end. The Type 67 weighs
36 700 kg with the bridge and has a crew of three men .
Armoured Engineer Vehicle Type 67
This vehicle has been designed for engineer roles on the
battlefield and is equipped with a dozer blade at the front and
The Type 70 AR V is the basic MBT with its turret removed
and replaced by a new superstructure with a winch mounted
in the bustle at the rea r. An A-frame is pivoted towards the
front of the hull; when not in use it li es back over the rear of
the hull. A hydraulically-operated dozer blade mounted at
the front of the hull is used to stabilise the vehicle during
recovery operations, or when th e A-frame is in use. The Type
70 weighs 35 000 kg and has a crew of four. Armament
consists of an 81 mm mortar which can be mounted on the
glacis plate and a 12.7 mm and a 7. 62 mm machine gu n.
Type 61 Training Tank
For training purposes some Type 6 1 MBTs have been fitted
with wooden mine-sweeping equipment at the front of th e
hull to resemble Soviet T-54/T-55 mine-clearing tanks. Some
have also been fitted with the British Weston Simfire tank
gunnery and tactical training system.

SPECIFICATIONS FORDING 0.99 m ARMAMENT

GRADIENT 60% main 1 x 90 mm
CREW 4 VERTICAL OBSTACLE 0.685 m coaxia l 1 x 7.62 mm MG
COMBAT WEIGHT 35000 kg TRENCH 2.489 m anti-aircraft 1 x 12.7mm MG
UNLOADED WEIGHT 33500 kg TURNING RADIU S 10m SMOKE-LAYING
POWER-TO-WEIGHT ENGINE Mitsubishi Type 12 EQUIPMENT 2 x 3 smoke
RATIO 17.4 hp/tonne HM 21 WT, dischargers (optional)
GROUND PRESSURE 0.95 kg/cm' V-12, 4-cycle GUN CONTROL
LENGTH GUN direct-injection, EQUIPMENT
FORWARDS 8.19m turbo-charged diesel Turret power control hydraulic/manual
LENGTH HULL 6.3 m developing 600 hp by com mander yes
WIDTH 2.95 m at 2100 rpm by gunner yes
HEIGHT AUXILIARY ENGINE none Gun stabil isation
including A/A MG 3.16 m TRANSMISSION mechanical. 5 forward vertical no
turret roof 2.49 m 1 reverse speeds with a horizontal no
GROUND CLEARANCE 0.4 m 2-speed auxi Ii ary ARMOUR
TRACK WIDTH 500 mm reduction unit Hull glacis 46 mm
LENGTH OF TRACK STEERING controlled differential Hull sides 25 mm
ON GROUND 3.7 m SUSPENSION torsion bar Hull rear 15mm
MAX ROAD SPEED 45 km/h ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24 V Turret front 64 mm
MAX RANGE 200 km BATIERIES 4 x 12 V, 200 Ah

64
Status: Produ ction co mplete. In se rvice only with th e Manufacturer: M itsubish i H ea vy Industri es, M a ruko,
J a pa nese Gro und Self-Defence Force. Tokyo. M itsubishi H ea vy I ndustri es, 5-1 , M a run o uchi
2-chom e, C hi yod a- ku , T okyo, J a pa n.

KOREA, REPUBLIC (SOUTH)

XK-1 Main Battle Tank

Development
Following proposals fro m a number of a rm o ured fi ghting
vehicl e ma nufac turers, in 1980 th e South K orean G ov-
ernmen t selected th e La nd Sys tems Divis io n of G enera l
Dyna m ics (th en C hrys ler D efense) to d es ign a nd build two
prototypes of a new MBT to mee t its own specifi c require-
ments . The first of two prototypes of th e XK- I MBT was
completed in 1983, th is was th e Automotive T es t Rig (AT R ).
I t was shi pped to Aberd ee n Proving Gro unds in Nove mber
1983 for a uto motive perfo rma nce, endura nce and reli a bi li ty
testing. The ATR is a fu ll y pay load ed ta nk a nd is fitted with a
non-opera ti onal turret.
The second proto type, called th e Fire Control T es t Rig
(FCTR) was ro ll ed out a t a ce remony a t Selfr idge Air
Na tiona l Gua rd base in D ece mber 1983 and shipped to
Aberd ee n Proving Gro unds in Fe bru a ry 1984 to begin fir e-
control tes ts. Produ ctio n ofXK -1 is now und erw ay in South
Korea.

Description
The layout of th e XK- I is convent io na l with the dri ve r at the
front, turret in th e centre a nd eng ine a nd tra nsmission a t th e
rea r. It is simila r in a ppeara nce to th e America n M I MBT,
a lso produ ced by G enera l D yna m ics, but is somewhat
sma ll er as South Korea wanted a lig hter ta nk more s uita ble
for use in hi ll y terra in. Prototypes a re powered by a T eled yne
Continenta l A VCR-1 790 se ri es d iesel engin e d eveloping
1200 hp th a t was origina ll y desig ned a nd bu ilt to mee t th e
requirements of the United Sta tes Arm y a nd a lread y insta l-
led in the priva te venture T eled yne C ontin enta l M o tors,
G enera l Produ cts D ivision, Super M60 MBT. In th a t app li-
cation it was co up led to a West G erm a n Renk RK- 304
hydro- kin etic transm iss ion but fo r th e XK- I it is co upled to a
West G erm a n ZF tra nsm iss io n. Provis ional drawing of XK- 1 MBT (not to 1/76th scale) (Steven
M a in a rm a ment is confirm ed as th e 105 mm M 68EI with Zaloga)
a 7.62 mm M60 coaxial mach ine g un. A 7.62 mm M60 a nd a
XK- 1 Automotive Test Rig (ATR)
12.7 mm M 2 H B machine g un are mo unted on th e turret roof
for a nti-aircraft a nd close defence, th e co mma nd er wo uld
norm a ll y opera te th e 12. 7 mm wea pon a nd th e load er th e
7.62 mm wea pon.
Suspension is of th e hy brid type using bo th torsion ba r a nd
hydro-pn eum a tic units. The ce ntra l road wh eels have th e
to rsion ba rs a nd th e front a nd rea r sta tions have the hydro-
pneumatic un its. When th e front hydro-pne um a tic un its a re
lowered a nd the rear uni ts ra ised th e 105 mm g un can be
depressed to a bout -10 d egrees; wit hout using th e hydro-
pneumati c suspensi on d epression of th e m a in a rm a ment is
believed to be li m ited to -7 degrees.
T he g un control equipm ent of th e XK- I was designed by
H ug hes Aircraft C ompa ny und er co ntrac t to H yundai
Rolling Stock Lim ited of South K orea. It is s imi la r to th a t

65
installed in the US Army M I MBT with the gunner's prim-
ary sight subsystem incorporating the same laser rangefinder SPECIFICATIONS (provisional)
and thermal imaging system as the MI, but with a binocular LENGTH HULL 7.39 m
CREW 4 WIDTH 3.62 m
eyepiece for the gunner instead of a monocular one. It will COMBAT WEIGHT 52000 kg HEIGHT 2.25m
also have stabilised optics and a vertical sensor. POWER-TO-WEIGHT ARMAMENT
Prod uction versions of the XK-I will be powered by a West RATIO 22.76 hp/tonne main l x l05mm
LENGTH GUN coaxial 1 x 7.62 mm MG
German MTU MB 871 Ka V-8 diesel which develops FORWARDS 9.58 m anti-aircraft 1 x 12.7 mm MG
1184 hp at 2600 rpm which is already installed in the Euro-
pean 155 mm SP-70 self-propelled howitzer which has yet to
enter production.
Manufacturer: Prototypes of th e XK-I have been built in
USA by General Dynamics, Land Systems Division, but
Status: Prototypes built and tested in USA. in production in production is undertaken in South Korea by Hyundai RoI-
South Korea. ling Stock Limited.

SPAIN
New Spanish MBT Lince standard. General Dynamics Land Systems Division is offer-
ing both the MI(I05 mm) and MIEI(120 mm). Krauss-
Now that Santa Barbara has completed production of the Maffei of West Germany is offering a new design called the
licence built AMX-30 for the Spanish Army, a number of Lince which is virtually a scaled-down Leopard 2. Thyssen
proposals are being considered for the future. I t is understood
that the Spanish Army has a requirement for 400 to 800 new
MBTs and that key requirements include a 120 mm SPECIFICATIONS (Krauss-Maffei Lince)
smooth-bore gun, MLC 50, minimum power-to-weight ratio CREW 4
of25 hp/tonne, transmission with torque converter, suspen- WEIGHT 49000 kg
POWER-TO-WEIGHT
sion with high vertical travel, tracks with replaceable pads, RATIO 24.48 hp/tonne
stabilised main armament, ability for commander or gun ner LENGTH
to aim and fire main armamen t, digital fire-control compu- gun forward 9.088 m
hull 7.1 m
ter, stabilised sights for commander and gunner, night vision WIDTH
equ ipment and good armour protection. overal l 3.74 m
over tra cks 3.48 m
In summer 1984 it was confirmed that five companies had HEIGHT
submitted proposals for the new Spanish MBT. GIAT of to hull top 1.64m
to turret top 2.5 m
France is offering a selection which includes participation in GROUND CLEARANCE 0.5 m
the EPC MBT, licenced production of the AMX-40 or TRACK 2.845 m
upgrading the existing fleet of AMX-30s to AMX-30 B2 TRACK WIDTH 635 mm
LENGTH OF TRACK
ON GROUND 4.492 m
Artist's impression of Krauss-Maffei Lince MBT designed for MAX ROAD SPEED 70 km/h
Spanish Army MAX RANGE 550 km
FORDING
without preparation 0.8 m
with preparation 2.25 m
with snorkel 4m
VERTI CAL OBSTACLE 1.1 m
TRENCH 3m
ENGINE MTU MB 871 Ka 502 diesel
developing 1200 hp
TRANSMISSION hydro-mechanical
ARMAMENT
main l x 120mm
coaxial 1 x 7.62 mm MG
anti-aircraft 1 x 12.7 mm MG
AMMUNITION
main 40
coaxia l 2500
a nti-aircraft 500
GUN CONTROL
EQUIPMENT
Turret power control electric/manual
by commander yes -
by gunner yes
Gun elevation/depression +20·1- 9·
Gun stabi li ser
vertical yes
horizontal yes

66
Provisional drawing of Krauss-M affei Lince MBT for Spanish Arm y

H enschel of Wes t Germ any a nd OTO-Mela ra of Italy also In 1980 Spain purchased th e entire licence fro m GI AT in
proposed vehicl es to meet this requirement. In 1985 Vickers ord er to continue d evelopment itself.
Defence Systems entered th e competition with th e Va lia nt
MBT. Modernised AMX-30
Whichever ta nk is selected , prime co ntracto r will be th e ' In 1984 Sa nta Ba rb a ra a nno un ced tha t it had success full y
Sevilla Artillery Factory where th e AMX-30 MBTs were built a nd tested a mod ernised AMX-30 a nd th a t this had
built for th e Spa nish Arm y. alread y bee n a pp roved by th e Spa nish Arm y. M ain
improvements can be s ummarised as th e insta lla tion of a new
powerpack comprising a General M otors D etroit Diesel
Spanish AMX-30 Tank Production engine developing 920 hp, Alliso n C D-850-6A a utoma ti c
transmission and an F AS cooling system; new suspension
Following delivery of th e first 19 ve hicles from France, Spain a nd tracks; new fi re-control sys te m; air-conditioning sys tem;
was boilding th e AMX-30 MBT und er li cence from Fra nce ex plos ion suppression sys tem; protective sid e skirts a nd a
from 197 4, initiall y from components suppli ed by Fra nce but driving tachogra ph. In 1984 Spain signed a contrac t with
graduall y th e Spanish content increased until a bout 85 per Euromissile for th e supply of 18 Rol a nd 2 SAM syste ms a nd
cent of the ta nk was built in Spain . A total of 19 ta nks was 4 14 missi les. Much of this work will be carried out in Spa in
suppli ed direct from Fra nce plus 10 AMX-3QD ARVs. It is including ma nufacture of th e AMX-30R la uncher ve hicl e.
es timated th a t fi ve were completed in 1974,2 1 in 1975 , 52 in
1976, 66 in 1977 a nd a t least 80 in 1978. No fund s were
allocated for AMX-30 produ ction in 198 1 a nd fin al deli veries Spanish AMX-30 fitted with British Weston Simfire tank gunnery
to the Spa nish Army took place in 1983- 84 after 280 ta nks and tactical training system
had been compl eted . The Spa nish tanks a re almost identical
to th e French models but have a n MG3S 7.62 mm machine
gun for th e command er a nd oth er minor differences. Prod uc-
tion of th e AMX-30 was und erta ken by the Sevilla Artillery
Factory of Empresa Nacional Sa nta Ba rba ra SA (ENSB),
Empresa Nacional de Optica (ENOSA) providing th e opti-
cal equipment, and Experiencias Industriales SA (EISA) th e
electrical and hydra ulic equipment.

Rear view of AMX-30 MBT built at Sevilla Arti ll ery Factory for
Spanish Army

Talbot Main Battle Tank Conversions

In 1951 Ba rreiros Diesel SA was form ed for th e conve rsion

of petrol engines to diesel operation. It la ter moved into
ma nufac ture of its own di esel engines foll owed by tru cks a nd

67
 exhaust smoke laying system install ed and four Wegmann
type smoke dischargers mounted either side of turret. Retains
90 mm gun.

M47E2
Fitted with A VDS-1790-2D engine, CD-850-6A transmis-
sion, 105 mm Rh-I05 30 gun, TEESS engine exhaust smoke
generating system and Wegmann type smoke dischargers.

M48A3E
M48A3 with Continental A VDS-1790-2A diesel engine
coupled to CD-850-6A transmission, Cadillac Gage turret
and weapon control system install ed, TEESS engine exhaust
smoke laying system installed and four Wegmann type smoke
dischargers mounted either side of turret. Retains 90 mm
gun.

M47E1 MBTwith standard 90 mm gun and turret traversed to rear M48A5E

Almost same as American M48A5, has Continental
A VDS-1790-2A 12-cylinder diesel engine coupled to CD-850
series transmission, main armament can be \05 mm M68 or
Rh-105 30, standard fire-control system.

M48A5E1 with 105 mm M68gun and bankoffourWegmann type

smoke dischargers either side of turret. 12.7 mm anti-aircraft
machine gun not fitted

M48A5E1 from rear showing external stowage

other vehicles. In 1965 it formed a partnership with Chrysler

Corporation of the United States whose defence division was
manufacturing M60 MBTs as well as supplying spare parts
for the M48 MBT. In the 1960s the company built tru cks for
the Spanish Army and in the 1970s started to overhaul a nd
modernise M47 and M48 tanks and MI13 series armoured
personnel carriers for the Spanish Army. Talbot also manu- M47E2 with new engine, 105 mm Rheinmetall Rh-1 0530 gun and
factures engines and transmissions for AFV s as well as road bank of four Wegmann type smoke dischargers on turret side
wheels and other suspension items. In 1978 the company
went into partnership with PSA and its name was changed to
Talbot SA. The main plant in Spain is at Villaverde near
Madrid employing around 14 000 people. The plant has a
special military division which employs over 400 people and
can overhaul 12 to 15 MBTs a month on a single shift basis,
though this figure could easily be doubled. It has a separate
line for the complete overhaul of the MI13 APC and its many
variants, including the mortar carrier. MBT conversions
currently offered by Talbot are listed below with a resu me of
army/marine conversions .

M47E1
J3asic M47 tank fitted with A VDS-1790-2A 12-cylinder diesel
engine coupled to CD-850-6A transmission, bow machine
gun removed, Cadillac Gage turret and weapon control sys-
tem installed, coaxial machine gun is now an MG42, engine

68
M47E2R recovery tank in trave lling configuration carry ing spare M47E21 engi neer tank with stabi li sing blade lowered at front of
engine hull , lifting M113 a rm oured personnel carrier

M48A5E1 M ain winch is provided with 100 metres of cable a nd has a

As M48A5E but has AVDS- 1790-2D 12-cylinder di esel and a
new fire-control system . Gunner has M35 periscope, laser
rangefinder, passive night vision viewer, control panel, out-
put unit, a mmunition selection unit, graticul e proj ec tion
unit, handgrips with switches for laser/lead/ba ttl e range,
cant sensor and a nalog ue electronic computer. Commander
has M·17 stereoscopic rangefinder and am munition selection
unit, loader has amm unition selection display unit a nd driver
has three M27 periscopes the centre one of which ca n be
replaced by an AN/VVS-2 passive night driving periscope. It
has a TEESS engin e ex ha ust smoke generating system and
Wegmann type smoke dischargers installed .
M47E21 Engin'eer Tank
This has a new powerpack co nslstll1g of a Continental
A VDS-1790-2D l2-cylind er di esel coupled to an Alli son
CD-850-6A transmission an d a new front superstructure.
Mounted at the front of the hull is a hyd raulica lly-operated
blad e whioh can be used for clearing obstacles, prepa ri ng fire
positions or to stabilise th e ve hicle when the winch is in use.
maximum capacity of70 tonn es. Mounted on th e right sideof
the hull a t the fro nt is a hydra uli cally-operated crane wh ich is
traversed to the rear a nd lowered to th e hori zontal for travel-
ling. The crane can be fitt ed with an auger for boring opera-
tions. T he M47E21 has a crew of four and is armed with one
7.62 mm bow-mounted machine gun and one roof-mou n ted
12.7 mm machine gun. Mounted on the left side of the super-
structure are six smoke dischargers firing forwards.
M47E2R Recovery Tank
This is almost id entical to th e M47E21 engineer tank but
does not have th e auger and is used to recover damaged and
d isabled vehicl es.
M47E2VLP Bridgelayer
T his is an M47 (or M48) chassis fitted with a new power pack
and can lay a scissors type bridge over the front of the vehicle
in a sim ilar manner to the M48/ M60 AVLBs used by the US
Army.

SPECIFICATIONS

Model M47E1 M47E2 M48A3E M48A5E Model M47E1 M47E2 M48A3E M48A5E
CREW 4 4 4 4 FUEL CAPACITY 1500 litres 1500 litres 1500 litres 1500litres
COMBAT WEIGHT 47000 kg 46700 kg 47 100 kg 49000 kg MAX ROAD RANGE 600 km 600 km 550 km 550 km
UNLOADED WEIGHT 41 000 kg 41200kg 44400 kg 44000 kg FORDING 1.2 m 1.2 m 1.2 m 1.2 m
POWER-TO-WEIGHT GRADIENT 60% 60% 60% 60%
RATIO (hp/tonne) 16.17 16.27 16.13 15.51 VERTICAL OBSTACLE 0.91 m 0.91 m 0.91 m 0.9 1 m
GROUND PRESSURE 0.93 kg/em' 0.93 kg/em' 0.83 kg/em' 0.86 kg/em' TRENCH 2.59 m 2.59 m 2.59 m 2.59 m
LENGTH GUN ENGINE
forwards 8.51 m 9.16 m 8.69 m 9.3 m Continental V-12. AVDS 1790-2A 1790-2D 1790-2A 1790-2D
rear 7.09 m 7.74 m 7.42 m 8.04 m output (hp/rpm) 760/2400 760/2400 760/2400 760/2400
LENGTH HULL 6.36 m 6.36 m 6.88 m 6.88 m TRANSMISSION Allison Di vision . GMC. model CD seri es 850-6A
WIDTH 3.39 m 3.39 m 3.63 m 3.63 m SUSPENSION torsion bar torsion bar torsion bar torsion bar
HEIGHT ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24 V 24 V 24 V 24 V
without AA MG 3.02 m 2.96 m 2.87 m 2.87 m BATIERIES 6 x 12 V 6 x 12 V 6 x 12 V 6 x 12 V
with AA MG 3.35 m 3.35 m 3.28 m 3.28 m ARMAMENT
GROUND CLEARANCE 0.47 m 0.47 m 0.42 m 0.42 m main MG 1 x 90 mm 1 x 105 mm 1 x 90 mm 1 x 105mm
TRACK 2.79 m 2.79 m 2.92 m 2.92 m coaxial MG 1 x 7.62 mm 1 x 7.62 mm 1 x 7.62 mm 1 x 7.62 mm
TRACK WIDTH 580 mm 580 mm 710 mm 710 mm anti-aircraft 1 x 12.7 mm 1 x 12.7 mm 1 x 12.7 mm 1 x 12.7 mm
LENGTH OF TRACK AMMUN ITION
ON GROUND 3.91 m 3.91 m 4m 4m main 77 42 62 54
MAX ROAD SPEED coaxial 2750 2500 5900 8000
FORWARDS 56 km/h 56 km/h 50 km/h 50 km/h anti -ai rcraft 1250 2175 600 600

Status: Production. In se rvice with the Spanish Army. Manufacturer: Automoviles Talbot SA, Special Products
Division, Apartado No 40, Madrid, Spain.

69
Spanish M48s
Eighteen M48s of the Spanish Marines have been fitted with
the new A VDS-1790-2A series diesel engine but retain the
90 mm gun, these are the M48Es. Spain purchased 54
M48A2 tanks from West Germany and these were all
upgraded to M48A5 standard (Spanish designation
M48A5E). A total of 108 American supplied M48 tanks have
also been brought up to M48A5E standard (54 M48s and 54
M48Als). In 1983 the Spanish Army selected a Hughes gun
control equipment for installation in the M48 . Hughes
Electro-Optical and Data Systems Group, Tactical Pro-
grammes Division, delivered the first of 54 systems in sum-
mer 1983. Under the second phase of the contract a further
110 systems were to be delivered from summer 1984. Many of
the components of this gun control equipment will be pro-
SWEDEN
New Swedish Main Battle Tank
Development
At present the Swedish Army has 650 MBTs in service, 350
Centurions (all of which have been fitted with the 105 mm
gun) and 300 Bofors Strv 103Bs (or S-tank).
Under the direction of the Defense Materiel Administra-
tion (FMV) concept definition studies have already begun on
a successor to the S-tank to enter service in the 1990s. Ajoint
development company has been established by Bofors and
Hagglund and Saner, called HB U tveckling (Hagglund-
Bofors Development), with Hagglund responsible for the
chassis and mobility aspects and Bofors for the armament,
fire-control and other combat areas .
As of early 1985 no prototypes of the MBT had been
completed and there is speculation as to whether the future
Swedish defence budget would be able to fund the design,
development and production ofa new MBT as well as all the
other equipment needed by the Swedish Army, Navy and Air
Force.
The project to field a new articulated tank destroyer armed
with a 120 mm Rheinmetall smooth-bore gun was cancelled
after the prototype was completed. Sweden is now placing
main emphasis on a new family of 20 tonne vehicles which
will include a mechanised infantry combat vehicle, recovery
vehicle, mortar carrier and anti-aircraft vehicle.
Developing companies: Bofors AB, Ordnance Division,
Box 500, S-690 20, Bofors, ~weden. AB Hagglund and Saner,
AFV Division, S-891 0 I, Ornskoldsvik, Sweden.
Stridsvagn 103 Main Battle Tank
Development
In the early 1950s the head of the tank design section of the
Vehicle Division of the Swedish Army Ordnance, Sven
Berge, studied a number of tank designs including the French
AMX- 13 light tank which features an oscillating turret with
an automatic loader for its main armament. This tank suffers
a number of disadvantages and Sven Berge then proposed a
turretless tank with a fixed gun, the gun being elevated and
70
duced under licence from Hughes by EISA/ENOSA in
Spain. About 70 per cent of the components of the M48's
fire-control system wi ll be the same at that of the M60A3's
fire-control system currently in production in the United
States for the US Army, as well as key modules for the lase r
rangefinder for the Ml Abrams MBT.
Spanish M47s
As ofl983 at least 330 M 47s had been rebuilt for the Spanish
Army, 46 to M47EI and M47E2 standard. In 198 1 an ad di-
tional 100 M47s were purchased from Italy and West Ger-
many and it is reported that 50 of these will be rebuilt to
recovery versions, 25 to engineer tank and the remaining 25
to bridgelayers, in addition to the prototypes of these vehicles
already built.
traversed by altering the pitch of the hull and aimed in
traverse by turning the whole vehicle.
One of the first problems to be overcome was that oflaying
the gun accurately in azimuth by relying only on its tracks. In
the winter of 1957/58 an Ikv 103 assau lt gun was fi tted with
an external crowbar steering system which proved the basic
concept. In 1959 a similar system was fi tted to the heavier M 4
Sherman tank, but this time between the tracks and the hull.
The Sherman installation also proved that the system would
work on a heavy vehicle rather than on a light vehicle such as
the Ikv 103.
In mid-1958 Bofors was awarded a contract to design the
turretless tank with its fixed gun mounting, automatic load-
ing system, adjustable hydro-pneumatic suspension system
and the new steering system. The following year Bofors was
awarded a contract to build two prototype tanks and the
company selected two major sub-contractors, Landsverk for
the suspension and Volvo for the powerpack. Until then most
tank development in Swed en had been carried out by Lands-
verk as Bofors was known primarily for arti llery and naval
ordnance. Bofors had built two armoured vehicles before the
Rearview of Strv 1038 MBTshowing external stowage boxes and
empty cartridge case ejection port in hull rear

Strv 103B MBT with flotation screen erected before amphibious
operation
turretless tank contract, a 40 mm self-propelled anti-aircraft
gun called the Lvkv 42 with adjustable suspension and a
120 mm assa ult g un that featured an automatic loader,
neither of which vehicles was placed in production.
The Swedish Army also cancelled development of the
Lan dsverk Strv KRV tank which was to have been armed
with a ISO mm smooth-bore gun with an automatic loader.
The two chassis already built were subsequentl y used in the
develo pment of the suspension system of the turretless tank.
The suspension was hydro-pneuma tic and consisted of four
road wheels with th e idl er a t the front and the drive sprocket
at the rear, with three return rollers, as well as the new
steering system and a hydrostatic steering drive. Late r, one of
the chassis was fitted with a British 20-pounder (83.4 mm)
gun as by that time the British Centurion tank was already in
service with the Swedish Army.
In mid-1960 the Swedish Army placed a pre- production
order for ten vehicles. The first two prototypes completed in
mid-1961 differed in some detail from later vehicles as the
suspension had no return rollers, no front support was pro-
vided for the 105 mm gun and five machine guns were fitt ed,
one on th e commander's cupola and two i.n boxes on each side
of the hull firing forwards. They were powered by a Boeing
502/ IOMA gas turbine a nd a Rolls-Royce B81 eight-cylinder
petrol engine.
The pre- production vehicles had the right pair of machine
guns replaced by a 12.7 mm (0.50) ranging machine gun, and
the suspension incorporated two track return rollers.
Developmen t costs of th e ta nk, which was subsequently
named the Stridsvagn 103, or·Strv 103, a mounted to £8.4
million, including the two prototype vehicles and the ten
pre-production vehicles.
The first production Strv 103s were completed in 1966 and
production continued until] une 1971 by which time 300 had
been built. The first production vehicles, known as the Strv
103A, were not fi tted with a flotation screen or the dozer
blade. Later production vehicles, known as the Strv 103B,
had both the flotation screen and the dozer blade and earlier
production tanks were subsequently brought up to Strv 103B
standard. The Strv 103 is in service with three of Sweden's six
armoured brigades, the other three having British-supplied
Centurion MBTs.
The S-tank has also been tested by a number of other
countries including the Federal Republic of Germany,
United Kingdom a nd the USA. Components of the vehicle
are used in th e ISS mm Bandka non IA self-propelled gun
which is used only by the Swedish Army and the twin 40 mm
VEAK anti-aircraft gun system which was not placed in
production.
Description
The all-welded hull of the S-tank has the engine and trans-
mission at the front, fighting compartment in the .centre and
th e magazines at the rear. There is a series of horizontal ribs
on the glacis plate to deflect armour-piercing rounds. The
two engines are geared together to a common output a nd the
diesel (which is the same as that used in th e British FV432
APC and the FV433 Abbot 105 mm self-propelled gun) is
normally used all the time with the gas turbine being us ed
only when the tank is in action. The gas turbin e can a lso be
used to assist in cold weather starting and also acts as a power
source when the diesel engine is not operating. Two fire
extinguishers in the engine compartment can be operated
from inside or outside the vehicle. The glacis plate and the
main a rmament have to be removed before the engine can be
changed, which takes about four hours.
The transmission consists of a Volvo torque converter
coupled to a gearbox with two forward and two reverse gears,
one gear for road driving and the other for cross-country.
Steering is a regenerative double-differential system with a
hydrostatic steering device, steering being accomplished by
handle bars on the tiller columns.
The driver, who also lays and fires the main armament, is
seated on the left side of the hull and is provid ed with a
single-piece hatch cover, a] ungner OPS-I combined peri-
scope and binocular sight to his front and a single periscope
to the left. The OPS-I has a field of view of 100 degrees and a
magnification of X I, x6, X 10 or X 18 with the sight graticule
being in the right eyepiece. The radio operator seated to the
rear of the driver is provided with a single-piece hatch cover
and two periscopes, and is also provided with controls to
drive backwards ifrequired . The commander is seated on the
right side ofthe tank, slightly to the rear of the radio-operator
and is provided with four periscopes and a]ungner OPS-l
combined periscope and binocular sight which is identical to
that of the driver's except that line-up needles are provided in
the left eye-piece. The commander's OPS-I unit is fully
stabilised in elevation from -II to + 16 degrees, and his
cupola can be traversed through 208 degrees. The cupola is
stabilised in azimuth and enables the commander to locate
the target. He then uses the handle bars on the tiller columns
Bofors Strv 103B MBT with dozer blade showing maximum hull
elevation
71

Bofors Strv 103B MBT showing flotation screen coll apsed around
top of hull
to lay th e tank onto th e ta rge t, selects the type of a mmuni tion
and th en fires th e main a rm a ment. All th e perisco pes a nd
sigh ts on the S-ta nk have a rmo ured shutters, which have two
fun cti ons: they provide a meas ure of pro tection against s hell
splinters a nd a lso preven t the ta nk's position being given
away by the sun glin ting on its periscopes . There is a hull
escape ha tch in the fig hting compartm ent.
The hydro-pneuma ti c suspension sys tem consists of fo ur
du al rubb er-tyred road wheels iden tical to those used on the
Centurion MBT, with the idler a t the rear, dri ve sprocket a t
th e fron t a nd two track return roll ers . T o provide a more
sta ble fi ring platform the suspension is locked when th e main
a rm a ment is fi red. The fi rs t a nd thi rd road wheels a re
mo unted on leading a rms with the second and fourth on
trailing arms. A positive di splacemen t pump transfers fluid
between th e front and rear units while a servo sys tem com-
pensates for th e alteration in th e length of track in co ntact
with the ground , a nd the height of th e hull above the g round .
The track is of the single dry- pin type with integral ru bber
pads.
M a in a rm a ment of th e S-tank is a 105 mm rifl ed ta nk gun
62 calibres long d esigna ted th e L 74. T he g un, which has a
bore evacua tor but no mu zzle bra ke, is bas ically a longer
version of th e British L7 series g un as installed in ma ny other
ta nks, but has twin verti cal sliding breech-bl ocks with centre
cra nks. The g un is fed from a magaz ine a t the rea r of th e hull
th at holds 50 ro unds of a mmunition in ten racks each holding
fi ve rounds. A typical load would com prise 25 APDS, 20 HE
a nd 5 smoke rounds, but a ny combinatip n is possible. The
Bofors Strv 103B MBT
72
a uto ma ti c load er enables a high ra te of up to 15 rounds pe r
min ute to be achieved . When all the a mmunition has been
expend ed th e magaz ines a re reload ed through two hatches a t
th e rea r by the crew in a bout te n minu tes. T ypes ofammuni-
tion fi red includ e APDS (with a muzz le velocity of over 1500
me tres per second a nd a n effective range of a t leas t 2000
metres), HE (effecti ve range 5000 metres) an d smoke. The
em p ty cartridge cases a re a uto ma ti call y ej ected o utsid e the
hull a nd if the a uto matic loading system fails th e radi o-
operator can ha nd crank a mmunition to th e breech of th e
gun. Buttons on th e main tiller box a re used to select the type
of a mmunition to be fi red .
T wo fixed 7.62 mm K sp 58 machine guns mounted on the
left side of the hull a re laid in a simila r manner to th e main
arma ment a nd fi red alternately. Once a mmunition has been
expend ed , they have to be reloaded by one of th e crew leaving
th e vehicle. A 7. 62 mm K sp 58 machine g un mounted on th e
left of the comma nd er's cupola can be aimed a nd fi red fr om
within the vehicle a nd can also be used for anti-aircraft
defence. For targe t illumina tion at night some S-tanks have
been fitted wi th two Bofors Lyra n la un chers on the roof.
A dozer blad e is carri ed fold ed und er th e nose of th e ta nk
and when required is swung forw a rd and secured by tw o
rods. It is opera ted by adjustin g th e hyd ro-pneum at ic sus-
pension . The S-ta nk has no NBC system .
A fl otation screen carried a rou nd the top of the hull takes
between 15 and 20 minutes to erect a nd th e tank is th en
propelled in th e wa ter by its tracks at a speed of 6 km/ h.
When afl oat, th e driver sta nds on top at th e rea r with a
remote throttle control a nd stee rs by reins a ttached to the
main tiller.
S-tank Modernisation Programme
Following successful tria ls of an S-ta nk with its Rolls-Royce
K 60 engine replaced by a D etro it Diesel 6V-53T d eveloping
300 hp , all vehicl es a re to be retrofi tted with this engine
together with its gearing and a uxili aries.
In addi tion the mod ernised S-ta nk has a modifi ed tra ns-
mission consisting of a three-step a uto ma ti c gearbox, bevel
geari ng with forwa rd reverse fun ction a nd an electroni cs
uni t, new radi a tors , generator, si lencer a nd controls.
The gra ti cul e in th e existing sight is to be replaced a nd a
Simrad laser ra ngefi nd er a nd will be in corporated in to th e
gunn er's sight by Bofors Aero troni cs . In 1983 th e la tter com-
pany deli vered the prototype of a fire-control computer for
th e S-ta nk using the same softwa re as in the Improved Cen-
turion (q v Swed en in part 2) but with mod ified ha rdware.
Bofors is stud yi ng ways of compensating for barrel droop
such as a mu zzle reference sys tem and add- on a rmour for
Modern ised S-tank with additional fue l cans alongside of hull

improved protection aga inst attack from HEAT projecti les. when comp leted th e modernised tanks wi ll be kn ow n as
By late 1984 ten prototypes of the mod ernised S-ta nk had Strv 103C. Delive ri es wi ll run from 1986 to 1989.
been completed. T he ta nks . a re being modernis ed und er a To increase ran ge a nd protecti on, additional diesel fu el
Kr400 mi llion con tract awarded to Bofors in la te 1983 a nd cans wi ll be arra nged a longside of th e ta nk .

SPECIFICATIONS MAX SPEED AR MAMENT

CREW ' 3 road 50 km/h main 1 x 105mm
COMBAT WEIGHT 39700 kg water 6 km/h coaxia l 2 x 7.62 mm MG
UNLOADED WEIGHT 37000 kg rUL~ ~A PAC ITY 960litre s anti-ai rcraft 1 x 7.62 mm MG
POWER-TQ-WEIGHT MAX RGALl RANGE 390 km SMOKE-LAYING
RATIO 18.4 hp/tonne FORDING 1.5 m EQUIPMENT 8 smoke di schargers
GROUND PRESSURE 1.04 kg/cm' with preparation amphibious AMMUNITION
LENGTH GUN GRADIENT 60% main 50
FORWARDS 8.99 m VERTICAL OBSTAC LE 0.9 m MG 2750
LENGTH OF HULL TREN CH 2.3 m GUN CONTROL
exc luding stowage TURNING RADIU S pivot in neutral EQUIPMENT
boxes at hu ll rear 7.04 m ENGINES Rolls-Royce K60 multi- Turret power con trol n/app
WIDTH 3.63 m fue l developi ng 240 bhp by commander yes
WIDTH OVER TRACKS 3.26 m at 3750 rpm and Boeing by driver/gunner yes
HEIGHT 553 gas turbine commander's overrid e yes
to top of commander's developing 490 shp at Commander's fire-
cupola 2.14 m 38000 rpm contro l overr ide yes
inc luding machine gun 2.73 m AUXI LIARY ENGINE none Gun elevati on/depression + 12°/- 10°
FIRING HEIGHT 1.7 m TRAN SMISSION Vo lvo with 2 forwa rd Gun stabi liser
GROUND CLEARANCE and 2 reverse gears verti ca l no
hull cen lre 0.5 m STEERING regenerative double- horizontal no
hUll si des 0.4 m differentia l with hydro-
TRACK 2.6 m static steering drive
TRACK WIDTH 670 mm SUSPEN SION hydro-pneumatic
LENGTH OF TRACK ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24 V
ON GROUND 2.85 m BATIERIES 2 x 12V, 114Ah

Status: Produ ction comp lete. In service with the Swedish Manufacturer: Bofors AB, Ordna nce Division , Box 500,
Army. S-69 1 80 Bofors , Swed en.

SWITZERLAND

pz 61 and pz 68 Main Battle Tanks
Development
In 1951 th e T echni cal Section of the Swiss General Staff
carried out a study to see if a n MBT co uld be des igned in
Switzerl and. This st ud y conclud ed that it was poss ible a nd
two yea rs later design work on th e first Swiss MBT began a t
the Federal Construction Works in Thun. Before this deci-
sio n th e Fed eral Cons tru cti on Works had d esigned two
vehicles for the Swiss Army, th e NK I 75 mm self-prop ell ed
anti-tank gun a nd the NK II 75 mm assau lt g un , neither of
which entered produ ction ; Switze rl and th en procured 152
J agd panzer 38( t) ta nk destroyers from Czechoslovakia which
were de live red betwee n 1947 and 1952, a nd have now been
retired from service.
I t was apparent th at a ny Swiss-d es ig ned MBT wo uld not

73
pz 61 AA9 MBT with 20 mm coaxial cannon
rep laced by 7.62 mm machine gun
(not to 1/76th scale) (Swiss Army)

be availa ble until th e latel950s a t th e earliest so Switzerland
turned to France and th e United Kingdom to meet its
immediate requirements for tanks. In 1951 an order was
placed for 200 French AMX-13 light tan ks, which are kn ow n
as th e L pz 51 and were phased ou t of service in 1980/8 1,
followed in 1955 by a n order for 100 British Centurion Mk 5
tanks which were know n as the p z 55. A furth er order was
placed in 1957 for 100 Centurion Mk 7s whi ch were called the
p z 57, a nd in 1960 Switzerl a nd bought 100 Centurions from
South Africa which were called p z 55.
The first prototype of the Swiss MBT, d esigna ted the
K W 30 was compl eted in 1958 a nd was a rm ed with a Swiss-
designed 90 mm g un . The second prototype was completed
the foll owing year. These two prototypes were follow ed by
ten pre- production tanks, pz 58 (Panzer 58), which were
built between 1960 a nd 1961 and armed with a British 20-
pounder (83.4 mm ) g un as installed in th e p z 55. In M arch
1961 a production order for 150 pz 6 1s (arm ed with British
105 mm gun) was placed with deliveri es to th e Swiss Army
taking place between January 1965 a nd D ecember 1966. The
p z 61 s a re operated by th e tank battalions of the Swiss 4th
Mechanised Division.
with a hydrostatic steering drive which provides progressive
a nd continuous s tee ring control.
The suspension of th e pz 61 co nsists of six dual rubber-
tyred road wheels, each independ entl y located a nd sprung by
Belleville was hers. The idler is a t th e front a nd th e drive
sprocket a t th e rear. There a re three track return roll ers. The
tracks of the p z 6 1 are of cas t ma nganese a nd have no rubber
pads .
Main a rm a ment of the pz 6 1 is a British-designed 105 mm
L7 series gun ma nufac tured in Switzerl a nd with a number of
modifi cations, known as th e p z K a n 6 1 and firing a Swiss-
designed HE (muzzle velocity 600 m/s) round in addition to
th e norma l APDS (muzzle velocity 1470 m/s), HESH (mu z-
pz 61 AA9 MBT with 7.5 mm MG replacing 20 mm coaxial
cannon (Swiss Army)

Description
The hull of the p z 61, like its turret, is a one-piece casting
suppli ed to Thun by G eo rg Fischer of Schaflha usen, a nd is
divided into three compartm ents: drive r's a t th e front,
fi g hting in th e centre and the engine a t th e rea r.
The dri ver is seated at th e front of the hull in the centre and
is provided with a one-piece ha tch cover hinged a t the rea r.
Three periscopes a re mounted forwa rd of th e ha tch.
The turret, which unlike most other contemporary ta nks
has no bustle, is in the centre of the hull with the command er
a nd g unn er seated on the right and the loader on th e left. The
comm a nd er's cupola has a single-piece hatch cover th a t pz 68 Mk 3 MBT (Swiss Army)
opens to the rea r a nd eight periscopes . The commander also
operates th e split-image coincidence rangefi nd er which has a
magnifi cation of x 8. The gunner is seated forw a rd a nd below
the comma nder and has a periscope with a magnifi cation of
X8 a nd x 2. 7. The loader's cupola is provided with six vision
blocks a nd split ha tch covers th a t open left a nd right. The
loader's cupola is a little higher than th e comma nd er's whose
area of o bservation is therefor e restricted .
. The engine compa rtm ent is a t the rear, separated from th e
fighting compartment by a fireproofbulkhead . The complete
powerpack, consisting of th e engine, auxiliary engine, tra ns-
mission, cooling and exhaust system, can be removed from
th e vehicle in about one hour. The engine is suppli ed from
Wes t Germany and is coupled to a Swiss SLM transmission
co nsisting of a semi-automatic gearbox with six forw a rd and
two reve rse gea rs a nd a doubl e differential s tee ring system

74
 been fitt ed with a Bofors Lyra n system (Sw iss Army design a-
tion is the 7. 1 cm Le GW 74 for wh ich 12 projecti les are
ca rried ) on the turret roof between the co mmander's and
load er's cupolas . This sys te m ca n launch an illumin a tin g
rocket to a max imum range of 500 metres a nd a max imum
a ltitud e of 1300 metres. The pz 68s a re us ed by the 4th a nd
II th M ec ha nised Divisions. All but 13 per cent of the p z 68
was manufactured in Switzerland , the engine, a uxiliary
engin e and turret co ntrols coming from ab road.

pz 68 Mark 2
Th is was ap proved for production in 1974 at a cost of 146 .3
million Swiss Fra ncs, and is basicall y the pz 68 Mark I with
an alternator, thermal sleeve for main a rm a men t, a nd a
system for ex tracting carbon monoxid e. Betwee n March a nd
December 1977 50 pz 68 Mk 2 tanks were deli vered to the
Swiss Army.

pz 68 Mark 3
This has a ll the improvements of the Mks I a nd 2 but a lso has
a larger turret. Production was a uthoris ed in 1975 at a cost of
pz 68 Mk 3 MBTwith commander's, loader's and driver's hatches
open (Swiss Army) 447 million Sw iss francs a nd 110 tanks were de li vered be-
twee n 1978 a nd September 1979.
zle velocity 730 m/s) and smoke rounds . Of the 56 rounds of
105 mm ammun ition carried, 12 are in the turret for ready pz 68 Mark 4
use and 22 each side of the driver at th e front of the hull, This is simi lar to the Mk 3 a nd 60 were ordered in 1978 for
Switzerland has adopted the Israeli APFSDS proj ectil e and deli very between October 1981 a nd December 1982. At
12 rounds of this type are carried. The gun control system for present var ious modern isa tion schemes are being s tudi ed to
th e pz 6 1 is a French SAMM type CH 25 electro-hydrauli c enable the pz 68 to remain effective thro ug h the I 990s .
system simi lar to that developed for th e French AMX-30
MBT exce pt that the gun of th e pz 6 1 is elevated by a motor Variants
rather than a jack as in th e case of the AMX-30.
Mounted on the forward part of th e loader's ha tch is a Anti-aircraft Tank
7.5 mm MG 5 1 machine gun for anti-a ircraft defence wh ich In August 1978 a co ntract for th e deve lopment of a n anti-
can be elevated from -4 to + 77 degrees, and mounted on a ircraft ta nk based on the chass is of the p z 68 MBT was
either side of th e turret are three L pz 5 1 (80.5 mm) smoke awa rded to Contraves AG of Zlirich by the Swiss Gove(n-
dischargers. ment Age ncy for Armament. The prototype of this system ,
Standard eq ui pment on th e pz 6 1 includes NBC sys tem, which had the sa me twin 35 mm turret as fitted to the West
. hull escape hatch an d a drinking wa ter tank. There is no German Gepard SPAAG, was handed ove r to the Swiss
provision for deep fording. The pz 61 AA9 is th e ea rli er p z 6 1 Ordnance Procurement Agency in Apri l 1979. It has been
with an SE-4 12 radio a nd dry a ir filt er installed , the 20 mm decided that the system will not be procured at present.
canno n replaced by a standard 7.5 mm machin e gun and
improved maintenance fa cilities . I t is probable that the pz 6 1 Armoured Recovery Vehicle
will be modernised to enable it to remain effective into th e Developm ent of an ARV based o n the chassis of the pz 6 1
1990s .
Entp pz 65 armoured recovery vehicle in travelling orde r (Swiss
pz 68 MBT (later called the pz 68 Mark 1) Arm y)
Further development of the p z 6 1 resulted in th e pz 68. The
first prototype was completed in 1968 with production being
aut horised in 1968 at a cost of 460 million fran cs . Betwee n
J anu ary 197 1 a nd Jul y 1974 170 pz68s were deli vered to the
Swiss Army. Major differences between the pz 6 1 and the pz
68 can be summ arised as the replacement of the 20 mm
coaxia l can non by a standard 7.5 mm machine gun, stabilisa-
tion system for the main a rm ament a llowing the tank to
engage targets accurately while moving across country,
ammunition resupply hatch in the left side of th e turret, more
powerful engine a nd modified transmission, wider tracks
with replaceab le rubb er pads and a greater length of track in
contact with the grou nd. Mounted at th e rear of the turret is a
large stowage basket and deep fording eq uipm ent can be
installed . The main arma ment is equipped wit h a fume
extractor but no muzzle brake. pz 68 and the pz 61 tanks have

75
 SPECIFICATIONS

Model Pz 61 pz 68
CREW 4 4
COMBAT WEIGHT 38000 kg 39700 kg
UNLOAOED WEIGHT 37000 kg 38700 kg
POWER-TO-WEIGHT
RATIO t7 hp/tonne 16.62 hp/tonne
GROUND PRESSURE 0.85 kg/cm' 0.86 kg/cm'
LENGTH GUN
FORWARDS 9.43 m 9.49 m
LENGTH GUN REAR 8.28 m 8.6 m
LENGTH HULL 6.78 m 6.98 m
WIDTH 3.06 m 3.14 m
HEIGHT
including AA MG 2.85 m 2.88 m
commander's cupola 2.72 m 2.75 m
FIRING HEIGHT 1.93 m 1.96 m
GROUND CLEARANCE 0.42 m 0.41 m
TRACK 2.59 m 2.59 m
TRACK WIDTH 500 mm 520 mm
LENGTH OF TRACK
Target version of pz 68 M'BT (Swiss Army) ON GROUND 4.13 m 4.43 m
MAX ROAD SPEED 50 km/h 55 km/h
FUEL CAPACITY 760 litres 710 litres
MAX RANGE
road 300 km 350 km
cross-country 160 km 160 km
FORDING 1.1 m 1.1 m
with preparation nl app 2.3 m
GRADIENT 60% 60%
VERTICAL OBSTACLE 0.75 m 1m
TRENCH 2.6 m 2.6 m
ENGINE MTU MB 837 MTU MB 837
8-cylinder diesel 8-cyli nder diesel
developing developing
630 hp at 2200 rpm 660 hp at 2200 rpm
AUXILI ARY ENGINE diesel developing diesel developing
31 hp at 3100 rpm 35 hp at 2800 rpm
TRANSMISSION SLM semi-automatic SLM semi-automatic
6 forward and 2 6 forward and 6
reverse gears reverse gears
STEERING infinitely variable hydrostatic cross-drive
SUSPENSION Belleville washers Belleville washers
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24 V 24 V
BATIERIES 4 x 6 V, 300 Ah 4 x 6 V, 300 Ah
ARMAMENT
main 1 x 105 mm 1 x 105 mm
coaxial 1 x 7.5 mm MG 1 x 7.5 mm MG
BrO pz 68 armoured bridgelayer in travelling configuration anti-aircraft 1 x 7.5 mm MG 1 x 7.5 mm MG
(Swiss Army) SMOKE-LAYING
EQUIPMENT 3 smoke dischargers either side of turret
AMMUNITION
main 56 56
MBT began at Thun in 1961 with the first prototype being 7.5mm 5400 5400
GUN CONTROL
completed in 1967/68. After trials with this prototype a EQUIPMENT
modified version based on the chassis of the pz 68 was placed Turret power control electro-hydraulicl electro-hydraulicl
manual manual
in production. First production vehicles, known as the by commander yes yes
Entpannungspanzer 65 (or Entp pz 65) were completed in by gunner yes yes
1970. The vehicle is fi tted with a main winch with 120 metres commander's override yes yes
Commander's fi re-
of cable and a maximum capacity of25 000 kg, which can be control override yes yes
increased to 75 000 kg with the use of snatch blocks. The Max rate power
traverse 360" in 9.5 s 360· in 9.5 s
auxiliary winch used to pull out the main cable has 240 Max rate power
metres of cable. Mounted at the front of the vehicle is a elevation 20.8·/s 20.8·/s
Gun elevationl
hydraulically-operated dozer blade which is used to stabilise depression +21·1-10· +21·1- 10·
the vehicle or for dozing. Pivoted at the front of the hull is an Gun stabiliser
vertica l no yes
A-frame with a maximum lifting capacity ofl5 000 kg. A full horizontal no yes
range of tools and cutting equipment is carried. The Entp Range setting device yes yes
pz 65 has a crew of five and a loaded weight of 38 000 kg. Elevation quadrant yes yes
Traverse indicator yes yes
Armament consists of a single 7.5 mm machine gun and eight ARMOUR 20-60 mm 20-60 mm
smoke dischargers .

Armoured Bridgelayer
The prototype of the bridgelayer was based on the chassis of a
pz 61 tank but production vehicles, designated the Brucken-
legepanzer 68, were based on the pz 68 tank chassis . The
bridge is launched as follows: the vehicle stops short of the
obstacle and the bridge is tilted forwards, a beam is slid over
to the far bank and the bridge is then ad¥ anced along the
beam. Once the bridge has reached the far bank, the beam is
retracted. The bridge has an overall length of 18.23 metres
and a maximum capacity of 60 000 kg, its normal capacity
being 50 000 kg. The bridgelayer has a crew 'of three and
weighs 44 600 kg complete with the bridge.

76
155 mm Self-propelled Gun
T he pro totype of a ISS mm self-propelled gun called the
Panze r-K a none 68 , based on th e chassis of a p z 68 MBT, was
built some time ago. It was not placed in production as the
Swiss Army proc un,d addi tional American 155 mm M 109
SPGs.
Target Tank
A special version of th e pz 68 has been developed for training
anti-ta nk crews, called th e Schweres Pa nze rzielfa hrzeug, o r
TAIWAN
ROC MBT Development Programme
The Republic of C hina Fighti ng Vehicles D evelopm ent
Centre is cu rrently designing a med ium battle ta nk. Very
Ii ttle inform a tion has become availa ble al thoug h press
releases have prov id ed th e following inform a tion:
I) The ROC MBT will be based on extrac ts from foreign
des igns;
2) The design wi ll specifi cally aim a t meeting th e require-
Status: Proba bly ea rl y proj ect development stage.
UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS
T-80 Main Battle Tank
It is believed th a t th e T-80 has a chassis similar to tha t of th e
T -72/T -74 bu t is powered by a gas turb ine engine in place of
th e V- 12 di esel installed in th e T -72/T -74.
M ain arma ment consists of a turret-mounted gun that can
fire a conventional round or a n a nti-ta nk g uid ed missile; the
la tter may be laser g uid ed. The missile may be a development
of the K obra which is also fired by th e T-64B varia nt of the
T-64 MBT which has been in service with the Soviet Army
for some years .
In 198 1 the US Depa rtm ent of Defense released a n a rtist's
impress ion of a new ta nk called the T -80. When the 1983
edition of Soviet Military Power was published th e T -80 was
shown to be no th ing more th a n th e la te prod uction T- 72
wh ich has the Soviet designa ti on ofT- 74.
T-64 and T-72 Main Battle Tanks
Development
Following the commencement of fu ll-scale production of th e
T-62 MBT in 196 1 the Soviets produ ced a number of pro-
totype ta nks, of wh ich one was placed in produ ction in a
pz Zielfz 68. It has a heavily-a rmo ured tu rret with a dumm y
gun a nd add itiona l a rm our is provid ed for th e hull. The tops
of the tracks a re covered by a rmoured skirting. The p z Zielfz
68 weighs 38 000 kg a nd has a two-ma n crew.
Status: Production comp lete. In service only with the Swiss
Arm y.
Manufacturer: Fed era l C o nstru cti on Wo rks, Thun ,
Switze rla nd.
ment of the geogra phical, bridge a nd clima tic cha rac teris-
ti cs of the T aiwan area;
3) The ROC MBT wi ll have infra-red night vision equ ip-
ment, laser rangefind er, ba llistic com puter, mod ern elec-
tronic commun ications eq ui pment, improved a rm our
pro tection aga inst a rm our-piercing a nd HEAT proj ec-
tiles, have a n a ll-weather comba t ca pa bility a nd featu re a
powe rpack made in T aiwan.
In mid- 1984 T a iwa n sta rted to ord er M 60A3 hu lls from
the US ; details a re give n in Pa rt 2.
Developing agency: Fighting Vehicl es Development
Centre, ROC Arm y, T aichung, T aiwa n 400, Republic of
C hina.
Soviet ta nk pla nt as th e T-64 a nd is now in servi ce wi th th e
Group of Soviet Forces in G erm a ny a nd uni ts within the
Soviet U nion itsel f. T he T-64 was fi rst seen in 1970 a nd in
1980 was also deployed with th e South ern Gro up of Soviet
Forces in Hungary . As fa r as it is know n th e T-64 has no t
been iss ued to an y o th er member of th e W a rs a w Pact, nor has
it been ex ported . From all acco unts th e T-64 was not consi-
dered to be a sa tisfac tory design a nd serio us pro blems were
enco untered with its engine, suspension, fi re-control system
a nd th e a utoma ti c loader for th e 125 mm g un .
Produc tion of the T -64 was fin all y comp leted in 198 1 when
200 were bui lt compa red to 500 in 1980, a nd 1000 in 1978 a nd
1979, according to th e U S D epar tm ent of D efens e. Other
so urces indi cate th a t produ cti on of th e T-64 was comp leted
as ea rly as 1971-72 .
The T -64 was followed by the T -72 which entered produ c-
ti on in 1972 and was firs t seen in O ctober 1977 when th e
French Minister of Defence, Yvo n Bourges, paid a n offi cia l
visit to th e T a ma n Gua rds D ivision. T he ta nk was seen in
publi c for th e first time during the Novem ber 1977 mi litary
pa rade in M oscow .
During fi ghting in Leba non in 1982 th e Israe li Arm y
destroyed a number ofT- 72 MBTs with stand a rd l OS mm
guns firin g APDS a mm unition, T OW ATGWs (helico pter
77

T-64s of the Soviet Army showing external ammunition boxes for
12.7 mm machine gun ammunition and mounting points und er
hull front for mine cl earing attac hment
Description of T-64 (Provisional)
This has a similar layo ut to th e T -72 a nd th e same armament
and NBC system, but hydro- mechanical s uspension, fi ve-
cylind er opposed di esel engine a nd a slig htl y different turret.
The suspension consis ts of six small du al road wheels with
the dri ve sprocket a t th e rear, idler a t th e rront a nd four track
return rollers which support th e insid eo rth e doubl e pin track
only. T he first, second , fifth a nd sixth road wheel sta tions a re
provid ed with a hydra uli c shock a bsorber. O ve r th e top or the
suspension , which slopes downwa rd towa rds th e rear, is a rail
on which pa nels or additiona l a rmour can be attached.
The infra- red searchli ght is mo unted on th e lert ra th er than
th e right of th e main a rma ment as in th e case orth e T-72M .
Three boxes o r 12.7 mm a mmunition a re mounted on th e left
side o rthe turret; th e snorkel is carri ed on th e top of th e turret
at the rear a nd a t th e very rea r or th e turret is a detacha ble
stowage box. T he T-64 has two snorkels ror dee p fording, one
fitted to the turret a nd the oth er over th e engine compa rt-
ment.
T here is also a command ve rsion or th e T-64 called the
T-64K. When sta tiona ry a 10-metre telescopic mas t is
erected over th e turret a nd held in position by s tays which a re
pegged to th e ground. The command ve rsion does not nor-
mall y ha ve th e 12.7 mm a nti-aircra rt gun fitt ed. Unlike th e
T- 72, th e 12.7 mm a nti-a ircraft machine gun o rth e T-64 can
be aim ed a nd fir ed from within the ta nk.

T-64 showing external stowage on turret

T-64 showing external stowage

la un ched ), 155 mm , 203 mm improved conventiona l muni-

tions a nd US Rockeye cluster bo m bs with a nti-ta nk s ub-
muni tions.
In 1983 th e U S Departmen t of Defense s ta ted tha t produ c-
ti on of th e T -72 in the USS R in recen t yea rs had a mounted to
1500 in 1978,2000 in 1979,2300 in 1980, 1400 in 198 1 and
1300 in 1982. Produ cti on commenced in Pola nd a nd
Czechos lovakia in 198 1 when 20 ve hicles were built, rising to
100 the following year.
La te production mod els of the T -72 are called the T-80 by
th e US altho ugh the co rrect Soviet designa tion is in fact th e
T-74 with 300 produ ced in 1980, 400 in 198 1 a nd 1200 in
1982 .
In early 1985 th e US Departm ent of Defense iss ued revised
produ ction fig ures for Soviet tank prod ucti on , th ese were
3 100 in 1980, 2000 in 198 1, 2500 in 1982, 2700 in 1983 a nd
3200 in 1984.
T here a re now five pl ants ma king th e T -72 MBT, Plzen in
Czechoslovakia, K a towice in Pola nd a nd Kha rkov, Omsk
and N izhni-Tagil in th e Soviet U nion . It is believed th a t
C helyabinsk came back on line in 1984 to build th e T-74 o r
T -80 MBT. M ore recently Yugos lavia a nd India have
sta rted to manu fac ture the T- 72/T-74 und er li cence.
The U nited Sta tes Arm y consid ers th e M 60A I inferi or to
th e T- 72, the more recent M 60A3 on a pa r with it a nd th e new
M I superi or to it. Initia ll y it was th o ught th a t the a rm our on
th e T-64 a nd T-72 was of the no rm a l rolled a nd cast type but
in 1978 a U nited States Arm y r eport s tated th a t th e a rm o ur
was of a n ad vanced type.

78
 T-64 Tank
Four-view drawing of T-64 MBT showing external details (Steven Zaloga)
Variants of T-64 MBT
T-64 MI981/1, also called T-64A by the US Army, has a
modified sight for the gunner with an en larged opening,
smoke mortars on the turret front, bump stop for the fourth
road wheel and hinges for the attachment of side skirts;
T-64 M1980/2 is the same as the MI981/l but with skirts;
T-64B (US designation) has the Kobra guided missile system
also fitted to the T-80 MBT;
T-64B M1981/l does not have the Kobra guided missile
system but the standard 125 mm gun.
Description of T-72
The hull of the T-72 is divided into three compartments:
driver's at the front, fighting in the centre and the engine
compartment at the rear. It is believed that the turret has
conventional cast armour with a maximum thickness of
280 mm, the nose is about 80 mm thick and the glacis is of a
new laminate armour 200 mm thick, which when inclined
gives between 500/600 mm of protection.
The glacis is well sloped, transversely ribbed and has a
deep V splash-board. The driver is seated at the front of the
hull and is provided with a single-piece hatch cover that
opens to the right, in front of which is a single wide-angle
observation periscope. The driver's headlamps are desig-
nated FG 125.
The other two crew members are seated in the turret with
the gunner on the left and the commander on the right. The
commander's contra-rotating cupola has a single-piece hatch
cover that opens forward with two rear-facing vision blocks.
In the forward part of the cupola is a combined day/night
sight with an infra-red searchlight mounted over the top, and
to either side of the combined day/night sight is another
periscope. Forward and slightly below the commander's
cupola is an optical stadiametric rangefinder.
The gunner's hatch opens forward and has a circu lar
opening for mounting the snorkel for deep fording operations
and two observation periscopes. In front and to the left of the
gunner's hatch is a panoramic day/night sight which is used
in conjunction with the infra-red searchlight mounted to the
left and in front of the sight. The gun ner's sight is the TPD-2
while his night sight is the TPN 1-49-23 . Forward and below
the gunner's hatch is a laser rangefinder which may be con-
nected to the left side of the optical rangefinder on the com-
mander's side.
The infra-red searchlight is mounted on the right side of
the main armament rather than the left as in the case of the
earlier T-64 (in itial production vehicles).
Two light steel stowage boxes are mounted on the turret,
one at the rear and the other on the right slightly behind the
commander's position. The snorkel is carried on the left side
of the turret to the rear. Whereas the turret on the T-64 is
roughly circular, that of the T-72 has a distinct bulge and
external stowage on the two tanks is also different. There are
also significant differences in the engine deckings which indi-
cate that they are powered by different engines.
Fuel cells extend along the right side of the hull top; while
on the left hull top are stowage boxes and a single oil cell.
There are four internal oil tanks in the T-72, one to the left of
the driver and two to his right and one on the floor in the
space between the rear of the ammunition carousel and the
fire wall/engine bulkhead. An unditching beam is normally
carried at the rear and there is also provision for carrying two
200-litre fuel drums at the rear to increase operational range.
The suspension each side consists of six road wheels with
the idler at the front, drive sprocket at the rear and three
return rollers which support the inside of the track only.
Track is of the single-pin type with rubber bushed pins.
Four removable spring-loaded skirt plates fitted over the
79
 forwa rd pa rt of th e track a re unclipped in action a nd spring
forw a rd a t a n a ngle of60 d eg rees from th e side of th e ve hicle
to give a meas ure of protecti on agains t HEAT proj ectil es.
A dozer blad e mounted und er th e nose of the ta nk is us ed
for clea rin g obstacl es a nd prepa ring fire pos itions a nd, like
mos t oth er Soviet tanks, th e T -72 can be fi tted wi th K MT-5
mine-cl earing equipment. The dozer blad e can be brought
into th e opera ting pos ition in one o r two minutes a nd ena bles
th e tank to prepa re its own defi lad e position without calling
on enginee r support. A typical position for a T- 72 MBT
would be 10 metres long, 4.5 metres wid e a nd 1.2 metres dee p
with a tota l volum e of 54 c ubi c metres . The T-72 is provided
with an NBC sys tem a nd can be fitted with a snorkel for deep
fordin g.
M a in a rm a ment is a 125 mm smooth-bore gun fitted with
a light alloy th er mal sleeve a nd a bore evacua tor. The gun ,
des igna ted the 2A46, fires three main types of separa te load-
T-72 MBT ing a mmunition, APFSDS (possibl y designa ted th e BR-ll )
with a max imum range of 2 100 metres, HEAT-FS with a
maximum direct fire ra nge of 4000 metres a nd HE-
FRAG (FS) with a maximum indirect fire range of 9400
metres.

Type APFSDS HEAT-FS HE-FRAG(FS)

MUZZLE VELOCITY 1615 mls 900 mls 850 mls
ARMOUR PENETRATION 300 mml 1000 m 475 mml 1000 m nlapp

Of 39 rounds of a mmuni tion carri ed 12 a re APFSDS, 2 1 HE

a nd th e rem ain ing six H EAT . The a mmunition is of th e
se pa ra te loading type with a combu sta ble cartrid ge case, all
th a t rema ins of th e la tter a fter firin g is a s tub . The additional
rounds of a mmunition a re s towed in racks behind th e turret

.... T-72 MBT from rear showing und itch ing beam

T-72 MBTs parade through Red Square, Moscow, on 7 November 1980. Note attach ment poi nts under nose for mine clearing
equipment (TASS)

80
Cutaway drawing of T-72 MBT showing main components

(1) driver's FG 125 head lamp (2) steering tillers (3) NBC system
(4) gear lever (5) gun elevation mechanism (6) TPD-2 gunner's
sight (7) TPN 1-49-23 gunner's night sight (8) searchlight for use
with TKN 3 observation device (9) 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine
gun to rear (10) hoist for ammunition containers (11) antenna
base (12) turret bin for deep fording equipment and cold rations
(13) 78.0 bhp diesel engine (14) gearbox (15) long-range fuel
tanks which can be jettisoned (16) charges and projectiles in
containers on ammunition hoist platform (17) ammunition hoist
platform (18) gunner's seat (19) NBC decontamination
equipment (20) driver's adjustable seat (21) parking brake (22)
external stowage for spares, tool s and accessories (23) manual
drive for turret traverse gear (24) turret traverse indicator (25)
125 mm gun sliding wedge breech-block (26) 7.62 mm PKT
coaxial machine gun (27) tank commander's periscopes (28)
skirting plates (29) 7.62 mm PKT machine gun ammunition
boxes (30) radio set (31) hydraulic turret traverse gear

basket a nd in indenta tions in th e rea r fl oo r fu el cell a nd Variants of T-72

second forw a rd ri g ht fu el cell nea r th e dri ve r. The ca rou sel T- 72 Initi a l produ cti on m odel, has infra-red searchli ght
a utoma ti c load er is mounted o n th e turret floo r a nd a lso on to left of 125 mm gun as on T-64
th e rea r wall of th e turret. The proj ectil e is loaded in the lower T -72M Co nfirm ed Soviet des igna ti on , sta nd a rd produc-
half of a carri er whil e th e ca rtridge a nd propella n t is loaded in tion m od el with in fra-red sea rchli g ht to ri ght of
th e upper ha lf. When th e 125 mm gun loads it must pick up main a rm a ment
the ca rri er a nd ra m bo th th e proj ectil e a nd powd er cha rge.
This ena bles a ra te of fire of eig ht rounds a minute to be Cl ose-up of T-72 turret with commander's cupola traversed to
achi eved but th ere a re so me do ubts a bout th e reli a bility of rear (US Army)
the a utoma ti c load er. Th e ma in a rm a ment is sta bilised a nd
ena bl es th e T-72 to shoot on th e move wi th a hi gh proba bility
of a first-round hit.
A 7.62 mm PKT mac hine gun is moun ted coaxiall y to th e
right of the main arm a ment a nd a new design 12.7 mm
machin e g un is mounted o n th e co mm and er's cu pola . The
12.7 mm m achin e gun can however only be used with th e
comma nd er ex posing the upper part of his bod y. M aximum
sight ra nge in th e ground-to-ground role is 2000 metres,
maximum sight ra nge in th e a nti- a ircraft role is 1500 metres.
T- 72s built for ex port outside th e W a rsa w Pac t have a
slightly different fi re-control sys tem a nd a uto ma ti c load er
and d o no t have th e intern a l lining th a t is sta nd a rd on
Wa rsa w Pact T-72s co nsisting of a layer of sy nth eti c ma terial
th a t conta ins lead a nd provides so me degree of protection
against th e effec ts of neutron radia tion and elec tro-magneti c
pulses.
81

BREM armoured recovery vehicles based on much modified T-72
MBT chassis
T-72MKCommand version ofT-72M, also T-72K on origi-
nal T -72 tank
T-74(?) Initial version of T-74. Has no right side optics
port which possibly indicated installation ofa laser
rangefinder. Fitted with older gill armour fold-out
sid e plates
T-74(?) Also known as T-72 M1980/l, same as above but
with new fabric armour over side containers and
suspension
All of the above vers ions retain the attachment points for
mine clearing eq uipment under th e nose of the vehicle, and
have cylindrical containers above the ammunition containers
for the anti-aircraft machine gun on the right side of the
turret, modified mount for the AA machine gun ammunition
containers, which are now attached with their narrower sides
downwards, and no longer have horizontal holding hoops
along the lower rim of the tu rret.
All current production versions of the T-64/T-72 are now
fitted with a quickly erectable cover to protect the driver
when he is driving in the head out position.
BREM Armoured Recovery and Repair Vehicle
This is based on the chassis of T -72 and moun ted at the
front of the hull on the left side is a hydraulic crane which can
lift 12 tonnes, a main winch with a capacity of 25 tonnes
which can be increased to 100 tonnes, auxiliary winch,
hydraulically-operated dozer/s tabilising blade at the front of
the hull, towing equipment and a complete range of tools and
recovery equipment.
Model T-64 T-72

T-72 Also known as T -72 MI981/2, T-72 retrofitted with SPECIFICATIONS (Provisional)
sid e armour over rear deck to discourage top attack
Model T-64 T-72
T-74 Also known as the T-72 MI981/3, or T-80 (in US CREW 3 3
only). Variant of previous model with at least two COMBAT WEIGHT 38000 kg 41 000 kg
POWER-TO-WEIGHT
versions. Initial vers ion looks a lmost identical to RATIO 18.42 hp/lonne 19 hp/tonne
T -72 M 1980/ I bu t has thicker fron tal armour. T-72 GROUND PRESSURE 1.09 kg/e m' 0.83 kg/em'
M 1981/3 is follow on fi tted with smoke mortars LENGTH
gun lorward s 9.1 m 9.24 m
which have also been retrofitted to older models hull 6.4 m 6.95 m
and some T -64s WIDTH
without skirts 3.38 m 3.6 m
T-74 Also known as T-72 M1984, as above but with with skirts 4.64 m 4.75 m
applique armour on turret roof HEIGHT 2.3 m 2.37 m

T-72M MBT (Courtesy of Steven Za loga)

0.. ____ ~---- __ ~-----"~ T-72M Tank

© Slevlm i'.a l(l~u mH2

82
Modet T-64 T-72 1965. Altho ug h no fi g ures have been released , it is believed
GROUND CLEARAN CE 0.377 m 0.47 m
th a t production of th e T-62 a mo unted to 20 000 units . Pro-
TRACK WtDTH 580 mm 580 mm d ucti on of th e T -62 continued in th e Soviet U ni on until 1970
LENGTH OF TRACK a nd it has been confirmed that a quanti ty of T -62s for th e
ON GROUND 4.1 m 4.25 m
MAX ROAD SPEED 70 km/h 60 km/h ho me and export markets was produced by C zechoslovakia .
RANGE M ain recognition features of th e T-62 compa red wi th the
road , wit hout long-range tuel
tan ks 450 km 480 km
earlier T-54/T-55 a re a longer a nd wid er hull , different s pac-
road, with long-range fuel ing on th e road wheels as th e T -62 has a distin ct gap betwee n
tanks 700 km 700 km
FUEL CAPACITY 1000 Iitres 1000litres
th e third a nd fourth a nd fourth a nd fifth road wheels; sha pe of
FORDING the turret, a nd th e longer a nd fatter g un ba rrel with a fum e
without preparation 1. 4 m 1.4 m ex tracto r towa rds its muzzle.
with preparation 5.5 m 5.5 m
GRADIENT 60% 60% The T-62 was widel y used by both Syria a nd Egy pt during
VERTICAL OBSTACLE 0.915 m 0.85 m the 1973 Middle Eas t campaign a nd its main dra wbacks were
TRENCH 2.72 m 2.8 m
ENGINE S-cyli nder opposed V-1 2 mult ifu el shown to be slow ra te of fire a nd limited d ep ression of th e
pi ston, d iesel, (W-46) main a rm a men t, a nd its 115 mm gun a nd its associated
li quid-coo led , 780 hp
700/750 hp at 2000 rpm
fi re-control sys tem were no ma tch for th e I sraeli ta nks with
TRANSMI SS ION synchromesh, hydraulically assisted with 7 forward and their 105 mm rifl ed g uns.
1 reverse gears
STEERING c lutch and brake c lutch and brake
SUSPENSION hydro-mechanical torsion bar Description
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24 V 24 V The hull of th e T-62 is di vided into three compa rtm ents,
ARMAMENT
main 1 x 125 mm 1 x 125 mm driver's a t th e front, fi ghting in th e centre with th e engin e a nd
coax ial 1 x 7.62 mm MG 1 x 7.62 mm MG tra nsmission compa rtm ent a t th e rear. The dri ve r is seated a t
anti-ai rcraft 1 x 12.7 mm MG 1 x 12.7 mm MG
AMMUNI TION
the front of th e vehicle on the left sid e a nd is provided with a
main 40 39 single-piece ha tch cover tha t opens to th e left. Two vision
coaxia l 3000 3000
anti-aircraft 500
blocks a re mounted forwa rd of his ha tch cover, each wi th an
500
GUN CONTROL integra l d efros ting element. The left vision block can be
EQUIPMENT replaced by a TVN-2 infra-red periscope which has a 30-
Turret power control electri c/manual electri c/manual
Gun elevation/depression + 18°/- 5° + 18·/- 5· degree fi eld of view a nd a maximum range of60 metres. A
Gun stabi liser hull escape ha tch behind th e driver' s seat opens to the insid e
vertical yes yes
horizontal yes yes
of the ve hicle. M ounted on th e glacis pla te is a wave defl ector,
a nd mounted to th e rear of this on th e right side a re a white
light a nd a n infra-red headlamp.
Status: The T-72 MBT is in produ ction . Within th e USSR T he cas t turret is in th e centre of th e ta nk with th e com-
produ ction is und erta ken at defence plants, which have a ma nd er a nd g unner seated on th e left a nd the loader on th e
zavod nUftlber, a ttached to civilia n facilities ma naged by th e rig ht. Both a re provided with a single-piece ha tch cover tha t
Heavy a nd Transport M achin e Building Industry. opens to th e rear a nd can be locked verti cal. Rails outside the
These a re Nizhni-Tagil Railroad Enterprise (Zavod No tu rret can be used by infa ntry or for stowing personal equi p-
183), Kha rkhov (Malyshev) Locomotive Enterpris e (Zavod ment.
No 75 ), Omsk Rai lroad Enterprise (Zavod No 13) a nd T he comm a nder's cupola has four periscopes, two
Chelyabinsk H eavy M achinery Enterprise (Zavod No 178) . moun ted in the ha tch cover a nd two in the fo rwa rd pa rt of his
In Czechoslova ki a production is said to be underta ken a t cupola . The comma nd er' s sight, d esigna ted th e TKN-3, is a
the CKD-Praga fa cility in Plze n, although oth er so urces day/ ni ght binocular periscope with a n integral infra-red
indicate th a t th e T-72 is assembled in Ma rtin a t th e M achine capa bility mo unted in the forw ard pa rt of his cupola. For day
Enterprise with CKD ca rrying out transmission wo rk. use it has a magnifi cation of X 5 a nd a I O-degree fi eld of view
In Pola nd th e T-72 is made a t K a towice. The T-72 is also and fo r night it has a magnifica tion of x4.2 and a n 8-d egree
being built in India (qv) and Yugoslavia (q v), in both cases
the la te production model T-74 is built.
T-62 MBT
In servi ce in Alge'r ia, Angola (unconfirmed), Bulgari a,
Cuba, Czechoslova ki a (local ma nufacture und er licence),
East Germany, Finland, Hungary, India (local manufacture
und er licence), Iraq , Libya, Pola nd (local manufacture
under licence), Rom a nia, Syria, USSR a nd Yugoslavia (local
manufacture und er licence).

Manufacturer: Soviet state a rsenals.

T-62 Main Battle Tank

Development
The T -62 MBT was developed from th e ea rlier T-54/ T-55
series in the late 1950s a nd entered prod uction in 196 1. It was
first seen in public during a parade held in M oscow in M ay

83
T-62A MBT with 12.7 mm DShKM anti-aircraft
machine gun

two-stage planetary steering sys tem, which a lso serves as

bra kes, transmits torqu e to the fina l drives, each of wh ich is a
two-step, step-down redu ction gear.
The torsion bar suspension co nsists of fi ve du al rubber-
tyred road wheels with th e dri ve sprocket at th e rear a nd th e
idler a t the front. A hyd ra uli c s hock a bsorber is provided at
th e first a nd las t road wheel s tat ions . Th e all-steel track has
steel pins that are not secured at th e outer end a nd a re free to
travel towa rd s the hull. A ra ised piece of meta l welded to th e
hull just forw ard of the sprocket dri ves the track pins back
into position each time they pass . Each track has 96 links and
weighs 1386 kg when new. Like th e T-54/ T-55 , the T -62 is
now being fitt ed with a n improved live track.
A centralised ethylene-bromide fire-ext ingu ish ing system
is activated automaticall y by hea t sensors of which there a re
Soviet T-62 tanks fitted with snorkel for deep fording eight in the engine, tra nsmission a nd fighting co mpartm ents,
or ma nually by th e tank commander or dr iver.
The T-62 MBT has a PAZ nucl ear coll ecti ve protection
field of view. Effective ra nge when used in conjunction with system wh ich consists of a rad iat ion detector/ac tu ator
th e OU-3GK searchlig ht is 400 metres. The handles of the (RBZ-I m), fi ve se para te ex plos ive squib mecha nisms a nd a
sight a re used to rotate the command er's cupola and operate blower/dust se pa ra to r. The box-like radi a ti on detector/
th e searchlight, target designation equipment and other
syste ms. T-62A MBT from front but wi thout 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine
The gu nn er has a TSh2B-41 u telescope with a rotating gun installed (US Army/Michael Green)
graticul e for super-elevation required for th e different types
of ammunition and dual magnification, X3.5 with a n 18-
d eg ree fi eld of view a nd x 7 with a 9-degree field of view, filter
capa bilities, stadiametric rangefinder (at th e bottom of the
graticu le) and a n integral wiper. The max imum sig hting
ranges a re 4000 metres for APFSDS , 3700 metres for HEAT,
4800 metres for HE 18 and 3600 metres for HE II. The
gunner's infra-red sight is th e TPN 1-41-11 periscope which is
us ed in conjunction with th e main L-2G search light mou nted
coaxiall y to th e right of th e main a rm ament and has an
effecti ve ra nge of 800 metres. The TPNI-41 -11 has a
magnifi cation of x5.5 and a 6-degree field of view.
The gunn er is also provid ed with a Type TNP-165 peri-
scope with a magnifi cation of x I . The loader on th e right sid e
of th e turret is provided with a single TNP-165 periscope
which can be us ed to th e front or rear of the vehicle.
Mounted at th e rear of the turret, to th e left of the spent
cartridge ej ection door, is a n electrically-operated blower
operated by the driver using the KUV-3 venti lator co ntrol
box.
To the rear of the turret, over the engi ne compartm ent, is a
la rge rectangular sheet steel plate that covers the engine
louvres when the tank is snorkelling. The engine is equipped
with a pre-heater and is normall y started by compressed air
a lthough a n electrical auxili ary system is also provided . The
engine is coupled to the manua l transmission and changing
up or down is accomplished by doub le-declutch ing . The

84

Close-up of OU-3GK commander's searchlight fitted with cover.
In foreground is gunner's sight
operational range. A ll vehicles have three ex tern a l fu el cells
on th e right sid e of th e vehicle for di esel fuel while the single
tank on the left side is for auxilia ry oil. The driver can select
which fu el to use first, normally using th e two rea r drums,
then th e three ex tern al cells and fin a ll y th e main fu el ta nk.
The T-62 can, like other Sovie t ta nks, lay its own smoke-
screen by spraying di esel oil into th e ex ha ust manifold wh en
it is sufficien tly ho t, crea ting thick white smoke th a t exits
from the exhaust ports on the left side of the tank. When
lay ing th e smoke-screen th e tank is a lways in second or third
gear. This consumes abo ut ten litres of fu el per minute a nd
produ ces a smoke-screen 250 to 400 metres long which las ts
for so m e four minutes, but this does depend on the wind
strength.
The ta nk can ford to a maximum d epth of 1.4 metres
without preparation. It can a lso ford deep wa ter when fitted
with a snorkel. I t ta kes up to eight hours to prepare th e ta nk
for dee p fording a nd two types of snorkel a re ava ilable, a large
diameter one for tra ining a nd a thinner one fo r operational
use which is normally carried in sections on th e rea r of th e
turre t. The tank is usu a ll y driven across the river bed in first
gea r and navigated by its GPK-59 gyro-compass a nd a radi o
link to th e far bank. Once ashore, it takes only one or two
minutes to prepare the tank for ac tion again .
M a in a rmam ent of the T -62 MBT is a U-5TS (2A20 )
11 5 mm smooth-bore g un fitted with a bore evacua tor, with a
maximum ra te of fire of four rounds per minute wh en a t a
s ta ndstill. After firin g th e main a rmament of th e T-62 a uto-
matically elevates to a n a ngle of + 3 degrees 30 minutes for
loading. The turret cannot be traversed while the weapon is
being loaded . The following rounds of fixed a mmunition can
be fired:

AMMUNITION TYPE HE-FRAG (FS) HEAT-FS HEAT-FS APFSDS

DESIGNATION OF-18 BK-4 BK-4M BM-6
FUZE MODEL V-429E GPV-2 GPV-2 nlapp
T-62A MBTwithout anti-aircraft machine gun installed on display
WEIGHT OF COM-
in the US (Donald Spau lding) PLETE ROUND 28.1 kg 26.2 kg 26.2 kg 22.5 kg
WEIGHT OF
PROJECTILE 17.72 kg 11 .79 kg 13.13 kg 5.39 kg
actu a tor ·(a radiation thresho ld detector) is mounted on th e WEIGHT OF BURST-
ING CHARGE 2.72 kg 1.55 kg 1.45 kg n/app
right s ide of th e turret compartm ent behind th e compressed TYPE OF BURSTING
air tanks. CHARGE TNT RDX/a luminium RDX/wax nlapp
MUZZLE VELOCITY 750 ml s 900 ml s 900 mls 1680 mls
The detector/ac tuator senses th e initia l pulse of radiation ARMOUR PENE-
(gam ma o r neutron pulse) whi ch precedes the blast wave and TRATION AT O' nl app 432 mml 440 mml 330 mml
then act ivates th e ex plosive sq uib mechanism . T he la tter is a at any range at any range 1000 m

sys tem of spring- load ed shutters, d ampers, or louvres th at Note: OF- 18 is known as the extend ed rang e ve rsion and replaces the earlier OF-ll
a re held open by a detent pin . When th e sq uib mecha nism is which has a mu zz le ve locity of about 915 mls

activated, a n explosive charge detonates and forces th e

detent pin out of place, thus a llowing th e shu tter, damper or
lou vre to close. Th e explosive squib mecha nism's fu nction is
to close the engine louvres, sig ht aperture, bulkhead ve ntil a-
ti on fa n, ai r ba rn es to th e transfer case a nd th e a ir inta ke to
th e blower/dust separator. The latter is in the turret below
th e shell ejection port a nd is a n electric motor mounted with a
set of fan blades whi ch draws a ir into th e veh icle a nd spins it
at app rox imately 7000 rpm.
It sho uld be noted th a t the blower/ dust sepa rator removes
nuclear fa llout onl y: it does not protect crew fromchemica l or
biological conta min a tes as the a ir is not passed through a
chemi cal filter. The tank must pass through th e contami-
nated a rea as quickly as possible a nd must th en be decon-
tamina ted before becoming fully operatio na l aga in .
Mounted at th e rear of the hull is a n unditching beam an d
two drum fuel tanks can be install ed at the rear to increase
An integral spent shell ej ection system, activated by th e
recoil of th e gun, ej ects the em pty cartridge case out of the
turret through a trapdoor in th e turret rear. Of th e 40 rounds
(37 in com mand ta nks) of 11 5 mm a mmunition ca rri ed , two
read y rounds a re kept in the turret, one round by the g unn er's
feet, one by the load er's feet, 16 in the forwa rd part of the tank
to th e rig ht of th e dri ver a nd 20 in the rear of th e fighting
com partme nt.
A 7.62 mm PKT machin e gun mounted coaxia ll y to the
rig ht orthe main a rm a ment has a practi cal rate offire of 200
to 250 rounds per minute a nd is fed by a belt contai nin g 250
rounds.
The gu n eleva ting and travers ing mec hanism consists of
electric, hydra uli c a nd m a nu a l controls. The g unn er ca n
elevate or dep ress th e g un (electri c/ hydra uli c) a nd both th e

85
 -37
36-
48-
100
go

sn
"'\.,
......... r--...
"- ,~
-46

-34
44-=- 70
~ ~~
-42
40"::'
32 60
J8
- 30 36-=-
-=-34
!iO \ \ '\
~ .~ ",C
28- 32-=-
-=-30 40
-26 2S-=- -26
24- 24~26
-=-22
2O~'8
16-=-
'24-
-22
20-=-18
16-
13-
- 12
11-
-'10
3(J

2C
~
-'
~B ~
......
"-
'2~~ ~A ~........... ....
40~36 10
-- --..::-
12-=-14 8-
3'2 24=28 20 8~6 8-=10 =-6

o 8=12 4
4~2
0-
4-==~
0-
4-=-
O~2
% """"15r--
6P 1M<: 0018 0011 fT
5 10 20 25 30
APDS HEAT HE18 HEl1 "& Range - hundreds of metres
/1' 1'/I' I '/I' I'/I'f'
'1'/1' I '/I' I '/\' 11. X
'1° . '14 18 22 26 30 First-round hit probability ofT-62 MBTwith 11 & mm gun showing
....... -~l~~~!~J (A) firing HEAT projectile from stationaryT-62 at target moving at
2.7 Rangefinder
19 km/h (8) firing APFSDS projectile from stationary T-62 at
target moving at 19 km/h (C) firing APFSDS projectile from
stationary T-62 at stationary target

Graticule of TSh2B-41 u telescope (US Army)
commander and gunner can traverse the turret by electric
controls through a full 360 degrees. Only the gunner can
traverse the turret and elevate the gun manually. The gun is
fully stabilised in both horizontal and vertical planes.
Variants
T-62A
The main differences between the T-62 and the T-62A are the
contour and the size of the turret and the removal of the fixed
loader's hatch on the T-62 and its replacement by a rotating
cupola mounting a 12.7 mm DShKM anti-aircraft machine
gun, which can be used only from outside the tank. Some
machine gun ammunition boxes are stored externally on the
right of the turret. T here are also differences in the design of
the engine covers on the T-62A. The T-62 can also be fitted
with mine-clearing equipment similar to that fitted to the
T-54/T-55, details of which are given in the entry for the
T -54. According to American reports 'the T -62 tank is being
updated in a similar fashion to the American M60 series
improvement programme with laser rangefi nd er, ballistic
computer, replacement of L-2G infra-red searchlight with
new model and image intensification sights for both com-
mander and gunn er. The laser rangefinder is of the box type
similar to that fitted on the T-54/T-55 and illustrated in the
fo llowing entry.
T-62K Command Tank
In addition to having additional communications eq.uip-
ment, the T-62K command tank has the TNA-3 land navi-
gation system. This appeared in 1973 and consists of six
components, gyroscopic compass, one or two compass indi-
cators, latitude correction device, an odometer, power con-
verter and a calculator:..

T-62 laying a smoke screen from the exhaust outlet in left side of tank (US Army)

86
 The gyroscopic compass indicates on what azi muth the
vehicle is travelling and is mounted in the left rear of the
turret compartment and can determine direction regardless
of its position within its mounting. The compass indicator is
mounted in th e driver's compartment or in the tank com-
mander's cupola; some T -62Ks have two compass indicators,
one at each position.
The latitude correction device, odometer, and power con-
verter are on the left side of the tank hull in the area of the
turret. This adjusts the gyroscopic compass to conform to
changes in latitude. The odometer converts the rotation of
th e driveshaft into distance travelled in metres . The power
converter supplies the electricity for th e TNA-3 land naviga-
tion system.
The calculator is in the turret to the right ofthe gunner and
takes the signal from the other components and produces a
readout which is used to na'{igate th e vehicle.
While the system is warming up, which takes about 15
minutes, the T-62K cannot be moved without damaging the
gyroscopic compass. Due to drifting of the gyroscopic com-
pass , and other mechanical factors, the system accumulates
error over a period of time and after several hours needs to be
reset. The system does not automatically convert slope dis-
ta nce travelled into correct horizontal map distances, but the
operator can manually adjust for this error by moving a
correction setting. In addition this correction allows for the
adjustment of varying road conditions such as dry pavement,
mud or snow.
Once th e crewJilember provides the system with his initial
location and the pre-determined objective's location, the cal-
culator gives a continuous en route numerical readout of the
position of the tank, and its distance and azimuth to the
objective. The readout from the calculator gives the distance
in metres to the right and up, from the original location . From
this readout the operator can compute his grid co-ordinates.
T-62M
This is T-62A fitted with a new Jive track, similar in appear-
ance to that installed on the T -72 MBT.
T-62 Fl amethrower
A flamethrower version of the T -62 is in service. This has a
flame gun mounted coaxially with the 11 5 mm gun with a n
effective range of 100 metres .
Mod ified T-62 MBT
In 1984 T-62s began appearing in the Group of Soviet Forces
Germany with side skirts and smoke mortars on the turret
sides. In Afghanistan similar vehicles have been seen with a
thick applique armour panel on the hull front and a box-like
applique armour panel on the turret front in addition to the
fabric armour skirts on the sides over the suspension and side
containers.
Egyptian T-628
Some Egyptian T-62s have been observed fitted with twin
la unchers on either side of the turret rear for indigenously
developed Sakr ground-to-ground smoke rockets.
Royal Ordnance 115 mm tank barre l
Royal Ordnance Nottingham is now manufacturing exact
copies of the 115 mm tank barrel installed in the T-62 MBT
for th e Egyptian Army.

SPECIFICATIONS
FUEL CONSUMPTION GUN CONTROL
CREW 4 paved road 3 - 3.3 litres/km EQUIPMENT
COMBAT WEIGHT 40000 kg dirt road 1.9 - 2.1 litres/km Turret power control electric-hydraulicl
UNLOADED WEIGHT 38000 kg FORDING 1.4 m manual
POWER-TO-WEIGHT with preparation 5.5 m by commander yes (powered only)
RATIO 14.5 hp/tonne GRADIENT 60% by gunner yes (electric-hydrau licl
GROUND PRESSURE 0.83 kg/cm' VERTICAL OBSTACLE 0.8 m manual)
LENGTH GUN TRENCH 2.85 m Gun elevation/depression +17"1 -4"
forward 9.335 m TURNING RADIUS skid turns commander's override yes
rear 9.068 m ENGINE Model V-55 V- 12 Gun stabiliser
LENGTH HULL 6.63 m water-cooled diesel with vertical yes
WIDTH 3.3 m injection pump fuel system. horizontal yes
HEIGHT 2.395 m pressure lubricated. Elevation quadrant yes
GROUND CLEARANCE 0.43 m developing 580 hp at Traverse indicator yes
TRACK 2.64 m 2000 rpm ARMOUR
TRACK WIDTH 580 mm AUXILIARY ENGINE none Hull front upper 102 mm at 60"
LENGTH OF TRACK TRANSMISSION manual with 5 forward and 1 Hull front lower 102 mm at 54"
ON GROUND 4.15 m reverse gears Hull sides upper 79 mm at 0"
MAX SPEED STEERING 2-stage planetary Hull sides lower 15 mm at 0"
1st gear 14.5 km/h CLUTCH 10 driving, 9 driven steel Hull rear upper 46 mm at 0"
2nd gear 20 km/h a
discs and release Hull rear lower 46 mm at 0"
3rd gear 29 km/h mechanism Hu ll top 31 mm
4th gear 45.5 km/h SUSPENSION torsion bar Hull floor front 20mm
5th gear 50 km/h ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24 V Hull floor rear 20mm
reverse 7 km/h BATIERIES 4 x 12 V, 150 Ah Turret front 242 mm
FUEL CAPACITY ARMAMENT Turret sides 153 mm
internal 6751itres main 1 x 115mm Turret rear 97 mm
external 285 litres coaxial 1 x 7.62 mm MG Turret top 40mm
supplementary anti-aircraft 1 x 12.7 mm MG Turret mantlet included in
external 400litres (on T-62A only) above figures
MAX RANGE SMOKE-LAYING Turret hatches 30 mm/31 mm
paved road 450 km EQUIPMENT diesel fuel injected
dirt road 320 km into exhaust system
paved road with addi- AMMUNITION
tional fuel tanks 650 km main 40
dirt road with addi- coaxial 2500
tional fuel tanks 450 km anti-aircraft 500

87
 Ml977 Armoured Recovery Vehicle
In the 1950s th e Soviet Union d eveloped a tank des troyer
based on th e chassis of the T-55 MBT. It is believed to have
been called th e SV-130 a nd was probably armed with a
modified ve rsion of the 130 mm M -46 field g un. In concept
a nd appeara nce it was simil a r to th e ea rli er SU-IOO but was
produced only in sma ll numbers as was a similar vehicle
based on the chassis of the T-62 MBT. As fa r as it is kn ow n
none of these remain in servi ce in th eir original roles a ltho ug h
some have been converted in to ARVs which are very simil ar
in a ppearance to the earli er SU-85-T an d SU-IOO-T ARVs.
They a re limited to towing operations and as far as it is
known they are not fitted with winches or other specialised
recovery equipment. The Soviet designation for th e ARVs
based on the T -55 a nd T -62 assau l t gun chass is is not kn ow n,
although the U nited States calls th e T-62 model th e M 1977
ARV, or the T-6 2-T ARV .
Status: Produ ction co mplete. In service with Afghanistan,
Angola, Algeria, Bulga ria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia (limited
numbers), Egy pt, East Germany (limited numbers), Ira n,
Iraq , Israel, North K orea, Libya, Mongolia, Roma nia
(limi ted numbers)' Syria, USA (training), USSR, Viet-Nam,
Yemen, People's D emocra ti c Republic (So uth ), Yugoslavia.
Manufacturer: Soviet sta te a rs enals. Th e T-62 was also
produced in Czechos lovakia for home a nd ex port markets.
Produ cti on of th e T-62 is currently being undertaken in
North K o rea.
T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tanks
Development
During 1944 the Soviets designed a new medium tank call ed
th e T-44. This was produced in small numbers between 1945
and 1949, but proved unreliab le in service. M ain im prove-
ments over th e earli er T-34/85 were its torsion ba r suspen-
sion, transversely-mounted engine a nd transmission, well-
shaped hull and a turret with a simila r sha pe to the T -34/85
exce pt tha t it did not have th e thick turret neck. The T -44 was
used in comba t towa rds the end of the Second World W ar
a nd again during th e Hunga rian uprising of 1956. Reb uilt ·
T-44s, known as T-44Ms were still in service in the 1970s.
They have also been used for training, an d a re still held in
reserve.
The T-44 was followed by the T- 54, the first prototype of T-55 MBT used by US Army in West Germany for Opposition
which was completed in 1946 with produ ction foll owing in Forces training (US Army/Mi chael Green)
Soviet T-54B MBT
88
1949. No production figures for th e T-54 a nd T -55 have been
released but it is es timated th a t over 50000 were built in th e
Soviet U nion with production also being undertaken in
C hina (as th e Type 59), Czechoslovaki a a nd Poland . The
chassis of the T -54, in a mu ch mod ifi ed form, was also used as
th e bas is for th e ZSU-57-2 self-prope lled a nti-aircraft g un
sys tem . T he chass is of the T -54/T-55 has also been used as
th e basis for a In mm assault g un called th e IT -I n which is
no longer in service.
The T-54/T-55 has been used in co mbat in the Midd le
East wars of 1967 a nd 1973, in Angola, Viet-Na m and during
th e Indo-Pa kistan con fli cts. From all acco unts it has proved
to be a we ll-armed a nd a rm oured ta nk , simpl e to maintain
and operate, has a very low silhouette, can be quickl y fitted
with a sno rkel to allow it to ford deep rivers (a fea ture
subsequently adopted by many Weste rn co untri es), has a full
range of ni g ht vision equipment and can opera te in an NBC
enviro nmen t. Its main drawbacks are the lack of depression
of its main a rm ament, sim ple fi re-contro l sys tem which limits
the ra nge of its g un a nd its extern al fuel tanks which present a
fire risk.
Description
The all-weld ed hull of the T-54 is di vided into three ma in
compartments: driver's a t the fro nt, fi ghting in the centre and
th e engine a nd tra nsmission at the rear.
The dri ver is sea ted at th e front of th e tank on the left and is
prov ided with a single-piece hatch cover th a t swings to th e
left. Two periscopes a re provided forward of this hatch, one of
which can be replaced by an infra-red periscope wh ich is used
T-55 tanks on the move, with second tank (No 465) laying smoke sc reen

in c~unction with th e infra-red lig ht mounted on th e right tyred road wheels with a distinct gap between the firs t a nd
sideofthe glacis pla te. The driver's infra-red system is known second road whee ls. The drive sprocket is a t th e rear a nd the
as the TVN-2. A narrow board mounted at right angles to th e idler at the front. There a re no trac k return ro ll ers. The first
glacis pla te stops water rushing up th e glacis plate when th e and fifth road wh eel sta tions a re provided with a hydraulic
tank is fording shallow ri vers. To th e I:ight of the dri ve r a re shock a bsorber. The all-steel track has steel pins that a re not
ammunition stowage, batteries and a sma ll fue l ta nk . A hull secured at th e outer end a nd are free to trave l towards the
escape ha tch is provided behind the dri ver. hull. A raised piece of meta l welded to the hulljust forward of
The turret is a one-piece casting with the top welded into th e sprocket drives the track pins back in to posi tion each tim e
position . The top consists of two D-shaped pieces of a rmo ur they pass. Like the T-62, the T -54 and T-55 are now being
welded together down th e centre. The co mmand er is seated fitted with a new track.
on the left of the turret, with th e gu nner on the same si de but The T -54 and T-55 can be fitted with a snorkel for deep
in front of th e co mmander. Th e comm a nd er has a cupola fording. Two types of snorkel a re ava ilab le, a thin one for
which can be traversed through 360 degrees, with a s ing le- operati onal use a nd a thick one for training. These sno rkels
piece ha tch cover that opens forwards with a sing le periscope take between 15 a nd 30 minutes to fit a nd on reaching the far
each side. A TPK-l sight with a s ingle peris co pe either side is bank are blown off. The operational snorkel is mounted over
mounted in the forwa rd part of the cupol a top. When in the loader's periscope and when not fi tted is ca rri ed disas-
action th e command er is constantly rotating his cupol a for sembled at the rear of th e turret, or at the rear of th e hull. The
possibl e ta rgets. On sig hting a ta rget he lines it up with his
TPK-l sight a nd th en slews th e turret on to th e target. The T-54 having its turret removed . Note turret has no basket (TASS)
gunner then lays the gu n accura tely onto the target a nd fires
the ma in a rm a ment. The g unner has a TSh 2-22 sig ht with a
magnifi cati on of x 3.5 or x 7. The load er is seated on th e right
of th e turret and is provided with a s ingle-piece ha tch cover
that opens to th e rea r a nd a single periscope. The T-54 does
not have a rotating turret fl oo r, but the later T-55 has, as does
the T -62 MBT.
The engine is mounted transversely a t the rear of th e hull.
The T-55 uses a n electri cal start-up system for the eng ine as
its prim ary means, with a compressed a ir system for back-up
in cold wea th er. The T-55 us es a co mpressed air engine
start-up sys tem prima rily, with a n electr ical back-up. This is
du e to th e fact th a t th e T-55 has an AK-150 a ir compressor to
refill the a ir pressure cylind ers. The T-54 has no such a ir
compressor.
The torsion bar s uspe nsion consists of five s ingle rubber-

89

T-54A fitted with dozer blade
T-55 MBT showing night vision equipment fo r commander,
gunner and driver
thicker snorkel is mo unted over th e load er's ha tch cover. The
ta nk norm a ll y crosses th e ri ve r in first gear a nd naviga tes
with th e aid of a n on boa rd gyrocompass.
As originally built th e T -54 was not fitt ed with a n NBC
sys tem , wh ich was installed on la ter production ta nks and
s ubsequ entl y refi tted to earlier production models. The ta nk
can lay its own smoke-screen by inj ecting di esel fu el in to th e
exha ust on th e left sid e, producing a cloud of smoke some 300
metres long which las ts a bout two minutes.
To extend the ta nk's opera ti onal range two drum type fuel
ta nks can be fitted a t th e rear. On th e right running boa rd are
four fl a t light steel ta nks. T he first, second a nd fourth ta nks
each contain 93 1itres offuel while the third contains lubricat-
ing oil. The driver can select which fu el ta nks to use first, for
exam ple ~ h e d rums a t th e rear, followed by th e three external
tanks a nd fi nally the main fuel ta nks. There a re three stowage
boxes on the left running board, th e first one for tools and
other main tenance eq uipment, tD e second for gun-clea ning
equ ip ment a nd the third for infra-red equipment. M ounted
a t th e very rear of th e hull is a n unditching beam.
Wh en th e T-54 entered service it was no t fitted with night
vision equipment. The first production ta nk to have this
fi tted was th e T-54B a nd early ta nks were then refitt ed with
it. The ta nk is norm ally fitted with the following equi pment:
infra-red driving light which is used in conjun ction with th e
dri ver' s infra-red peris cope a nd has a ra nge of 40 to 60
metres. M ounted on the forwa rd pa rt of the command er' s
cupola is a n infra-red searchlight with a range of400 metres,
whi le mo unted to th e right of th e main a rm a ment is a noth er
infra-red sea rch light with a range of 800 to 1000 metres.
M ain a rma ment ofth e T -54 is a 100 mm D- IOT (originally
called the M 1944) rifl ed ta nk gun which was origin ally
developed a round na val gun a mmunition and a lso used in a
modifi ed form in th e SU-IOO assault gun . The D- IOT has a
horizontal sliding wedge breech-block with th e recoil system
consisting of a hyd ra ulic buffer and a hydro-pneum a tic
recupera to r, a n overall length of 5.608 metres and weight of
1948 kg . The wea pon has a maximum range in the indirect
fire role of 14 600 metres a nd can fire th e following types of
a mmunition:
An average ra te offi re for a T -54 is fo ur ro unds per minute.
The D- I OT gun is not sta bi lised but th e D-I OTG, fi rs t fitt ed
to th e T- 54A, is sta bilised in th e ve rti cal pla ne only while the
D- IOT2S, which is sta bilised in both pla nes, is fitted in th e
T -54B, T-54C, T-55, T-55A a nd has been refitted in earlier
ta nks.
The turret trave rsing a nd g un elevating system was ma n-
ual on ea rly ta nks bu t la ter models have full power trave rse
and elevation with ma nu al controls for use in a n emergency.
Mounted to th e right of th e main a rm a ment is a 7.62 mm
SGMT machine gun a nd a simi lar wea pon fixed in the centre
of th e glacis pla te fires forward a nd is opera ted by the dri ver
by pressing a button on th e right stee ring leve r. Mounted a t
th e load er's position is a 12.7 mm D";lKM anti-aircraft
machine gun .
Variants
T-54 (Early Model )
T he firs t mod el of th e T -54 to enter service could not be fit ted
with a snorkel, had two cupolas, wid e mantlet, and its tu rret
rear had a distin ctive bu lbous sha pe.

AMMUNITION TYPE AP-T APe-T HE HE-FRAG HEAT-FS HVAPDS-T

DESIGNATION BR-41 2' BR-41 2D F-4 12 OF-412 ZBK-5M BM-8
FUZE MODEL MD-8 DBR-2 RGM V-429 VP-9 n/app
WEIGHT OF PROJECTILE 15.69 kg 16 kg 15.89 kg 15.59 kg 12.36 kg 5.69 kg
WEIGHT OF BURSTING CHARGE 0.05 kg 0.064 kg 2.159 kg 1.46 kg 1.038 kg n/app
'TYPE OF BURSTING CHARGE RDXlaluminium RDXlaluminium TNT TNT RDXlwax n/app
MUZZLE VELOCITY 1000 m/s 1000 m/s 900 m/s 900 m/s 900 m/s 141 5 m/s
ARMOUR PENETRATION AT 0' 150 mm/1000 m 185 mm/1000 m n/app n/app 380 mm/at any range 200+ mm/1000 m
' Al so type BR-412B which will penetrate 135 mm/ 1000 m

90
 T-54C (or T-54X)
The T -54C is similar to the T-54B but th e gunn er's cupola
has been replaced by a simple hatch th at opens forward s a nd
is not fi tted with an an ti-aircraft machine gun. All T -54s up to
and including this mod el have a turret dom e ventila tor for-
ward of th e load er's hatch. T he T -54(X) was produced dur-
ing transi tion of p roduction between T -54 a nd T-55.

GSP heavy amphibious ferry carrying aT-54 MBT that is fitted
with long range fuel tan ks and unditching beam at hull rear
T-55
The T -55 was in trodu ced in the la te 1950s and was fi rst seen
during th e 196 1 Novem ber parade held in M oscow. Maj or
differences between this and th e T-54 can be summa rised as
no load er's cupola or 12. 7 mm DShKM an ti-aircraft
machine gun (this has since been fi tted to some models), no
turret dom e ven tilator forward of the load er's hatch, 580 hp
engine, modified transmission, ro tating turret floor, ar ma-
ment sta bilised in both planes and increased a mmunition

Long-range fue l drums be ing loaded on rear of T-54 with aid of

crane

T-55A(M) (foreground) clearly showing radiation covers fitted

over commander's and loader's hatches with BTR-60PBs, T-54
(No 622) and T-55A(M) (No 614) tanks in background

T-54 T-55A tanks fitted with laser rangefi nder over mai n armament and
T he second produ ction model, although th e latter could two infra-red driving lights on glacis plate
have been the pre-produ ction tank, has the normal type
tu rret with two cupolas . On th e right cupola is a 12.7 mm
DShKM machine gun . When fitted with infra-red night vis-
ion equipment it is kn own as the T -54 (M ) and is also built in
China und er the designat ion T ype 59. There is a sepa rate
entry for the T ype 59 MBT under C hina.

T-54A
This mod el was fi rs t seen in the mid-1 950s and its main
armament has a bore evacuato r which was subseq uentl y
fi tted to all furth er T- 54/T- 55 tanks. Its D-I OTG gun is
stabilised in th e verti cal plane only and oth er improvements
includ e power elevation for th e main a rmament, electric oil
pump, bilge pump, modifi ed air fi lter and an a utoma ti c
fire-extinguishing sys tem. When originally built the ta nks
were not fitted with infra-red night vision equipment, but
most have now been fi tted , a nd designa ted T -54A(M). T he
gunner's sight is a mod el TSh 2A-22.

T-548
This model entered service in 1957/58 and was the fi rst model
to be built with infra-red night vision equi pment fi tted as
standard . M ain arm ament is a 100 mm D-IOT2S which is
stabilised in both th e horizontal and verti cal planes. T he
gunner's sight is a model TSh 2-32.

91
stowage. When fitted with a 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine
gun the T-55 is known as the T-55(M).

T-55A
This modei was seen for the first time in M ay 1963. M aj or
differences from earlier members of this fami ly are th e
replace ment of the 7.62 mm SGMT by the more recent
7.62 mm PKT weapon, the elimination of the 7.62 mm bow
machine gun (which allowed 6 more rounds of 100 mm
ammunition to be carri ed ), th e base of the commander's
cupola being smooth rather than bolted and both th e loader's
and driver's ha tch covers being raised. The T-55A has an
anti-radiation lining, which accounts for the . thickened
hatches, in the insid e of the hatches as well as the turret and
fighting compartment. When fitted with a 12.7 mm anti-
aircraft machine gun th e T -55A is known as th e T-55A(M).

Differences between production tanks

Polish-prod uced ta nks often have different stowage
arrangements which includ e the mounting of a recta ngular
box on th e left sid eofth e turret, a smaller square stowage box
on the left side of the turret rear and a slightly different rear
decking. In 1978 a number ofT-54s and T-55s were observed
with a box type laser rangefi nder mounted over the main
armament. In 1979/80 it was reported that T -54/ T -55 chas-
sis were being converted to specialised weapons platforms of
an undisclosed type.
British T-54 Retrofit Package
Late in 1984 the British company ofOceonics Vehicle Tech-
nology (OVT) announced that it h ad form ed a consortium of
companies to offer a complete retrofit pack for the T-54/ T-55
tank. The two other members of th e consortium were Ferranti
Computer Systems who would provide the Falcon fire-control
system and Rolls-Royce Motors, Military Engine Division
(now part of Perkins) who would supply the CV-8 Condor
diesel engine which powers the MCV-80. The CV-8 engine
will be coupled to a Self-Changing Gears TNI2 cross-drive
transmission with six forward and one reverse gears. The
original gunner's sight will be replaced by a Vickers Instru-
ments sight. Oceonics Vehicle T echnology will replace the
original torsion bar suspension by a new hydro-pneumatic
system based on the hydrostrut system which has already
been evalua ted by th e British Army on a Chieftain MBT.
Existing road wheels, drive sprocket and tracks will be
retai ned .
Polish Army T-55 fitted with KMT-4 plough type mine clearing
equipment, provision for mounting roller type mine c learing
equ ipment on nose and launcher bins for rocket-propelled
explosive hose for mine clearing at hull rear
buffer components and modifi ed recuperator, maintaining
trunnion pulls consistent with the ori ginal system and re-
balanced elevating mass.
Ammunition stowage in the T-55 included 18 rounds of
100 mm within two internal fu el tanks. The larger calibre
105 mm meant redesign and manufacture of new ammuni-
tion racks and fuel tanks, together with modifi ed clamps, a nd
modifi ed main and emergency firin g circuits. A new tele-
scopic graticule was required to sui t the British ammunition
and the coaxia l machine gun . First customer for this regun-
ning kit is Egypt. A photograph of a modified T-55 with
105 mm gun appears in Part 2 und er Egypt.
T-54-T Armoured Recovery Vehicle
This ARV is equipped with a loading platform on which a
spare engine can be carried , spade at the rear and ji b crane
which can lift a maximum weight of 1000 kg. No winch is
fitted so this mod el has limited capabilities. A snorkel can be
fitted for deep ford ing operations. Empty weight is 32 000 kg
and crew is between three and fi ve. The Soviet d esigna tion
for this vehicle is BTS-2 (Med ium Tank Towing Vehicle-2.)

105 mm L7 Gun Conversion T-54 (A) Armoured Recovery Vehicle

Royal Ordnance Nottingham has developed a 105 mm
regunning package for the Soviet T-54/T-55 MBT.
The new wea pon, the proven L7, enables a rate offire of up
to ten rounds a minute to be achieved and the elevation of
+ 17°/ -4° to be retained. The gun fires all of the standard
105 mm rounds including the L64 APFSDS-T, L52 and L28
APDS-T, L37 HESH and L38 smoke.
The crew positions in the T-55 req uire the gun to be load ed
from the right side a nd controlled from the left, but the breech
of the L 7 normall y opens in the opposite direction. The gun
was therefore turned through 180 degrees.
The recoil system for the T-55s 100 mm gun included on ly
one buffer cylinder and its operating length was greater than
th e requirement for the 105 mm gun. This meant th e des ign
and development of a revised recoil system, including new
This has been d eveloped by East Germany and stand ard
eq uipment includes a push/p ull ba r, full range of tools, dis-
mounta ble crane with a lifting capacity of 1000 kg, rad iation
warning equipment and a chemical warfare agent detector.
The T-54 (A) ARV does not have a winch or a spad e but can
be fitted with a snorkel for deep fording. PT-54 or PT-55
roller mine-clearing equipment can be fitted a t the front if
req uired .
T-54 (B) Armoured Recovery Vehicle
This is also an East German development and is similar to
the above bu t with brackets for securing tow ropes a t the rear
of th e hull and a protecti ve plate on the front of the hull. Like
th e model T-54 (A) it has no winch or spad e. Weight is
32000 kg and crew is between three and five.

92
T-54 (C) Armoured Recovery Vehicle
This is also a n East German development a nd has a stowage
platform, snorkel, rear-mounted spade, front-mounted dozer
blade, and a heavy duty crane with a telescopicjib which can
lift a maximum weight of20 000 kg. Weight is 34 000 kg and
crew is between three and five .

Czechoslovak T-55 ARV

This is simila r to th e T -55-T ARV but the comma nd er is
provided with a cupola on th e right sid e of the hull. It is
believed that this cu pola is simi lar to that fi tted on th e T-55 MTU bridgelayer in travelling configuration
T -54/T-55 MBTs a nd is eq uipped with a n infra-red search-
light. Armame nt consists ofa 7.62 mm machine gun. Ajib
crane is provided for unloading components from the loading
platform and mine-clearing rollers can be mounted at the
front. This is designated MT-55, the same designation being
given to the Czechoslovak designed A VLB on the T-55
chassis .

Polish T-54/T-55 ARVs

Pol and has deve loped at least two ARVs based on T -54 or
T-55 MBT chass is, designated WZT- I a nd WZT-2. The
WZT-I is Polish equ ivalent of the BTS-2 with some differ-
ences whi le the WZT-2 is new design a nd equi valent to the
T-55-K or Soviet BREM-l on T-72 chassis.

Czechoslovak MT-55 Bridgelayer

This has been developed by Czechoslovak ia as the replace-
ment for the ea rli er MT-34 which was based on the T -34 tank
chassis. T he MT-55 is fitted with a scissors bridge which is
lau nched hydrau licall y over the front of the veh icle. When
opened out it is 18 metres long a nd wi ll span a gap of
16 metres, and wi ll ta ke a maximum load of 50000 kg.
Weight is 37000 kg a nd crew is two men.
East German BLG-60 Bridgelayer
Th is is ajo in t deve lopment by East Germany a nd Poland a nd
is used by them in place of the Czechoslovak MT-55
bridge layer. The scissors bridge is lau nched over the front of
the veh icle; it is 2 1.6 metres long and will span a gap of 20
metres. Maximum capacity is 50000 kg. The BLG-60
we ighs 37000 kg a nd has a crew of two or three men .
T-54(A) ARV with snorkel mounted for deep fording operati ons
IMR combat eng ineer veh ic le using pincer type crab to hull rear
Israeli T-54/T-55 tanks
Detai ls of these versio ns are given in Part 2 und er Israe l.
Soviet MTU-20 Bridgelayer
The MTU-20 was developed in the la te 1960s as the
replacement for the old er MTU a nd is la un ched in a similar
ma nn er except th at when travelling the ends of the bridge are
fold ed on top to reduce the overall length of the equipment.
When opened out the bridge is 20 metres long a nd will span a
gap of up to 18 metres; maximum capacity is 60000 kg. The
MTU-20 weighs 37000 kg an d has a crew of two.
Soviet MTU Bridgelayer
The MT U bridgelayer entered service with th e Soviet Army
in the late 1950s and is basically a T -54 with its turret
removed a nd replaced by a launching system for a bridge
12.3 metres long. The bridge will span a gap of up to II
metres and has a max imum capacity of 50 000 kg. The MTU
weighs 34000 kg a nd has a crew of two men.

Combat Engineer Vehicle (IMR)

This is essentia ll y aT-55 MBT with its turret removed a nd
replaced by a hydrau lically-operated crane that can be
traversed through a full 360 degrees. This is fitted with a pair
of pincer type grabs which are used to remove trees a nd oth er
obstacles, the grabs can be replaced by a small bucket.
Mounted at the front of the hull is a hydrau li call y operated
dozer blad e which can be us ed in a straight or
V-confi g uration , but cannot angle doze.

Dozer T-54
The T-54 and T-55 can be fitted with either the BTU bu ll-
dozer blad e for clearing soil a nd obstacles or the STU blade
for clearing snow.

93
 flamethrower for which 460 litres ofliquid are carried. Max-
imum range of the flame gun is 200 metres. The 100 mm
main armament of the T -55 is retained.

Mine-cl eari ng T-54 and T-55 tanks

These tanks can be fitted with a wide range of mine-clearing
equipment including Czechoslovak roll er and plough type
systems, Soviet roller system models PT-54, PT-54M and
PT-55, Soviet plough system type KMT-4, and the Soviet
plough and roller type system called the KMT-5. A more
recent development is the mounting on the rear of the tank of
rocket-propelled charges which are launched across the
T-55 flamethrower tank showing flame gun mounted coaxia l with minefield and once on the ground are detonated .
100 mm gun

Loca l modificati ons

Fl amethrower TO-55
A flamethrower version of the T-55 is known to be in service
with the Soviet Army and Marines under designation TO-55.
This has its 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun replaced by a
Many countries have modified the T-54/T-55 to meet their
own requirements and details of such conversion work under-
taken by Egypt, India, Israel , Romania and Viet-Nam will
be found under their respective countries in the second part of
this book.

SPECIFICATIONS

Model T-54 T-55 Model T-54 T-55

CREW 4 4 ARMAMENT
COMBAT WEIGHT 36000 kg 36000 kg main 1 x 100 mm 1 x 100 mm
UNLOADED WEIGHT 34000 kg 33700 kg coaxial 1 x 7.62 mm MG 1 x 7.62 mm MG
POWER-TO-WEIGHT bow 1 x 7.62 mm MG none
RATIO 14.44 hp/lonne 16.11 hpitonne anti-aircraft 1 x 12.7 mm MG none
GROUND PRESSURE 0.81 kg/cm' 0.81 kg/cm' SMOKE-LAYING
LENGTH GUN EQUIPMENT diesel fuel iniected into exhaust system
forwards 9m 9m AMMUNITION
rear 8.485 m 8.485 m main 34 43
LENGTH HULL 6.45 m 6.45 m 7.62 mm 3000 3500
WIDTH 3.27 m 3.27 m 12.7 mm 500 none
HEIGHT TO TURRET GUN CONTROL
ROOF 2.4 m 2.4 m EQUIPMENT
FIRING HEIGHT 1.75 m 1.75 m Turret power control electro/hydraulic with manual controls for
GROUND CLEARANCE 0.425 m 0.425 m emergency use
TRACK 2.64 m 2.64 m by commander yes yes
TRACK WIDTH 580 mm 580 mm by gunner yes yes
LENGTH OF TRACK ON Max power traverse rate 360' in 21 sec 360' in 21 sec
GROUND 3.84 m 3.84 m Gun elevation/depression +17'/- 4' +17'/- 4'
MAX ROAD SPEED 48 km/h 50 km/h Gun stabiliser
TOTAL FUEL CAPACITY 812 litres 960litres vertical no yes
MAX ROAD RANGE 400 km 500 km horizontal no yes
MAX RANGE Rangefinder type stadiametric stadiametric
with long range luel tanks 600 km 600 km Elevation quadrant yes yes
FUEL CONSUMPTION 1.9 litreS/km 1.9Iitres/km Traverse indicator yes yes
FORDING 1.4 m 1.4 m ARMOUR
with preparation 4.546 m 4.546 m Hul l front upper 97 mm at 58' 97 mm at 58'
GRADIENT 60% 60% Hull front lower 99 mm at 55' 99 mm at 55'
VERTICAL OBSTACLE 0.8 m 0.8 m Hull sides upper 79 mm at O· 79 mm at O·
TRENCH 2.7 m 2.7 m Hull sides lower 20 mm at O· 20 mm at O·
ENGINE MODEL V-54 V-55 Hul l rear upper 46 mm at O· 46 mm at O·
ENGINE TYPE V-12 water-cooled diesel Hull rear lower 46 mm at O· 46 mm at o·
ENGINE hp/rpm 520/2000 580/2000 Hull top 33 mm 33 mm
AUXILIARY ENGINE none none Hull floor front 20mm 20 mm
TRANSMISSION manual with 5 forward and 1 reverse gears Hull floor rear 20mm 20 mm
STEERING clutch and brake clutch and brake Turret front 203 mm at o· 203 mm at O·
CLUTCH multi-plate multi-plate Turret sides 150 mm at O' 150 mm at O·
SUSPENSION torsion bar torsion bar Turret rear 64 mm at O· 64 mm at O· .
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 28 V 28 V Turret roof 39 mm at 7f!' 39 mm at 79'
BATIERIES 4 x 12 V. 280 Ah 4 x 12 V, 280 Ah Mantlet included in above figures

Status: Production complete. In service with Afghanistan,
Albania , Algeria, Allgola, Bangladesh , Bulgaria, Central
African Republic, China, Congo (and Type 59), Cuba,
Czechoslovakia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fin-
land, East Germany, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau , Hungary,
Ind ia, Iraq (and Romanian M77), Israel, North Korea (and
Type 59) , Kampuch ea, Laos, Libya, Mali, Mongolia,
Morocco, Mozam biq ue, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan (a nd
Type 59), Peru , Poland, Romania, Somalia, Sudan, Syria,
North and South Yemen , USSR, Yugosla via, Viet-Nam,
Zambia and Zimbabwe (including some from North Korea).
Manufacturers: Three Soviet tank plants plus Labedy in
Poland and Martin in Czechoslovakia. Poland produced the
T-54A and T-54A(M) from 1956 to 1964 and th e T-55 from
1964 onward. Also manufactured in China as the Type 59.

94
 UNITED KINGDOM
Future Tank Project
In 1983 Alvis, Royal Ordna nce Leeds a nd Vickers D efence
Systems were each a ward ed £ I 00000 contracts by the Bri tish
Ministry of D efence to carry out s tudi es for a new MBT to
replace Ch ieft ain a nd th en C ha llenger in th e British Army.
This proj ect is called the Future T a nk Proj ect by th e Royal
Armament Research a nd D evelopment Esta blishment
(Chertsey), previous ly th e M ili ta ry Vehicles a nd Enginee r-
ing Esta blishment.
It is specula ted th a t th e ta nk could weig h betwee n 40 and
45 tonn es ra th er th a n the 62 tonn es of th e C ha llenge r. Al l
possible configura tions were studi ed includ ing crews of two,
three a nd four, turret-mounted g un, ex terna ll y mo unted gun
and fi xed main a rm a ment.
It is und erstood th a t a ll three co mp an ies proposed a ta nk
with three crew in the hu ll a nd a n overh ead gun with a n
a utom a ti c load er.
It is believed th a t a conce pt demonstrator prog ra mme is
now und erwa y to ena ble the use r, th e Royal Armoured
Corps, to decid e th e future crewing a nd co nfi gura tion of th e
tank before a proto type is built.
T alks a re a lso und erway with oth er NATO co untri es
about'poss ible future ta nk coll a bora ti on for th e 1990s as pa rt
of the Ind epend ent Europea n Prog ra mme G ro up ( IEPG ).
At present, Royal Ordna nce is th e sole producer of Cha l-
lenge r MBTs for th e British A rmy a nd th ere will be a long
gap be twee n th e end of C hallenger produ cti on a nd sta rt of
producti on of th e new MBT, ass um ing th a t Royal Ordna nce
Leeds is prime cont rac tor.
Challenger Main Battle Tank
Development
The U nited Kingdom began design work on a successor to
the Ch ieft a in in th e la te 1960s, but this was supersed ed in
1970 by the Anglo-G erm a n MBT wh ich was cancelled in
M arch 19 77 , as th e two na tiona l replace ment time tab les
Chall enger MBT (Roya l Ordnance Leeds)
' have g radu a ll y di ve rged to such a degree th a t in th e view of
both gove rnm ents coll a bora tion on a proj ect is no lo nge r
practi ca ble' .
H oweve r, well before this d a te, in 1968 , th e Milita ry Ve-
hicles a nd Enginee ri ng Esta blishment bu il t th e prototype of a
ta nk with a n ex tern a ll y-mounted ma in gun whi ch was fo l-
lowed in 197 1 by a noth er ta nk whi ch inco rpora ted C ho bh a m
arm our. T he la tter was based on the C hieft a in MBT a nd
designated th e FV42 I I.
In September 1978 th e British M inistry of D efence iss ued
th e following sta tement rega rd ing th e s uccessor to th e Chief-
ta in MBT:
'The studi es of th e Chieft ain tank replace ment have now
reached th e s tage where it is necessary to enter into m ore
intensive co m pon ent development. Work on th e first stage of
th e proj ec t, known as Proj ect D efi nit ion, has th erefor e been
sta rted .
'The new ta nk must be in se rvice by th e la te 1980s, wh en
th e Chiefta in , d es pite improve ments, wi ll be co m ing to th e
end of its usefu l life. The successor to C hieft ain will be
required to m a tch a nti cipa ted Wa rsaw Pact a rm oured a nd
a nti-a rmour ca pa bi lities well beyo nd th e turn of th e ce ntury
a nd wi ll be d esigned to the hig hes t prac ti ca ble s ta nd a rd s of
fi repowe r, pro tection a nd mobility.
' Proj ect Defi ni ti on will be based on a ta nk of co nve nt ional
turreted d esign carrying a fo ur-ma n crew, protected by
C hobha m a rm our, a nd m ount ing a Briti sh rifl ed bore
120 mm g un . In th e interes t of stand a rdi sa ti on a nd inter-
ope ra bi lity with o ur NATO All ies, th e poss ibili ty of a close r
association betw ee n our proj ect a nd their own tank repl ace-
ment prog ra mm es will continu e to be give n pa rti cula rly care-
ful co nsid era tion. W e sha ll kee p th em fu ll y inform ed of the
progress of Proj ect D efiniti on .'
It was a n no un ced in Pa rli a ment in Ju ly 1979 th a t the
Rolls-Royce M otors CV 12 di esel engine had bee n selected for
th e MBT-80 in preference to th e American A VC O -
L yco min g AGT- 1500 gas turbine engine.
In Ju ly 1980 th e following Pa rlia menta ry State ment was
mad e :;f future Briti sh ta nk poli cy:
Turret be ing lowered onto Cha ll enger MBT chassis at Roya l
Ordnance Leeds (Roya l Ordnance Leed s)
95
Chall enger MBT hulls on the production line at RO Leeds (Royal
Ordnance Leeds)
'The Army's futur e main battle tank requirements have been
reviewed aga inst th e la tes t assessment of th e W arsa w Pact
threat and th e progress of Proj ect D efiniti on ofMBT-80. The
W a rsa w Pact have for ma ny yea rs bee n a ble to d eploy m ore
ta nks in war than NATO; this advantage now stands at some
3 to I. In addition th e Soviet ta nks th at have entered serv ice
in rece nt yea rs are tec hni cally a d va nced a nd hig hl y effective.
There is every indi cation th a t new tanks, incorporatin g
further improve ments, will co me into se rvice in th e 1980s.
'BAOR's present ma in battle tank, Chieftain, has been in
service since th e 1960s. Although it is th e mos t effect ive
NATO tank of its genera tion and con tinu es to be improved ,
its performance will no t be fully adequ ate aga inst th e in creas-
ing threat. U nd er ex isting plans it would be replaced by
MBT-80. But it is now clear the MBT-80 cann ot be ava ila ble
until th e ea rly 1990s and in o rd er to meet th e threa t a mu ch
ea rli er enh a ncement of BAOR's a rmoured ca pab ility is
required .
'I have th erefor e d ecid ed to bring into service by the
mid- 1980s a new tank known as Challenger. Challenger
incorpo rates a number of technological advan ces including
Chobham a rmour and a 1200 horsepowe r di esel engi ne. Its
firepowe r will be simil a r to the improved C hi eftain 's but its
level of protection and mobili ty will be markedl y better. An
immed ia te order is to be pl aced with ROF Leeds fo r eno ug h
Challengers to equip one of BAOR's four a rm oured di v-
isions. The es tim a ted cost is some £300 milli on. The final
number of Chall enge rs to be bought will be th e subject ofa
fur ther study but th e present ass umpti on is that th ey will
repl ace up to half th e existing Chieftains in BAOR.
'Th e MBT-80 progra mme will be discontinued but a pro-
gra mme of tank d evelopment, bui lding o n work a lread y don e
for MBT-80, wi ll continue. The longer term requirement
including th e replace ment of th e rema ining Chieftains wi ll be
th e subject offurther study, which wi ll enco mpass th e possi-
bi lity of some form of collabora ti ve proj ect within NATO as
well as th e op tion of a n improved Chall enger.
96
Challenger (left) and Kha lid (right) turrets on the production line
at RO Leeds (Royal Ordnance Leeds)
'The purchase of Challenger will lead to a signifi cant qu a li-
ta ti ve improvement in BAO R's armo ured capa bility from
the mid-1980s a nd by th e retention in service of repl aced
Chieftains, will make it poss ible to deploy more ta nks in war.
[n ord er to effec t a n immedi a te enh a ncement of o ur
a rmoured ca pab ility I have a lso d ecid ed that a ninth
a rmoured regim ent should be form ed in BAOR thi s
November by reroling a n ar moured reco nn aissance regi-
ment. It will be equipped with C hi eft a ins currentl y held in
rese rve for war. These meas ures a re co nsistent with the
objectives of the NATO Long T erm D efence Progra mnl'e a nd
will, [ a m sure, be warm ly welcomed within th e Alliance.'
The first Briti sh Army o rd er for Challenger MBTs was for
243 ta nks, s uffi cient to equip four regiments a nd th e fir st of
these was ha nd ed over to the British Army by Royal Ord-
nan ce Leeds in M a rch 1983.
[n Jun e 1984 th e Briti sh Mini stry of D efence pl aced an
additi ona l ord er for 64 Challenger tanks, sufficient to equip a
fifth regiment in BAOR. Since then a further order for 18
Challenger MBTs has been placed a nd th e actua l size of th e
regim ents redu ced .
C ha llenger has already been tested in Abu Dha bi a nd in
mid-1985 two ve hicl es were tested in Saudi Arabia, th ese had
a number of modifi ca ti ons including the replace ment ofIFCS
by th e Marconi Command a nd Control Systems SFCS 600
system.
Description
Chall enge r is esse nti ally the FV4030/3 (S hir 2) modifi ed to
suit th e requirements of the British Army. The layout of
Chall enger is similar to that of Chieftain with th e driver's
compartm ent a t the front, turret a nd fi ghting compartment
in th e ce ntre, and engine a nd tra nsmiss ion a t the rea r. The
turret a nd hull inco rporate C hob ha m ar mo ur for increased
battlefield survivability.
The driver has a single-piece hatc h cover that lifts a nd
sw ings forwa rd hori zonta ll y to a ll ow him to dri ve in the head
ou t position. T o th e rea r of thi s is a single wid e-a ngle peri-
sco pe which can be replaced by a Pilkington PE Badge r
passive periscope for dri ving a t night. The dri ve r can also
leave th e vehicle via th e fi ghting compa rtm ent.
The comma nd er is seated on th e right of th e turret with th e
gunn er forwa rd a nd-below th e co mma nd er and the loader on
the left sid e of th e turret.
The comma nd er has a modifi ed No 15 cupola which has
been designa ted th e No 32 cupola. This has a No 37 day sig ht
which is capa bl e of being qui ckl y replaced by a Ra nk Pullen
im age intensifi cati on swa p sig ht. The Ra nk Pullen No 37
night sight (SS 120) provid es the ta nk comma nd er with ni ght
surveilla nce, ta rge t acquisition a nd , ifused with th e PRi AV
No 22 or No 24, the a bility to lay th e main a rm a ment. [n th e
day mode it has a magnifi cati on of X I a nd X5 while in the
night mod e when filters a llow it to be used as a sta ndby sight
in full light. The cupola a lso has nine periscopes for a ll-ro und
observa tion.
The No 37/swa p sight is a n interim solu tion as in] uly 198 1
Production Challenger MBT from above with all hatches cl osed
the Ministry of Defence awa rd ed a developm ent co ntrac t to
(Royal Ordnance Leeds)
Ba rr a nd Stroud for th e Thermal Im ag ing Surveilla nce a nd
Gun Sighting Sys tem (also kn own as TOGS - Therm a l
Observation a nd Gunnery Sys tem). A maj or sub-contractor a nd 44 HESH /s mo ke with all charges stowed in specia l
to Ba rr a nd Stroud will be Pil·kington PE . Th e turret has been conta iners below th e turret rin g. A fire s uppressan t fluid in
designed to accept thi s system when it is ava ilab le. A single th ese co ntainers redu ces the risk of fire.
th ermal imager in a n a rm oured box on the right of th e turret In ·the future th e 120 mm L II A5 g un will be replaced by a
will pf·ovid e sepa ra te outputs for both comma nd er a nd g un- 120 mm rifl ed high technology g un.
ner in th e rel axed mod e or as a g un sight. A 7.62 mm L8A2 mac hine g un is mo unted coaxiall y with
Deli ve ry of Class II Thermal Imaging Common M odul es th e ma in a rma ment a nd a 7.62 mm L 37A2 machine g un is
for TOGS commenced la te in 1983 for bo th Cha ll enger a nd moun ted a t th e comma nd er's c upola. Mo unted either sid e a t
Chiefta in MBTs. Ra nk T aylor Ho bson p rovides the infra -red th e front of the turret is a clus ter offi ve electri call y-opera ted
scannin g modules while Ma rco ni Av ioni cs provid es the pro- smoke discha rge rs, each ·with a coverage of 100 degrees . The
cessing electroni cs . smoke di scha rge rs will be replaced in th e future by the Royal
The load er has a roof-m o unted X I perisco pe swive l Ordna nce Visua l a nd Infra-Red Smoke Scree ning System
mounted forw ard of th e two-pi ece ha tch cover tha t opens (VIRSS).
front a nd rear. Th e C hall enge r has th e M a rconi Comma nd a nd Control
Main a rma ment of the Cha llenger consists of a 120 mm Sys tems Improved Fire-Control System (IFC S), this is full y
L II A5 rifl ed ta nk g un for which betwee n 48 a nd 52 ro unds of described in th e entry fo r th e C hiefta in MBT a nd has a ta rget
ammunition are carri ed , this depends on th e mix acco rding trac kin g ra te of 30 mil s/s in trave rse a nd 10 mils/s in eleva-
to th e tac ti cal situa ti on. Thi s g un a nd its ammuniti on is tion. Slewing ra te in trave rse is 0. 2 to 4000 mils/s a nd 0.2 to
described in the entry for the Chiefta in MBT la ter in this 1000 mils/s in elevati on . Th e computer used in IFCS is a
section. more mod ern des ig n giving grea ter stretch potential for th e
There are up to 42 cha rge stowage a nd 64 proj ectile stow- futur e. The g un control system is simil a r to th a t installed in
age positions. Each c h a~ge location takes either one DS or C hiefta in but a number of units have bee n designed to
two HESH /smoke cha rges a nd a typical mi x would be 20 DS repl ace th e ther mioc va lve equi pment with solid-sta te
eq ui va lents.
Production Challenger MBT fitted with Simfire S Series we apon T he g unn er has a periscope T a nk Lase r S ig ht No 9 M a rk I
simulator with a magnifica ti on of X I a nd X 10 with a n 8.5 d eg ree fi eld
of view. T he laser ra ngefi nd er is a n d- Y AG with a n operat-
ing ra nge of 300 to 10000 metres a nd a n accuracy of ± 10
metres for 90 per cent of shots. The gunn er will also have a n
emergency ·No 87 peri scopic sight.
Mo unted a t th e rea r of th e turret is a n NBC No 6 Mk 2
environm enta l control sys tem .
C hall enge r is powered by a Rolls-Royce M otors, Milita ry
Engine Division, Cond or 12V 1200 di esel develo ping
1200 bh p a t 2300 rpm , this is fitted with two Garret-
AiResea rch tu rbocha rge rs. The tra nsmiss ion is a D av id
Brown Gear Industri es TN37. T orq ue conve rter is a Bo rg
Wa rner with lock- up clutch giving four fo rward a nd three
reve rse gea rs. Steering is a Comm ercial H ydra uli cs STN3 7
doubl e differential with hydros ta ti c, infi nitely va ri a ble con-
trol. Additio,ljlal d etails of the engine a re given in the entry for
th e Kh a lid MBT.

97
 HIOLID-SHo-T-~

~
SCABSOFF
.... BACK AT
~ HIGH VELOCITY

elillAI ..1111
Examples of present day weapons against Chobham armour
(Ministry of Defence)

STEn AIIIII
Examples of present day weapons against conventional steel
armour (Ministry of Defence)
InJuly 1981 Rolls-Royce Motors was a wa rd ed a £20 mil-
lion contrac t for Cha llenger powerpacks. David Brown sends
the tra nsmission a nd Airscrew Howd en the cooling gro up
direct to Rolls-Royce which assembles a nd tests the complete
powerpack before it is sent to Royal Ordna nce Leeds for
insta lla tion in th e Challenger.
The Ch allenge r powerpack weighs 5.49 tonnes a nd has
been d esigned for qui ck replacement in th e field and can be
removed by a REME LAD in und er 45 minutes.
T he hydrogas suspension of Challenger has been desig ned
a nd d eveloped by MVEE in conjuncti on with O ceonics
Ve hicl e T echn olo,p'Y (previou sly L ase r Enginee rin g
Development), with production being und ertaken by Roya l
Ordna nce. Challenge r has six aluminium road wheels with
the dri ve sprocket a t the rear, idler a t the front a nd four track
return roll ers. The upper pa rt of th e track is covered by
co nve ntiona l steel skirts simila r to those fitted to Chiefta in.
from o utsid e the C ha llenge r using a Husky M-208 ha nd-h eld
computer.
Oil-cooled genera tors may be insta lled in C hallenger;
th ese have a generator regula tor pa nel th a t is not inter-
cha ngea ble with th e stand a rd now fi tted.
Production Chall engers have a single dry pin track with
removable rubber pads. Tria ls have alread y been carri ed out
with a new do ubl e-pin track, mad e by Bl air, to a RARDE (C)
d esign . Thi s is a rubber-bushed li ve track j oined by two end
connectors a nd a centre conn ector, with repl aceable rubber
track pad s held in place by pad retain ers. The new track is
reversibl e a nd has a longer life a nd redu ced rolling res ista nce.
When fitted with th e new track, a new drive sprocket is
required a nd a modifi ed fi nal dri ve inco rpora ting a dipsti ck
and fi ller pI ug on th e backpl a te. Road wheels of a new pattern
would also be insta ll ed .
Alread y und ergoing tria ls on a C hallenger is a hydra uli c
track tensioner which uses a grease-fill ed hydra uli c ra m to
posi tion th e fron tidIer.

Challenger improvements
A number of a utomotive improvements ha ve been und er
developm ent a nd most of them have now reached the stage
where th ey have been tes ted on C hall enger. Some of th ese
may be retrofit ted to C hall engers in the futur e provided th a t
suffi cient fundin g is avail a ble.
C urrent produ cti on C hallenge rs a re fi tted with th e David
Brown Gea r lnd ustries TN37 transmission with four forw a rd
a nd three reverse gears, using a torqu e converter a nd
epicycli c gear trains controlled by multi-plate clu tches.
U nd ergoing trials is th e David Brown Gea r Industri es T N 54
tra nsmi ssion whi ch wo uld be a direct re pl acement for th e
TN37. It uses th e same epicyclics but has a different clutch
layo ut a nd six forw a rd a nd two revers e gears. The TN54
tra nsmission wo uld give improved ha ndling when ma n-
oe uvrin g in confined space.
Dowty Controls has develo ped the Digital Automo tive
Sys tem Control U nit (DASCU ) which replaces and carries
out a ll th e fun ctions of the present Main Engine Control Unit
(MEC U) mounted on th e rear bulkhead and the Gearbox
Controller Autom a ti c (GCA ) mo unted in th e driver's com-
pa rtm ent. Existing fittin gs a nd harness a re retained with th e
DASCU which contains buil t-in tes t equipment to moni tor
all sys tems. A key feature is th e reve rsiona ry mode which
a llows the vehicle to kee p moving with redu ced perform a nce Challenger MBT chass is being fitted with Marconi Command
if a n esse ntia l input fails. The DASCU can be interrogated and Control System Marksman twin 35 mm anti-aircraft turret

98
Challenger with Marksman Anti -aircraft Turret
In June 1985 the Marconi Command and Control Systems SPECIFICATIONS
Marksman tw in 35 mm anti-aircraft gun turret was taken to CREW 4
COMBAT WEIGHT 62000 kg
Royal Ordna nce Leeds mounted on th e Centurion tank chas- UNLOADED WEIGHT 60000 kg
sis which had been us.ed for firing trials. The complete turret POWER-TO-WEIGHT
RATI O 19.35 bhp/tonne
was then transferred to a C hallenger hu ll which had been GROUND PRESSURE 0.97 kg/c m'
fitted with a sui tab le adaptor ring. T his took I hour 29 LENGTH
minutes after which Chall enger Marksman was taken o ut gun forward 11 .56 m
gun rear 9.86 m
and driven a t speed on the Royal Ordnance Leeds test track hull 8.39 m
faci lity. While on the test track the radar was ope rating and WIDTH
overall 3.5 18 m
the gu n stabi li sation system successfull y tested. over tracks 3.42 m
HEIGHT
top of commander"s
Challenger Armoured Repair and Recovery Vehicle sighl 2.95 m
(CHARRV) tu rret roof 2.5 m
GROUND CLEARANCE 0.5 m
In] une 1985 it was announced that Vickers D efence Systems Track 2.12
of Newcastle-upon-Tyne had bee n awarded a contract for Track width 650mm
Lenglh of track
the development a,nd initial production of 30 Chall enger on ground 4.79 m
Arm oured Repair a nd Recovery Veh icles for the British MAX ROAD SPEED 60 km/h
FORDIN G 1.07 m
Arm y. Royal Ordnance Leed s was also competing for this GRADIENT 58%
contract and future contracts for th e CHARRV wi ll again be VERTI CAL OBSTACLE 0.9 m
open to competitive tendering. TRENCH 2.34 m
FUEL CAPACITY 1797 litres
It is estimated that total value of this contract is £60 ENGINE Rolls-Royce Motors Condor
million. The first six CHARRVs will be completed from ea rl y 12V 1200 12-cylinder diesel.
water-based coo led.
1987 a nd be used for extensive troop tri a ls, the remaining 24 d eveloping 1200 bhp at
will be delivered from late 1988. 2300 rpm
AUXILIARY ENGINE Coventry Climax H30 diesel.
The ·CHARR V will be fitted with a front-mount ed blade 3-cylinder. developing
used to stabilise the veh icle when th e main winch is in use or 37 bhp at 3000 rpm
as a doze r blade, an Atl as hydraulic crane for cha nging TRANSMISSION David Brown Gear Industries
TN37. Borg-Warner torque
complete Chall enger powerpacks in the fie ld and a winch. converter with lock-up clutch
The vehicle will have a crew of three a nd four additiona l seats giving 4 forward and 3
reverse gears
for the crew of the tank being towed. STEERING Commercial Hyd rau li cs
The com mand er's cupola will have a n externall y-mou nted STN 37 double differential.
7.62 mm machine gun and Royal Ordnance Visual a nd hydrostatic. infinitely
va ri able
Infra-red Smoke Screening System wi ll be fitted as stand ard. SUSPENSION hydrogas
ELECTRI CAL SYSTEM 24 V
BATIERIES 6 x 6TN (4 in hull . 2 in turret)
ARMAMENT
Status: In production. In serv ice with th e British Army. main 1 x 120 mm Lll A5
coaxial 1 x 7·62 mm L8A2 MG
anti-aircraft 1 x 7·62 mm L37A2 MG
Manufacturer: Royal Ordnance Leeds . SMOKE-LAYING
Enqu iri es to Sales and Marketing Director, Royal Ord- EQUIPMENT 2 x 5 smoke
nance, Griffin House, The Strand, London WC2N 5BB, dischargers
AMMUNITION
England. main 44 to 52 rounds
7.62 mm 4000
GUN CONTROL
EQUIPMENT
Model of Chall enger armoured repair and recove ry vehic le in Turret power control electric/manual
travelling configu ration wi th dozer blade raised and crane Gun elevation/
depression +20'/- 10'
traversed to rear by commander yes
by gunner yes
Max rate power traverse 400 mils/s
Max rate power elevalion 100 mils/s
commander's override yes
Command er" s fi re-
control override yes
Gun stabiliser
vert ical yes
horizontal yes
Range setting device yes
Elevation quadrant yes
Traverse indicator yes

Khalid Main Battle Tank

Development
In D ecember 1974 Iran ord ered 125 Shir I (FV4030/2) or
FV4032 , a nd 1225 Shir 2 (FV4030/3) or FV4033 MBTs but

99

Main external differences between Chieftain and Khalid are
larger eng ine compartment of latter and different cupola
th e ord er was cancelled by the new Iranian Governm ent in
Feb ru a ry 1979. The fi rs t three FV4030/ 2 prototypes were
compl eted by J anu ary 1977 . By this time production of the
FV4030/2 was well und er way a t th e Royal Ordnance Leed s
with fi rst production tanks sched uled for deli very in 1980.
In November 1978 J ord an placed an ord er with the U nited
Kingdom for 278 Khalid MBTs wo rth £2 75 million for deli v-
ery from 198 1.
Furth er d evelopment of th e Shir 2 (FV 4030/3) res ulted in
th e C hall enger MBT which entered service with the British
Army in 1983 and for which there is a separate entry.
Description
The Kh alid is essentially the FV4030/2 with minor modi-
fica tions to suitJo rda nian requirements and is based on a late
producti on C hieftain with maj or changes in th e fire-control
system and the powerpack.
The powerpack consists of the Rolls-Royce Motors
Military Engine Division Condor 12V 1200 (previously
designa ted the CVI 2 T CA) di esel, the David-Brown Gear
Industries T N3 7 transmiss ion and a cooling system by Air-
screw H owd en. Rolls-Royce receives th e transmission and
cooling sys tem at th e Shrewsbury fac tory, integra tes them
with the engine, tests the complete powerpack a nd sends it to
Royal Ordnance Leed s for installation in th e tank.
T he Rolls-Royce Condor l 2V 1200 is a 60-degree Vee form
12-cylinder direct inj ection four-cycle compression ignition
engine which develops 1200 hp at 2300 rpm . The power-
packs for the Khalid (FV4030/2) a nd C hallenger are almost
id entical, the only dilTerence being that the Kh alid
(FV4030/2) has one hyd ra uli c and one electric starter
whereas th e FV4030/3 has two electri c sta rters.
The TN37 full y a utomatic tra nsmiss ion has been designed
to provid e four speeds forwards and th ree in reverse, using a
th ree-element single-stage torque converter in conjunction
with epicyclic gear trains. These a re operated by multi-plate
clutches, activated by an a utomati c electronic controller.
Steering is by regenera tive double dilTerential type hydrosta-
tic sys tems. The mai n vehicle service and parking brakes are
incorpora ted within the transmission. The TN37 is arranged
with a single input and two in-line outputs at right angles to

Airscrew Howden cooling group developed for FV4030/2 and FV4030/3

water header & expansion tank engine turbo chargers

'" cooling air inlet
~~. '\\
tread nrnt..r.llinn

water-to-air radiators '\

hinged for maintenance access
to transmission

cooling fan for auxiliary

radiator trunnions
radiator support structure
p~oviding waterway manifolding

/
/
,, -.

I
'. .~~ /
""
.
fan mounting
",r ./
structure
3-off 380 MP3 mixed flow cooling fans

(/ .//:
./ ./
centre fan shaft driven from torque
\, limiting clutch
wing fans belt driven
~-~/ -1 '
cr~l / ~';' \
' r
r:,,! ~, !''7 )David Brown TN37 transmission
~, '"~~ ",.
100
Kha lid MBT showing commander's cupo la with Pilkington PE Condor day/night sight and 120 mm L 11A5 rif led tan k gun fitted with
therma l sleeve and muzzle reference system

the input. Flexi ble gear couplings a re fi tted to the o utputs for spot inj ection for the IFC S. It has a full y a rm o ured hood , can
connection to th e fi nal d rives. be elevated fro m - 10 to + 35 d egrees a nd is also provided
The requirement of the cooling grou p was to remove at a n with a wiper blad e.
ambient tempera ture of 52°C the heat diss ipa ted fro m th e In December 1980 Pilkington PE Limited a nnoun ced tha t
Cond or 12V 1200 engine a nd the TN37 tra nsmission, pro- it had been award ed a contract worth more tha n £6 million to
vide cooli ng a ir for the cha rge air, provid e a n additional 10 supply the comma nd er's d ay/ night sight a nd dri ver's night
per cent of th e air volume for cooling a ncilla ries a nd to drivi ng periscope for the Khalid MBT. The contract includes
provide a n a uxi lia ry power uni t. the sup ply of the No 84 sight, reticle image proj ector,
This requiremen t was achieved by designing a system a rm ou red hood a nd night dri ving periscope.
consisting essentially of two air-to-water radia tors, two air- The main arma ment consists of a sta ndard 120 mm LIl A5
cooled cha rge air-coolers a nd three 380 mm mixed fl ow fa ns, rifl ed ta nk g un, 7.62 mm L8A2 machine g un mo unted
mounted on top of th e vehicle drive trans mission . Cooling air
enters through armo ured louvres, passes thro ug h the heat David Brown TN37 transmi ssion
excha ngers to the fa ns a nd discha rges th rough armoured
louvres. A se pa ra te fa n was req uired for cooling the a uxilia ry
power unit when used du ring th e ve hicle 'silent wa tch'
situa tion.
The Kh alid has a bogie ty pe suspension which is a furth er
development of tha t fitted to C hieftain but wi th nearly twice
the suspension travel.
T he fire-control system of the K halid is the Marconi
Comma nd a nd Control Sys tems I mproved Fire-co ntrol Sys-
tem which is d escribed in the entry for the C hieftain. T he
Ba rr a nd Stroud T a nk LaserSight is a lso fitted to the Kh alid .
The command er's cupola is a No 15 which has been modi-
fi ed to accept the Condor sight. T he Condor has been
developed by Pilkington PE Limited a nd is a combined d ay/
passive night sight plus proj ector recti cle image unit, and
provides the comma nder wi th a 24-hour day/ night vision a nd
firin g capab ili ty. Cond or incorporates two independ ent
cha nnels for d ay a nd nigh t use a nd in terfaces with the main
arm a ment via th e proj ector reticle image uni t wh ich inj ects
optical graticule information in to the sig ht a nd also enab les

101
coaxially with the main a rmam ent, 7.62 mm L37A2 machine
g un which can be aimed a nd fired from inside th e com-
mand er's cupola and six electri cally operated smoke di scharg-
ers either sid e of the turret.
The driver can excha nge his day driving periscope for a
Pilkington PE image intensifi cation night periscope.
SPECIFICATIONS (as for Chieftain Mark 5 except)
WEIGHT 58000 kg
POWER· TO-WEIGHT
RATIO 20.68 h pltonne
LENGTH (hull) 8.39 m
WIDTH 3.518 m
HEIGHT 3.012 m
Status: Production compl ete. In service with the J ord a nia n
Army.
Manufacturer: Roy al O rdn ance Leeds .
Enquiries to Sales a nd Marketing Director, Royal Ord-
na nce, Griffin H ouse, The Strand, London WC 2N 5BB,
Engla nd .
Chieftain 900 Main Battle Tank
Development
La te in 198 1, following the results of a market survey carried
out by its own headquarters' marketing di vision, a decision
was ta ken by th e Royal Ordnance to go a head as a priva te
venture with a nother main ba ttle tank subseq uentl y na med
C hieftain 900. The first of two prototypes of Chieftain 900
were completed a t the Roya l Ordnance Leeds in Apr il 1982
a nd after carrying out a utomotive trials, were shown for the
first time at the 1982 British Army Equipment Ex hibition .
Chieftain 900 MBT fitted with MRS and thermal sleeve for 120 mm L 11 AS rifled tank gun (Roya l Ordnance Leeds)
102
Description
C hieftain 900 is based on late production Chieftain chass is
with significant improvements to th e three key areas of tank
technology: armo ur protection, firepower a nd mobility. All
this has been achieved within a weight limi t of ap proxim ate ly
56 tonn es.
T he layout of Chieftain 900 is simil ar to the basic Chieftain
with driver a t the front, comm a nder, gunn er a nd loader in
the turret and the engine a nd trans mission a t the rear.
C hieftain 900 is fitted wit h the British-develo ped
C hobha m a rm ou r which provides the best known protection
against all battlefield weapons including ATGW a nd ta nk
guns. The g lacis a nd hull sid es a re well sloped and the turret
is a consid erable improvement on C hall enger's a nd other
second generation main battle tanks' such as Leopa rd 2 a nd
MI.
A major effort has also been mad e on C hieftain 900 to
im prove hull protection against d a mage from anti-ta nk
mmes.
If required, a n NBC fi ltration sys tem providing clean,
press urised air to the crew compartment can be fitted in the
turret bustl e. Anothe r option is a roof- mounted infra-red
detector, the turret-mo un ted co ntrol box giving a udible a nd
visual warn ing of a threat.
T he tank can also be fitted with a standard Graviner fire
warn ing a nd ex tinguishing system.
C hieftain 900 is armed with the semi-a utomati c Royal
O rdn ance Nottingham 120 mm L II A5 rifled tank g un wh ich
is fitted with a fume ex trac tor, therm al sleeve a nd mu zzle
reference system for easier sighting and g un a lignment. The
gun fires th e stand ard L I5A4 APDS-T projectile which is
effective o ut to 3000 metres, and th e L3 1 HESH can be used
against a variety of battlefi eld targets out to 8000 metres.
 Control Systems Improved Fire-control Sys tem (as fitted to
Chieft ain , Khalid and Challenger ), M a rconi Command a nd
C ontrol SFCS 600 (ordered for India n Vickers Mk I a nd
Nigerian Mk 3 MBTs) , the Marconi C o mm a nd a nd Control
Syste ms C enta ur, Ferra nti Falcon and a number of syste ms
from Ba rr a nd Stroud . All th ese systems a re in volume pro-
duction or have been widely tested in a varie ty of AFVs in
many parts of th e world and require only integra ti on with
Chieft a in 900.
The tank commander has a modifi ed Number 15 cupola
with full manual contra-rota tion whi ch is provided with a
d a y sight with a magnifi cation of x 15 and nin e periscopes fo r
a ll-round observation. As in Chieft ain, the ta nk command er
ca n lay a nd fire the main a rmam ent and overrid e the g un-
lay ing system wh en it is being opera ted by the gunner.
Alignm ent of the cupola with th e main a rm a ment allows
inj ec ti on of ballistic gra ti cule into the comma nd er's m ain
sight.
Chieftain 900 MBTfitted with Number 15 cupola and Pikington PE
Condor commander's day/night sight. Driver is in head out The load er has a single da y periscope and the driver has a
position (Royal Ordnance Leeds ) . single wid e a ngle day periscope that can qui ckly be replaced
with a passive night periscope such as th e Pilkington PE
Badger.
C hiefta in is powered by the prove n Rolls-Royce C ond or
900E engine whi ch d evelops 900 bhp a t 2300 rpm, a nd is
Training versions of bo th proj ectiles a re availab le, as is a turbo-charged with air-to-wa ter charge coo ling a nd uses a
smoke proj ectil e. convention al mechanical governor.
Inside the turret a nd hull a re 42 cha rge co nta iners whi ch The engine is co upled to the well-tried Self-Cha nging
can each ta ke one APDS or two H ESH cha rges. Stowage for G ea rs TN 121I 000 transmission with six forward a nd two
64 proj ectiles is provided , the mix depending on the tacti cal reverse gears, engaged through a centrifugal clutch and fully
environment, b ut a typical a mmunition load would co nsist of automa tic gea r controller. As an option a semi-autom a tic
20 APDS a nd 44 HESH proj ectil es. The following types of controller is availa ble. The regenera tive dri ve steering brakes
a mmunition ca n be fi red : incorporated into the TN 1211000 gearbox a re hydraulicall y
controlled from th e dri ving compartment.
The engin e compa rtm ent is cool ed by hydra ulic fa ns
Type AP05-T 05-T HESW Smoke-WP
DESIGNATION L1 5A4 L20A l L31 L34 designed by Airscrew H owden, which allow effi cient con-
WEI GHT OF PROJECTILE 10.35 kg 5.81 kg 17.08 kg 17.35 kg tinuo us main engine opera tion in a mbient tempera tures of up
WEIGHT OF PROPELLANT, to 52°C . In some tank designs a considerable a mount of
BAGGED 9.04 kg 5.77 kg 3. 03 kg 3. 03 kg
PROPELLANT TYPE NQ/S53· 12 NQ/S27·09 NQ/S27 -09 NQ/S2 7-09 engine power is taken up by th e cooling system, so there is less
MUZZLE VELOCITY 1370 m/s 1370 m/s 670 m/s 670 m/s bhp a t th e sprocket. The cooling group for Chieftain 900 us es
·SH/Practice is L32A5 onl y a bout 125 bhp .
Steering is th e standard hydra uli c-opera ted regenera tive
di sc type with the stee ring bra kes incorpora ted in the gea r-
The 120 LilA5 g un can also fir e th e new APFSDS round box .
designa ted the L 23 . For imp roved accelera ti on a nd higher to p speed a s pur
The m ain a rm a ment is sta bilised in bot h az imuth a nd gea r fi na l dri ve unit with a modifi ed ra ti o of 4.1 4 is fitted ,
eleva tion and the ta nk co mm a nd er can ove rrid e th e g unn er compa red with 5.1 for Chieftain .
and lay a nd fir e th e ma in a rm a ment. For silent watch a sta nd ard Coventry C limax H 30 two-
A 7. 62 mm L8A2 mac hine g un is moun ted coaxially with stroke di esel engine with a ra ting of 37 bhp a t 3000 rpm is
the main a rma ment a nd th e ta nk comm a nd er has a 7.62 mm insta lled in th e engine compa rtment.
L37A2 machine gun on his cupola which can be cocked ,
eleva ted a nd fired from a bove a nd below th e cupola. The Chieftain 900 with turret traversed right and driver's,
cupola-mounted machin e gu n can a lso be dismoun ted for use commander's and loader's hatches closed (T J Gander)
in the ground rol e.
Mounted either side of the turret front is a ba tch of five
Peak Engineering smoke di scha rge rs, each of which provides
1800 mils coverage.
C hiefta in 900 is fitted with th e Ba rr a nd Stroud T a nk L aser
Sight (TLS) No 9 Mk I with a magnifi cation of x I a nd x 10
and a NdYag laser ra ngefind er with a n opera ting ra nge of
300 to JO 000 metres. The g unn er a lso has a n emerge ncy
telesco pic sig ht.
To give th e us er th e wid es t possible selecti on, the pro-
totype has no t bee n fitt ed with a fir e-control sys tem. T ypes
tha t could be fitted includ e th e M a rco ni Comm a nd a nd

10 3
 The suspension on either side consists of three equalised
SPECIFICATIONS
CREW 4 bogie type units with four rubber bonded steel wheels. The
COMBAT WEIGHT 56000 kg front and rear stations are provided with telescopic dampers
POWER-TO-WEIGHT
RATIO 16 bhp/tonne and the suspension has twice the travel of that fi tted to
GROUND PRESSURE 0.95 kg/cm' Chieftains currently in service.
GUN LENGTH The dry pin, steel wheel path tracks each have 98 links per
forwards 10.8 m
rear 9.75 m side when new and for road use rubber pads can be fitted as
HULL LENGTH 7.52 m an option.
WIDTH
skirts 3.51 m In designing Chieftain 900, Royal Ordnance Leeds has
over tracks 3.33 m tri ed to keep the initial cos t as low as possible. This has been
HEIGHT
turret top 2.44 m achieved by allowing the user to select from a wide range of
TRACK 2.72 m optional equipments those which meet his own specific
MAX ROAD SPEED 52 kmlh
FORDING 1.07 m
requirements.
GRADIENT 60% In 1984 Royal Ordnance Leeds announced that a number
SIDE SLOPE 30% of new options were being offered for Chieftain 900. These'
VERTICAL OBSTACLE 0.9 m
TRENCH 3.15 m include the Vis ual and Infra-Red Smoke Screening System
ENGINE Rolls-Royce 900E (VIRSS) already adopted by the British Army for its Chief-
12-cyli nder Condor, 60·
di rect injection tain and Challenger MBTs, new advanced auxiliary generat-
turbo-charged 4-stroke ing unit incorporating a 300 to 500-amp, air-cooled, brush-
diesel developing 900 bhp at
2300 rpm
less generator, air conditioning system, laser detection
AUXILIARY ENGINE Coventry Climax H30 No 4,3 device, Archer advanced radio harness, solid-state gun con-
vertical cylinders, 6 opposed trol equipment, sighting options now include both
pistons, 2-stroke
compression ignition, panoramic and thermal imaging systems, Pilkington com-
developing 23 bhp at mander's day/ night sight, Vickers Instruments L23 sight
2000 rpm or 37 bhp at
3000 rpm with laser rangefi nd er a nd the H ydrostrut suspension system
TRANSMISSION TN1 211 000 epicyclic, 6 which has been designed by- Royal Ordnance Leeds and
forward and 2 reverse gears
STEERING hyd rau Ii ca lly-operated
Oceonics Vehicle Technology.
regenerative disc steeri ng Hydrostrut has been successfull y tested on Chieftain 900
brakes incorporated into and basic Chieftain and additional detai ls are given in the
gearbox
MAIN BRAKES hydraulic-powered disc entry for the Chieftain MBT.
FINAL DRIVE spur with ratio of 4.14: 1
SUSPENSION improved bogie
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24 V
BATIERIES Chieftain Main Battle Tank
hull 4 x 200 Ah
turret 2 x 100Ah
ARMAMENT Development
main 1 x 120mmL11A5 In the early 1950s there were a number of proposals for a new
coaxial 1 x 7.62 mm L8A2 MG
anti-aircraft 1 x 7.62 mm L37A2 MG MBT to replace bo th the Centurion and Conqueror tanks,
SMOKE-LAYtN G but none progressed beyond the drawing board. In ·1956
EQUIPMENT 2 x 5 smoke
dischargers Leyland Motors, which was the design parent for the Cen-
AMMUN ITION turion Mk 7, built three prototypes of a vehicle called the
main 64 projecti les
machine gun 4000
FV4202. This was simi lar in some respects to the earlier
GUN CONTROL Centurion but had only five road wheels and a new turret
EQUtPMENT without a mantlet, and the driver was seated reclining at the
Turret power control electric/manual
by commander yes front of the hull allowing the hull's height to be reduced , Both
by gunner yes the latter characteristics were subsequently adopted for the
command er's override yes
Commander's fire- Chieftain MBT(FV 420 I), the characteristics of which were
control override yes issued in 1958. The first mockup was completed in early 1959
Max rate of power
traverse 18 s per complete
and th e first prototype late in th e same year. The Chieftain
revolut ion was first shown to the publi c in 1961 when it was fitted with a
Max rate of power false covering over the front of its hull to conceal the well-
elevation 6 s through 30·
of travel shaped glacis plate.
Gun depression - 10· (180 mils) A further six prototypes were built between July 1961 and
Gun elevati on +20· (355 mils)
Gun stabi li ser April 1962 and in May the following year the Chieftain was
vertica l yes accepted for service.with the British Army. Two production
horizontal yes
Range setting device yes
lines for the Chieftain were established, one at Royal
Etevation quadrant yes Ordnance Leeds and the other at Vickers' plant at Elswick.
Traverse indicator yes About 900 Chieftain MBTs were built for the British
Army, with production completed early in the 1970s. In 197 1
Status: Two prototypes completed. Ready for production. Iran pl aced an order for about 707 Chieftain ,MBTs: the
Mk 3/3 P and Mk 5/5P plus a quantity of ARVs and
Manufacturer: Roya l Ordnance Leeds . bridgelayers, all of which were delivered by 1978. Iran was
Enquiries to Sales a nd Marketing Director, Royal Ordnance, cons idering the possibility of retrofitting its complete Chief-
Griffin House, The Strand, London WC2N 5BB, England. tain fleet with the new Rolls-Royce CV-1 2 di esel, developing
800 hp (as against the 1200 hp for th e Sh ir 1 and Sh ir 2) .

104
Chieftain Mk 3 MBT
Chieftain Mk 3 MBT
Iran also took delivery of 187 improved C hieftains called
the FV4030/ I . These carried more fuel th an th e Mark 5/5P,
had improved mine protection and additional shock a bsor-
bers on the rear sta ti on. They a lso incorporated electronic
control of the Self-C hanging Gears TN 12 transmission to
permit automatic operati on and easier driver training.
In 1974 Iran ord ered 125 Shir I a nd 1225 Shir 2 MBTs for
delivery from 1980 bu t the ord er was cancelled in 1979 before
deli veries co uld begin from the Royal Ordnance Leeds.
The Shir I (FV403012) was subsequentl y ord ered by
J ord an und er th e na me Khalid a nd the Shir 2 (FV4030/3) is
th e basis for the Chall enger MBT for the British Arm y. There
are sep ara te entries for both vehicl es earlier in this section.
During fi ghting in th e Middle East Iraq ca ptured between
200 and 300 C hieftain MBTs fro m I ran, many of which were
und amaged . It is reported tha t some of th ese a re now being
overh a uled prior to d elivery to J ord an.
In August 1981 Oman took deli very of 12 British Army
Chieftain Mk 7/2C MBTs, which were on loan until 15 new
Chiefta ins, call ed the Q ayis Al Ardh by Om an, were deli-
vered betw een 1984 and 1985. These Chiefta ins, as well as
the Scorpions used by Oma n, are fitted with th e V ickers
Instruments L20 sight which incorporates th e Ferranti T ype
520 laser rangefind er. It is und erstood th at Om an has more
recently increased its ord er to between 40 and 50 Chieftains.
Description (Mk 5)
The hull of th e Chieftain is of cas t sections welded toge th er
and is di vided into three compartments: dri ver's a t the front,
fi ghting in the centre and engine a t the rear. Of all ta nks
Chieftain MBT with turret traversed to rear and using its front
mounted dozer blade
developed in the 1950s and prod uced in th e 1960s the C hief-
tain has th e most powerful a rm a ment a nd th e best a rm our
protecti on. Whereas most oth er tanks (eg Leopard I and
AM X -30) were developed with priority give n to mobility,
followed by fi repower and protection las t, C hiefta in was
d esigned to have firepower fi rs t, protection second and
mobility las t.
The dri ve r is seated a t th e front of the hull a nd is provid ed
with a single- piece ha tch cover th a t lifts and opens to th e
right. T o the rear of the ha tch cover is a single wide-angle
AFV No 36 Mk I periscope which can be re placed by an
infra-red perisco pe for night dri ving, which is being super-
sed ed by a Badger pass ive night dri ving perisco pe developed
by Pilkington PE Limited .
The turret is a two-piece cas ting with th e load er seated on
the left a nd th e command er and gunn er on th e right. The
comm and er's cupola can be trave rsed through 360 degrees
by hand and has a single-piece ha tch cover that opens to th e
rear, nine AFV No 40 M k 2 observa ti on periscopes and a
single AFV No 37 Mk 4 sighting periscope. M ounted on th e
right side of the command er's cupola is an infra-red search-
light which is mounted coaxiall y with th e cupola-mounted
machine gun.
The gunner is seated in front of and below th e comma nd er
and has a sight perisco pe No 59 with a mag nifi cati on of X I
Chieftain MBTs with turrets traversed to rear being driven ontoan
LST at Marchwood , England , for shipment to West Germany
(Mini stry of Defence)
105
 intern al flashing indicators and creates an aud ible signal in
the crew's headphones .
The Horstmann suspension consists of three bogies each
side each with two dual road wheels and a set of three
horizontal springs . The drive spocket is at th e rear, idler at
the front and th ere are three track return rollers. The fi rst and
last road wheel stations are provided with a hydra uli c shock
absorber. The tracks are of cast steel with dry pins and
replaceable rubber pads. Each track has 96 links when new
and the total weight of the pair of tracks on the Chieftain is
4719 kg. The top half of the track is covered by an armoured
skirt which can be removed for maintenance.
An air ventilation and filtration system is moun ted in the
rear of the turret which provides the crew with clean air for
normal ventilation and works in conj un ction with a n NBC
filter pack (No 6 Mark 2) which does not require the crew to
wear res pirators insid e the tank.
Mounted on the turret roof is a n infra-red detector which
has three silicon photo-voltaic cells covering 360 degrees.
Any infra-red light source detected can be localised to within
a n arc of about 62 degrees. A snorkel kit developed for the
Chieftain was not issued for service use. The Chieftain can be
fitted with a navigational aid.

Block diagram of Marconi Com mand and Control Systems

Improved Fire-control System
DATA HANDLING SENSORS
SUB ' SYSTEM (DHSS)

Chieftain hull s on the assembly li ne at Royal Ordnance Leeds in

I Firing
I ...
Handle s

Computer & Interf ace

I
- - - 0
,,
/
, - ~ Vehicle

,,- ~~ G~~~TuHet
Allitude

Position
I
I
1976 (Ministry of Defence)
Unit (ClUJ

I• .- I I (
I
DigItizers

J
~ ~ Round s
0
~ommander'S Control &
Monitor Unit (Ce MU )
+0
....r
Fired

and X8 or a Barr and Stroud Tank Laser Sight Unit. The I Meteorolog ical l
gunner a lso has a No 7 telescopic sight. Both the commander
and gunner can replace th eir day sights with an infra-red I0

sight with a magnifi cation of X3: the commander's night I L Csensor Junction BO le
l
T~~~S\ASER SIGHT 0
sight is th e LlAI a nd th e g unn er's an L3Al. ,
The loader has a two-pi ece hatch cover that opens to the ' l aser Range Fi nder I J. GUN CONTROL
EOUIPMENT (GCE)
front and rea r of his position a nd a folding rotatab le periscope IL __ __
Elect ronics Uni I
...J I
l
Stabili zation Gvro
AFV 030 Mk I.
Mounted on th e left sid e of the turret is a Marconi Com- IGu! ,s S;ght I Gun Servo l
mand and Control Systems infra-red / white light searchligilt. I Commander's Sight I Ow; 'kh1cleMoving I Cont rollers
• I
The very high intensity light operates as a ta rget illuminator ~nv;t;;;e- Sunionary
and is mounted di rect ly onto th e gun turret so that it remains
in line wit h th e g un during traverse. In elevation a servo- Barr and Stroud TLS No 1 Mk 2 System
control system on th e mirror asse mbly ensures that th e light
beam rema ins aligned automatically onto the target. The
sea rchlight has a range in th e infra-red mode of at least 1000
metres and a ra nge in the white-lig ht mod e of at leas t 1500
metres . Th e searchlight overhangs the side of the turret and
has an armoured cover.
The NBC system is mounted in th e rear of th e turret and at
the very rea r of th e turret is a stowage basket.
The engine is at the rear of the ta nk and is coupled to a
TN 12 gearbox.
The TN 12 epicyclic gearbox incorpora tes a Merritt-
W ilson di£lerenti a l s teering system and electro-hydraulic
gear selector. I t has six forward and two reverse gears pi us an
emergency mechanical selector of second gear forw ard and
low reve rs e.
Offive porta bl e fire ex tinguishers provided two large ones
are mounted in th e engine compartm ent. A Firewire au to-
matic fire-d etection system actuates a warning horn a nd

106

Chieftain Mk 6 MBT (Simon Dunstan)
Some C hiefta ins have a doze r bl ad e mo unted on th e front
of th e hu ll consis ting of a n elec tro-h ydra uli c power pack
whi ch is fi tted in place of th e right ha nd front stowage bins.
The blade itself is a luminium a nd is opera ted by th e dri ver
who is provided with a j oystick control unit. A ploug h type
mine clea ring unit has been developed for the Chieftain .
M ain a rm a ment is a 120 mm L I IA5 rifl ed ta nk g un which
is provid ed with a fum e extrac tor a nd a th ermal sleeve. I t has
a verti cal sliding breec h-block a nd a max imum ra te of fire of
eight to ten ro unds for the firs t minute a nd six ro unds a
m inute thereaft er.
The a mmunition is of th e separate loading type, ie proj ec-
tile a nd charge. The proj ecti les a re stowed alongsid e th e
dri ver, und er th e gun a nd in th e turret a nd th e cha rges a re
stored in press urised wa ter bins below th e turret bin . The g un
can fir e the following types of Royal Ordna nce a mmunition:
prov ided with a 7.62 mm L37 AI machine g un whi ch can be
aimed a nd fired from with in th e ta nk. A 12.7 mm (0.50)
L2 1A I ra ng ing machin e g un is mo unted ove r th e m ain
arm a ment. Origin a ll y this was effec tive only out to 1800
metres but it is now effec tive o ut to 2500 metres . This has now
bec n removed from a ll Briti sh Arm y C hiefta in MBTs.
M ounted either sid e of th e turret is a ba nk of six electri call y-
opera ted smoke di scha rge rs.
Th e g un control system is a M a rco ni Fig hting Vehicle Gun
Co ntrol Equipment (FV/ GCE ) No 7 Mk 4 whi ch is a furth er
develo pment of th e sys tem used so successfull y on th e Cen-
turion . This has th e follow ing modes of opera tion: sta bili sed
power control, power control, e merge ncy ba ttery co ntrol a nd
emerge ncy ha nd control.
When origina ll y introd uced into service th e Chieft ain was
provid ed with a 12.7 mm ra nging machin e g un (RMG ) as
th e ma in mea ns of a iming its 120 mm g un . For a n A PDS
engage ment th e g unn er fi res short bursts from th e RMG
using fo ur pred etermin ed g ra ti c ul e ma rks. The burst whi ch
la nds ove r th e ta rge t indi cates whi ch main a rm a ment
gra ti cul e ma rk s hould be used . Us ing this method th e ta rget
can be engaged quite ra pidly . For th e lower velocity H E SH
a mmunition up to 2000 metres th e RMG is used for o bta ining
the close bracket required for this ro und whi ch has a hig her
traj ectory. The m ain a rm a ment is no t fi red until a hit is
virtua ll y a certainty.
In th e ea rly 19 70s th e Ba rr a nd Stroud T a nk Lase r S ig ht
U nit was introdu ced ; th e first mod el was th e No 1 Mk 1 (in
produ ction from 1973/74) , whi ch was followed by th e No I
Mk 2 ( 197 4/76), No 3 Mk 1 ( 19 76/78) a nd the No 4 Mk I
(whi ch entered produ cti on in 1978) . The T a nk Lase r Sight
U nit houses th e lase r tra nsmitter modul e a nd optical sys tem,
th e receiver sys tem a nd th e opti ca l sight syste m. Th e line of
sight in eleva tion is sy nchronised with th e a xis of the g un by
mea ns of a precisio n pa ra ll el linkage, a nd in az imuth by
coincid ent turret mounting. Fin a l bo res ighting is achi eved by
instrum ent-mounted co ntrols . Gun lay ing is achieved
thro ug h a balli sti c gra ti cul e. Lase r ra nging m ay be initia ted
by th e g unner o r remo tely by th e ta nk co m mander; th e ra nge
is displ ayed in th e left eye piece a nd remotely disp layed a t th e
comm a nd er' s s ta tion. In a 's moke' situ a tio n, ta rge t ra nge
un certa inty is effec ti vely diminished by selec ti on offir st a nd
las t ra nge logic. The laser has a n opera ting ra nge of 500 to
10 000 metres a nd is accura te to ± 10 metres for 90 per ce nt of
sho ts.
Chieftain MBT of Briti sh Army showing thermal sleeve for
120 mm L11A5 rifled tank gun (United Kingdom Land Force s)

Type AP05-T 05-T HESH" Smoke-WP

DESIGNATION L1 5A4 L20A1 L31 L34
WEIGHT OF PROJECTILE 10.35 kg 5.81 kg 17.08 kg 17.35 kg
WEIGHT OF PROPELLANT.
BAGGED 9.04 kg 5.77 kg 3. 03 kg 3.03 kg
PROPELLANT TYPE NO/S53- 12 NO/S27-09 NO/S27-09 NO/S27-09
MUZZLE VELOCITY 1370 mls 1370 mls 670 m/s 670 m/s

'SH/Practi ce is L32A5

More recently th e new APFSDS round designa ted th e L23

has been introdu ced into service . In th e futur e it is ex pected
th a t th e current 120 mm LII A5 ta nk g un will be replaced by
a new 120 mm rifl ed hig h techn ology g un which will also be
retrofi tted to th e C hallenger MBT.
M ounted coax ia ll y to th e left of th e ma in a rm a ment is a
7.62 mm L8A I machin e gun . The co mm a nd er's cupola is

107

'Chieftain Mark 5 with all hatches c losed showing external
stowage (Royal Ordnance)
The British Army's C hieftain fl ee t (exce pt Mk Is ) has now
bee n retrofitted with th e full y-integra ted IFCS (Improved
Fire-Con trol Sys tem ) develo ped a nd ma nufac tured by M a r-
coni Comma nd a nd Control Sys tems. The insta llation of this
sys tem has at last a llowed th e fu ll potentia l of th e 120 mm
L II A5 g un to be exploited wh en firin g a t th e halt or on the
move. IFCS provides a signifi cantl y higher fi rst-ro und hit
probability on sta ti ona ry tank ta rge ts of a t least 3000 metres
a nd on moving ta rge ts out to more th a n 2000 metres.
Origina ll y developed for th e C hi efta in, th e IFCS has now
been ad a pted for use in other ta nks with different a rm a ment
a nd sig hts. The I FCS has a lread y bee n insta lled in th e
Leopa rd I (with successfu l firin gs in 19 79), and has bee n
adopted for th e Kh a lid a nd C ha llenge r as th e Com p uter
Sightin g System (CSS).
The IFC S uses th e M a rco ni 12-1 2P digita l co mputer,
whi ch is programm ed for th e specific combination of ta nk,
gun a nd a mmunition carri ed . It a uto ma ti call y ga th ers a nd
upd a tes inform a tion fr om va rio us se nso rs, calcula tes th e bal-
listi c solu tion a nd co rrect lay ing offsets for each ta rge t
engage ment, a nd controls th e a utom a ti c lay ing of the gun in
line a nd elevation (with trackin g of moving ta rgets) in readi-
ness to fire. Both g unn er a nd co mm and er have full fire con-
trols, a nd the comm and er has overrid e control a nd can
ma nu a ll y insert d a ta whenever desired.
The system co mpr ises four sub-systems; th e d a ta ha nd ling
sub-system (DHSS) with the 12- 12 P di gita l computer, co m-
m a nd er's control a nd monitor un it, a nd th e firing ha ndl es;
the sighting sub-sys tem wi th th e T ank L ase r Sight (TSL) a nd
wiring ellipse elec tronics; th e sensor s ub-sys tem of various
sensors located a bo ut the tank: for examp le, wind di rec tion
a nd velocity, air tempera tu re a nd press ure, trunni on ti lt,
a ngle of sight, cha rge tempera ture, ba rrel wea r, ta rge t dis-
placement a nd ammunition type, and processing elec troni cs;
a nd th e g un control equipment (GCE ) which has bee n
upra ted for IFCS as the FV / GCE No. 10 and No. II.
During tria ls with the IFCS a Chieftain crew obtained nin e
fi rst-round -hits within 53 seconds a t ran ges of 1600 to 2900
metres in a 950 mi l a rc with three hits on each of th e two
turret targe ts ( I X 1. 2 m) a nd o ne la rge r ( 1.6 X 2 m ).
Marks of the basic Chieftain MBT
Mk I of whi ch 40 were built a nd iss ued for tra ining
1965/ 66, 585 bhp engine
108
Mk 1/2 is Mk I broug h t up to Mk 2 s ta ndard a nd used for
trainin g
Mk 1/3 is Mk I with a new powerpack a nd used for training
Mk 1/4 is Mk 1/1 with a new power pack a nd modifi ed RMG ,
used for training
Mk 2 was th e firs t mod el to ente r se rvice, fi rst iss ued in 1967,
with a 650 bh p engine
Mk 3 en te red service in 1969, has im proved aux ilia ry
genera tor, 650 bhp engin e, dr y-a ir cleaner element, modifi ed
No 15 M k 2 cupola with L37A I 7.62 mm machine g un,
oil-fi lled top roll ers, ax le a rms a nd track tensioner
Mk 3/G was a pro totype only with turret a ir-brea thing for
engine as pira ti on
Mk 3/2 is M k 3/G mod ifie d
Mk 3/S is produ ction model of Mk 3/G with turret air-
brea thin g a nd comm a nd er' s firin g switch
Mk 3/3 is Mk 3 with ex tend ed ra nge RMG , fitted to acce pt
the Ba rr a nd Stro ud lase r ra ngefind er, mod ifi ed 720 bhp
engine, new low-loss a ir cl eaner sys tem, turret as pira ti on a nd
mod ifi ed NBC pack
Mk 3/3 P is Mk 3/3 ex port version for Ira n
Mk 4, of which only two were bui lt, had increased fuel
capacity a nd oth er min or modifi cations
Mk 5 is a development of th e Mk 3/3 with upra ted 720 bhp
engine a nd streng th ened gearb ox, g unn er's telesco pe and
comm a nd er's colli mato r fitted with gra ti cul e for use with
ex tend ed ra nge RMG a mmuniti on, modifi ed ex ha ust sys-
te m, air clea ning fi lters for ge nerato r, ba ttery hea ting a nd
lagging, new type g un cl a mp to acce pt new th ermal sleeve,
modifi ed cha rge bins, improved No 43 g unn er's telescope
mountin g, improved stowage, 50 per cent redu ction in RMG
a mmunition-carrying ca pacity, increase in APDS proj ec tiles
ca rried , No 37 Mk 4 comma nd er's sight, sta bilised infra-red
detector , comm a nd er's machin e gun eleva tion to 90 degrees
a nd new NBC pack
M a rk 5/2 K is Mk 5 for Kuwait, produ ced by Royal
Ordna nce Leeds and Vickers a t Elswick with fin al vehicl es
completed late in 19 79
Mk 5/5 P is a Mk 5 for Ira nia n Arm y
Mk 6 is Mk 2 with a new powerpack a nd modifi ed RMG
Mk 7 is Mk 3 a nd Mk 3/S with a n improved engine a nd
modifi ed RMG
Mk 8 is Mk 3/3 with a bove modi fica tio ns
Chiefta i n Mk 5 MBT from rea r with all turret hatches c losed . NBC
pack is mounted at tu rret rear (Roya l Ordnance)
III

Chieftain ARV with Centu rion MBT in background (Si mon
Dunstan)
Mk 9 is Mk 6 with IFCS
Mk 10 is Mk 7 with I FCS
Mk II is Mk 8 with IFCS
Mk 12 is Mk 5 with IFC S.
Varian~s
Re-engined Chieftain (Chieftain 800)
Shown for th e firs t time a t th e 1980 British Arm y Equ ipment
Exhibition was a Chieft ain powered by a Roll s-Royce C VI 2
TCE 12-cyli nd er d iesel developing 800 hp a t 2300 rpm ,
couplcd to a TN 12 M erritt-Wi lson gea rbox with electro-
hydra uli c co ntrols.
Ch ieftain with Hydrostrut Su spension
For trials pu rposes a Chiefta in MBT has been fit ted with
the H ydrostrut suspension system d evelo ped by Royal
Ordna nce Leed s a nd O ceonics Vehicl e T echn ology. The
H ydros trut features th e hydrogas suspension uni ts fi tted to
the C hallenger MBT which were des igned by O ceonics
Vehicle T echnology a nd bu il t by Royal Ordnance Leed s.
T he H ydrostrut un it is mo unted on a twin suspension brac-
ket. No hull modifi cations a re need ed a nd ma ny sta nd a rd
components, such as hubs a nd top rollers, a re reta ined . Each
road wheel is ind epend entl y spr ung a nd obviates th e pro b-
lem of the existing sys tems where travel is li m ited if two
adjacent wheels rise togeth er. T o compensate for vari a tions
in a mbient tempera ture, terra in profi le or cha nges in vehicle
weight, the gas press ure a nd th erefore spring stiffness a n.d
rid e height can be qu ickly adj usted in th e fi eld .
Chieftain/Challenger Armament (CHARM)
In the future th e L II A5 gun will be replaced by th e new L30
high-press ure rifl ed g un system in both C hiefta in a nd Cha l-
lenge r, th is system is called th e L30 C HARM C hiefta in/
C hallenger Arma ment.
Chieftain with Gas Turbine
La te in 1984 it was confirm ed tha t a reconditioned Ga rrett
Turbine Compa ny GT60 1 gas turbin e was to be supplied to
the United Kingdom for install a ti on in a C hieftain MBT for
trials purposes. The engine wi ll be co up led to th e existing
TN 12 suspension.
Ch ieftain Armoured Recovery Vehicle (FV4204)
T he C hiefta in AR V was ma nufactured by Vickers a t Elswick
a nd was based on the chass is of the Mk 5 C h ieftain MBT .
The ma in double ca psta n winch with electro-hydra uli c co n-
trols was provid ed with 122 metres of 28 mm d i a m e te ~ c ab l e .
The simil a r a uxili a ry winch was hyd ra uli call y opera ted a nd
was provid ed with 260 metres of II mm di a meter ca ble.
Power for both winches is ta ken from a PTO on the main
engine. Mou nted at the fron t of the ARV wa s a
hydra u licall y-opera ted dozer blad e which, when lowered ,
allowed th e ve hi cle to exert a pu ll of up to 90000 kg. The
Chiefta ins deli ve red to I ra n had a n Atlas AK 6000M cra ne
which can lift a maximum load of 5803 kg. The C hiefta in
ARV has a crew of four a nd a load ed weight of 56 000 kg.
Arm a ment consists of a cupola-mounted 7.62 mm machine
gun a nd smoke discha rge rs.
Armoured Repair and Recovery Vehicle
At prese nt the British Army us es th e FV434 a rm oured repa ir
vehicle to change the powerpacks of the C hiefta in MBT. T he
la tter cannot however li ft the complete powerpack of the new
C ha llenger MBT a nd for th is reason the C hiefta in Arm o ured
Repair a nd Recovery Vehicle (ARRV ) has bee n introdu ced .
This is essentia ll y a Ch ieftain ARV fitt ed with a hydra ulic
cra ne th a t can li ft a complete Challenger MBT powerpack.
ARRVs will be conve rsions from existing ARVs.
Chieftain Armoured Vehicle-Launched Bridge
(FV4205)
The C hiefta in A VLB is basicall y a Chiefta in MBT chass is
without a turret a nd fitted with a hydrau lic sys tem for lay ing
a nd recovering a bridge. The vehicl e can carry a nd lay either
a No 8 or a No 9 T a nk Bridge. T he No 8 T a nk Bridge is
carried folded a nd la unched over the fron t of th e ve hicle. It
has an overa ll length of 24.384 metres a nd can spa n a ga p of
up to 22 .86 metres (ha rd banks) or 22. 25 met res (soft ba n ks).
The No 9 T a nk Bridge is carried horizonta l a nd is swung
vertically throu gh 180 degrees a nd laid in pos iti on over th e
front of th e ve hicl e. The No 9 T a nk Bridge is 13.4 11 metres
long a nd can span a ga p of up to 12.1 92 metres (firm ba nks).
The Chieftain AVLB (with N o 8 T ank Bridge) weig hs
53 300 kg a nd has a crew of three.
Chieftain Mk 6 AVLB
T he Chiefta in M k 6 A VLB is a n early C hieft ain gun tank
Ch ieftain AVLB carry ing No 8 Tank Bridge in fo lded pos ition
(Mini stry of Defence)
109
 Prototype of Chieftain SABRE with twin 30 mm self-propelled
anti-aircraft gun system (Royal Ordnance)

Chieftain SABRE SPAAG

Chieftain AVLB laying No 8 Tank Bridge in position (Ministry of
Defence)
The C hiefta in SABRE self-propell ed a nti-aircraft g un sys tem
is a j oint development by Roya l Ordna nce Leeds, responsible
for th e C hieftain chass is, a nd Tho mson-CSF of Fra nce
responsibl e for th e SABRE turret a rm ed with twin 30 mm
cann on. First prototy pe of th e C hiefta in SABRE was com-
pleted in la te 1983 . This is a pri vate venture a nel has no t so fa r
entered produ ction .
Chieftain 155 mm SPG
This is a Chiefta in chassis fi tted with th e Vi ckers Shipbuild-
ing a nd Enginee ring Ltd GBT 155 155 mm turret. It has not
en tereel proel uction.

SPECIFICATIONS

Model Mk 3 Mk 5
CREW 4 4
COMBAT WEIGHT 54 100 kg 55000 kg
UNLOADED WEI GHT 51 460 kg 53 500 kg
POWER-TO·WEIGHT
RATI O 13.49 bhp/tonne 13.63 bhp/tonne
GROUND PRESSURE 0.84 kg/cm' 0.9 kg/em'
LENGTH GUN
forwards 10.79 m 10.795 m
rear 9.865 m 9.87 m
LENGTH HULL 7.52 m 7.518 m
WIDTH
inc luding searchlight 3.657 m 3.657 m
over skirt s 3.504 m 3.504 m
over tracks 3.327 m 3.327 m
HEIG HT OVERALL 2.895 m 2.895 m
GROUND CLEARANCE 0.508 m 0.508 m
TRACK 2.718 m 2.718 m
Ch ieftain AVLB crossing No 8 Tank Bridge it has just laid in TRACK WIDTH 610 mm 61 0 mm
LENGTH OF TRACK
position (Ministry of Defence) ON GROUND 4.8 m 4.8 m
MAX ROAD SPEED 48 km/h 48 km/h
FUEL CAPACITY 950 litres 950 litres
con verted to the AVLB role. It has a more powerful MAX RANGE
hydrauli c pump a nd modifi ed toe pla te for mo untin g th e road 400-500 km 400-500 km
cross~cou nt ry 200-300 km 200-300 km
Pearson Track Width Mine Plough (TWMP). The bridge FORDING 1.066 m 1.066 m
boom a lso has a built-in intercom to ass ist in th e picking up of GRADIENT 60% 60%
VERTI CAL OBSTAC LE 0.91 4 m 0.914 m
la id bridges . TREN CH 3.149 m ~ . 1 49 m
ENGINE Leyland L60. 2-stroke. compression igniti on.
6-cyli nder ( 12 opposed pistons) multi-fuel
Chieftain Assault Vehicle Roya l Engineers (FV42 03) ENGINE MODEL No 4 Mk 6A No 4 Mk 8A
This was a proj ect onl y a nd did not enter servi ce with th e OUTPUT 730 bhp at 2100 rpm 750 bhp at 2100 rpm
AUXILIARY ENGINE Coventry Climax H30 No 4 3-ey tind er.
British Arm y. M os t of th e roles envisaged for it a re carri ed vert ica ll y-o pposed compress ion ignition d eve loping
out by th e Comba t Enginee r Tractor. 23 bhp at 2000 rpm

110
Model Mk 3 Mk 5 ing a crew of fo ur a nd is di vided into three co mpa rtm ents.
TRANSMI SSION TN 12 wilh 6 lorward and 2 reverse gears plus
emergency mechanical selection lor 2nd gear forward
T he driver a nd 20 rounds of main a rm a ment a mmunition
and low reverse occ upy th e front of th e hull. The turret is mo un ted ce ntra ll y
STEERING Merritt regenerative incorporated in TN12 a nd th e engine a nd transmission are in th e third com part-
CLUTCH centri fugal centrilugal
SUSPENSION Horstmann Horstmann men t a t th e rea r.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 28.5 V 28.5 V The dri ve r s its in a recl ining seat at th e rig ht ha nd sid e of
BATIERIES 200 Ah (4 x 12 V) batteries in hull lor engine start ing
and general electri cal services. 100 Ah (2 x 12 V) in the hull. Hi s controls a re very simi la r to thos e in a n a utom a ti c
turret lor radio load and emergen cy power supply to tra ns mi ss ion car, with steerin g by a wheel, and conventi onal
fi ghting equipment foot-op era ted acce lerato r a nd bra ke ped als. On his left in th e
ARMAMENT
(main) 1 x 120mm 1 x 120mm well protected h ull front is a co n ta iner with 20 rounds of main
(coaxial) 1 x 7.62 mm MG 1 x 7.62 mm MG a rm a ment a mmunition.
(anli-airc raH) 1 x 7.62 mm MG 1 x 7.62 mm MG
(RMG)· 1 x 12.7 mm MG 1 x 12.7 mm MG The weld ed steel turret has a layer of app liq ue Chobham
SMOKE-LAYING armo ur added on th e front and sides a nd is mou nted on a
EQUIPMENT 2 x 6 smoke dischargers mounted on each side 01
tu rret
ball race, th e ou ter ring of which is fixed on th e h ull a nd
AMMUNITION incorporates a travers ing rack.
(mai n) 53 64
6000
The co mm a nd er sits on th e right, th e gu nn er in front a nd
(7.62 mm) 6000
(12.7 mm)" 600 300 below him, with the load er on his left. All three a re pos iti oned
GUN CONTROL on a turntab le which rota tes with the turret, is supported on
EQUIPMENT
Turrel power conlrol electric/manual electri c/manual steadying rollers, is covered in non-sli p a luminium tread-
by commander yes yes plate, a nd a lso carri es stowage for ready use a mmun itio n.
by gunner yes yes
Max rate power
traverse 360"i n16 s 360' in 16 s Vickers Mark 7 MBT undergoing tria ls in the United Kingdom with
Gun elevati on/ the turret traversed to right and showing roof-m oun ted SFIM
depress ion +20'/- 10' +20'/- 10'
commander's override yes yes
commander's sight and Philips stabi li sed panorami c thermal
Commander's fi re- sig ht
control override yes yes
Gun stabil iser
vertical yes yes
hori zonlal yes yes
Range-setting device yes yes
Elevation quadrant yes yes
Traverse indi cator yes yes

• When fitted with Ihe IFCS the'RMG and its ammunition is removed. IFCS is only in
British Army ChieHains and nol in Iranian or Kuwaiti ve hic les.

Status : Prod uction co mplete but can be res um ed if further

ord ers are received . In servi ce with Iran, Iraq , Kuwait ( 165),
Oma n a nd the U nited Kingdom.

Manufacturers: Royal Ordn a nce Leeds. V ickers D efenc e

Systems, Arms trong Works, Newcas tl e-upon-Tyne E99
ICP.
Enq uiries to Sales a nd Marketing Direc tor, Royal Ord-
nance, Griffin H ouse, The Strand , London WC2N 5BB ,
England . Vickers Mark 7 MBT with turret traversed to left and c learl y
showing thermal sleeve for 120 mm Roya l Ordnance L 11A5 rifl ed
tank gun
Vickers Main Battle Tank Mark 7
Development
Vickers was one of th e first co mpa nies in th e world to have
access to C hob ha m Armour, a nd immediately began to
design a nd build a completely new ta nk, the Valia nt, to use
this a rm our to th e full. Va lia nt is descr ibed in detail in its own
entry.
Following a trial in the Middle East, interes t was expressed
in a ta nk whi ch combined th e firepower a nd turret sys tem of
Valiant with a more powerfu l engin e. The most powerful
tank engine ava ilab le is th e MTU 873 K a 501 and M a rk 7
was designed to use this engine. Full develop ment bega n in
1984 and a prototype Vickers Mark 7 was d emonstrated in
Egypt in the s umm er of 1985.

Description
The Vi ckers M a rk 7 is a co nve ntional m a in ba ttl e ta nk carry-
III
Vickers Mark 7 MBT being put through its paces during initia l mobility trials conducted in the United Kingdom in the summer of 1985.
Turret is traversed to rear and 120 mm rifled tank gun is in travel lock
The complete weapon sys tem is stabilised by th e Marconi
Command a nd Control Systems Centaur I full y integrated
g un a nd fire-control system. The g un may be slaved to either
th e com ma nd er's gyros tab ilised day sig ht or th e gyrostabi l-
ised thermal sight or may be stabilised in space from a two
ax is gy ro mo unted und er the breech.
The fu ll y transistorised gu n control equipm ent interfaces
with th e ballistic computer a nd gives rapid reaction and
accurate aiming. It provides power dri ves actuated by the
gu nner's controll er , with th e com mand er hav ing override
facili ti es via his gy ros tabili sed sig h t con trois. The fi re-con trol
computer is d esigned as an integral part of the Centaur I
weapon control system. It operates in conjun ction with the
gunn er' s telescopic laser sig ht, the comm a nd er's gyros tabil-
ised panoramic laser sight, th e thermal imaging system a nd
the g un control equipm ent.
The co mputer s tores ballisti c a nd other information . It
receives target range from th e g unn er's or th e commander' s
laser ra ngefi nd er. Target angu la r rate is a uto ma tically fed in
as the g unn er or com ma nd er track the target. The til t of the
g un trunnion axis is obta ined fro m a tilt sensor mounted on
th e g un . The type of amm unition, barrel wear, charge tem p-
era ture, etc a re fed into the co mpu ter manua ll y.
The sys tem injects into the g unn er's sig ht a n aiming mark
which is s uperimposed on the s ig ht gra ti cu le, when th e g un-
ner acquires th e target. H e initia tes the fire-control sequence
by pressing the laser button as he s tarts to track th e target.
After abou t three seconds, when th e g unn er is satisfied with
his tracking he releases his lase r button.
As the correc tions a re computed th e aiming ma rk moves
a head of the targe t a nd th e computer, by inj ecting signals
into th e traverse and eleva ting sys tems, ca uses th e gun to
move a nd puts th e a iming m a rk onto the targe t. The g unn er
makes a ny fine correc ti ons a nd fires when ready.
The g unn er is provid ed with a Vickers Instruments L3 1
telescopic laser sight as his ma in sight. This sight is mo unted
throug h th e rotor coaxially with the main armament, thus
elimina ting the errors normall y associa ted with mecha nical
11 2
linkages. The sight is monocu lar a nd has a magnifi cati on of
X IO a nd is fitted with an Nd Vag laser ra ngefind er a nd a
cath od e ray tube for inj ection of fire-control data.
In additi on to his ma in sig ht the gu nn er is a lso provided
with a Vickers Inst rum ents GS I 0 periscop ic sight. This sight
is mounted in th e turret roof a nd provid es a wide-angl e X I
field of view and is used for survei llance and target
acquisition.
The ta nk comm and er is prov id ed with a ring of six fixed
X I periscopes around his ha tch to give all-round vision. The
comm a nd er' s main sig ht is a SFIM VS 580-10 pa nora mi c
sight which a llows th e comm a nd er to scan through a full 360
d egrees without moving hi s head . Two d egrees of
magnifi cation, x 3 a nd x 10, a re provided a nd the gyrosta bil-
ised head enables th e command er to hold th e s ight accu ra tely
on ta rge t from th e moving vehicle. An Nd Vag laser ra ngefi n-
d er incorpora ted in th e sig ht enables th e comm a nd er to
engage ta rgets and fi re on th e move.
Indicators in th e commander's sight's right eyepiece show
th e position of th e vehicle ax is, th e sight ax is a nd th e gun ax is.
Fire-control inform a tion from the computer and laser is dis-
played in th e left eye piece.
When used in th e surveillance mod e th e commander has
th e facility to a lign his main sight with anyone of his six
periscopes. This is achieved by pushing a button mounted
und er that periscope.
When firing on the move th e comm and er commences an
engagement by press ing his laser fir e button; the lase r does
not fire but the computer is informed that a tracking sequence
has co mm enced. H e th en tracks th e targe t with his thumb
controll er. After a few seconds wh en he is satisfied tha t he has
a s teady track he rel eases th e lase r fire button and th e laser
fires and gives th e target ra nge to th e fir.e-control co mputer.
The co mputer calcula tes th e super elevation from the ra nge
a nd lead a ngle from th e target track ing ra te. This informa-
tion is fed into th e g un co ntrol equipm ent a nd th e turret is
slaved in traverse a nd elevation to th e corrett aiming point.
When this is ach ieved a ready to fire light is illuminated in his
sight a nd he ma inta ins his track. The co mma nd er ca n now
press th e fi ring switch; th e g un wi ll only fi re when th e g un a nd
sight a re in a bsolute a lignm ent but th e del ay will be onl y
milLi-seconds.
In addition to th ese sig hting sys tems, a gyros ta bili sed
panora mi c therm al sight (Philips UA 9090 ) is mounted on
th e turret roof. This provid es a th erm a l picture on 525-line
television monitor for bo th th e comm a nd er a nd gunn er. A
gra ti cule inj ected into th e sight picture ena bl es th e sig ht to be
used fo r engaging ta rge ts in th e no rm a l way. An a uto-
scannin g device is provid ed to allow th e crew members to
rest. C ha nges in th e th erm al picture within a pre-se t a rc
ca use a n ala rm to so und .
Moun ted on the main a rma ment is a mu zzle reference
sys tem designed to a llow g un/s ig ht a lignm ent to be ra pidl y
checked a nd , if necessa ry, adjusted from und er a rmour. This
sys tem ca n be used with the g un a t a n y a ng le of eleva tion .
The load er has a single-piece ha tch cove r th a t opens to th e
rear, in front of whi ch is a n AFV No 30 M a rk I obse rva tion
periscope.
M a rk 7's ma in a rma ment is the Roya l Ordna nce 120 mm
LIIA5 rifl ed ta nk gun, altho ug h a Rh einmeta ll 120 mm
smoo th-bore ca n be fit ted if pre ferred . Both ca rry a mu zzle
reference sys tem, fum e ex traCto r, a nd th erm a l sleeve. Either
th e co mm a nd er or g unn er can lay a nd fi re th e g un .
A 7.52 mm Hug hes H elicopters C ha in G un mounted coax-
ia ll y to th e left of th e main a rm a ment is belt fed fro m a n
ammunition bin th a t is replenished by th e load er. Beca use
a mmunition feed to this gun is electri cal, a misfired ro und
does not ca use a stoppage.
The powerpac k co nsists of th e engi ne, gea rbox a nd a uxili-
a ry eq uipm ent insta lled as a unit.
Power is prov id ed by a n MT U 87 3 Ka50 I di esel, ra ted a t
1500 bhp ( 1100 kW) .
The engine is cooled by a nnul a r radi a tors mou nted hori -
zonta ll y a bove th e tra nsmission . T wo cooling fa ns mo unted
within th e radi a tors a re driven by hydra uli c mo tors powered
by a n engine-drive n pump . Cooling a ir is draw n by ce n-
trifugal fa ns through louvres in th e top deck of th e tra nsm is-
sion compa rtm ent, blown throug h th e a nnul ar radia tors a nd
ex pelled through louvres in th e rea r of th e ta nk.
Power from th e engine is tra nsmitted by a torqu e converter
to the gea rbox a nd into the fin al d rives.
The gea rbox is th e Renk HSWL 354/3. This unit contains
th e gearcha nge a nd stee ring mec ha nisms. Four forwa rd a nd
two reve rse gea rs a re provid ed . G ea rcha nging is a utom a ti c
with a n ove rrid e for th e dri ve r. In th e event of a sys tem
fa ilure, one forw a rd a nd o ne reve rse gear ca n be ma nually
selected.
Pow.er from th e gea rbox is tra nsmitted to th e sprockets by
two pla neta ry fi na l dri ve units.
The dri ve r has a s tee ring wh eel which opera tes hydra ulic
va lves on th e stee r uni t in th e gea rbox casing. The hydro-
sta ti c steering mecha nism provid es regenerative steering a t
a ll steering radii .
A du al main bra king sys tem is provid ed consistin g of a
hydro-d yna mi c reta rd er backed up by power opera ted disc
bra kes. The suspens ion is of th e torsion ba r type with seven
du a l rubber-tyred road wheels on each side, idler a t th e fr ont,
dri ve sprocket a t th e rea r a nd four track return rollers. In
additi on th e fir st, second , third , sixth a nd seventh wh eel
sta tions inco rpora te ro tary sho ck a bsorbers. Upwa rd move-
ment of th e suspens ion is limited by bump s to ps whi ch pro-
vid e a progress ive defl ection resista nce up to th e solid bump
condition .
The Diehl rubber-bushed end- conn ector tracks ca n be
fi tted with rubber pad s to redu ce da mage to road surfaces .
The M a rk 7 has three fea tures whi ch reduce th e likelihood
of its detection by nig ht sights a nd other hea t se nsing devices.
These a re its coat of infra-red refl ecti ve pa int, th e mi xing of
th e ho t ex ha us t gases with th e cooling a ir before d ischa rge
a nd a new design of the th erm al sleeve.
Sta nd a rd equipm ent includes a fi xed fi re-ex ting uishin g
sys tem in th e eng ine compartment a nd NBC pack in th e hull .
The la tte r press urises th e interior of th e vehicle to a bout
35 mm wa ter ga uge. A relief valve on th e und erside of th e
turret bustl e ve nts excess a ir to th e a tm os phere. The pack can
also be used for ventil a ti on in which case the NBC filters a re
by-passed . Optional equipment includ es a ir conditioning, a n
a utom a ti c fi re d etec tion and suppression sys tem and a
12.7 mm a nti-aircra ft machine g un.

SPECIFICATIONS ACC ELERATI ON AMMUNITION

(0-100m) 11.8 seconds 120mm 44 rounds 120 mm
CREW 4 FORDING 1.7 m Rh ei nmeta ll or 38 round s 120
COMBAT WEI GHT 54640 kg GRADIENT 60% mm Royal Ordnance
UNLOADED WEI GHT 52 640 kg SIDE SLOPE 30% 7.62 mm 3000
POWER-TO-WEI GHT VERTI CAL OBSTAC LE 1.1 m GUN CONTROL
RATI O 27.45 bhpltonne TREN CH 3m EQUI PMENT
GROUND PRESSURE 0.84 kglcm' TURNING RADI US pivot Turrel power contro l electri c/ma nual
LENGTH ENGI NE MTU MB 873 Ka 50 1 4·stroke. by commander yes
gun lorwards 10.95 m 12-cyli nder turbo-charged by g unner yes
gun rear 9.77 m d iesel d eveloping 1500 bhp Gun el evationl
hull 7.72 m at 2600 rpm depression +20·1- 10·
WIDTH WITHOUT TRANSMISSION Renk HSWL 35413 Commanders override yes
APPLIQUE ARMOUR 3.42 m hydro-kinetic p lanelary gear Commander·s fi re-
HEIGHT shift with 4 forward and 2 control override yes
top of commander- s reverse gears Gun stabi liser
si ghl 2.99 m STERRIN G hydrostatic verti cal yes
to turret roof 2.54 m CLUTCH torque converter hori zontal yes
FIRING HEIGHT 1.95 m SUSPENSION torsion bar Elevation quadranl yes
GROUND CLEARANCE 0.5 m ELECTRI CAL SYSTEM 24 V Traverse indicator yes
TRACK 2.785 m BATIERIES 8 x 12V. 125Ah
TRACK WIDTH 635 mm ARMAMENT
LENGTH OF TRACK mai n 1 x 120 mm
ON GROUND 4.945 m coaxial 1 x 7. 62 mm MG
MAX ROAD SPEED 72 kml h anti -ai rcraft 1 x 7.62 mm MG
FUEL CAPACITY 1200 litres SMOKE LAYING smoke d ischarg ers ei ther
ROAD RANGE 500 km EQUIPMENT si de of turret

11 3
Status: D evelopmen t com plete, read y for production . Manufacturer: Vi ckers D efence Systems, Armstrong
Works, Sco tswood Road , Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE99 ICP,
Engla nd .

Vickers Valiant Main Battle Tank

Development
Followin g the a nn o un cement by th e British Minister of
D efence inJ une 1976 tha t Ministry of D efence scientists had
developed a new form of tank a rmo ur tha t wo uld be resista nt
to attack fro m a ll know n a nt i-tank wea pons, V ickers D efence
Systems Division was provided with prelimin a ry deta ils of
the a rm o ur, called C ho bha m, in M ay 1977 .
By la te in 1977 Vickers had co mpl eted outlin e schemes a nd
specifi cations for a new 43-to nn e ta nk incorpora ting th e most
sophistica ted turret sys tems ava ilab le.
By Septem ber 1978 the turre t a nd hull had bee n completed
a nd in Jun e 1979 th e chass is m ad e its fi rst running trials.
During th ese ex tensi ve tria ls, whi ch were co mpl eted by Sep-
tember 1979, th e ta nk had bee n tes ted with two different
mod els of the power pack, o ne with a Rolls-Royce CV 12 TC A
Condor a nd the other with th e General M otors 12V-71 T
engme. Vickers Valiant fitted with universal turret traversed to right,
T he ta nk, by th en na med Va lia nt, was s tripped d own for armed with Royal Ordnance 120 mm L 11 A5 rifled tank gun
showing position of commander'S sight in front of his cupola and
inspection a nd re-assem bled in D ecember 19 79 so th a t turret
thermal sight to left of loader's position
tri als co uld be sta r ted ea rl y in 1980. Following th ese tria ls it
was sent to the Royal Armo ured Co rps Arm oured Tria ls a nd
D evelopment U nit a t Bov ingto n for a series of fi ghta bility In the summ er of 1985 th e Vickers Va lia nt was one of th e
tri a ls. Following th e s uccessful conclus ion of these tri a ls the four ta nks shortlisted by the Spa nish Arm y.
Va lia nt m ad e its firs t p ubli c a ppearance at the 1980 British
Arm y Equipmen t Ex hibitio n a t Ald ersho t in June. Description
By la te 1982 th e prototype of th e Vickers Vali a nt MBT The a ll-weld ed a luminium hull of th e Vickers Va lia nt is
had co mpleted over 4500 km of tria ls with ve ry few cha nges di vided into three compa rtm ents: dri ver's at th e front,
to th e basic hull a part from a n additi ona l periscope being fig hting in the centre a nd engine a t th e rea r. Chobha m
add ed e ither side of the orig inal w id e-a ngle periscope for a rm our add ed to th e front a nd sides of th e a luminium hull
improved vision either sid e of th e hull. provides protection from frontal a ttack over a n a rc of 60
At th e same tim e a s uccessful se ries of tria ls a t th e Royal degrees a nd la teral protecti on aga inst ha nd-h eld infa ntry
A rm o ured Co rps g unn ery ra nge a t Lulworth were carri ed weapons.
out with the Va lia n t. T hese includ ed firin g APDS proj ectil es The drive r is seated at th e front of th e hull on th e rig ht sid e
a t sim ul ated ta nk targe ts a t ra nges of I 0 15 a nd 1500 met res in a nd has a single-piece ha tch cove r th a t lifts a nd swings to th e
d aylig ht using th e Phili ps UA 9090 th erm a l periscopic sig ht. right. To th e fro nt of it there is a single AFV No 44 M ark 2
Early in 1983 Valia nt was demonstra ted in th e Middle modifi ed periscope for dri ving in th e closed down position
Eas t a rm ed with th e Royal Ordna nce 120 mm LIIA5 rifl ed whi ch can be replaced by a Badger pass ive perisco pe for
tank g un . driving a t nig ht. An additi ona l perisco pe is fitted either sid e

Vickers Va li ant armed with Royal Ordn ance 120 mm L 11 A5 rifled tank gun (not to 1/76th scal e)

11 4
of the driver's main periscope for latera l ovservation. Should
the driver hatch be cove red by the turret a t any time he can
leave the ve hicle via th e fig hting compartmen t. To th e left of
the driver a re 30 rounds of 105 mm ammu ni tion or 24
charges fo r the 120 mm L I I A5 rifl ed ta nk gun.
The turret is ident-ical to that used on the Vickers Mk 7
MBT and is fu lly described in the previous entry.
The powerpack consists of th e engine a nd auxilia ry
equipment installed as a un it. Power is provided by a Rolls-
Royce Condor CV 12 TCA di esel, rated at 1000 bhp
(746 kW), as an alternat ive, a G eneral Motors 12V-71T
two-stroke compression ignition di esel engine can be fitted.
The engine is cooled by twin radiators mounted hor izon-
tally on either side of the engine compartment, which are
hi nged to a llow access to th e engine compartment for
maintenance.
Three cooling fans mounted over th e gearbox compart-
ment are driven by hydra ulic motors powered by an engine-
driven pump. W ate r is cooled by draw ing ai r in through
louvres, through th e rad iators and engine compartment and
then discharging by m ixed-flow fans through th e outlet
louvres over th e gearbox compartment.
Power from th e engine is transmitted by a resi lient tra iling
link coupling through a centrifuga l clutch into the gearbox
and on to the fina l drives.
The TN 12-1000 gearbox is an upgrad ed model of the one
installed in the Chieftain a nd Vickers 37-ton MBT and com-
bines the Wi lson epicyclic gear change principle with th e
M erritt s tee ring system to give s ix forward and two reverse
gear ratios. Gear selection is normally automatic. A push
switch on th e left ha nd side of the driver' s motorcycle type
Vickers Defence Systems universal turret as install ed on the Vicke rs Va liant showi ng main co mponents of fire control systems
Gunner's Thermal Turret
acquisition sight sight monitor control console
-------- -- -- --- ---
Muzzle Gunner's
reference system telescopic main sight
hand lebar enables him to hold whichever gear he is in or to
change down, thus a llowing the driver to override the auto-
matic gear change. In an emergency one forward and one
reverse gea r can be manua lly selected and an automatic
sequential down change to neutral can be initiated by th e
driver or commander.
Power from the gearbox is transmitted to the sprockets on
each side of the vehicle by a qu ill shaft coupling and final
drive.
The driver steers by turning a hand lebar. This actuates
hydra ulic motor cylinders which operate the hydrau lic steer
valve to control the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in th e
power steering system.
The main brakes are a pplied hydraulically, controlled by a
hand lever on the left side of the driver's hand lebar as on a
motorcycle.
The suspension is of the torsion bar type with six dual
rubber-tyred road wheels on each side, idler at th e front,
drive sprocket at th e rear and three top rollers. The first,
second and sixth road whee l stations mount a secondary
torsion bar within the body of the ax le arm and are brought
into action by stops mounted on the hu ll plate. In addition
th e stations incorporate ex ternally-mounted shock a b-
sorbers. Upward movement of the suspension is li mited by
bump stops which provid e a progress ive defl ec tion res istance
up to th e solid bump condition. Hydro-pneumatic suspen-
sion with integral damping is also ava ilable for the Va liant
MBT.
The tracks are made of cast manganese s teel and when new
each track has 98 links. Rubber pads can be fitted to redu ce
d amage to road surfaces. The upper part of th e track, idl er
Commander's panoramic Solid state
gyrostabilised sight metadyne
Thermal Gyrostabilised
sight monitor thermal imaging sight
115
Vickers Valiant MBT fitted with universal turret armed with 120 mm L 11 AS rifled tank gun manufactured by Royal Ordnance
Nottingham. Note roof-mounted sights

wheels a nd top supporting roll ers a re enclosed and protected
by fixed track guards a nd removable Chobham armour side
plates.
The Valiant has two features that help to reduce its detec-
tion by night sig hts and other heat-sensing devices. These are
its coat of infra-red reflective paint and th e fact that the hot
exhaust gases are mixed with the cooling air before being
discharged.
Standard equipment includes a fixed fire-extinguishing
system in the engine compartment and NBC pack in the
turret rea r. The latter pressurises the interior of the veh icle to
about 70 mm water gauge. A relief va lve on the underside of
the turret bustle vents excess air to the atmosphere. The pack
can a lso be used for venti lation in which case the NBC filters
are by-passed. Optional equipment includ es hea ted clothing,
fire-detection and suppression system and a 12.7 mm a nti-
aircraft machine gun.
Variants
Valiant 155 mm SPG
This would be th e Va liant MBT chassis fitted with the
155 mm turret developed by Vickers Shipbuilding a nd

SPECIFICATIONS TRACK WIDTH 559mm BATIERIES 2 x 6TN in hull

LENGTH OF TRACK ON ARMAMENT
GROUND 4.47 m main 1 x 120mmorl05mm
CREW 4 MAX ROAD SPEED 61 .2 km/h coaxial 1 x 7.62mm MG
COMBAT WEIGHT 46000 kg FUEL CAPACITY 1150 litres anti-aircraft 1 x 7.62mm MG
UNLOADED WEIGHT 43400 kg RANGE (at 32.2 km/h) 380km SMOKE-LAYING
POWER-TO-WEIGHT FORDING 1.lm EQUIPMENT smoke di schargers
RATIO 21 .74 bhp/tonne (with GRADIENT 60% eilher side 01 turret
Rolls-Royce engine) or 19.89 SIDE SLOPE 30% AMMUNITION
bhp/tonne (with General VERTICAL OBSTACLE 0.9 14 m main 56 rounds 105 mm or 44
Motors engine) TRENCH 3m rounds 120 mm Rheinmetall
GROUND PRESSURE 0.89 kg/cm' TURNING RADIUS pivot or 52 rounds 120 mm RO
LENGTH ENGINES Roll s-Royce CV12 TCA 7.62mm 3000 rounds
gun lorwards, Hl5 mm 9.53m 2-stroke 12-cylinder GUN CONTROL
gun lorwards. 120 mm 10.62m diesel developing 1000 EQUIPMENT
gun rear, 105 mm 8.59 m bhp at 2300 rpm or Turrel power control electric/manual
gun rear. 120 mm 9.68 m General Molors by commander yes
hull 7.36 m 12V-71T 2-slroke by gunner yes
WIDTH compression ignition , Gun elevation/
without applique 12-cyli nder diesel depression +20'/- 10'
armour 3.03 m developing 915 bhp at commander's override yes
with applique armour 3.61 m 2500 rpm Commander's lire-
HEIGHT TRANSMISSION TN12-1000 automatic with 6 control override yes
to turret top 2.64 m forward and 2 revers e gears, Gun stabi li ser
to top of commander's with manual selecti on for verti cal yes
sight 3.1 m emergency use horizontal yes
to top of th ermal STEERING Merritt regenerati ve Range setting
sight hood 3m CLUTCH centrifugal device yes
GROUND CLEARANCE 0.457 m SUSPENSION torsion bar Elevati on quadrant yes
TRACK 2.7 m ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24 V Traverse indicator yes

Status: Developm ent of 120 mm version was completed in Manufacturer: Vickers D efenc e Syste ms, Armstrong
1982. Works , Newcas tle-upon-Tyne NE99 lCP, Engla nd .

11 6

Vickers Valiant MBT fitted with universa l turret armed with 120
mm L 11 A5 rifled tank gun wh ich is equipped with Vi ckers
Defence Systems Limited designed thermal sleeve. Note coaxial
7.62 mm Hughes Heli copters Chai n Gun
Engineering Limi ted a nd is full y d escri bed in th e entry for th e
Vickers Mk 3 MBT.
Vickers Valiant Armoured Recovery Vehicle
This would be fitted with a capsta n winch with a no mina l
direct line p ull of 30 tonn es ca pa ble of d ealing with a ll normal
recove ry opera ti ons, but where necessary, th e line pull can be
increased to 75 tonnes by multi-reeving of the rope using
recovery equipment provided with the vehicl e. If required a
hydrau lically-opera ted cra ne can be fi tted to facili tate
removal and replace ment of power packs in th e fi eld. For th e
recovery ofli ght vehicles a nd to ass ist in main winch deploy-
ment a n a uxili a ry winch with a 3 tonne pull is fi tted .
Vickers Va liant Armoured Bridgelayer
This wo uld be fitt ed with a C lass 60 bridge which would be
la un ched over th e front of th e ve hicle a nd be 13.4 metres long.
Centurion Main Battle Tank
Development
In 1943 th e Depa rtment of Tank D esign was asked to sta rt
design wo rk on a new heavy cruiser ta nk und er th e des ig na-
tion A4 1. This ta nk was req uired to have good arm our pro-
tection, be a rm ed with a 17-pounder g un a nd have a good
cross-co untry perform a nce: a hig h road speed was not consi-
dered esse ntial a t th a t time. The first mock-up of th e A4 1 was
completed in 1944 a nd six prototype ta nks were completed in
early 1945. These were sent to G erma ny but arrived too la te
to see a ny comba t. The A41 la ter became known as the
Centurion Mk I a nd th e upa rmoured A4 1A became th e
Centurion Mk 2, bo th a rmed with th e 17-pound er g un .
The C enturion was first used in action by th e British Arm y
in K orea a nd has since seen combat in the Middle East (with
Egypt, Israel, Iraq, Jord a n and in the Leba non) , with the
India n Army during th e Indo-Pa kista n wa r, a nd in Viet-
Na m with the Australia n Arm y.
Througho ut its life the C enturion has proved capa ble of
being up a rmoured a nd upgunn ed. It was originally a rm ed
with th e 17-pound er which was replaced first by th e 20-
pounder a nd fina ll y by the 105 mm L7 seri es g un which was
subsequ ently ad opted by ma ny other co untries a nd is now
fitted to ma ny ta nks including th e Leo pard I , M erkava,
M 48AS (a nd other M 48s), M 60, pz 6 1 a nd p z 68, T ype 74, S
T a nk, Vickers MBT, Vickers Valiant a nd th e American M I.
Other improvements carried out during its life included
increased fu el capacity, contra-rotating commander' s c upola
Centu ri on Mk 9 with 105 mm L7 gun and infra-red night vision
equ ipment
117
Centurion Mk 10 MBT

and improved stowage. All models of the ta nk used the same gunn er has a periscopic sight wi th ballisti c pa ttern gra ticul e,
basic engine a nd tran smission . . linked to a range drum for ta rge ts betwee n 3000 and 8000
Produ ction of th e Centurion was und erta ken by the Royal metres. The co mm and er's a nd g unner's sights a re linked by a
Ordnance Factories a t Leed s a nd Woolwich , Vickers a t Els- hea t- co mp ensated bar.
wick a nd Leyland M otors a t Leyland . The majority were The load er is provided with twin ha tch cove rs th at open
built a t Leeds a nd Elswick. Produ ction of the C enturi on was front a nd rear a nd a single observation periscope.
fin a lly co mpleted in 1962 by which time 4423 ta nks had been The engine compa rtment a t th e rea r is sepa ra ted from the
built of which a t least 2500 have been exported. In th e British fi ghting co mpartm ent by a fi re proof bulkhead. Air is d rawn
Army the Centurion was replaced from th e la te 1960s by th e in throu gh th e engin e deck louvres by two fa ns. Power is
C hieftain . tra nsmi tted from th e engine through th e clutch to th e
tra nsversely-mounted M erritt-Brown tra nsmission . This is a
combined cha nge-speed a nd steering mecha nism and incor-
CENTURION PRODUCTION pora tes a differentia l. Drive fro m th e output epi cyclic gears a t
Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark each end of th e gea rbox is trans mi tted thro ugh a n internally-
Years 1 2 3 5 7 8 9 10 Totals too th ed coupling ring a nd a n ex tern ally- too th ed drivi ng shaft
1945/46 1 1
1946/47 48 57 105 to the fin a l dri ve.
1947/48 52 192 30 274 The H orstm a nn suspension co nsists of three uni ts on each
1948/49 139 139 side, each carry ing two pairs of road wheels sprung by one set
1949/50 193 193 of conce ntri c springs. The first a nd las t road wheel units a re
1950/51 229 229
1951 /52 500 500 fitted with shock a bsorbers . The drive sprocket is a t th e rear,
1952/53 573 573 idl er a t th e front a nd th ere a re six track return rollers, th e four
1953/54 565 1 566 du al roller centre ones and th e single front a nd rear ones
1954/55 359 154 513 whi ch support th e insid e of the track only. T he tops of th e cast
1955/56 245 36 129 11 421
1956/57 176 168 51 395 ma nga nese steel tracks are covered by removab le ar mour
1957/ 58 9 131 16 156 skirts whi ch provid e protecti on against HEAT proj ec til es.
1958/59 78 16 94 As originally built the C enturi on was not fit ted with any
1959/60 94 14 29 138 infra-red night vision equipm ent bu t in the 1960s ma ny
1960161 110 110
1961 /62 16 16 C enturions of the British Arm y were fitt ed with infra-red
drivin g lights, infra-red searchli ght to th e left of th e ma in
Totals 100 250 2833 221 755 108 155 4423 a rm a ment a nd infra-red sights for both th e comm a nder a nd
gunner. The ta nk has no NBC sys tem or a mphibious ca pa bil-
ity altho ugh a dee p fording kit was developed. A dozer blade
Description (Mk 13)
T he all-welded hull of the C enturion is di vided into three Centurion Mk 3 MBT with commander's hatch open (Ministry of
compa rtm ents: dri ver' s a t th e front, fighting in th e centre, Defence)
a nd engine a nd tra nsmission a t th e rear.
The driver is seated at the front of the hull on th e right side
and is provided with two ha tch covers th a t open either sid e of
his position, each with a periscope. T o th e left ofth e driver is
a mmunition .
The turret in th e centre of th e hull is of cast constru ction
with th e roof welded into position. There is a n a mmunition
resupply hatch in the left side of th e turret a nd stowage boxes
on either sid e of the turret. Most vehicles have a wire stowage
rack at the rear of the turret. The load er is seated on the left of
the turret,' commander on th e right, and th e gunner in front of
a nd below the commander.
The commander's cupola can be traversed through 360
degrees by hand and is provided with split-hatches, peris-
copic sight with a ballistic pattern and seven periscopes for
all-round observation. A searchlight mounted a t th e com-
mander' s station can be fitted with an infra-red filter. The

118
Type AP05-T AP05-T APFS05-T OSfT HESH Smoke
DESIGNATION l28A1 L52A1 L64 L45A1 L37 L39
WEIGHT OF COMPLETE ROUND 18A6 kg 19.14 kg 18 kg 14.91 kg 21 .21 kg 26.35 kg
WEIGHT OF PROJECTILE 5.84 kg 6A8 kg 6.05 kg 3.91 kg 11 .25 kg 19.58 kg
WEI GHT OF PROPELLANT 5.6 kg 5.6 kg 5.6 kg 3.9 kg 2.84 kg OA kg
PROPELLANT TYPE NO/M11 NO/M12 L NO/M07 NH 08 WM 04

can be mounted at the front of the hull for clea ring obstacles Centurion Mk 5 was designed by Vickers at Elswick and
and preparing fire positions. One of the shortcomings of the armed with a 20-pounder gun.
Centurion was its short operational range, although later Centurion Mk 5/ I is Mk 5 uparmoured .
production tanks had increased fuel capacity and the Mk 5 Centurion Mk 5/2 is Mk 5 with a 105 mm gun.
could tow a monowheel trai ler full of fuel to increase its Centurion Mk 6 is a Mk 5 uparmoured, with additional fu el
operational range. In addition to being used by th e British capacity at rear of hull and 105 mm gun.
Army the monowhee l trai ler was also used by Sweden and Centurion Mk 6/ I is a Mk 6 with infra-red night vision
the Netherlands. equipment and stowage basket at rear of turret.
Main armament of the Centurion Mk 13 is the 105 mm Centurion Mk 6/2 is M k 6 with ranging machine gun for
L 7A2 rifled tank gun which is provided with a fume extrac- 105 mm gun.
tor. I t has an effective range of 1800 metres with APDS round Centurion Mk 7 was designed by Leyland and is designated
or between 3000 and 4000 metres using HESH. A well- the FV4007. Armed with a 20-pounder gun with fume extrac-
trained crew can fire eight rounds a minute . tor and carries 61 rounds of 20-pounder ammunition.
The weapon is normally aimed using a 12.7 mm (0.50) Centurion Mk 7/1 is a Mk 7 uparmoured and d esigna ted
ranging machine gun mounted coaxially with the main FV40 12.
armament which has a maximum range of 1800 metres and Centurion Mk 7/2 is a Mark 7 with a 105 mm gun.
fires in three round bursts us ing tracer ammunition. The gun Centurion Mk 8 was developed from the Mk 7 and has
is fu ll y stabilised and the gunner can select a nyone of the resi liently mounted gun m antlet with no canvas cover a nd
following modes of operation: manual elevation and traverse, the commander's cupola is contra-rotating. The commander
non-stabi lised power traverse, stabilised powered elevation can also raise his twin hatch covers in an umbrella fashion for
and traverse or emergency, single-speed power traverse. improved visibility without exposing himself.
The 105 mm gun fires the following types of ammun ition,
a ll of which are of the fixed type with the projectile securely Centurion Mk 7 MBT with 20 pounder (83.4 mm) gun fitted with
attached to a brass cartridge case which contains the propel- fu me extractor (Ministry of Defence)
lant and initiated by an electric primer (see Table above).
All of the above ammunition is manufactured by Royal
Ordnance. The 105 mm gun can a lso fire ammunition
manufactured by other countries including Canada, West
Germany, Israel and the Un ited States .
Mounted coaxially to the left of the main armament is a
7.62 mm (0.30) machine gun and there is a similar weapon
on the commander's cupola for anti-aircraft use. Six
electricall y-operated smoke dischargers are mounted on
either side of the turret.
T he earlier 20-pounder (83.4 mm) gun fires the fo llowing
types of ammun ition : canister with a muzzle velocity of9 14
metres a second, APDS-T with a muzzle velocity of 1432
metres a second and HE with a muzzle velocity of601 metres
a second and smoke with a m uzz le ve locity of 2 15 metres a
second. Centurion Mk 2 ARV
There have probably been more variants of the Centurion
than any other post-Second World War vehicle in th e MBT
class. A full list of the g un tank models is given below fo llowed
by variants of the vehicle still in service; experimental
vehicles have been excluded.

Centurion Gun Tank Models

Centurion Mk I armed with 17-pounder (76.2 mm) gun;
none remains in service.
Centurion Mk 2 armed with 17-pounder (76.2 mm) gun ;
none remains in service.
Centurion Mk 3 armed with 20-pounder (83.4 mm) gun;
none remains in service, most brought up to Mk 5 standard.
Centurion M k 4 was to have been a close support model
armed with 95 mm howitzer, but was not placed in
production.

11 9

Centurion Mk 5 AVRE with dozer blade rai sed into travelling
position (Min istry of Defence)
C enturi on Mk 8/ I is Mk 8 upa rm oured .
C enturi on Mk 8/2 is Mk 8 with 105 mm g un .
C enturi on Mk 9 is Mk 7 upa rmoured a nd upg unn ed with
105 mm g un , d esigna ted the FV401 5.
C enturion Mk 9/1 is Mk 9 with infra-red ni ght vision equip-
ment a nd stowage basket on rear of turret.
C enturion Mk 9/ 2 is Mk 9 with ra nging machine gun .
C enturi on Mk 10 is Mk 8 upa rm oured , upg unn ed with
105 mm g un a nd has a n a mmunition ca pacit y of70 ro unds,
designa ted the FV 40 17 .
C enturi on Mk 10/1 is Mk 10 with infra-red night vision
equipm ent a nd stowage basket on rea r of turret.
C enturi on Mk 10/2 is Mk 10 with ranging machine g un.
C enturion Mk II is Mk 6 with ra ng ing machine gun , infra-
red nig ht vision equipm ent a nd s towage bas ket on turret
rea r.
C enturi on Mk 12 is Mk 9 with infra-red nig ht vision equip-
ment, ra nging machine gun a nd stowage basket on turret
rear.
C enturion Mk 13 is Mk 10 with ra nging machin e gun and
infra-red night vision equipm ent.
Centurion (Mk 5) Bridgelayer (FV4002)
As fa r a s it is known none of thes e bridgelaye rs rema ins in
servi ce. In addition to being used by th e British Arm y th ey
were also us ed by Canad a a nd Au stralia.
Centurion (Mk 5) Bridgelayer ARK (FV4016)
This was used only by th e British Arm y a nd has been with-
drawn from service.
Centurion (Mk 2) ARV (FV4006)
Until th e introducti on of th e Chie ft a in ARV in 1975 th e
C enturi on was th e sta nd a rd ARV of the British Arm y, a nd
even today is still used in small numbers. The Mk 2 was
preced ed by th e Mk I ARV but non e rema in in servi ce. Th e
ARV Mk 2 is essentia ll y a Centurion MBT with its turret
removed and replaced by an a ll-welded superstructure
behind th e driver' s position . The comm a nd er' s cupola can be
tra versed through 360 degrees a nd is fi tted wi th a 7.62 mm
(0.30) m achine g un . M ounted a t th e rear of th e hull a re
spades whi ch are us ed to sta bilise th e vehicle wh en th e win ch
is bein g us ed . The win ch' s 3 1 000 kg capacity can be
120
increased with th e aid of sna tch blocks to a max imum of
90000 kg. The ve hicl e has a loaded weig ht of 50 295 kg a nd a
crew of four.
Centurion (Mk 5) AVRE (FV4003)
This is used onl y by th e Briti sh Arm y a nd is basicall y a Mk 5
with its gun replaced by a 165 mm demolition gun a nd a
hydra ulic doze r blad e mounted a t th e front of the hull. The
A VRE can a lso tow a tra il er carrying th e Gia nt Viper mine-
cleara nce equipm ent. Th e Centurion A VRE has a crew of
five a nd weighs 5 1 8 10 kg loaded.
Th e Royal Engin ee rs now a lso use th e C enturion 105 mm
g un ta nk to suppl ement the origina l Centurion 165 mm
A VRE , th e form er is now referred to as th e C enturion
105 mm AVRE a nd th e la tter th e C enturion 165 mm AVRE.
Like th e Centurion 165 mm AVRE th e Centurion 105 mm
AVRE ca n a lso be fitt ed with th e Track Width Mine Plough
a nd ca n tow a Royal Ordn a nce Gia nt Viper mine cleara nce
sys tem.
Centurion BARV (FV4018)
This is used onl y by th e Briti sh Arm y a nd only 12 were built
for use by a mphibious fo rces. It is bas icall y a Centuri on ta nk
with its turret removed a nd replaced by a s uperstru cture th a t
ena bles it to operate in wa ter up to 2.895 metres dee p. It has a
crew offour, one of who m is a tra ined di ve r. Load ed weight is
40643 kg.
Vickers Retro-fit for Centurion
Vickers, in co njun ction with M a rconi Co mm and a nd C on-
trol Sys tems of Leicester a nd ot her co mponent suppliers, has
developed a series ofretro-fit modifi cati ons designed to bring
th e C entur ion into lin e with oth er modern MBTs. T o replace
th e M eteor petrol engine a nd a uxili a ri es a n integra ted
powerpack (V800 ) based on a G eneral Mo tors 12V-71T
di esel engine (o r a Rolls-Royce CV 12 T C E 750 hp engine)
with a power output of 720 bhp has been developed . T he
insta ll a ti on of this powerpack res ults in both in creased mobi l-
ity a nd increased ra nge of acti on. M aintena nce is a lso fac ili-
tated sin ce the powerpack whi ch co mprises radiators, fa ns
a nd fa n dri ves, altern a to rs a nd hea t excha nger can be
removed a nd replaced in a few hours. Quick disconn ect
self-sea ling co uplings ma ke it poss ible to cha nge th e po wer-
pack witho ut draining oils or coola nt fr om th e sys tems. The
new powerpack can be used with th e ex isting Z5 1R gea rbox
or a ltern a ti vely a TN 12 semi-a utom a ti c six-speed gea rbox
Centu ri on Beach Armoured Recovery Vehi c le (BARV) pushing a
landing craft off the beach (MoD)
 \

Ce ntu rion 105 mm AVRE fitted with Track Widt h Mine Plough and
towing a Royal Ordna nce Giant Viper mi ne c lea rance system
(Te rry J Gander)

Vicke rs V-BOO powerpack install ed in Centuri on MBT supp lied

by Vicke rs to Swiss Army

can be install ed. New fina l dri ve gears are a lso ava ilab le
whi ch will rurth er increase th e max imum speed.
The Control Engineering D epar tm ent or Marconi Com-
ma nd ' and Control Systems, L eices ter, o rrers a new g un
contro l a nd sta bi lisa tion sys tem to replace th e obsolete th er-
mioni c equ ipm ent, with greater reliab ility, better mainte-
na nce racili ties a nd a n improve d IJe rrOrm a nce. The c ubicl e is
co mp letely red es igned to use plug-i n modu les a nd solid-s ta te
components a nd new dupl ex co ntrollers and a mod ern gy ro
un it are a lso supp lied .
' Hthe Centurion is no t equ ipped with a 105 mm L7 se ri es
gun one ca n be fitted, in co njunction with upgunning a
ra ng ing machine gun, or a lternat ive ly a laser ra ngefind er ca n
be provid ed. T o bring th e co mm a nd er's sta tion up to mod ern
sta nd a rds a new cupola is und er d evelopm ent which co m-
prises a dua l magn ifica tion (X I and x 15) sight together with
a ll-round viewing periscopes. The cupola will be ava ilab le
with normal gear or contra-rota ting dr ives. In addition sev-
eral ot her improvemen ts such as a revised venti lation sys tem
a nd passive night vision equipm ent a re avai lable.
The Vi ckers concept is th a t any co mbin ation or th ese
mod ern raci lities can be inco rpora ted a nd retro-fit kits wi ll be
avai lab le so th a t custo mers ca n mod ernis e Centurions in
th eir own worksh ops. Sweden has had one or its Centurions
brought up to th e new standard and Switzerland has ha d two
Centurions modernised by Vickers. But as orDecember 1985
no country had purchased th is kit in qu antity.
Centurion chassis fitted with Ma rconi Co mmand and Con tro l
Systems Marksman twi n 35 mm anti-aircraft tu rret
A Ce ntur ion has bee n used ror a series or hi ghly successrul
trials with th e M arco ni Command and Control Systems
Simp lifi ed Fire-control System 600 wh ich has now been
ad op ted by India ror its Vickers Mark I MBTs a nd by
Nigeri a ror its new Vickers Mark 3 MBTs.
M a n y co untri es have modifi ed the ir Cent ur ions to meet
th eir own specifi c req uirements. D eta ils o r th e modifi ca ti ons
ca rr ied o ut by Austria, Denma rk, J ord a n, Netherlands,
Sweden, Switzerland and South Arrica are g iven in th e sec-
ond part or this book. D eta ils or th e Israeli Upgraded Cen-
turion are give n in this part or this book und er Israe l.
Centurion with Marksman anti-aircraft turret
A Centurion chassis has bee n used ror initial firin g tr ia ls or
th e pri va te venture M a rksm a n twin 35 mm a nti- a ircra rt g un
turret.

PERFORMANCE COMPARISON
V800 Powerpack
Meteor Engine ZS1 R gearbox ZS1 R gearbox TN 12 gearbox
Mk IVB existing modified modified
final drives final drives final drives
POWER 650 bhp al 2550 rpm 715 bhp at 2500 rpm 715 bhp at 2500 rpm 715 bhp at 2500 rpm
MAX TORQUE 1550 Ib/ft at 1600 rpm 1740 Ib/ft at 1600 rpm 1740 Ib/ft al 1600 rpm 1740 Ib/ft at 1600 rpm
MAX SPEED 34.6 km/h 33.47 km/h 30.1 km/h 40.1 km/h
FUEL CONSUMPTION
road 0.184 km/lilre 0.389 km/litre 0.389 km/lilre 0.389 km/litre
cross-country 0.094 km/litre 0.166 km/litre 0.166 km/litre 0.166 kmllitre

12 1
 Vickers Main Battle Tank
SPECIFICATIONS

Model MkS Mk13 Development

CREW 4 4
The Chieftain MBT was designed to meet the requirements
COMBAT WEIGHT 50728 kg 51820 kg of the British Army in the late 1950s. Realising that several
POWER-TO-WEIGHT
RATIO 12.81 hpltonne 12.54 hpltonne
countries would not buy such a heavy and expensive tank,
GROUND PRESSURE 0.9 kg/cm' 0.95 kg/cm' Vickers designed a new 37-tonne tank armed with the
LENGTH GUN 105 mm gun from the Centurion and the engine, transmis-
FORWARDS 9.829 m 9.854 m
LENGTH HULL 7.556 m 7.823 m sion, brakes, steering and fire-control system of the Chieftain.
WIDTH 3.39 m 3.39 m The use of these Chieftain componen ts in a tank weighing
HEIGHT
without AA MG 2.94 m 3.009 m
only 37 tonnes improved their reliability and durability.
GROUND CLEARANCE 0.457 m 0.51 m In January 1961 a team of defence expe rts headed by the
TRACK 2.641 m 2.641 m
TRACK WIDTH 610mm 610mm
th em Indian Army ChiefofStalf, Lt General L.P. Sen, visited
LENGTH OF TRACK both the United Kingdom and West Germany to examine
ON GROUND 4.572 m 4.572 m tank designs which could be produced in India. The Vickers
MAX ROAD SPEED 34.6 kml h 34.6 km/h
FUEL CAPACITY 458 litres 1037 litres proposal was accepted and in August 1961 an agreement was
MAX ROAD RANGE 102 km 190 km signed between Vickers and the Indian Government under
FORDING 1.45 m 1.45 m
with preparation 2.74 m 2.74 m which the company would establi sh a factory in India for the
GRADIENT 60% 60% production of the Vickers MBT.
VERTICAL OBSTACLE Q~4m Q~4m
TRENCH 3.352 m 3.352 m
The first two prototypes of the Vickers MBT were com-
ENGINE Rolls-Royce Mk IVB 12-cylinder liquid-cooled petrol pleted in 1963, one of which was retained in the United
developing 650 bhp at 2550 rpm Kingdom and the other sent to India. Vickers established a
AUXILIARY ENGINE Morris USHNM 4-cylinder petrol, 20 bhp at 2500 rpm
TRANSMISSION Merrilt-Brown Z51 R manual with 5 forward and 2 reverse production line at its Elswick works in 1964 and the first
gears production tank was delivered to India in 1965 . In the mean-
STEERING mechanically operated, controlled differential
CLUTCH triple dry plate triple dry plate time the factory at Avadi, near Madras, was built and the
SUSPENSION Horstmann Horstmann first Vijayanta (as the Indians call the Vickers tank) rolled off
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24 V 24 V
BATIERIES 4 x 6 V, 115 Ah 4 x 6 V, 115 Ah
the production line inJanuary 1965. Initial production tanks
ARMAMENT were built of components supplied from the United Kingdom
main 1 x 83.4 mm 1 x 105mm but graduall y more and more parts of the tank (including the
coaxial 1 x 7.62 mm MG 1 x 7.62 mm MG
anti-aircraft 1 x 7.62 mm MG 1 x 7.62 mm MG engine and main armament) were built in India. By the time
ranging MG none 1 x 12.7mmMG production of the Vijayanta was completed in India it is
SMOKE-LAYING
EQUIPMENT 2 x 6 smoke dischargers either side of turret
believed that between 1200 and 1500 vehicles had been built.
AMMUNITION The Vijayanta still has the origin al ranging machine gu n but
main 65 64
7.62 mm 4250 4750
after evaluating several systems late in 1980 India selected
12.7 mm none 600 the British Marconi Command and Control Systems SFCS
GUN CONTROL 600 fire-control system for installation in the tank. An initial
EQUIPMENT electric/manual electric/manual
Max rate power batch of70 systems suppli ed from the UK. In 1968 Kuwait
traverse 360· in 26 s 360· in 26 s placed an order for 70 Vickers Mark I MBTs which were
Gun elevation/
depression +20·/- 10· +20"/ -10· delivered between 1970 and 1972.
commander's override yes yes In 1975 Vickers rebuilt the company demonstrator Mk I
Gun stabiliser
vertical
with the Leyland L60 engine being replaced by the General
yes yes
horizontal yes yes Motors 12V-71T turbo-charged diesel developing 720 bhp
Range selting device yes yes at 2500 rpm, but retaining the TN I2 transmission. This
Elevation quadrant yes yes
Traverse indicator yes yes increased the power-to-weight ratio to over 18 bhp/tonne, as
ARMOUR
Hull glacis 76mm' 118mm'
Hull nose
Vickers MBT Mk 3 with thermal sleeve for main armament
76mm' 76mm'
Hull sides front 51 mm' 51 mm'
Hull sides
rear upper 38mm' 38mm'
rear lower 20 mm' 20mm'
Hulilioor 17 mm' 17 mm'
Turret front 152mm' 152 mm'
, Estimated

Status: Production complete. In service with Denmark,

India (not in active service, for sale), Israel,Jordan, Nether-
lands, Kuwait (very few), Singapore (but based in Taiwan
for training), South Africa (from India, Iraq, Jordan and
United Kingdom), Somalia (from Kuwait), Sweden and
Switzerland.

Manufacturers: Leyland Motors, Leyland, Royal Ord-

nance Factory, Leeds, Vickers Limited, Elswick and Royal
Ordnance Factory, Woolwich.

122
 Cutaway drawing of Vickers MBT Mk 3 with new turret and new powerpack

-~-
[S- --

well as in creas ing th e maximum road speed to over 50 km/ h
and increasing max imum opera tional road range.
In 1977 K enya placed a n ord er for 38 Vickers Mk 3 MBTs
plus three ARVs, whi ch were a ll compl eted by la te 1980. In
Dece mb er 1978 K en ya placed a second o rd er fo r 38 Vi ckers
Mk 3 MBTs plus four ARV s whi ch were d eli vered from 198 1
to 1982 .
In August 198 1 the Nige ri a n Gove rnm ent placed a n ord er
worth so me £60 million with Vickers D efence Sys tems
Limi ted for 36 V ickers M ark 3 MBTs, fi ve ARVs a nd six
bridgelaye rs, with first del ive ri es being made in mid-1 983 .
The MBTs a re fitt ed with th e G enera l M oto rs 12V-71T
di esel eng ine, Pilking ton PE Co ndor co mm a nd er's day/ ni ght
sight a nd th e M a rcon i Comm a nd a nd Control Syste ms SFC
600 fi re-co ntrol sys tem . Ea rl y in 1985 Nige ri a placed a repeat
ord er for Vickers MBTs with fi rst d eli ve ries ta king place in
1985. The Vickers Mk 3 MBT has a lso been d emonstra ted in
Tha ila nd .
radia tors and eng ine compa rtment a nd is dis cha rged by fa ns
thro ugh outlet lo uvres over th e gea rbox compa rtment.
The T N 12 gearbox combines the Wilso n epicycli c gear
cha nge principl e with M erritt steering sys te m and provid es
six forwa rd and two reverse speeds. Input to th e tra nsmiss ion
incorpo ra tes a cent rifugal clutch a nd a n in p ut-dri ven pump
provides oil press ure for gear engagement. Steering is co n-
trolled by hydra uli call y-a pplied disc bra kes with a mecha ni-
cal interl ock to prevent simulta neo us engagement.
In addition to th e belt-dri ven 24-volt genera tor on th e
engin e a n a uxilia ry three-cylinder engine s uita ble for opera-
tion on th e same fu els as th e ma in eng ine dri ves a second
genera tor when th e main eng ine is not running.
Pilkington PE Condor commander's combined day/night sight
from rear as fitted to Mk 3 Vickers MBT

Description (Mk 1)
The a ll-weld ed ro lled steel hull of th e Vi ckers MBT is di vided
into three com partments: d river's a t th e fro nt, fig hting in the
centre a nd th e engine a nd tra nsmission a t th e rea r.
The dri ver is seated a t th e fr ont of the hull on the right sid e
and is provid ed with a single-piece ha tch cover th a t opens to
th e right. Forward of this hatch cove r is a si ngle AFV No 44
Mk 2 wide-a ngle observaion periscope for when th e ha tch is
closed , this can be replaced by a pass ive periscope for driving
a t night. T o the left of the dri ver are sto wed 25 ro unds of
a mmunition .
T he a ll-weld ed turret has a n a mmunition reloading ha tch
in th e left sid e a nd a s towage bas ket a t the rea r. The loader is
seated on th e left of the turret a nd th e co mma nder a nd
gunn er on th e ri ght.
The comm an d er is provided with a sing le-piece ha tch
cove r th a t opens to th e rear, a sight with a magnifi cation of
X 10 a nd six periscopes fo r a ll- round obse rvation . The g un-
ner is seated in front of a nd below th e comm a nd er a nd is
provided with a single sighting telescope with a ba llisti c
gra ti cul e. T he load er has a two- piece ha tch cover th a t opens
front and rea r a nd is provid ed with a n observation periscope
in front of his pos ition .
The eng ine, transmission , stee ring sys tem a nd bra kes a re
a t th e rea r of th e hull. T he co mplete powerpack consisting of
th e L60 engine, transmission, radi a tors, fa ns, coola nt a nd oil
filter ca n be removed from th e ta nk as a complete unit.
C ooling air is drawn by way of th e lo uvres, th ro ugh the
123
Vickers Mk 3 MBTwithoutthermal sleeve for main armament and
track guards not fitted during pre-delivery trials in UK

The torsion bar suspension system consists of six dual

rubber-tyred road wheels wid{ the idler at the front, drive
sprocket at the rear and three track return rollers. Suspension
units one, two and six incorporate secondary torsion bars
which are brought into action by stops mounted on th e hull.
The first, second and sixth road wheel stations are provided
with a hydraulic shock absorber. The tracks are of cast
manganese with removabl e rubber pads.
Standard equipment for th e Mk I includes fire warning
and internal fire-fighting systems. Optional equ ipment
included an NBC system, night vision eq uipment and a
flotation screen carried collapsed around the top of the hull
which would take between 15 and 30 minutes to erect. The
ta nk wou ld then be steered and propelled in the water by its
tracks at a speed of6.4 km/h. Some Indian vehicles have an
infra-red/w hite searchlight mounted to the left of the main
a rm a ment.
Main armament consists ofa 105 mm L7AI gun which is
normally aimed using a 12.7 mm (0.50) ranging machine gun
wh ich is mounted coaxially with the main armament. This
has a maximum range of 1800 metres and fires three-round
bursts of tracer ammunition. The 105 mm gun fires th e fol-
lowing types of ammunition, a ll of which are of the fixed type
with the projectile securely attached to a brass cartridge case
which contains the propellant and is initiated by an electric
primer (see Table below).
During trials a Vickers MBT engaged ten targets at ranges
of between 600 and 1000 metres in 55 seconds. Of 44 rounds
of a mmunition carried five rounds are und er th e gun, eight on
th e turntabl e floor, three on the left side of th e turret and 25 to
th e left of the driver.
The tank is fitted with the Marconi Command and Control
Systems EC5 17 gun control and stabilisation system wh ich
has three modes of operation: non-stabilised , stabilised and
emergency. Mounted to the left of the main a rmament is a
7.62 mm (0.30) machine gun and a similar a nti-aircraft
weapon is mounted at the commander's station. Mounted
Vickers Mk 3 MBT from rear with 105 mm gun in travelling lock,
track guards have yet to be fitted
either side of th e turret a re six electrically-opera ted smoke
disch a rgers.
Variants
Vickers MBT Mk 2
This was a project only a nd was basicall y a Mk I with two
integral missil e launchers either side of th e turret rear for the
British Aerospace Swingfi re ATGW missil e.
Vickers MBT Mk 3
This is currently in production in the United Kingdom for
Nigeria and has a red esigned turret with a cas t front welCied
to armoured plate to give increased ballistic protection , new
powerpack and a new fire-contro l system.
Description (Mk 3)
The a ll- welded rolled steel hull of th e Vickers MBT is divided
into three compartments: driver's at th e front, fighting in the
centre and th e engine and transmission in th e rea r.
The driver's co mpartm ent is on th e right, with a single-
piece hatch cover opening to th e right. Forward of the cover is
a single AFV No 44 Mark 2 wide-angle periscope for
closed-down dri ving. This can be replaced by a passive peri-
scope for driving at night. To th e left of th e driver are stowed
25 rounds of 105 mm a mmunition .
The turret has a cast front weld ed to armour plate to give
improved ba lli stic protection . It has an ammunition reload-
ing hatch in th e left side and a stowage basket on the rear.
The loader sits on th e left of the turret and th e command er
a nd gunner on the right.

Type APDS-T APDS-T APFSDS-T DSrr HESH Smoke

DESIGNATION L28A1 L52A1 L64 L45A1 L37 L39
WEIGHT OF COMPLETE ROUND 18.46 kg 19.14 kg 18 kg 14.91 kg 21 .21 kg 26.35 kg
WEIGHT OF PROJECTILE 5.84 kg 6.48 kg 6.05 kg 3.91 kg 11 .25 kg 19.58 kg
WEIGHT OF PROPELLANT 5.6 kg 5.6 kg 5.6 kg 3.9 kg 2.84 kg 0.4 kg
PROPELLANT TYPE NO/M11 NO/M12 L NO/M07 NH 08 WM04

124
 The comma nd er's cupola has 360-d egree hand traverse
and has a rear- opening single-piece ha tch cover. The com-
mander has a Pilkington PE Condor combin ed day/ night
sight; this has day magnifications of X I a nd x 10 a nd a night
magnifi cation of X4. Using th e Condor, th e comma nd er can
aim a nd fire the main a rmam ent a t night o r in poo r light. The
sight has a n inj ected ballisti c gra ticule from th e collimator, a
ra nge readout from th e laser ra ngefind er, and controls for
opera ting the laser a nd for laying and firin g th e main
a rma ment. The comma nder also has six perisco pes for
observa ti on.
The gunner has a Vickers Instrum ents L23 perisco pic
sight, with magnifi cations of X I a nd x 10, incorpora ting a
Nd Vag lase r ra ngefind er a nd a ballistic gra ti cul e. The g un-
ner's sight is linked to the g un by a tempera ture-compensated
link ba r a nd to a collima tor in th e comma nd er's cupola. The
collima tor proj ects a n illumina ted ballisti c gra ti cule image
into th e fi eld of view of the comma nd er's sig ht when the
cupola a nd the turre t are lined up.
The load er has a single-piece ha tch cover th a t opens for-
wa rd a nd a n AFV No 30 Mark I observa ti on periscope.
The main a rma ment is th e 105 mm L7Al g un which was
originall y d eveloped for C enturion a nd is now fitted to ma ny
oth er ta nks. The L7 A lfires APFSDS , APDS, HE AT ,
HESH , HE , Smoke a nd C anister rounds.
The ta nk is fitted with th e M arconi Command a nd Control
Sys tems EC 620 g un con trol a nd sta bilised sys tem which has
three modes of opera tion: non-sta bili sed , sta bilised and
emergency.
A computerised fire-control system is fi tted to give th e best
cha nce of a first ro und hit. The M a rconi Comma nd and
Control Sys tems SFC 600 is used for its simplicity which
allows qui ck a nd accura te firin g a nd requires th e minimum of
training.
The 12. 7 mm ranging machine g un is retained. I t is a very
effecti ve heavy machine g un for use aga inst lightl y-a rmo ured
and soft-skinned vehicles. It a lso provides a back-up in th e
event of failure of th e laser rangefind er or fire-control
computer.
The second a ry a rm a ment is a coaxially-mounted 7.62 mm
machine g un. A furth er 7.62 mm machine g un is provided on
the comma nd er's cupola, in front of a nd to th e left of th e
ha tch . This wea pon can be elevated from - 10 degrees to th e
ve rti cal, a nd can be mecha nically cocked , aimed a nd electri-
call y fir ed from und er a rm our. A spotlight is fitted to th e cross
shaft of th e machine g un mounting. Elevation is achieved by
the comma nder's sig ht eleva tion gear, thus th e machine g un
and the spo tli ght follow th e comm a nder's line of sight
thro ugh a ll a ngles of eleva tion.
Fifty ro unds of I 05 mm a mmunition a re ca rri ed , 18 rounds
in th e turret below th e ring, 25 stowed horizontall y in th e
front of th e hull a nd seven stowed verti cally in th e hull centre
secti on .
Electri call y-opera ted smoke dischargers a re fi tted on each
side of th e turre t.
The engine, tra nsmission, stee ring system a nd bra kes a re
a t th e rea r of th e hull. The complete powerp ack consisting of
th e engine, radi a tors, coolant and oil filter can be removed as
a complete unit. All connections to th e powerpack a re by
means of self-sealing couplings, plugs a nd sockets so th at th e
powerpack can be readil y removed from th e vehicle for maj or
overha uls. By the use of suita ble ex tension leads th e engine
can be run up a longs id e th e vehicle for short period s.
A choice of engines is offered . In the K enyan a nd N ige ri a n
vehicles a Detro it Diesel 12V-71T, two-s troke, turbo-
cha rged di esel d evelops 720 bhp . Alterna ti vely a Perkins/
Rolls-Royce CV 12 T C A, fo ur-stroke, turbo-charged di esel
developing 800 bhp can be fi tted . Both th ese eng ines have
given several tho usand km of relia ble service in M a rk 3 a nd
other ve hicles. Details of th ese engines a re as follows:
Vickers Mk 3 MBT as built for Kenyan Army
125
Type VR800 V800
ENGINE MAKE Rolls-Royce General Motors
DESIGNATION CV- 12800E 12V-7 1T
CONFIGURATION 12-cy linder, 60'V formation, 12-cy linder, 60'V formation,
4-slroke diesel 2-slroke diesel
PISTON DISPLACEMENT 26,1 lilres 13.97 lilres
HORSEPOWER 800 bhp at 2300 rpm 720 bhp at 2500 rpm
TORQUE 2800 Nm at 1700 rpm 2350 Nm at 1800 rpm
COMPRESSION RATIO 14:1 17:1
AIR CLEANER 2-slage cyc lone/fi Iler 2-slage cyc lone/Ii Iter
ENGINE LUBRI CATION dry pump syslem dry pump system
MAX ROAD SPEED 62 km/h 50 km/h

The TN 12 V5 automatic gearbox combines the Wilson

epicyclic gea r change principle with th e M erritt steering
system and provides six forward a nd two reve rse gears. The
dri ver can initia te a n emergency sequential downch a nge to
first a nd also engage one forward and one reverse gear ma nu-
ally. Input to th e tra nsmission is by a centrifugal clutch; a n
input-sha ft dri ven pump provid es oil press ure for gea r
engage ment. Steering is contro lled by hydraulicall y-applied Vicke rs Armoured Recovery Vehic le with stabi li sing blade in
disc brakes with a mechanica l interlock to prevent simul- raised position and carrying a spare powerpack on hull top
ta neo us engage ment. The fin al drive gear ratio has been
raised to ta ke advantage of th e ex tra power availab le.
Cooling a ir is drawn in throu g h inlet louvres ove r th e
engine compartment, through the radiators a nd engine com-
partment a nd is disc ha rged by fans throug h outlet lou vres
over the gea rbox compartment.
Optiona l equipm ent includes add ed passive night vision
equipm ent, dee p wading and flot at ion equipment, fu ll NBC
filtr a tion a nd pressurisa tion , hea ter, a ir-co nditi oning,
contra-rotating gear for th e commander's cupola, and a n
a utomatic fire d etectio n a nd suppression system . A 12. 7 mm
machine gun can a lso be fitt ed on th e commander's cupola in
place of th e standard 7.62 mm machine g un .

Vickers Armoured Bridgelayer

The Vickers Armoured Bridgelayer (VAB) is design ed to
tra nsport, launch and recover a ta nk bridge which is 13.4 1
metres long a nd provide a clear span of military bridge
classification of class 60/70. The bridge is launched over th e
front of th e vehicle with the bridge la un ching equipment
hydraulicall y operated with power supplied by a pump dri-
ven from a PTO from th e ma in engine. As a n a ltern a tive, th e
bridgelayer can incorporate a horizontall y launched bridge.
Vickers AVLB based on Mk 3 chassis
Vickers Mark 3 MBT chassis with Vickers Shipbui lding and
Engineering GBT 155 155 mm turret
Nigeria has placed orders for 12 bridgelayers of the standard
type with th e first of these being deli ve red in 1984.
Vickers Armoured Recovery Vehicle
The Vickers Armoured Recovery Vehicle is based on th e
Vickers MBT Mk 3 hull. Three were ordered by K enya (two
with a crane and one without a crane) a nd were deli vered in
1980. In 1978 a furth er four were ord ered (two with a cra ne
and two witho ut a crane) for deli very between 198 1/82 .
Nigeria has placed orders for a total of 10 ar mo ured recovery
vehicles . The ve hicle has three co mpar tm ents: win ch com-
partment at the front with th e dri ver to th e left of th e winch,
th e o ther three crew memb ers in th e centre of th e vehicle and
th e engin e a nd transmission a t th e rea r.
The main winch is of th e ca psta n type with a nominal
direct line pull of2 5 000 kg working in conjunction with th e
ea rth a nchor spad e fitted to the front of th e ve hicle. Wh ere
necessary the line pull can be in creased to a nominal 65 tons
by multi-reeving of the rope usin g recove ry equipm ent pro-
vid ed with th e vehicle. The ve hicle is provided with a full
range of recovery equipm ent including pu ll eys, ca bl es and

126
tow bars and is also equipped with a crane capable oflifting
4000 kg to 3.62 metres which is primarily intended for
removing/replacing the V800 power pack, or a TN I2 trans-
mission. The vehicle has a weight of36 800 kg and is armed
with a 7.62 mm machine gun and two six-barrelled smoke
dischargers.
Vickers 155 mm SPG
Vickers Defence systems have proposed that the Vickers
Mark 3 MBT chassis could be fi tted with the private venture
Vickers Shipbui lding and Engineering GBT 155 155 mm
turret. This can also be mounted on other chassis including
the M48, M60, Chieftain, Centurion and Leopard I. The
155 mm weapon has an elevation of + 70 degrees and a
depression of - 5 degrees, with turret traverse being a full 360
degrees. Both manual and automatic loading systems are
available with a maximum possible range of 24 croo metres
with the HE and 30 000 metres with a rocket assisted projec-
tile. The four man crew in the turret consists of the comman-
der, layer and two loaders.
Vickers anti-aircraft tank
This is a Vickers Mark 3 chassis fitted with the Marconi
Command and Control Systems Marksman twin 35 mm tur-
ret which for firing trials has been installed on a Centurion
MBT chassis.

SPECIFICATIONS

Model Mk 1 Mk 3 Model Mkl Mk3

CREW 4 4 AMMUNITION
COMBAT WEIGHT 38600 kg 38700 kg main 44 50
UNLOADED WEIGHT 36000 kg 36100 kg 7.62 mm 3000 5000
POWER-TO-WEIGHT 12.7 mm 600 1000
RATIO 16.83 bhp/tonne 18.6 bhp/tonne GUN CONTROL
GROUND PRESSURE 0.87 kg/cm' 0.79 kg/cm' EQUIPMENT
LENGTH GUN Turret power control electric or manual electric or manual
FORWARDS 9.728 m 9.788 m by commander yes yes
LENGTH HULL 7.92 m 7.561 m by gunner yes yes
WIDTH 3.168 m 3.168 m Max rate of power
HEIGHT traverse 360" in 13 s 360· in 13 s
overall without AA MG 2.64 m 3.099 m commander's override yes yes
to turrel roof 2.438 m 2.476 m Gun elevation/
GROUND CLEARANCE 0.406 m 0.432 m depression +20·/-l" +20·/ -10·
TRACK 2.533 m 2.533 m Commander's fi re-
TRACK WIDTH 520 mm 520 mm control override no yes
LENGTH OF TRACK Gun stabiliser
ON GROUND 4.28 m 4.28 m vertical yes yes
MAX SPEED horizontal yes yes
road, forward 48 km/h 50.km/h Range setting device yes yes
FUEL CAPACITY 1000 litres 1000litres Elevation quadrant yes yes
MAX ROAD RANGE 480 km 600 km Traverse indicator yes yes
FORDING 1.143 m 1.143 m ARMOUR
GRADIENT 60% 60% Hull nose 80mm 80 mm
SIDE SLOPE 30% 30% Hull glacis 60mm 60mm
VERTICAL OBSTACLE 0.914 m 0.914 m Hull sides front and
TRENCH 2.438 m 3.1 m intermediate 40mm 40mm
ENGINE Leyland L60 Mk 4B General Motors Hull sides rear 30mm 30mm
6-cylinder water-cooled 12V-71T turbo-charged Hull top 25mm 25mm
mu~i-fuel developing diesel developing Hull floor 17 mm 17 mm
650 bhp at 2670 rpm 720 bhp at 2500 rp m Hull rear 20 mm 20mm
or Rol ls-Royce CV12 TCA Turret front 80mm n/a
12-cylinder turbo-charged Turret sides 4~mm n/a
diesel developing Turret rear 40mm 40mm
800 bhp at 2300 rpm Turret top 25mm 25mm
TRANSMISSION TN12 with centrifugal clutch and Merritt regenerative
steering system , 6 forward and 2 reverse speeds
SUSPENSION torsion bar torsion bar
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24 V 24 V
BATIERIES 4 x 6 V, 115 Ah 4 x 12 V, 200 Ah
ARMAMENT
main 1 x 105mm 1 x 105mm
coaxial 1 x 7.62 mm MG 1 x 7.62 mm MG
anti-aircraft 1 x 7.62 mm MG 1 x 7.62mm MG
RANGING MACHINE GUN 1 x 12.7 mm MG 1 x 12.7mmMG
SMOKE-LAYING
EQUIPMENT 6 smoke dischargers mounted either side of turret

Status: In service with India (Mk I), Kenya (Mk3), Kuwait

(Mk I) and Nigeria (Mk 3). Production continues in United
Kingdom for Nigeria,

Manufacturer: Vickers Defence Systems, Armstrong

Works, Scotswood Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE99 ICP,
England .

127
 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Tank Test Bed Program plete working system which was· due to be integrated into the
ITB in 1985.
Development/Description Meanwhile TACOM and Litton Systems Inc with
On 22 June 1982 TACOM awarded a $12.9 mi llion three Pietzsch Corporation of West Germany as major sub-
year contract to the General Dynamics, Land Systems Divi- contractor, have designed the Surrogate Research Vehicle
sion to design a nd build a Tank Test Bed (TTB). Unsuccess- (SRV). The SRV will sim ul ate the ITB concept as well as
fu l bidders for this contract were AAI, FMC and Pacific Car other possible Close-Combat Vehicle (CCV) configura tions.
and Foundry. It had been expected that two companies TACOM modified the hull while Pietzsch built the turret
would be chosen to build prototypes but budgetary consider- and associate test equipment. The SRV was completed early
ations meant that only one contractor could be selected. in 1983 and delivered to Fort Knox for two months of initial
The TTB will be based on the automotive components of trials . The ITB simulation exercise was completed in June
the MI MBT and armed with a modified 120 mm M256 1983. The SRV is essentially a M I hull with a low turret
Rheinmetall smooth-bore gun as fitted to the MIAI , first module with externall y-mou nted laser main gun simulator
production models of which were completed by General and mod ular crew stations and surveillance sights. The latter
Dynamics, Land Systems Division in August 1985 . can be moved to various locations throughout the vehicle to
T he TTB will have a new automatic loader, advanced find the best position.
surveillance technology and a three man crew all of whom
will be seated in the front of the hull for improved protection.
In a separate compartment behind the crew wi ll be an TANK TEST BED
ammunition basket and an automatic loader, with the PROGRAM
externally-mounted gun being positioned above the turret
nng.
The removal of the turret will enable the TTB to have a
much lower silhouette a nd a lso weigh abo ut 15 per cent less
than the current M I and allow for increased armour protec-
tion to cope with ant icipated future threat weapons.
The main and secondary armament will be aimed by
surveillance sights/tv cameras provided at both the com-
mander's and gunner's positions, with each equipped with a
tv monitor.
General Dynamics, Land Systems Division, as prime con-
trator, awarded two sub-contracts to Rheinmetall of West
Germany and FMC Northern Ordnance Division, for the OPERATIONAL ISSUES TECHNICAL ISSUES
construction of working models of a n automatic loader for the -CREW CONFIGURATION -AUTOMATIC LOADER
TTB. At a later date Western Gear was also includ ed. -SURVEILLANCE -REMOTE WEAPON OPERATION

All three models were evaluated by TACOM and Western -VEHICLE COMMAND a CONTROL -INTEGRATION REQUIREMENTS

Gear was subsequently awarded a contract to build a com-

Model of the Tank Test Bed (TIB) armed with 120 mm M256 smooth-bore gun (US Army)

128
 The first phase of th e SRV was completed early in 1984
and was to va lida te th e design of th e TTB extern al gun
concept a nd evalua te th e opera tional feasibility to remote
surveilla nce sighting conce pts .
Phase II was to sta rt in th e s ummer of 1985 and evalua te
an ad vanced closed-ha tch surveilla nce system built by Emer-
son Electric Compa ny. Phase III will include d evelopment of
an a utoma ti c cuing system .
Status: Development.
Manufacturer: General D yna mics, La nd Sys tems Division,
PO Box 1743, W a rren, Michiga n 48090, USA .
Future Close-Combat Vehicle System
In M ay 1980 th e U nited Sta tes Arm y Tank Au to motive
Comma nd Conce pts Laboratory held a pre-solicita ti on con-
ference to discuss future close-comba t vehicles to succeed th e
MI MBT, M 2 IFV a nd M 3 CFV . Representati ves from
more than 90 compa nies were given briefin gs on futur e com-
bat vehicle technology by representa tives fr om TACOM a nd
ARRADCOM. Briefings were also given on future opera-
tional concepts for th e mid-1 990s by representa ti ves from th e
Infantry Center and th e Armor Center.
Seven proposals were th en received from industry a nd
evaluated by a j oint DARCOM/ TRADOC team. Based on
its evaluations a nd other considera tions, fou r contracto r
teams were selected a nd inJ anu a ry 198 1 Chrys ler (now La nd
Systems Division of G eneral Dyna mics), FMC , Pacifi c C a r
and Foundry a nd T eled yne Continental we re awa rd ed con-
tracts for th e FCCVS . Each of th e winning teams consists of
a t least one ex perienced vehicle designer or sys tem inte-
gra tor, system analyst in terms of opera tional concepts a nd
threats, and a fire-control member.
Ea rl y in 1982 a draft of th e stud y and conce pts was pre-
sented to th e review board a t TACOM with th e fin al report
two months la ter. At th e same time as th e four teams carried
out th eir studies, TAC OM's Explora tory Development Divi-
sion, with oth er supportin g elements within th e Command
and ARRADCOM, carried o ut its conce pt studi es.
In th e spring of 1982 th e contractor's con cepts a nd in-
house concepts were delivered a nd during th e spring a nd
summer they were evalua ted a nd rated by a team of D AR-
COM and TRADOC experts. The FCCVS progra m initi-
a ted a second phase stud y from O ctober 1982 to December
1983. The second phase ex plored technologies proj ected for
the ea rly 21 st century.
It is ex pected th a t a seri es of testbeds may be built as a
resul t of the an alysis of th e vehicle concepts generated by th e
FCCVS progra m . D esign, fa brication and evalua tion of th ese
testbeds will form th e technical basis for formula ting th e
specifi cations for future close comba t vehicles .
The end product will be a fa mily of vehicle design conce pts
which wi ll replace th e M I/ M2/ M 3 fa mil y of close co mba t
vehicles.
FCCVS g uid elines includ ed th e foll owing desired
ca pabilities:
(I ) Fa mily of vehicl es proba bl y subdi vid ed in to two or more
weight classes which will redu ce the associa ted logistical
burden of s upp ly, maintena nce a nd training
(2) Counterm eas ures against sm a rt and to p attack
(3) Acti ve a nd passive co unte rm eas ures against threat
acquisiti on sys tems
(4) Offensive capa bility aga inst ha rd ened enemy pos itions
(5) M obility for th e in fa ntry compa tible with th a t bfa rmo ur
(6) Kill th e enemy as fa r forward as acquisition systems
permit without ex pos ing fri endly sys tems to detection/ killing
(7) Survivabili ty a nd susta ina bility in NBC en vironment
(8) When sophisti cated primary systems fail, continue to
fun ction a t a credita ble degraded level with unso phisti cated
back-up systems
(9) Refu el and rea rm ra pidly a nd witho ut crew ex pos ure
( 10) Bui lt in tes t, di agnosti c and training equipment
( II ) Self-defence against helicopter threat
( 12) C rew and syste ms protecti on (co mpa rtm entalisation ,
fire suppressa nts, low vuln era bility propella nts a nd fu el)
( 13) Deconta mination capa bility
( 14) Stra tegic a nd tactical tra nsportability
( 15) Self-contained mine detection , cl earing/d efeating ca pa-
bility
( 16) Pro tection against min es
( 17 ) O perate on th e dirty ba ttlefi eld (s mo ke, obsc ura n ts,
night, rain , snow)
( 18) Applique armour to res pond to cha nging threats o r meet
transporta bility requirements
( 19) Reduce soldiers' burdens/da ngers through robo ti c
devices
(20) Protecti on against di rected energy wea pons, bo th lase r
a nd RF
(2 1) Fight a nd survive in th e urba n environment
(22) Co mplexity hidd en fro m th e opera tor
(23) Comma nd a nd control from each vehicl e ty pe
(24) Red uction of emissions th a t create a ttacka bl e signa tures
(25) Avoid being seen (stealth-type meas ures)
(26) Attack th e fl a nk, rear, top and botto m of enemy vehicles
(2 7) Defeat or neutrali se targe ts with non-penetra ting mea ns
as well as through brute force techniques
(28) Survivability through high levels of mobility a nd agility
(29) Use of close comba t direct fire wea pons as las t resort
(30) Minimise th e number of types of a mmunition required
(3 1) Detect min es and NBC threats remotely
(32) PK :PH of fri endl y main wea pon a pproach 1:0
(33) Acquire a nd engage multiple ta rgets simulta neo usly
(34) Minimise vulnera bility of criti cal components
(35) Self-conta ined la nd naviga ti on systems
(36) D a ta processing equipment handl es routine reporting
(position , logisti c sta tus, readin ess sta tus, etc)
(3 7) Quick replacement of ha rdwa re pa rts (engines, tra ns-
m ission a nd filters etc)
(38) Improved engine perform a nce, multi-fu el ca pa bility,
high effi ciency
(39) Video displays for Ba ttlefi eld C3
(40) Ergonomics designed for continuous buttoned-up oper-
a tion on conta mina ted ba ttlefi eld
(4 1) Passive id entifi cation of fri end or foe
(42) Reconfi g ura tion ca pa bility, for cha nging roles of mis-
sions , through th e exchange of maj or components a nd g un
systems
(43) Commona lity of fire controls throu ghout th e fa mily
(44) Co mmonality of dri ve train components for bo th weig ht
classes thro ugh dupli cation of components
(45) On board protected facilities and suppli es for crew
requirements suffi cient for 72 hou rs.
129
M1 Abrams MBT
Development
Following th e demise of th e US-German MBT-70 inJ a nuary
1970 th e Un ited States Army went on to develop a more
auste re vers ion called th e XM803 . This was cancelled by the
United States Co ngress in November 1971 on th e grounds
th a t it was unnecessarily complex, excessively sop histicated
a nd too expensive. Congress did not dispute that th e Army
required a new tank, but th ey were concerned about its cost.
T he XM I Program was es tablished in D ecember 197 1 a nd
in February the following year the Army acti vated a task
force with the user, trainer and d eveloper participating to
formu late th e concept for th e new battle tank. This report
was published in August 1972 and the proposed characteris-
tics were th en reviewed to eliminate unn ecessary fea tures a nd
reduce costs to th e minimum. The fi na l programme was
contained in a Development Concept Paper, as amend ed,
whi ch was approved by the Deputy Secretary of D efense in
Janu a ry 1973.
In Jun e 1973 contracts for th e prototype develop ment
validation phase of the new tank, called th e XM I, were M1 Abrams MBT from above with commander's, gunner's and
a wa rd ed to th e two prime contractors. Each contractor was driver's hatches in open position (US Army)
required to develop a tank wh ich met th e materi a l need
requirements while remaining within a n average 'design- Version (A V) , was cond ucted between September and
to-unit hardwa re' cos t of $507 790 in 1972 dollars for pro- December 1976, utilising th e same criteria a nd constraints as
du ction tanks. Each contractor was required to deli ve r to the used with th e two American prototypes.
Army one prototype ta nk, one a utomotive test rig an d one In November 1976 the Secretary of the Army announced
hull a nd turret for ballistic tests . The D efense Division of th e that th e Chrysler Corpora tion 's prototype had been selected
Chrysler Corporation was awarded a contract worth $68. 1 to enter Full Scale Engineering D evelopment (FSED) , even
million , and th e Detroit Diesel Alli son Division of th e Gen- though the Leopard 2 (A V) was still being tes ted . The origi-
eral Motors Corporation was a warded one worth $87 million. nal bids , submitted in Jun e were for $22 1 million from
In Feb ru ary 1976 the Army accepted the prototype Chrysler and $208 million for General M otors but wh en th e
vehicles from both contractors and operationa l and engin ee r- new bids were subm itted Chrysler had dropped its bid to
ing tes ting was conducted through to April 1976. $ 196 million and the General Motors bid had increased to
InJ uly 1976 it was announced th a t th e Army had decided $232 million .
to delay th e decision as to the wi nner of th e XMI competition M ajor sub-contractors for th e M I MBT are:
to late th at year after the two competing contractors had Avco Lycoming Division, Stratford , Connecticut (engine);
submitted add itional a lternative proposals . The Secretary of Cad ill ac Gage Company, Warren, Michigan (turret drive
th e Army stated that 'This additiona l step represents an a nd stabili sation sys tem) ; Computing Devices Company,
ex tension of the validation phase of th e XM I tank progra m Ottawa, Canad a (balli stic computer); Detroit Diesel Alli son
and will call for the companies to submit revised proposals in Division, India na polis, Indiana (transmission and final
wh ich each will be as ked to bid on the basis of both ad vanced drives); Hughes Aircraft Comp any, C ul ver Ci ty, California
engine technology and new key components as those which (laser rangefi nd er a nd th erm al imaging sys tem ); Kollmorgen
dominate fi eld maintenance a nd logisti cs s upport in the field Corpora tion , Northa mpton , M assachusetts (gunner's aux-
a nd wh ich will lead to a higher degree of standard isa tion iliary sight ) and Singer Kearfott Division, C lifton, New
within NATO. This would permit th e final selection to be J ersey (line-of-sight data link).
made before the end of th e calend ar year.' Four contractor-operated plants supply compon ents to the
In acco rd ance with the D ecember 1974 MoU a compara- Lima a nd Detroit facilities: Scranton D efense Plant, Scran-
tive test and evaluat ion of the Leopard 2 American or Austere ton, Pennsylva nia (s uspension parts) ; Huntsvill e Elec tronics

M1 MBT

130
XM1 (now M1) MBT turret assembly at Lima Army Tank Plant, Ohio

Division, Huntsville, Alabama (electronic test eq uipment) ;
Sterling Defens e Plant, Sterling Heights, Michiga n (sighting
equipment and wire ha rnesses); and th e Detroit Arsenal
Tank Plant, Warren , Michigan (suspension components,
gun recoil mechanisms and machine parts).
Chrysler was awarded a three-year contract worth $196.2
million for the FSED phase, during which II XMI pilot
vehicles with th eir associated spares were produced a t th e
then Chrysler-run Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant. The first pilot
was completed in Febru a ry 1978 and the last in July 1978.
During th e three-year FSED phase th e II prototypes
und erwent intensi ve d evelopmental a nd operational testing
(DT/OT II) under a variety of operational conditions. The
OT II (Operation Test II) was conducted by the United
States Arm y Operation al T est and Evaluation Agency
(OTEA) a t Fort Bliss, Texas, from May to D ecember 1978,
to provid e da ta a nd associated a nalys is on the operational
effecti veness and military utility of the XMI MBT. During
the test period six XMI and five M60AI (RISE) tanks were
tested and compared in a reas of survivabi lity, hit perfor-
mance, fightability, target acq uisition, huma n factors a nd
mobility. The tank was also tested in th e areas ofreliab ility,

Crew stations on the M1 MBT (US Army) Avco-Lycoming AGT-1500 gas turbine as installed in M1

COMMANDER·S STATION
OPTIMIZED FOR
MAXIMUM VISIBILITY
WITH MINIMUM
VULNERABILITY
GUNNER·S COMBAT TASKS
INTEGRATED AND AUTOMATED
FOR FAST. ACCURATE TARGET
ENGAGEMENT IN MOBILE
CROSS·COUNTRY ENVIRONMENT

INTEGRATION OF CONTROLS. VISION

AND SEATING ASSURE DRIVER SAFE
CONTROLLED OPERATION AT HIGH
SPEEDS OVER CROSS·COUNTRY TERRAIN

13 1
availability, mainta ina bility, a nd logistics support. During Leopard 2 MBTs. This gives protection aga inst ATGWs a nd
trials with th e II pre-produ ction ta nks th ere were problems other battlefield weapons.
with th e gas turbin e air filtration sys tem, transmission, tracks The driver is seated at the front of the vehicle in th e centre
and fuel supply system. As a result, three XM I s were a nd operates the vehicle from a semi-reclining position when
modifi ed a nd tested in the second half of 1979 a nd most of th e dri ving with the ha tch closed. Steering is accom plished by
problems were overcome. A new steel sprocket hub with mud rotating a motorcycle type T -bar which actu ates the steering
di scharge ports, hull-mounted scraper to remove mud a nd lever on th e transmission to produ ce the steering speed bias of
sand as the track turns a nd inside steel blocks a nd a n outsid e th e track. At both ends of the T-bar a re tw ist grip controls
retaining r ing to prevent inside a nd outside throwing of the which serve the throttle for the electroni c fuel management
track. To hel p a lign the track a nd prevent da mage to the system. The condition offlu id levels, fi lters, batteries, electri-
suspension in the case of a n inside throw, a new inside steel cal conn ectors a nd circuit breakers a re displ ayed on the
plate was mounted above th e fin al drive. The suspension driver's maintenan ce monitoring panel. The driver is pro-
torsion bars were re-ind exed at each road wheel and a more vided with a single hatch opening to th e right with three
rob ust press ure valve a pplied to th e track adjusting arm, integral periscopes for observation when th e ha tch is closed.
which redistribu ted g round pressure a nd increased track The centre periscope can be replaced by a n image
tension a nd helped prevent th e tend ency towards thrown intensifi cation periscope for ni g ht driving.
tracks. Turbine blad e failures du e to entry of dust an d o th er The co mm and er and gunn er are seated on the right of the
matter through the seals in the engine a ir inducti on a nd turret a nd th e load er on the left. The comma nder is provided
filtration system were solved by fitting positive seals with six periscopes which cover 360 degrees, as well as a sight
throughout th e system. with a magnification of X3 for th e 12.7 mm machin e gun
By earl y 1982 Operational a nd D evelop ment T es t III had mounted over his position a nd a n opti cal ex tension of the
been completed . During this testing 54 ea rly production Mi s g unn er's primary sight. The g unn er has a primary sight
fired 40000 ro unds of main gu n a mmunition and travelled (G PS) with dual d ay optics with a magnifi cation of X 10
over 330000 km. The d evelo pmental a nd operational tes ts (narrow field of view), magnifi cation of X3 (wide fi eld of
showed that th e M I met or exceed ed th e requirements es ta b- view), close-in survei lla nce magnifi cation of X I a nd a n 18-
lished for major characteristics. degree field of view, thermal imaging nig ht vision opti cs with
The dust inges ti on problem had been solved but the MI a magnification of X 10 (narrow fie ld of view), magnifi cation
did not meet the operating range requirement, es tablished in of X3 (wide fie ld of view), sight stabili sation in elevation and
1972, of 443 km travelling at' a speed of 40 km/ h on level a Hughes laser rangefinder. The g unn er's a uxili ary sight (a
second ary roads. This requirement was met during earlier K ollmorgen mod el 939) has a magnifi cation of X8 and a n
testing, but the solution to the track-throwing problem , 8-degree fie ld of view. The loader is provided with a periscope
tightening track tens ion, res ulted in lower fu el economy. At a
speed of48 km/ h th e engine and transmission operated more Hughes Aircraft Company technician displays the sight unit for
efficientl y meaning fu el economy, a nd at 48 km/ h the 443 km M1 MBT. Hughes' Electro-Optical and Data Systems Group at EI
operational range can be exceed ed . Segundo
In the areas ofRAM-D, the MI met or exceed ed 12 of the
13 requirements. The only requirement not met was th e track
life and a new track is being d eveloped a nd tes ted to meet this
requirement.
In March 1982, Chrysler sold its ta nk building subsidi a ry
(C hrys ler Defense In corporated ) to General Dyna mics for
$348.5 mi llion.
Production is being undertaken a t th e Lima Army Tank
Plant in Lima, Ohio, with the first production tank com-
pleted in February 1980, a nd assembl y a t th e General
Dynam ics-operated Detroit Arsenal T ank Plant in 1982. The
origina l in tention was to procure 33 12 M Is at a cost of$4900
mi llion, bu t in 1978 this figure was increased to 7058 by th e
end of fisca l year 1988 a nd in 1984 was increased to 7467.
Prod uction increased from 30 a mon th in 198 1 to 60 a mon th
in 1982 which was maintained until J anua ry 1984 when
production increased to 70 vehicles a month a nd is expected
to remain at this figure.
By the end of February 1985 a total of2500 M I ta nks had
been d elivered with 19 battalion equi valents being fie ld ed.
Eleven battalion eq ui va lents had been fielded in Europe,
seven a t Fort H ood and one with th e National Guard a t Fort
Bragg. Worldwid e fl eet availabi lity in earl y 1985 consistently
exceeded th e Depa rtm ent of the Army goal of 90 per cent.

Description
The hull and turret of the M I is of advan ced a rmour con-
struction similar to the Chobham armour developed in th e
U ni ted Kingdom a nd a lso used on the Challenger a nd

132

M1 Abrams MBT showing its cross-country mobility
with a magnifica tion of x I whi ch can be traversed throug h
360 deg rees.
T he fi re-con trol sys tem includes th e lase r rangefind er, full
solution solid-state d igita l co m puter and stabilised day/
therm al ni ght sig ht. T he stab ilisa tion sys tem permi ts acc u-
ra te' firin g-on-th e-move a nd th e gunn er m erely places his
graticule on th e targe t, uses th e lase r ra ngefind er
(N eod ymium Y AG) to deter m ine th e ra nge, th e co mpu tel'
th en determin es a nd appli es th e wea pon sight offset a ngles
necessary to obtain a ta rge t hi t and the g unner opens fi re.
The ma in a rm a ment is equi p ped with a mu zzle reference
system to meas ure th e bend of the g un . Inform a tion from a
wind senso r mounted on th e turret roof and a pendulum
sta ti c cant sensor at the turret roof centre is fed a utom a ti call y
to th e computer togeth er with in puts from the laser ra ngefin-
der a nd th e lead a ngle. The following d a ta is m anua lly set:
battle sight range, ammuni tion type, ba rrel wear, mu zzle
reference compensa tion, ba rometri c press ure and a mmuni-
tion tempera ture.
The infra-red T herma l Imaging System (TIS ) has been
developed by th e Hughes Aircraft Comp any a nd prod uces a n
image by sensing the small difference in hea t radiated by the
obj ects in view. The detected energy is con verted in to electri-
cal signals which a re di splayed on a cath ode ray tube, simila r
to a tv picture a nd th e image di splayed is proj ected into th e
eyepiece of the g unn er's sight. In addition, th e sight displays
ta rget ra nge informa tion a nd indi cates the existence of mo re
than one return , da ta whi ch is received from th e Hughes laser
rangefind er. Read y- to-fi re indication and confir ma tion th a t
the sys te ms are working properly a re also provided .
The th erm al imaging sys tem genera tes a gra ti cul e pattern
boresighted to the laser ra ngefind er, as well as co mputer
symbology. This a llows th e gunn er to operate th e TIS just as
he wo uld the day sight. The infra-red sight is based on use
of co mm on m odul es, co m po n en ts s ta nd a rdi se d to
specifi cations of the U S A rm y Night V ision a nd Electro-
Optics La bora to ries .
The digital fi re-con trol sub-system is produced in Canad a
by Co mputing D evices Compa n y, a di vision of Con trol D ata
Canad a Limited . The fi re-con trol computer ha rd ware con-
sists of a n electroni cs unit a nd a sepa ra te data entry a nd test
panel. The electroni c unit conta ins th e co mpu ting element,
th e power regul a tors a nd in te rfaces with o th er elements of th e
fire-control system . The entry a nd test panel contains th e
keyboard , control switches a nd indicators, and a num eric
displ a y. The fir e-control co mpu ter carri es o ut a conti n uo us
monitoring of its internal fun cti on a nd mem ory, a nd prov id es
a visua l displa y of a ny malfunction. A ma nu a ll y initia ted
self- tes t facility gives fa ult diag nosis in either unit of the
system to the replaceabl e s ub- assembly level.
Power for th e electro-hydra uli c g un a nd turret dri ve sys-
tem is provid ed by a n engine-driven pump th ro ugh a sli p ring
in the turret/ hull interface, to a power va lve in the m a nifold
benea th th e main arma ment.
The crew compa rtm ent is sepa ra ted fro m th e fu el ta nks by
a rmour bulkheads. Sliding a rm our doors a nd spall-pro tected
boxes isola te the crew from on-board main a rm a ment
a mmunition ex plos ion . An a utom a ti c H ALO N fire-
exting uishing syste m in the ta nk reacts to th e outbrea k of a
fire in three milliseconds and ex tinguishes fires in less th a n
two-tenths of a second . Ready-u se a mmunition is stowed in
the tur re t bustle a nd in th e event of penetration by a HE AT
proj ectil e, the ex plos ion would blow off th e to p pa nels with
th e crew being pro tected by th e access d oors, provided they
were closed .
The Ml is powered by a n Avco-Lycoming AGT-1 500 gas
turbine which, according to th e m anufac turer, can o pera te
for up to 19 300 km before req uiring a n overha ul. The engine
opera tes prima ril y on di esel or kerosene-based fu el, bu t can
opera te on petrol during emergency conditions. A pproxi-
ma tely 70 per cent of the engine accesso ries a nd components
can be removed without removing th e powe rpack fro m the
ta nk . The complete powerpack can be rem oved a nd replaced
in less tha n a n ho ur co mpa red with four hours for the c urren t
M 60 series. The gas turbin e deli vers more horsepower to the
sprocket tha n a co mpa ra ble di esel engine beca use of the low
cooling requirement. The exha ust for th e gas turbin e is a t the
rear of the hull with the air inlet on th e hull top .
The engine is co upl ed to a D etroit Diesel X- I 100-3B full y
a utoma tic transmission with fou r forw a rd a nd two reverse
speeds. The transmission a lso provides integ ra l brakes, vari-
a ble hydros ta ti c stee ring a nd pivo t stee ring.
The improved torsion ba r suspension has rotary shock
a bso rbers a t the fir st, second a nd seventh road wh eel sta tio ns
wi th 38 1 mm of road wheel travel compa red with 162 mm in
the current M 60 se ries. T he to p of the s uspension is covered
by a rmo ured skirts that hinge upwa rd s to allow access to th e
suspension for ma intena nce. The drive sprocket is a t the rear
with th e idler a t th e front a nd th ere a re two return roll ers.
Sta nd ard equipm en t includ es a n AN/VDR-l (RA DIAC)
M 1 Abrams MBT from rear with turret traversed left and showing
extensive external stowage on turret bu stle (US Army)
133
 ity. A decision was th en taken to use th e West Germ an breech
on th e XM256 . The first M I of 14 pro to types with the
120 mm XM 256 gun began tria ls in th e first half of 1981
und er th e desig na tion M I E I which was subsequ entl y stan-
dardised as the M I A I.
Gun/ turret integration is being carried out by General
Dynamics, Land Syste ms Division. The new gun mount is
similar to tha t employed on th e bas ic 105 mm M I MBT.
Software changes were made to the co mputer on completion
offiring tab le da ta collection. The a mmunition racks, blow-
off panels a nd crew compart ment sliding doo r have been
redesigned.
Honeywell D efense Systems Division is the sys tems man-
ager for 120 mm a mmunition for th e MIA!. The a mmuni-
tion has a comb ustible cartrid ge case with a metal case base
that is ej ected during recoil. Types of 120 mm a mmunition
fired by the M I A I a re as fo llows:
M827 APFSDS-T, type classified in 1983 , simila r to Wes t
German ro und but uses a one-piece dep leted ura nium
M1A1 MBT with 120 mm Rheinmeta li-designed s mooth-bore
gun (DU ) round instead of th e two-piece tungs ten confi g ura-
tion of th e Wes t Germ a n round.
M829 APFSDS-T , type class ifi ed in FY 1985 , sta ndard
Radiological W a rning Device, chemical agent detector kit, a
combat round.
collecti ve NBC protection unit a nd personnel heaters.
M830 HEAT-MP-T, simil a r to West German round, type
The turret has been d es igned to accept th e sta nd ard
classifi ed in FY 1985.
105 mm M68 series gun or th e Germ a n Rh einmetall 120 mm
M83 1 HEAT-TP-T, training round for M830, type
smooth-bore gun which has th e Ameri can d esignation M256.
class ifi ed in 1984.
The 105 mm M68EI gun will fir e th e standard ammuni-
tion as used fo r th e M60 as well as the more recent M7 35
APFSDS-T, with depleted ura nium penetra tor and corres- M1 MBT being unloaded backwards from Lockheed C-SA
pondin g training projectiles. Of 55 rounds of \05 mm transport aircraft
a mmunition carried 52 will be compartmenta lised , 44 rounds
stowed in th e turret bu stle, 22 on th e left side and 22 on th e
right, three stowed horizonta ll y in spall proof containers on
th e turret basket and th e remaining eight s towed in th e hull.
The USA has decided to adopt th e 120 mm Rheinmetall
smooth-bore g un for th e M I . The fin al production decision
was ta ken in December 1984 and th e first two production
tanks with th e 120 mm smooth-bore gun were completed on
schedul e in August 1985 und er designa tion of the M I A I.
Under th e royal ty agreement .signed with Rh ei nmetall th e
United Sta tes Arm y will pay th e compa n y $30 million for US
defence purposes, three per cent of th e cos t of each gun
is provided und er gra nt aid of up to a max imum of $25
million a nd royalties offive per cent with a limit of$25 mil-
lion on a ny guns sold for export und er Foreign Military Sales.
The 120 mm RDTE cos t es timate (escala ted $ in millions)
was :

Gun and
ammunition Integration Total
FY78 6.1 6.2 12.3
FY79 21 .2 12.4 33.6
FY80 22.9 18.1 41 .0
FY8 1 29.6 31.8 61.4
FY82 26.3 60.3 86.6
FY83 26.6 27.5 54.1
FY84 9.3 45.4 54.7
FY85 0.5 12.6 13.1
Total 142.5 214.3 356.8

The first ba rrel of th e M 256 was compl eted a t W a tervliet

Arsenal in th e first half of 1980 and was th en shipped to
Aberdeen Proving Ground for tes ts a nd subseq uent safety
release. I t was intend ed to use a n Ameri can designed breech
but durin g the d evelopment process West Germa ny redu ced
th e number of parts in th eir breech a nd improved its relia bil-

134

General Dynamics, Land Systems Division M1 Abrams MBT
firing its 105 mm M68 rifled tank gun
M865 TPFSDS-T, type class ified in July 1984, for bas ic
gunn ery practi ce a nd can be used on most gunn ery ra nges
in th e U SA a nd Europe.
X M866, interim training ro und , T PFSDS-T
M·o unted coaxiall y to th e righ t of th e main a rm a ment is a
7.62 mm M 240 machin e gun, th e Belgia n FM MAG , a nd a
simila r wea pon ska te-mounted on the left side of th e turret for
th e loader can be elevated from - 30 to + 65 degrees, tota l
traverse being 265 d egrees. A total of II 400 rounds of
7.62 mm machin e gun a mmuni tion is carried. M ounted a t
the comma nd er's station is a sta nda rd 12. 7 mm (0.50)
Browning M2 HB machine g un which can be elevated from
-10 to +65 d egrees and can be trave rsed throu gh 360
degrees . This wea pon has powered a nd manu al controls for
traverse and manu al controls for elevati on. A total of 1000
rounds of 12.7 mm machin e g un a mmuni tion is carried.
Mounted on either side of th e turret is a British-designed
(L8A I) six-ba rrelled smoke discharger designa ted the M250.
Variants
Improved M1 MBT
First Improved MI was completed in December 1984 a nd
fin al deliveries a re ex pected to be made in Feb ru a ry 1986 .
The Improved MI is essentia ll y the MI with improved
armour pro tecti on.
M1A1 MBT
First two produ ction MI A ls were completed in Aug ust 1985
a nd of the original a nticipa ted bu y of7085 ta nks, 3790 were
expected to be Mi s. In addition to improved a rm our protec-
tion of th e Improved MI , th e MI A I has th e 120 mm Rh ein-
metall smooth-bore g un a nd a n in tegrated NBC system . This
provides th e crew with conditioned a ir for brea thin g a nd a lso
supplies cooling or heating for the crew as requi red while they
are wea ring th eir protecti ve suits and face masks.
M1A1 with Block II Improvements
First produ ction mod els of this version a re ex pected to be
completed in mid-1 988 a nd will fea ture all of th e im prove-
ments of the MI A I plus an improved comma nd er's wea pon
sta tion , eye safe C02 laser ra ngefind er, fas t refu el ca pa bility
(increased from 50 to 200 gallons per minute) a nd dri ver's
th erm a l viewer.
The command er's sta tion will ha ve a pano ra mic sight,
a utoma ti c search a nd detecti on ca pa bility, improved ta rget
designa ti on and hand off capa bility a nd a n improved
computer.
M1A1 with Block III improvements
This will enter production in 1989 and have all of th e
improvements of th e previo us models plu s some others.
M1A1 for US Marine Corps
The US Marine Corps has decided in principle to purchase
the MIAI to replace its current 71 6 seri es M 60A I MBTs.
The U S M a rin e model will be simila r to th e MI A I but havea
deep fording kit that would include a cap for th e gun barrel,
engine ex haust tower on th e hull rea r a nd two inlet towers o n
th e left side to th e turret rear. This would ena ble it to ford to a
depth of 2 metres with towers being removed by tra versing
th e turret once ashore.
M1 Abrams Bulldozer Kit
In 1978 th e Defense Division of th e C hrysler Corpo ra tio n
(now th e Land Systems Division of General Dyna mics)
studied th e possibility of ada pting th e M 9 bulld ozer kit to fit
th e M I MBT. The result of this stud y was th a t a reco mmen-
da ti on was made th a t a new kit be d esigned with a revised
mouldboard geometry to improve th e driver's vision a nd th e
overall system perform ance a nd yet ta ke ad va ntage of th e low
profil e of th e M I. I t was also recommend ed tha t improved
hydra uli c components be used allied to a ra pid couplin g a nd
release mechanism .
Design of th e new bulldozer kit was und erta ken by the
Belvo ir Resea rch a nd D evelopment Center a t Fort Belvoir
a nd la te in 198 1 th e Center aw a rd ed a production contract to
build a prototype kit to Ba rn es a nd Reinecke Inc, a nd this
prototype was tes ted a t Fort Knox in mid-1 984.
The M I Abrams bulldozer kit fits onto th e MBT' s lifting
eyes a nd towin g lugs and is powered by th e ta nk' s 24-volt
electri cal sys tem.
Tank Test Bed
T he chass is of th e M I MBT is also being used as th e bas is for
th e Tank T es t Bed (TTB ) for which th ere is a se pa ra te entry
ea rli er in this section .
M1 AVLB
In 1983 Bowen-M cLa ughlin-York (BMY) was awa rd ed a
contract for th e development of the H eavy Assa ult Bridge
(H AB) based on th e chassis of th e MI MBT. BMY is teamed
with Israel Milita ry Industries a nd the pro totype will be
deli ve red to the U S Army within 35 months and then
und ergo 12 months of ex tensive trials .
The three-pa rt bridge will , when opened o ut, be a ble to
span a gap 0[ 30.48 metes compared to th e 19.2 metres of th e
current AVLB based on th e M 48/M60 chassis, a nd will be
able to take vehicles weighin g up to 70 (US) tons.
M1 Mineclearing Vehicle
The min e roll er kit developed by C hrysler (now General
Dyna mics La nd Sys tems Division) fo r th e M 60 MBT has
alread y been s uccess full y tested fi tted to th e M I MBT.
135
SPECIFICAT IONS
(Data in bracket s relates to M1A1 where different) GRADIENT 60% AMMUNITI ON
VERTICAL OBSTACLE 1.244 (1.066) m main 55 (40)
CREW 4 TREN CH 2.743 m 12.7 mm 1000
COMBAT WEIGHT 54 545 (57 154) kg TURNING RADIUS p ivot to infinitely 7.62 mm 11400
POWER-TO-WEIGHT va riabl e smoke grenad es 24
RATIO 27 (26) hp/tonne ENGINE Avco Lycoming GUN CONTROL
LENGTH GUN AGT- 15oo g as EQUIPMENT
forward s 9.766 (9.828) m turb ine d eveloping Turret power control electro-hydrau ficl
rear 8. 971 (9. 033) m 1500 hP at 3000 rpm manual
LENGTH HULL 7.918 m TRANSMI SSION Detroit Diesel by commander yes
WIDTH 3. 653 (3.657) m X-1100-3B automati c by gunner yes
WIDTH REDUCED 3.479 m with 4 forward Max rate of
HEIGHT and 2 reverse power traverse (tracki ng) 4.2°/s
to turret roof 2.375 (2.438) m gears (slew rate with
overall 2.885 (2.886) m STEERING hydrostatic stabili sati on) 42°/s
FIRING HEIGHT 1.89 m FINAL REDUCTI ON Max rate of
GROUND CLEARANCE RATI O 4.3: 1 (4. 67: 1) power elevati on (tracking) 1.4°/s
hull centre 0.482 m BRAKING SYSTEM hydro-mechanica l (slew rate with
hull sides 0.432 m SUSPENSION advanced torsion bar control hand les)
TRAC K WIDTH 635 mm ELECTRI CAL SYSTEM 24 V 22.5°/s
LENGTH OF TRACK BATTERIES 6 x 12 V (slew rate with
ON GROUND 4.65 m ARMAMENT stab ilisation
MAX SPEED main 1 x 105mm commands) 42°/s
road 72.42 1 (66.77) km/h ( 1 x 120mm) Gun elevationl
cross-country average 48.3 km/h coax ial 1 x 7.62 mm MG d epression +20°1 - 9"
on 10% g rad e 32.2 (27.51) km/h anti-aircraft (+ 20°1 - 10°)
on 6Q% grad e 8.3 (6.59) km/h command er 1 x 12.7 mm MG Gun stabi liser
ACCELERATI ON anti-airc ra ft load er 1 x 7.62 mm MG verti cal yes (sight)
0- 32 km/h 7 (6.8) s SMOKE-LAYING hori zontal yes (turret)
FUEL CAPACITY 1907.6 litres EQUIPMENT 6 smoke discharg ers
MAX ROAD RANGE 498 (465) km either side of turret
FORDIN G 1.219m and integral eng ine
with preparation 2.375 m smoke generators

Status: First production ta nks were comp leted in Februa ry
1980. In service with US Arm y.
Manufacturer: Production is und erta ken a t th e Lima Army
T ank Plan t in Lima, Ohio, and fro m 1982 at the Detroit
Arsenal T ank Plant. Prime contractor is General Dynamics,
Land Sys tems Division, PO Box 1743 , W arren, Michigan
48090, US A.

Teledyne Continental High Performance
M60 MBT
Development
The High Performance M60 MBT has been d eveloped as a
priva te venture by th e General Products Division of T ele-
dyne C ontinental M otors. It is essentia ll y an M60 series
MBT fitt ed with a new powerpack, new suspension a nd , as
an option, additional a rmOUL These modifi cations can be
carri ed out on existing M60 series (eg M 60, M60A I or
M60A3) or incorporated in new production ta nks. The T el e-
dyn e C ontinenta l High Perform ance M60 is also known as
th e Super M 60.
The company leased an M 60AI from th e US Arm y in 1978
for th e d evelopment of this model bu t so far th e Army has not
evaluated th e High Performance M60 MBT.
Description
The engine fitted is th e A VCR-1790-1 B 12-cylinder, alr-
cooled , fu el inj ected and turbo-cha rged di esel which is a
modifi cation of th e standard A VDS-1790-2C diesel and
develops 1200 hp a t 2400 rpm compared with th e 800 hp a t
2400 rpm of th e latter engine. Most of th e components, a part
from th e pistons, are th e same as in th e A VDS-1790 of which
over 32 000 have been built.
T he varia ble compression ra tio (VCR ) pistons allow th e
engine to adjust compression ratios to vehicle load d ema nds.
T eled yn e C ontin enta l a lso d evel op ed th e I SOO hp
A VCR-1 360 which powered the Ameri can version of th e
MBT-70 as well as th e Genera l M otors entry in th e XM I
MBT competition. M ore recently the engine has been fitted
in th e U S Arm y High M obility Agility T est Vehicle which
also has hydro-pneuma tic suspension.
The engine is coupled to a W es t Germ an Renk RK.-304
transmission which is fully a utomatic instead of the manual
Allison CD-8S0 installed in th e standa rd M 60 series and
incorpora tes a torque converter and lock-up clutch. Its steer-
ing sys tem provides two steerin g radii per gear range (eight
tota l) for greater manoeuvra bility. As th e range selection is
a utomati c th ere is no need for the driver to downshift, th e
transmission when he encounters a tight turn as in the case of
the sta ndard M60. With th e RK- 304 pivot steer can be
accomplished a t two different speeds. The RK- 304 also has a
hydra ulic retard er which provides braking when the vehicl e
is being driven downhill.
Rela ti vely little modifi cation is required for installi ng th e
new powerpack, but includes new mountings, replacing th e
existing air-inlet grilles by an improved d esign which allows
greater air-fl ow for th e new higher capacity air cleaner,
replacing an access door over the engine by a grille and some
modifi cations to th e fuel tanks. The fin al dri ve ratio has been
changed from S.08 to 4. 27: I.
PERFORMANCE COMPARISON
Model High
Basic Performance
M60 M60
Maximum road speed 48.2 km/h 74 km/h
Acce leration. 0-:32 km/h 15 s 9s
Powe r-to-wei ght rati o 14. 1 hp/t 23.1 hpll

136

Frontal view of High Performance M60 MBT with applique steel
armour package
To a llow the vehicle to use its high speed over rough terrain
the original torsion ba r suspension has been replaced
by an hydro-pneumatic suspension system that gives the tank
the capability to negotiate marginal terrain without hull
bulldozing.
The hydro-pneumatic suspension system was origi na lly
developed by the National Wa terlift Company and has been
installed on ot her vehicles including the HIMAG (Model
2867), General Motors XMl (Model 2857) and Centurion
(Model 2869). The Model 2880 is being proposed for the M I
MBT, the Model 2884 is being offered for vehicles in the 20 to
22-tonne range . The High Performance M60 has the Model
2866 which has already been tested in three M60 MBTs
covering some 18 000 km and allows a vertical road wheel
travel of 343 mm compared with the 163 mm of the basic
M60.
Over Profile IV cross-country terrain the M60 with
hydro-pneumatic suspension ac hi eved a speed of
38.62 km/h compared to the basic M60 with torsion bar
suspension which achieved a speed of 14.48 km/h.
In add ition to allowing a higher cross-country speed and
giving a better ride for the crew, the hydro-pneumatic sus-
pension system also allows the tank to fire on the move with
increased acc uracy and tests have shown that the crew can
load and fire the main armament while the tank is running
over rough terrain at speeds of up to 32 km/h .
The hydro-pneumatic suspension uni~s are externall y
mounted and provide for vehicle springing and damping.
The unit is sealed and protected with a low-pressure relief
valve to prevent over pressurisation of the hydraulic system .
Disabled unit tests have confirmed that the tank can get
home without difficulty.
The High Performance M60 can also be fitted 'with a new
low profile commander's cupola and an applique steel
armour package. The latter covers the complete turret
including the mantlet, sides, rear and top, hull glacis and
front deck on either side of the driver's hatch and new side
skirts .
The new spaced app lique armour provides additional pro-
tection against high velocity kinetic energy weapons, shaped
charge warheads and artillery projectiles. The High Perfor-
mance M60s armour package includes:
Applique armour
Turret (fron tal arc protection from 125 mm weapons)
Turret (top and side protection from 30 mm weapons)
Hull (front and glacis protection for kinetic and HEAT
weapons)
Side skirts
Track a nd hull (protection from HEAT warheads)
Special high-hardness steel plates and composite ceram ic
modules provide added protection to th e turret, gun mantlet
and hull. These plates, up to 22 mm thick, have a Brinell
Hardness Number exceeding 500. Similar plates add to th e
protection of the turret top and engine compar~ment.
Side skirts increase the protection to the hull, tracks and
the suspension system. Constructed with a layer ofSita l type
material sandwiched between two high-hardness steel plates,
the side skirts resist penetration of shaped charge weapons.
The skirts are modular for easy access to th e hydro-
pneumatic suspension units and track.
The vehicle can also be fitted with an automatic fire sup-
pression protection system and automatic NBC protection .
The latter has been designed for the High Performance M60
by Engineered Air Systems Incorporated and is a positive-
pressure filtration system that removes toxic agents from air
entering the tank. The system provides clean filtered a ir to
the crew compartment and to the venti lated face pieces of th e
tank crew in an NBC environment. The system also provid es
ventilation a ir to the crew compartment when the vehicle is in
a non -toxic environment.
The High Performance M60 is equ ipped with a full solu-
tion Laser Tank Fire-Control System (L TFCS). This fully
integrated system has been designed to increase survivabi lity
and first round hit capabilities and to provide the gunner
with a simplified firing sequ ence. The target is acq uired,
ammunition selected, laser rangefinder activated, firing but-
ton depressed and the gunner then observes the hit.
The L TFCS includes a Nd- Y AG laser, second generation
image intens ifier or thermal imager, built in fault isolation,
full solution system, full back up modes, simplified controls
and M35 gunner's sight modified to include laser visual unit.
The weapon/turret stabilisation system provides th e High
Performance M60 with the ability to fire on the move while
travelling over rough terrain or during evasive ma noeuvring.
During cross-country operations, the Super M60 has an 80
per cent hit probability at 1000 metres. The stabilisation
system a utomatically keeps the weapon precisely oriented
allowing the gunner to keep on "target in spite of vehicle roll,
pitch and yaw positions . The new system uses state-of-the-a rt
electronic and hydraulic components to provide a high level
of reliabi lity.
Acceleration comparison of High Performance and standard H60
MBTs
-
--
ACCELERATION COMPARISON CHART
30
/ AVCR·""
r - 1200HP f..--
25
/ 4.26/
RK·304
f..--
/
20 A ~
STD.M60
15
// AVDS·1790
750HP
CD·SSO
5.08 FOR
10
1/
I
o
V
o 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
TIME-SECONDS
137
 FRONT HULL SECTION APPLIQUE ARMOR
EQUALS 36.83 CM RHA

HIGH HARD
SKIRTING PLATE

2.23 em ~oo:::;;._-+-

45'

1
2.54 em

Engine compartment of High Performance M60 MBT

SPACED APPLIQUE ARMOR

EQUALS 40.64 CM RHA
SUPER M60 LTFCS LAYOUT

~ CANT PENDULUM
WINDSEHSOAASSY.~
SERVO UNIT

'\ SKIRTING
PLATE

) AMMO SELECT UNIT

GUNNER'S CONTROL UNIT
(INCLUDINQ P SENSOIII)

High Performance M60 MBT titted with applique steel armour package and low profile commander's cupola

138
 To complement th e improvements in mobility and armour In November 1956 a d ecision was ta ken to install an
protection , Teledyne Continental has also designed a special A VDS-I 790-P compression ignition engine in an M48 tank,
diesel smoke generator system for the di esel engine. This is an which was subsequently tested at Yuma T est Station dufing
add-on system with off-the-shelf components and is mounted th e summer of 1957 . As a res ult of a meeting in February
at the rear of th e eng ine compartment. It can be installed in 1958, three M 48 tanks (d esignated th e M 48A2E I) were
und er eight manho urs and to do so it is not necessary to rebuilt to incorpora te the new powerpack contemplated for
remove th e engine or turret. Smoke can be produced any time use in th e new tank which had been designated the XM60.
the vehicle's engin e is running by th e simple fli ck of a toggle These prototypes were tested at Yuma, Fort Churchill, Fort
switch. Knox and in th e Eglin Air Force Base climatic hangar.
During October and November 1958 several main a rma-
Variants ment candidates were tested at Aberdeen Proving Ground
T eledyne Continental is now offering modernisation pack- and based on the test results th e British 105 mm L7 A I barrel
ages for a wide range of AFVs including th e T-54/ T-55, with the American T254E2 breech was selected as the main
Centurion, AMX-30 and M47 / M48. These packages can armament for th e XM60 and designa ted th e M68 cannon .
include advanced a pplique armour, fire-control system (s uch In February 1957 th e M60 (XM60) vehicle characteristics
as th e Belgian SABCA), turret a nd weapon stabilisation, and production planning schedules were esta blished a nd in
hydro-pneumati c suspension (as on Super M60 and Jor- March 1959 the M60 was classified as Standard A.
danian Centurions), fire suppress ion sys tem, pass ive night Th e initial bid package for the production of M60 tanks
vision devices, NBC protection , new powerp ack and higher was released in April 1959 and in June 1959 a prod uction
capacity fina l dri ves . contract was awarded to Chrysler Corporation (now taken
over by Genera l Dyna mics, Land Systems Division) , Dela-
ware D efense Plant, for th e production ofl80 M60 MBTs. In
SPECIFICAnONS
August 1959 an engineering release bid package was released
(where different from M60A 1) for the second production buy of M60s to be built at
Delaware. Subsequent production buys, beginning with
COMBAT WEIGHT 56300 kg
'pOWER-TO-WEIGHT
October 1960 production, were mad e from the Chrysler Cor-
RATIO 21 .3 hp/lonne poration D etroit Tank Plant, where production of th e la tes t
LENGTH HULL 7.086 m model, the M60A3, continues today (but see und er M60A3).
WIOTH 4.191 m
HEIGHT 2.921 m The M60 entered service with th e United Sta tes Army in
MAXIMUM SPEED 1960 and from O ctober 1962 th e tank was succeeded in
road 74 km/h
cross-country 48 km/h
production by th e M60AI (development d esignation
10% grade 32 km/h M60E I) . The M60A I has th e same basic chassis as th e M60
60% grade 7.2 km/h
ACCELERATION
but a redesigned 'needle nose' turret with greater ballistic
01032 km/h 9s protection and other modifications. It carries 63 rounds of
ENGINE Teledyne Continenlal 105 mm ammunition rather than 60 as carried by the old er
AVCR- 1790-1B 12-cylinder,
air-cooled fuel injected M60 . For most of th e 1960s and early 1970s production of th e
turbocharged d iesel M60AI was maintained at a very low rate, th e minimum
developi ng 1200 hp at
2400 rpm
necessary to sustain th e production base.
TRANSMI SSION Renk RK-304 As a res ult of the Middle East War of 1973 a major effort
hydromechanica l, fully was und erta ken to increase production of th e M60AI for two
automatic, four forward and
two reverse gears reasons: to replace M60AI tanks supplied to Israel and to
TORQUE CONVERTER two-stage with lockup increase war reserve stocks which were th en very low. It took
FINAL REDUCTION
RATIO 4.27:1 some time to build up production of the M60AI owing, in th e
SUSPENSION hydro-pneumatic main, to a shortage of hull and tUJ ret castings. By 1975
SMOKE-LAYING
EQUIPMENT smoke generator in
production had been boosted to 48 tanks per month , which
engine compartment increased to 72 a month in 1977 and 104 a month in
December 1977. Peak production rate was achieved in
O ctob er 1978 at 129 tanks a month . Production continu ed at
Status: Developmen t complete. Ready for production . a high ra te until April 1979 when it started to drop a nd by the
summer of 1980 it was running at 50 vehicles a month. The
Manufacturer: T eledyne Continental Motors, General Pro- last M60A I was completed in May 1980 and all prod uction
ducts Division, 76 Getty Street, Muskegon, Michigan 49442 , after this d ate was of the M60A3.
USA. As of late 1985 th e Detroit Tank Plant was producing
M60A3s for th e ex port market and MIAI MBTs for th e US
Army.
Production of th e M60A3 was expected to be completed in
M60 Series of Main Battle Tank M ay 1985 after over 15 000 M60 series MBTs had be~e n built
but in May 1985 the US D epartment of Defense notifi ed
Development Congress of a letter of offer for 94 M60A3 MBTs for Egypt at
Early in 1956 it was decided that th e M 48 tank shou ld be a cos t of$165 million.
furth er developed to produ ce an improved tank with M60A3s being produced early in 1985 were for Saudi
increased operational range and mobility which would Arabia. Mor e recentl y T aiwan has been purchasing M60A3
require a minimum of refuelling and servicing as well as hulls from General D ynamics, Land Systems Di vision.
incorpora ting an improved main armament. The fiscal year 1980 request was for 11 6 M60A3s for the

139
Side view of M60A 1 MBT (US Army)

United Sta tes Army and a furth er 444 for foreign military The comma nd er has a cupo la th a t can be traversed
sales, whi ch were built between April 198 1 and Ju ly 1982. through 360 degrees by hand, a single-piece ha tch cover th at
There was no United States Army funding for M60A3 pro- opens and swings to the rea r, a n M 28C sight in th e forward
du ction after fisca l year 1980 but in fisca l year 198 1 167 part and eigh t vision blocks for all-round observation. The
M60A3s were bu il t for foreign mi litary sales betwee n Jul y M 28C can be replaced by an M 36 infra-red periscope or an
a nd ovember 1982 . Funding for modifi cations to the M60 M36E I pass ive periscope for night vision . The gunner is
wi ll continu e for some time. The majority of th is funding is seated in front of an d below the commander and is provided
being us ed to procure kits fo r M60A I to M60A3 conversions with an M 3 1 peris cope with a magnifi cati on of x 8 a nd an
a t both Anniston a nd Mainz Army Depots. MI05D telescope with a magnifi cation of X8 and a 7.5-
At th e start of fiscal yea r 1985 the M60A3 TTS fl eet size degree field of view. The M31 periscope can be replaced by
was 3 19 1 a nd abo ut 460 are now being converted every year.
M60A 1 with infra-red/white light search light mounted above
Description (M60A 1) 105 mm gun but without 12.7 mm machine gun fitted in
The hu ll of the M60A I is made of cast sections and forg ed com mander's cupo la
fl oor plates welded together. It is di vided into three com-
partments: drive r's at the front, fightin g in th e centre a nd the
engine and transmission a t the rea r.
The dri ver is seated at th e front of the vehicle and is
provided with a single-piece hatch cover that opens to the
right. Three M27 periscopes are mounted forward of his
ha tch a nd a n M24 infra-red periscope can be insta lled in a
mount in th e centre of his ha tch cover for driving a t night.
The M24 is now being replaced by th e Baird-Atomic ANI
VVS-2 nig ht viewer which is of the passive ra th er th a n
infra-red type. A hu H escape hatch is provided nea r the
driver's position.
The all-cast turret is in th e centre of the vehicle with the
loader on th e left a nd th e commander a nd gunner on the
right. There is an external stowage basket at the rea r of th e
turret. The load er is provided with a single ha tch cover th a t
opens to the rear with a n integra l M 37 periscope th a t can be
traversed through 360 d egj·ees.

140

M60A1 MBT fitted with hydraulically-operate d dozer blade
(US Army)
M60A3 MBT (left) compared to M1 MBT (right) . Both are armed
with the same 105 mm M68 rifled tank gun (U S Army)
an M 32 infra-red periscope or a n M 35 E I pass ive peri scope
for ni ght engage ment of ta rge ts. T he MI7 A I or MI7C
ra ngefind er has a magnifi cati on of X 10, a 4-d egree fie ld of
view a nd a range of betwee n 500 and 4400 metres .
The engine co mpa rtm ent a t th e rear of th e hull is sepa ra ted
from th e fi ghting co mpa rtm ent by a fireproof bulkhead , a nd
is equipp ed with a fire-exting uishing sys tem .
The torsion bar suspens ion sys tem consists of s ix du al
rubber-tyred road wheels with th e idl er a t th e front, dri ve
sprocket a t th e rear a nd three track ret urn rollers. The fi rst,
second a nd sixth road wheel s ta tions a re provided with a
hydra uli c shock a bsorber.
The NBC system of th e M 60 is of th e ce ntra l a ir filtrati on
type whi ch pipes fres h air to each crew member via a tube. A
full ran ge of nig ht vision equipm ent is fitted as sta nd a rd
including a n infra-red searchlight over th e ma in a rm a ment.
The la tter is either th e AN/ VSS-I or th e mo re recent ANI
VSS-3A. The form er is a 2.2-kilowa tt X enon unit th a t pro-
vides a na rrow or wide bea m of high-intensity visible or
infra-red lig ht. A 50 per cent increase in lig ht intensity can be
tempora rily provided for 15 to 20 seconds by ove rridin g th e
searchli g ht. 1t has a na rrow beam wid th 01'0.5 to 0.75 d egree
a nd a wid e bea m width of 15 degrees. The AN/ VSS-3A can
be used in bo th th e visible or infra-red mod es with three types
of bea m, compact, spread or varia bl e width .
The crew co mpa rtm ent is provided with a hea ter a nd a
RADI AC NBC detector can be fitted if required . The ta nk
can ford to a depth of 1.219 metres without prepa ra tion a nd
with prepa ra ti on to a d epth 01'2. 438 metres. For dee p fording
a snork el is a tt ached to th e commander' s cupola ena bling it
to ford to a depth 01'4.11 4 metres. The ta nk can also be fi tted
with a n M9 bulldoze r blade on th e front of th e hull for
prepa rin g fire pos itions and clea ring obsta cles.
M a in a rm a ment of th e M60, M 60A I and M 60A3 ta nks is a
105 mm M68 riR ed tank g un with a bore evacua tor. A well-
tra ined crew can fire between six and ' eig ht rounds per
minute. Of th e 63 rounds of a mmunition ca rri ed , 26 a re
ca rri ed in th e fo rwa rd pa rt of th e hull , to th e left a nd rig ht of
th e dri ve r's position , 13 in th e turret for read y use, 2 1 in th e
turret bustl e a nd th e rem a ining three und er th e g un .
The 105 mm g un can fir e th e following types of fi xed
a mmuniti on:
APDS-T (M728) with th e compl ete round weig htin 18.95 kg
and a mu zzle velocity of 1426 metres a second.
APFSDS-T (M7 35/ M7 35AI ). The M7 3 1 has a tun gs ten
a lloy penetra tor while th e mo re recent M 735A I has a s ta ba l-
loy co re within th e sta nd a rd penetra tor (th e la tter was not
adopted fo r servi ce). T raining version of th e M 735 is d es ig-
na ted M79 7.
APFSDS-T ( M77 4). Follow on to th e M7 35, with mono bloc
staba lloy penetra tor.
APFSDS-T (M833) with monobloc s ta ba lloy penetrator,
und er develop ment.
APDS-T (M 392A2) with th e co mplete ro und weig hin g
18.6 kg a nd a mu zzle velocity of' 1458 metres a seco nd.
APERS-T (M494) with th e compl ete round weighin g24.5 kg
a nd a mu zzle ve locit y of 821 metres a second.
HEAT-T (M 456 se ri es) with th e compl ete round weig hin g
21.78 kg, mu zzle ve locity 1173 metres a seco nd a nd a max-
imum ra nge of 8200 metres.
TP-T ( M467) with th e complete ro und weighing 20.4 12 kg,
mu zzle ve locity 01'730 metres a second a nd a maximum ra nge
of 95 10 metres.
TP-T ( M 490) with th e co mpl ete round weig hing 20.4 12 kg,
mu zzle ve locity of 11 70 m etres a second a nd a max imum
Latest production version of the M60 series tanks is the M60A3
with many improvements including a tank thermal sight (TTS)
14 1
 engin e, main armament fu lly sta bili sed in both elevation a nd
trave rse, top-loading air cleaner fitted , new T I42 tracks a nd
improved night vision equipm ent. Add itio nal detai ls of this
programme a re given in the entry for the M60A3.

M60A 1 with Mine-clearing Rollers

Following successful tr ials with pro totype veh icles, a number
of M60AI tan ks a re now being fitted with roll er min e-
clearing equipment s imilar to that install ed on Soviet T -54
and T-55 MBTs .
T he mounting kit consists of a hydra uli c release system
which is operable from the dri ver's seat, lower glacis mount-
ing bracket, a nd linkages whi ch tie th e sys tem together.
In ord er to install th e mounting kit th e ta nk must be
prepared by welding on the co mponents of th e M60 retrofit
kit. The roll er ki t includ es a left side push bea m/ca rriage
asse mbly, a right side push bea m/ca rri age assemb ly and a
M60A 1 MBT being fitted with turret at Detroit Tank Plant
dogbon e/cha in assembly a ttac hed to each pushbea m.
(US Arm y)
Each system uses two roller carri ages offive wh eels located
in front of each track, th e roll ers clea ring a pa th in front of
each track a nd activa tes press ure-fuzed min es.
To~a l sys tem weig ht is less than 10 tonn es a nd ca n be
mounted in the fi eld by a ta nk crew in less than 15 minutes
a nd released from th e insid e of th e tan k in less tha n 30
seconds.
Note: An M48 mountin g kit is also ava ila ble, differing in
using th e lower glacis mounting s tru ct ure to co upl e the rear
of the pushbeams to th e tank. The M48 roller kit is id entical
to the M60 roller kit. The syste m has also bee n successfully
tes ted on th e more recent M I MBT.

ROBAT
Late in 198 1 min e neutra lisation equipm ent being developed
by the US Ar my and Marine Corps was used in th e US
Army's first field test of a Robotic Counter-Obstacle Vehicle.
For th e demons tration, a modifi ed M60A2 ta nk chassis with
the tur ret re moved was fitted with a min e-clearing ro ller, a
M a rin e Corps M58AI min e-clea ring line cha rge a nd a'C lear
Lane Markin g System (C LAMS ). An M I1 3 APC was
outfitted with remote contro l systems for th e test.
T he two vehicles, ope ra ted by personnel 1.6 km from the
site, were used in a simulated co mbat scena rio. Observers
had detected enem y min efield laying ope ra tions and the
General Defence Corporation, Flinchbaugh Di vision ,
robot vehicles were dispa tched to co unter th e threat. T he
manufactured 105 mm M735 APFSDS-T projectile which has a
tung sten alloy penetrator
Frontal view of M60 MBT (US Army)

range of 8207 metres (tra ining round for M 456).

TPDS-T (M724) with the complete ro und weighin g
14.5 15 kg, mu zzle velocity of 1507 metres a second a nd a
max imum ra nge of 2000 metres (training round for
M 392A2).
TPFSDS-T (M797 ) tra ining round for M735 , M774 and
M833 rounds.
Smoke WP-T(M416) with th e complete round weighing
20.68 kg, mu zzle ve locity of 73 1.5 metres a second a nd a
maximum range of 9 150 metres .
Mounted in th e comm a nd er's cupol a is an M85 12.7 mm
(0.50) machin e g un with an elevation of +60 degrees a nd a
depression of -1 5 d egrees . Mounted coaxia ll y to th e left of
th e m a in a rm a men t is a 7.62 mm M73 machin e gun, cur-
rentl y being replaced by th e M240 wea pon whi ch is the
Belgia n MAG-58 .
A numb er of M60Als a re being updated with the RI SE

142

M60A 1 from rear showing turret basket (US Army)
APC was used to attack the enemy position and draw su p-
press ive fire wh il e the cou nter obstacle ve hicle clea red a pat h
through the minefield. T he Counter Obstacle Vehicle located
the boundary of th e enemy m inefield by using th e clearing
roller to detonate one of th e m ines. It then backed up a nd
breached the min efield by projecting the rocket propelled
mine clearing charge. After cl ea ring a path, the ve hicl e
marked the safe la ne as it moved through the min efield .
When the cleared path was ma rked , the APC safely fo llowed
the co unte r obstacle ve hicle across the m inefield .
The fi rst two prototypes of th e Robo ti c Obstacle Breachin g
Assau lt Tank were completed ea rl y in 1985. These have mine
cleara nce roll ers mounted at th e front of th e hu ll and the
same min e clearance kit mounted on top as fitted to the US
Marine Corps LVTP7A I amph ibious assau lt vehicles.
M60A3 MBT fitted wi th thermal sleeve for 105 mm M68 gun and covers over search light and British su pplied smoke dischargers
(Si mon Dunstan)
M60A 1 fitted with front-mounted roller type mine clearing
equ ipment
M9 Bulldozer Kit
T his has been developed as a depot retrofit package a nd iE
used to give a lready fie lded M60 ta nks bu lldoz ing
capabilities simila r to those of th e M728 Combat Engin ee r
Veh icle.
M60A2
Th is model has now been phased out of service with the US
Army. A total of 526 M60A2s were built a nd most have ;10W
been sent back to th e Ann iston Army Depot wh ere they wi ll
be converted to other uses such as AVLB , M728 Combat
Engineer Vehicles or Counter Obstacle Veh icles.
M60A3
The M60A3 (development d es ig nation M60A IE3) is a
product-improved M60A I a nd some of the improvemen ts in
143
th e ta nk, for example the add-on-stabi lisation system, RISE
engine, and th e smoke grenade lau nchers were first fitted to
the M60A I some years ago.
The first M60A3s compl eted a t the Detroit Arsenal Tank
Plant in February 1978 were th e first of a low rate of initia l
production quantity of 296 M60A3s wh ich were funded in
fiscal year 1976 tra nsitional qu arter a nd fiscal year 1977. In
1978 th e M60AI monthl y production ra te was 116 tanks a t
Detroit. The first M60A3 tanks were deli vered to Europe in
mid-197 9 a nd issued to the 1st Ba tta lion of32nd Armored. It
was announced in mid-1 979 th at the two M60A I tank bat-
talio ns in South Korea would be re-equipped with M 48A5
tanks as us ed by the National Guard, ensuring unifor mity
between South Korea n and U nited States a rmoured units.
The Army has 5400 M60A3 TTS tanks of which 1686 a re new
production M60A3s, 11 4 are M60A I pass ive ta nks field
retrofitted to M60A3 TTS confi guration , a nd 3600 conver-
sions carried o ut by the Mainz Army D epot in West Ger-
many a nd Anniston Army D epo t in th e USA. [n J a nuary
1983 Saudi Arabia placed an order for 100 M60A3 MBTs.
The main improvements are in th e fire-co ntrol system as a
Hughes lase r ra ngefi nd er with a max imum range of 5000
metres replaces the optical rangefi nd er, and a solid-sta te
co mputer replaces the mechani cal computer. Following suc-
cessful tria ls with 20 prototype units Hughes was award ed its
first produ ction co ntract for th e laser ra ngefi nd er in 1976.
The contrac t was for 69 units a t a tota l cost of$ 11 million.
Range data is fed to the computer and, with other d a ta such
as cross-wind ve locity, a ir temperature, g un trunnion ti lt, air
density, a ltitud e, ta rget trackin g ra te and ammunition ba llis-
ti cs, prov id es th e co rrect az imuth a nd elevation firin g co m-
m ands to the tank gu nn er and co mm a nd er. The improve-
ments in the fire-co ntrol system, combin ed with th e pass ive
night sig ht, improve th e nig ht-fighting capa bilities of the
tank.
The fire-control sys tem is co mpos ed of two m aj or su b-
systems, the AN/VVG-2 laser ra ngefind er a nd th e M21 bal-
listi c co mputer. The laser/s ight sub-system is composed of
two m a in units: a comman der's integra ted laser/sight with
control unit and a lase r electronics unit. Range m ay be fed
a utom a tically to th e co mputer or, if more th a n one ret urn is
received , the commander m ay select the range return based
on his assessment of the situation . Since the g unn er's sig ht is
boresighted with th e lase r ra ngefi nder, either th e comm a nd er
or the gunner can fire th e laser a nd/or th e gun.
The co mputer sub-system includes th e ammunition selec-
tor sensors. The co mma nd er or g unn er may select one of th e
144
four basic types of a mmunitio n to be used. The co mputer
stores solu tions for six a mmunition types with th e four basic
types to acco mmodate a mmunition stored in different loca-
tions. The switch at the bottom of th e ammunition select unit
is us ed to set up conditions acco rding to whether the ta nk is
moving or stationa ry. The co mputer is a solid-state hybrid
and processes a ll th e input data a nd com mands th e sight lines
for lay ing th e g un .
The top ha lf of the g unn er's control unit panel co nta ins
three ma nu al inputs: a ir temperature, pressure a lti tude
(slowly varying inputs, not req uired to be ve ry acc urate), a nd
manu al ra nge in case th e laser fa ils. The rate unit, crosswind
sensor a nd th e cant unit a re a utomatic. The rate unit is us ed
aga inst moving targets from a sta tiona ry tank. When the tank
is moving it is switched out a nd replaced by input from the
g un stabi li sation sys tem gy ros, s in ce in ertial tracking ra tes
a re required. The crosswind sensor can be stowed horizon-
ta lly an d is spring mounted to prevent dam age when the tank
encounters low bra nches. Sin ce it is the only unit not und er
a rmour, a circuit in th e co mputer continuo usly monitors its
outp ut a nd can switch to ma nu al input in the event of a
fai lu re. The cant unit senses gun trunnion roll.
A row of lig hts on th e top of the g unn er's control unit is for
self-tes t. Either a green 'Syste m OK' lig ht is lit, or a light
comes o n indi catin g which unit is fa ulty. A red light indicates
fa ilure of th e sys te m and a n ora nge lig ht indi cates that th e
sys tem will continue to function , but less accurate ly.This
self-test system removes th e trouble-shooting burden from
th e tank crew, and rep lacing system units in th e fi eld is
simple. The bottom ha lf of the panel, which is norm a lly
covered, is used for boresighting, ze roing, ma nu al crosswind
input (if d es ired ) and th e switch to select th e fo ur bas ic
a mmunition types.
At th e beginning of fisca l yea r 1980 AN/VGS-2 Tank
Thermal Sights (TTS) were add ed , whi ch no t only improved
the night fighting ca pab ili ty of the tank but also enabl ed th e
ta nk to see throu gh smoke a nd g round cove r. The AN/VSG
thermal imaging equipm ent replaced the gunn er's passive
nig ht vision periscope. T echni cal d eta ils have not been
rel eased but may reasonably be ex pected to be no less th a n
those achieved by other land battl efi eld I R sys tems based on
th e T[ ra nge of infra-red mod ul es, developed by Texas
Instruments Equ ipments Group, including the AN/TAS-4,
AN/TAS-5 a nd AN/TAS-6.
M60A 1 MBT armed with 105 mm gun

M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle in trave lling configuration with
A-frame lowe red over rear and dozer blade rai sed (B riti s h Army
Berlin)
The U nited S ta tes Arm y consid ers th e M 60A I inferio r to
th e Soviet T-64/T- 72 a nd th e M 60A3 equ a l to it.
T he full list of M 60A3 improvements is as follows:
Main· a rm a ment full y-sta bilised in bo th eleva tion a nd
traverse*
T op-loading a ir cl eaner insta lled *
AN/VSS-I searchlig ht replaced by AN/VSS-3A on pass ive
ta nks
T 97 tracks replaced by T 142 tracks with re movabl e pads*
AVDS- 1790-2C RISE (Reli a bility I mp roved Selec ted
Equipm ent) engin e fitted*
Therm al shro ud for ma in a rm a men t
L ase r rangefind er
650-a mp oil-cooled a lterna tor
Solid-sta te computer
Pass ive night vision d evices, followed by th erm a l sights
Coax ia l machine g un replaced by M 240( M AG-58) weapon
British six-ba rrelled smoke discha rgers fitt ed to e ither s ide of
turret
Engine s moke genera tor
Auto ma ti c HALO N fir e-ex tin guishing sys tem (no t ye t
inco rpora ted )
* also fitted to la te produ ctio n M60A ls.
An o th er improve ment add ed to the M 60A3 in th e nea r
futur e wi ll be new fin a l dri ves .
As th e M60A 3 fl ee t will rema in in wo rld wide servi ce for
many yea rs M I-type sys tem improvements to ena bl e th e
tank to rema in effecti ve on th e battlefi eld will probab ly be
developed .
The 105 mm T a nk Gun Enha ncement Progra mme has
been fund ed and will have a longe r ba rrel th a n th e current
M68 gun a nd fire a new range of a mm unitio n with grea ter
penetra ti on cha racteri sti cs .
All new produ ction M60A3 ta nks a re now being fitt ed with
th e T eled yne developed engin e exh a ust smoke sys tem and
old er ta nks a re being retrofitt ed . Fuel is sprayed into th e
ex ha ust ma nifold , crea tin g smoke.
The existin g ma nu al fir e-exting uishin g sys tem is being
replaced by a n a uto matic HALO N sys tem s imi la r to th e new
M I MBT's, whi ch uses senso rs to detect hea t a nd lig ht from a
fi re a nd a u to ma ti call y releases th e H AL O N fi re s u ppressa n t.
It is ex pected th a t in futur e a chemi cal a la rm a nd a head -
ing reference unit will be fitted to th e M 60A3; two types of
headin g reference have been evalua ted , a magneti c indi cator
a nd a gyrocompass.
For tri a ls purposes, three M 60A I tanks we re fitt ed with a
hydro-pneum a ti c s uspension sys tem d eveloped by th e
Na ti ona l W a ter Lift Compa n y. These ta nks we re s uccess fu ll y
tes ted a t bo th Aberd een P rov ing Ground a nd Fort Kn ox a nd
showed a s ignifi ca nt improve ment ove r th e ex istin g s uspen-
sion system on th e M60A I a nd M 60A3. But du e to th e hig h
cos t of retrofi tting th e Arm y fl ee t of M 60s it was decided to
retain th e existing s uspension sys tem rather th a n ado pt th e
hyd ro-pneum a ti c type. Teled yne Continenta l is now offering
this as pa rt of th e High Perform a nce M60 package d escribed
in th e previous entry in this sectio n.
In mid -1 984 th e Comba t Sys tem T es t Acti vity (CST A) of
th e T es t a nd Evalua tion Comma nd (TEC OM ) a t Aberd een
Proving Ground , said th at a mong th e new sys tems being
tes ted a nd co nsid ered to ex tend th e se rvice life of th e M 60
series fo r a furth er 20 yea rs were a hydro-pn eum a ti c s uspen-
sion sys tem, enh a nced a rmour pro tection, changes in m ain
gun , d igita l computer to replace present a nalog ue computer,
new tra nsmi ss ion a nd a carbon di oxid e lase r ra ngefind er to
replace th e current rub y laser sys tem .
T ACOM a nd Gen era l D yna mi cs have a lso d eveloped a n
improved a ir-fi ltra tion sys te m for th e M 60 series call ed th e
Vehicle Exha ust Dust Ej ector Sys tem (VEDES) whi ch was
being re trofi tted to th e Hee t commencing in la te 1984.
Th e a utomat ic fi re ex ting uishing sys te m is ex pec ted to be
re tro fitt ed sta rtin g w ith the M 60A3 in fisca l yea r 1987.
M60 AVLB
The M 60 Arm ored Vehicle Launched Bridge is a n M 60 fi tted
with a hydra ulic la un chin g mecha nism and a n a luminium
scissors bridge whi ch is la un ched ove r th e front of th e vehicl e
a nd weig hs 1447 0 kg. T he bridge ta kes two minutes to lay
a nd when open has a n overa ll leng th of 19.202 metres a nd can
span a ga p of up to 18.288 met res. The M 60 AVLB we ig hs
55746 kg with the bridge a nd 4 1 685 kg witho ut it. By 1983
so me 400 M 60 AVLBs had bee n buil t. In 1985 Anni sto n
Arm y D epot s ta rt ed a prog ra mme to co nve rt M 60A2s in to
M 60A 1 A V LBs.
M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle
Th e Comba t Engin ee r Vehicle was developed und er th e
des igna ti on TI1 8EI a nd was sta nd a rdi sed in 1963 as th e
Prototype of the ROBAT ve hiclefitted with mine c learing roll e rs at
front of hull and mine clearing charge on roof
145
M728. I t entered produ ction in 1965 a nd entered servi ce with Modet M60 M60Al M60A3
Commander's
the U S Arm y in 1968 . By 1983 over 300 vehicles had been fire-control
co mp leted . overrid e yes yes yes
The M 728 is a rm ed with a s hort-ba rrelled 165 mm MI 35 Gun sta biliser
ve rti ca l no yes' yes '
d emoliti on gun whi ch fires th e M I23 A I HEP (or H ESH) horizonta l no yes ' yes'
round . A 7.62 mm machine g un is moun ted coaxia ll y to th e Range sel1ing d evice yes yes yes
Elevation quadrant yes yes yes
ma in a rm a ment a nd a 12.7 mm machin e gun is moun ted in Traverse ind icator yes yes yes
the co mm a nd er's cupola for ground a nd a nti-aircra ft use. ARM OUR no details released , but armour protection is consi dered an
improvement over M48 series, espec iall y over frontal area
M o unted a t th e front of the hu ll is a hydra ulicall y-o pera ted and turret
dozer blad e whi ch is used fo r clea ring obstacl es a nd prepa r-
• As orig inall y buill. the M60A1 was not fi tted with a gun stabilisati on system but these
ing fire positions. Pi vo ted towa rd s th e fro nt of th e turret is a n are now being retrofitted to most mod els.
A-fra me whi ch can be folded back over th e rea r of th e turret
when no t requi red. T he two-speed win ch a t th e rea r of th e
turret has a maximum ca pacity of I I 340 kg. An infra-red Status: In produ ction . In service with Austri a ( 120 M 60A Is
searchlig h t si mila r to th a t fitt ed to th e M 60A I is mo unted and 50 M 60A3s), Egy pt (in M a rch 1980 Congress was
over th e ma in ar ma ment of th e M7 28 . The M 728 weighs inform ed of a proposed letter of offer to Egy pt for 244
52 163 kg loaded a nd has a crew offour: co mm a nd er, g unn er, M 60A3s a t a tota l cos t, including a mmunition, tra inin g,
loader a nd driver. spare pa rts a nd support equipm en t of $454. 1 mi llion. La ter
in 1980 a furth er 67 M 60A3s were ord ered in lieu of 130
M 48A5s . In 198 1 th e US D epa rtm ent of D efense notified
SPECIFICATIONS Congress of a letter of offer to Egy pt for 128 M 60A3 MBTs
plus spa res a t a cos t of $240 mill ion. In April 1982 220
Model M60 M60Al M60A3
CREW 4 4 4
addi tiona l M 60A3 ta nks we re ord ered a t a cos t of $336
COMBAT WEI GHT 497 14 kg 52617 kg 52 617 kg mi ll ion . This broug ht total sales of M60A3 to Egy pt to 659
UNLOADED WEI GHT 4563 1 kg 48 684 kg 48684 kg ta nks. In M ay 1985 th e D epa rtm ent of D efense a nn oun ced a
PDWER-TD-WEIGHT
RATI O 15.08 bhp/tonne 14.24 bhp/tonne 14.24 bhp/tonne letter of offer for a fu rth er 94 M 60A3s a t a cos t of $ 165
GROUND mi ll io n), I ran (M 60A I), Israe l ( M 60, M 60A I and M60A3,
PRE SSURE 0.8 kg/em' 0.87 kg/em' 0.87 kg/e m'
LENGTH G UN 200 of la tter delivered from mid-1 98 1), Ita ly (200 M 60A I
FORWA RDS 9.309 m 9.43 6 m 9.43 6 m we re buil t und er li ce nce in Ita ly by O T O -Melara with 100
LENGTH HULL 6.946 m 6.946 m 6.946 m
WIDTH 3.63 1 m 3.63 1 m 3.63 1 m
being supp lied from U SA) , J orda n (in Febru a ry 1980 Con-
HEIGHT 3.2 13 m 3.27 m 3.27 m gress was inform ed of a letter of offer to J ord a n for 14
FIRING HEI GHT 2.095 m 2.095 m 2.093 m M60A I / M 60A3 ta nks a t a tota l cos t of $20 mi llion a nd la ter
GROUND
CLEARANCE 0.463 m 0.4 63 m 0. 45 m in th e sa me yea r a furth er 100 were ord ered to replace M 48s
TRACK 2.92 1 m 2.921 m 2. 921 m whi ch we re th en passed to Leba non; in Ju ly 198 1 the U S
TRACK WIDTH 71 1 mm 711 mm 7 11 mm
LEN GTH OF TRACK Depa rtm en t of D efense noti fie d Congress of a letter of offer to
ON GROUND 4.235 m 4.235 m 4.235 m J ord a n for 11 8 M 60A3 ta nk co nversion kits a t a n estima ted
MAX ROAD SPEED 48.28 km/h 48.28 km/h 48.28 km/h
FUEL CAPAC ITY 1457 litres 1420 litres 14201i1res
cos t of $60 mi llion ), Om an (6 delive red in 1980), So uth
MAX ROAD RANGE 500 km 500 km 480 km Korea (few), Sa udi Ara bia ( 158 d eli ve red in la te 1970s with a
FORDIN G 1.2 19 m 1.219 m 1.22 m furth er 100 ord ered in 1983 a nd delivered in 1984-85) , Sing-
with p reparation 2.438 m 2.438 m 2.4 m
wit h snorkel 4. 11 4 m n/app n/app a pore ( M 728 C EV a nd M 60 AVLB onl y) , Spa in (AV LBs),
GRADIENT 60% 60% 60% Sud a n (in O cto ber 198 1 the US Depa rtm ent of D efense
SIDE SLOPE 30% 30% 30%
VE RTI CAL notifi ed Co ng ress of a letter of o ffer to Suda n for 20 M60A3
OBSTAC LE 0.9 14 m 0.9 14 m 0.91 4 m . MBTs plus spa res a t a to tal cos t of $36 mi lli on, whi ch was
TRENCH 2.59 m 2.59 m 2. 59 m
TURNING RADIUS pivot to infi nity on all mod els
accepted ), Tunisia (in Ju ly 198 1 th e US D epa rtm ent of
ENGINE Continenta l AVDS- 1790-2A AVDS-1790-2D Defense notified Co ngress of a letter of offer to Tunisia for 54
12-cylind er a ir-coo led d iese l d evelopi ng 750 bhp at 2400 M 60A3 MBTs a t a cos t of $92 m illi on, whi ch was acce pted ),
rpm
TRANSM ISSION General Motors Corporation, cross-d rive, si ng le-stage with 2 U nited States (Arm y a nd M a rin es) a nd Yemen Ara b
forward and 1 reverse ranges Repub li c (North ) (64 M 60A l s).
SUSPENSION lorsion bar torsion bar torsion bar
ELECTRI CAL
SYSTEM 24 V 24 V 24 V Manufacturer: D etroit T a nk Pla nt whi ch is now opera ted
BATIERIES 6 x 12V, 100 Ah 6 x 12V, 100Ah 6 x 12V, 100 Ah
ARM AMENT
by G enera l D yna mi cs, La nd Syste ms D ivision, PO Box 1743,
main 1 x 105 mm l x l05mm 1 x 105 mm Wa rren, Michi gan 48090, USA.
coaxia l 1 x 7.62 mm MG 1 x 7.62 mm MG 1 x 7.62 mm MG
an ti-ai rcraft 1 x 12.7 mm MG 1 x 12.7 mm MG 1 x 12.7 mm MG
AMMUNITI ON
main 60 63 63
7.62 mm
12.7 mm
5950
900
5950
900
5950
900
M48 Series of Main Battle Tanks
GUN CONTROL
EQU IPMENT
Turret power contro l electro- hydrau lic/manual in all mod els
Development
by command er yes yes yes When th e K orean W a r broke o ut in J 950 th ere was no
by g unner yes yes yes medium ta nk in produ ction in th e USA , alth ough th e T42
Max rate power
traverse 360· in 15 s 360· in 15 s 360· in 15 s med ium ta nk was und er developmen t. To mee t th e urgent
Gun elevati on/ need for a mod ern ta n k, th e turret of th e T42 was mounted on
d epress ion +20·/-9· + 20·/- 10· + 20·/- 10·
Command er's th e chassis of th e M 46, whi ch was a d evelopment of th e M 26
ove rrid e yes yes yes Pershing heavy ta nk of th e Second World W a r, and th is was

146
M48A2 ta nk with turret being removed by an M578 armoured recovery ve hi cle (US Army)
acce pted for limited service as th e M 46A I. Production
vehicles were designa ted th e M47 and even though it was
onl y a n interim d esig n' production amounted to 8576 ta nks.
In October 1950 Detroit Tank Arsenal began design work
on a new ta nk a rm ed with a 90 mm g un and in December th e
same year th e C hrys ler Corporation was awa rd ed a letter of
intent to d es ign th e new ta nk und er th e designat ion T48.
Des ign work began in la te Dece m ber a nd six prototypes were
built, th e first being completed in December 195 1. Befor e th e
prototypes had been com pleted , in M arc h 195 1 th e Fisher
Body Division of th e General Motors Co rporation a nd the
Ford Moto r Company a t Livonia were both given a produc-
tion co ntract for the tank. Chrysler's first production M48
roll ed out of th e D ela ware T a nk Pla nt a nd was christened by
Mrs George S Pa tton Junior on 1 July, 1952.
The first produ ctio n M48s were completed in 1952 and it
soon became apparent that it had been a mista ke to place th e
production ord ers before th e tank had been th oroug hl y
tes ted. The Army justified th e decision on the gro unds that
th ey had no id ea how long th e Korea n Wa r was going to last
a nd th ere was a distin ct possibility that th e Third World War
could have broken out in the ea rl y 1950s. M ost of th e ea rl y
M48s had to be subsequen tl y rebuilt before th ey co uld be
issued to the units a nd until th e introdu ctio n of the di esel-
engin ed M48A3 th e operating range of the ta nk was ve ry
small.
Total produ ction of th e M48 seri es a mounted to II 703
units, of wh ich a bo ut 6000 were built by th e Chrys ler
Corporation at the Dela wa re D efense Pla nt which continued
produ cti on until 1959. Aleo Products of Schenectady a lso
bu ilt a number of M 48A2 ta nks.
M a ny com ponents of th e M48 are a lso used in th e M88
ARV as we ll as th e M 53 SPG, a nd further d evelopmen t of the
tank resu lted in th e M60 seri es wh ich is c urrentl y being
manufac tured by the Genera l Dynam ics, Land Systems
Division, D etroit. Initial production of th e M60 MBT was in
fact und erta ken a t the Dela wa re pla nt but in 1959 a decision
was ta ken th a t a ll future produ cti on would be und erta ken a t
th e Detroit Pl ant.
Description (M48A3)
The cas t hull of th e M48 is boat-sh aped with additional
sections weld ed into pos ition . A hull esca pe hatch is provided
in th e fl oo r of th e ta nk. The turret is a one- piece cas tin g.
The dri ver is seated a t the front of th e hull in the centre a nd
is provided with a single-piece ha tch cover that opens to th e
rig ht, forwa rd of which a re three M27 periscopes. For driving
at night an M 24 infra-red peris cope is placed in th e turntable
loca ted in th e dri ver's hatch.
The other three crew members a re in th e turret with th e
comma nd er a nd g unn er on th e rig ht a nd the load er on th e
left. Th e comma nd er is provided with an M I cupol a that he
can traverse by lu,nd through 360 d egrees. Th is cupola is also
fitted to th e M48AI , M 48AIC and th e M67 fl a methrower
tanks, a nd is equipped with fiv e vision blocks and a n M28C
sight for controlling th e 12.7 mm (0. 50) machin e g un. The
M 28C has a mag nifi cation of X 1.5 a nd a 48-d eg ree field of
view . The coin cidence rangefind er is opera ted by the tank
147
M48A2 MBT
comma nder a nd has a maximum range of 4400 metres a nd a
magnifi cation of X 10. The g unner is seated forwa rd and
below th e comma nd er and has a roo f-m o unted periscope
sight with a X8 magnifi cation a nd a telescope with a simila r
magnifi cation th a t is linked to th e ma in a rma ment. The
ballistic computer is a n electro-mecha ni cal device which has
been d esigned to compute super- eleva ti on a ngles for th e
ma in arma ment. It receives info rm a tion in th e form of sha ft
rota tion from th e ra ngefind er. The d a ta is th en a pplied to th e
a mmunition da ta and ballistic corrections which have been
rend ered ma nuall y into the computer by the gunn er. The end
produ ct is th e super-elevatio n a ngle which is transmitted
through th e ba llisti c d rive to th e periscope. The ba lli sti c
dri ve also tra nsmits th e same super-el evatio n angle to th e
ra ngefi nd er which is operated by th e ta nk commander. The
loader is provided with a single-piece ha tch cover th a t opens
to th e rea r. M o unted to the rea r of th e turret is a dome-
sha ped ventil a to r and a stowage basket is provid ed a t th e rear
of th e turret.
The engine is mo unted to th e immedi a te rear of th e bulk-
head th a t sepa ra tes th e engine and fi ghting compa rtments
a nd th e transmission is a t th e rear of th e vehicl e. The eng ine
compa rtm ent is equipped with fire ex tin g uishers but th ere is
no fire wa rning system . Power is tra nsmitted to th e fin al
dri ves through th e cross-drive tra nsmiss ion , which is a com-
bined tra nsmission , differential, steering and bra kin g unit.
The to rsion ba r suspension consists of six dual rub ber-
tyred road wheels with th e idler a t th e front, drive sprocket a t
th e rea r a nd fi ve return rollers. Some earli er versio ns of th e
M48 ta nk were fitt ed with a tensioning idler betwee n th e
dri ve sprocket and th e sixth road wheel sta ti on. Hydra uli c
shock a bso rbers a re provided fo r th e first, second a nd sixth
road wheel sta tions.
Infra-red d riving lights a re fitt ed as sta ndard a nd mos t
models have an in fra-red / white light searchlight moun ted
over the ma in a rm a ment, which has a max imum range of
2000 metres. Sta nda rd equipment includes a n NBC system,
heaters, ex ternal infa ntry phone a nd provisio n for insta lling a
dozer blad e on th e front of th e hull. The M48 , M 48C a nd
M 48A I a re fi tted with th e M 8 blad e weig hin g 3980 kg a nd
th e M 48A2, M48A3 a nd M48A5 with th e M8A I blade which
weighs 38 10 kg.
The ta nk can ford to a depth of 1.2 19 metres with out
prepa ra tion a nd to 4.438 metres with a d eep-ford ing kit.
Before d eep fording all th e openings a re sealed a nd an
exha ust extension is fitt ed ve rtically to th e rig ht rea r engine
grill e, a nd th e bilge pump switched on.
M ain a rm a ment oCth e M 48A3 is a n M 4 l (TI 39) 90 mm
gun, which consists of th e ba rrel, evac ua tor chamber, blas t
148
defl ector, and breech mechanism asse mbl y. The breech-
block is of th e ve rtical sliding type with a n inertia percussion
firing mecha nism. The ba rrel has a life of700 equivalent full
cha rge rounds . The foll owing types of fix ed rounds can be
fired , but it should be noted th a t not all a re currently in use:
APERS-T (M580) with th e complete round weig hing
18.71 kg, mu zzle velocity of914 metres a second , effecti ve
range 3000 metres .
APC-T (M82) with the complete round weighing 19.39 kg,
mu zzle velocity of793 metres a second , maximum range of
19 570 metres.
AP-T (M77) with th e complete round weighing 19.06 kg,
mu zzle velocity of8 22 metres a second, ma ximum ra nge of
II 269 metres.
AP-T (M3 18) with th e complete round weighing 19.94 kg,
mu zzle velocity of 853 metres a second a nd a maximum
ra nge of 21 400 metres.
Ca nister (M336) with th e complete round weighing 18. 86
kg, mu zzle velocity of87 4 metres a second , effective ra nge
183 me tres.
C a nister (M377 ) with th e complete ro und weighin g 17 .82
kg, mu zzle velocity of 899 metres a second, maximum
range 365 metres.
HE-T (M 71) with th e compl ete round weighing 18.68 kg,
mu zzle velocity of 823 metres a second , maximum range of
17 800 metres.
HEAT-T (M 43 1) with th e complete round weighing 14.96
kg, mu zzle velocit y of 12 19 metres a second, maximum
ra nge 8 138 metres.
HV AP-T (M332A I) with th e complete round weighing
18.3 7 kg, mu zzle velocity of 1165 metres a second , max-
imum range 15 700 metres.
TP-T (M353) with th e complete round weig hing 19.91 kg,
mu zzle velocity of 9 14 metres a second , max imum range
2 1 03 1 metres.
Smoke WP (M 3 13) with th e compl ete round weighing
19.29 kg, mu zzle velocity of 822.9 metres a second, max-
imum ra nge 17 717 metres.
Nineteen rounds of 90 mm a mmunitio n are stowed to the
left of th e driver with a furth er II rounds to his right, eight
horizonta lly on th e turret fl oor, 16 stowed vertically around
th e turret ring a nd th e remaining eight fo r ready us e in the
turret.
Mounted coaxiall y to th e left of the ma in a rm a ment is a
7.62 mm M7 3 machine g un (ea rli er mod els have th e
7.62 mm (0.30) MI 9 19A4E I weapon) and mounted in th e
comm a nd er' s cupol a is a 12. 7 mm (0. 50) Browning M 2 HB
machine g un which can be elevated from -10 to +60
degrees, a nd can be a imed a nd fired from within th e cupol a.
Variants
M48
This was the first production model of the series and has the
following di~t;ngwshing features: small driver's hatch, five
track return rollers, no tensioning idler, no dust shields on the
fend ers, 'T' or cylindrical type blast deflector on the barrel
and th e commander's cupola has the 12.7 mm machine g un
on an open mount rather than in a full y enclosed cupola as
later production tanks in this series.
M48C
This is identical to th e M48 but has a hull of mild steel a nd is
th erefor e unsuitable for combat. This model is used for train-
ing only a nd has the letter C embossed on the right front of
the hull meaning th at the tan k is non-balli stic.
M48A1
This model has larger driver's hatch, fully enclosed com-
mander's cupola, fender dust shields, rear track idler wheel,
five track return rollers and a 'T' type blast deflector. In 1964
Bowen-McLa ughlin-York was awarded a contract to
remanufacture 3 13 M48Al tan ks at its York, Pennsylvania,
plant.
M48A2
Developmen t of this model began in 1954 und er the designa-
tion T48E2. The first production ord er was awarded to Alco
M48A3 MBT (US Army)
Produ cts Incorporated of Schenectady, New York in 1955,
followed two years la ter by a n order to th e C hrys ler Delawa re
Defense Pla nt (Lenape Ordnance Modification Center) a t
Newa rk, Delaware. Major differences between this a nd ear-
lier models can be summarised as a fuel inj ection syste m for
the engine, la rger fue l ta nks, improved engine deck to mini-
mise infra- red detection, constant-press ure turret con trol
system, improved fire-contro l system, mod ifi ed comma n-
der's c upol a, stowage basket mounted a t turret rear, an d the
main arma ment fitted with a 'T' type blast deflector. T he
suspension was also modifi ed a nd j ettisonable long-range
fuel tanks could be fitted a t th e rear.
M48A2C
This is almos t identical to the M48A2 apart from slight
differences in th e optica l and fire-control equipment. Most
mod els do not ha ve the track ten sioner wheel.
M48A3
T his had th e development designation of the M48A 1E2 a nd
is basicall y a rebuild of the earli er M48A l a nd M48A2 tan ks.
Major differences are th e replacement of the petrol engin e by
the same di esel engine as insta lled in the M60Al M BT,
improved fire-control system a nd command er's cupol a mod-
ifi ed by mounting a circular ring with vision blocks betwee n
the roof of the turret a nd th e base of the com ma nd er's c upola.
Most M48A3s have only three track ret urn rollers and no
rear idler. In addition th ey have 'T' ty pe blast deflectors a nd
fend er dust shields .
149

M48A2 MBT from top with turret traversed to rear (US Army)
M48A2 MBT with turret traversed to front (US Army)
In 196 7 Bowen-M cLa ughlin-York was award ed a contract
to re manufacture and modify 578 M 48A l tanks to M48A3
config uration. U nder this programme the company rebuilt
th e vehicles and performed extensive modifi cations in accor-
dan ce with 74 U S Governm ent d esigned kits. The prin cipal
change to this vehicle was th e replace ment of th e petrol
engine with th e Continental A VDS-1790- 2A diesel engine.
Both remanufac ture and modifi cation were carried out in
York, Pennsylvan ia.
The Red Ri ve r Ar my D epot converted 400 M48A l s to
M 48A3 stand ard whil e th e Anniston Arm y D epot conver ted
800 M 48A l s to M 48A3 stand ard .
M48A4
It was intend ed th a t turrets removed fro m M 60s a fter th ey
had been fitted with th e new turret moun ting th e Shillelagh
missile system wo uld be fi tted to older M48 chassis to be
designa ted th e M48A4. But this proj ect was cancelled a ft er
six prototypes had been completed .
M48A5
From O ctober 1975 th e Anniston Arm y Depot started to
mod ernise old er M 48A I and M 48A3 tanks to a new standa rd
called th e M 48A5. By th e end of fi scal year 1977 764 had been
converted , by th e end of fisca l year 1978 1454, and a total of
150
1864 a t th e end offis cal yea r 1980. T he Anniston Army Depot
converted 2064 M 48A I/ M 48A3s to M 48A5 confi guration
with fin a l d eli veri es takin g place in December 1979. As of
early 1985 th e US Arm y had 160 I M 48A5s in service. The
first unit to receive th e M48A5 was the South Carolina Army
Na tio na l G ua rd which took its fi rst d eli ve ry in December
1975. U nit cost of the M 48A I modifi cati on was $240 000 and
of th e more recent M 48A3 was $ 130 000. It took about three
months to convert an M48A3 and four months to convert an
M48A 1. M ajor modi fica tions required to convert an M48A I
to th e M 48A5 standard are to p-loading air cleaner, top deck
grille, engine and transmission shro ud, gun trave l lock,
exha ust grilles, powerpack (new engine fi tted ), fi nal dri ves,
tow pintle, engine and transmission mounts, hull turret seal,
torsion bar knockout, bulkhead, drain valves, fu el tank and
lines, track support ro llers and shield , turret basket, modifi ed
turret a mmunition stowage, T 142 track, doubl e bump spring
and forw ard ar m, drive r's controls, drive r's escape ha tch,
modifi ed hull a mmuni tion stowage, fi re extinguisher, hull
armour, heater, stowage boxes, driver's periscope, gun shield
and cover, turret and gun control, 105 mm M 68 gun (as in
M60 series), composite headl amp, 2.2 kW searchlight, nylon
ballistics shield , M 11 4 mount and M I05 telescope and
graticul e kit, MI 3BI quadrant elevation, MI OA6 ballistics
drive, M 32 and MI1 8 periscope mount, MI 3BI C computer
cam kit, M 17B I C rangefind er and M28C periscope,
MI04A I peris cope moun t, turret electri cal kit, cupola ada p-
ter ring and retaining ring, turret manual d rive and trave rse
gea r box, turret stowage, searchlight stowage and cargo rack
screen. M aj or modifi cations to conve rt the M48A3 to th e
M48A5 are th e turret electrical ki t, turre t stowage, top-
loading air cl eaner, gun travel lock, solid sta te regulator,
turret basket, TI42 track, a mmunition stowage, 105 mm
gun, gun shield and cover, M 87 gun mount, graticule kit and
compu ter cam ki t. The full y enclosed co mmand er's cupola
was replaced by an Israeli-designed cupola which is man-
ufac tured by Associated Steel Foundries in Israel. First
American-produced cupolas were d eli vered in mid-1 976 . A
7.62 mm M 60D mac hine gun is mounted externally a t th e
comm ander's sta tion and th ere are two mounting positions
provid ed a t th e loader's ha tch for his 7.62 mm M60D
machine g un , to p rovid e sup pressive fire against enemy troop
and ATGW positions.
M67/M67A1 /M67A2 Flamethrower Tanks
None of th ese remain in service with the US Army or M arine
Corps.
M48 Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridge
This is basicall y an M 48 with its turre t removed and fi tted
with a scissors bridge th at is la un ched hydra ulically over th e
front of th e vehicle in three minutes. T he bridge weighs
14 470 kg and has an ove rall length when opened out of
19.202 metres, can span a ga p of up to 18.288 metres and has
a maximum capacity of 60 000 kg. The M 48 AVLB has a
crew of two men and weighs 55 746 kg with th e bridge and
41 685 kg without it.
Local modifications
A number of countries have, or a re, carrying out modernisa-
tion programmes on th eir M 48s to extend th eir operational
life into th e 1980s and 1990s. These countries includ e West
Germ any , Greece, Iran, Israe l, South K orea, Spain and
Turkey.
M48 AVLB in trave lling configuration (Mi c hael Ledford)
Brief d etails of th ese progra mmes a re given und er th e
respective country entries in th e second pa rt of th is boo k.
New Powerpacks
NAPe a and T eled yne of th e U nited Sta tes a nd GLS and
Wegmann of West Germ any have all developed new power-
packs for th e M 48 ta nk . Teled yne Cont inental's kit, which
has already been adopted by a number of co untries, us es the
AVDS- 1790-2C engin e. Weg ma nn have provid ed 170 of
th eir kits to Turkey. Th is kit also includes th e in stalla tion of
the 105 mm gun as fitt ed in the 650 M48A2GA 2s supp lied to
the Federal Germ an Army. For trials purposes FFG of West
Germa ny have install ed a GT60 1 gas turbin e in a M48 ta n k
of the Wes t Germ an Army . T his was tested alongside a n M48
with a n MTU M B 837 Ea-500 V-8 diesel engin e d eveloping
550 kW and co upled to a CD-850-5/6 transmiss ion .
M48A5 wit h 105 mm g un and two 7.62 mm M60D mach ine gu ns mou nted externa ll y on tu rret roof, one fo r commander a nd one for
loader (US Army)
M48 AVLB laying its sc issors bridge in position (US Army)
M48 Division Air Defense Gun System
T he Sgt York twin 40 mm Division Air Defense Gun
(DrVAD) based on a modifi ed M 48A5 ta nk chass is was
cancelled in Aug ust 1985 after more th an 50 systems had
been delivered.
Trials Vers ions
Over th e years th ere have been nu merous trials ve rs ions of
th e M 48 including vario us models fitted with AT systems,
mine-cl earing equipmen t and one was also used to test the
Avco AGT- 1500 gas turbine subsequen tly installed in th e
M I MBT now in prod uction by G eneral D yna mics.
15 1
SPECIFICAT IONS
Model M48 M48A1 M48A2 M48A3 M48A5
CREW 4 4 4 4 4
COMBAT WEIGHT 44906 kg 47 173 kg 47 173 kg 47 173 kg 48987 kg
UNLOADED WEIGHT 42240 kg 43999 kg 43999 kg 44452 kg 46287 kg
POWER-TO-WEIGHT RATIO 18.03 hpltonne 17.17 hp/tonne 17.39 hp/tonn e 15.89 hp/tonne 15.89 hp/tonne
GROUND PRESSURE 0.78 kg/em' 0.83 kg/em' 0.83 kg/cm' 0.83 kg/cm' 0.88 kg/cm'
LENGTH GUN FORWARDS 8.444 m 8.729 m 8.686 m 8.686 m 9.306 m
LENGTH HULL 6.705 m 6.87 m 6.87 m 6.882 m 6.419 m
WIDTH 3.631 m 3.631 m 3.631 m 3.631 m 3.631 m
HEIGHT OVERALL 3.241 m' 3.13 m 3.089 m 3.124 m 3.086 m
GROUND CLEARANCE 0.393 m 0.387 m 0.385 m 0.406 m 0.419 m
TRACK 2.921 m 2.921 m 2.921 m 2.921 m 2.92 1 m
TRACK WIDTH 711 mm 711 mm 711 mm 711 mm 711 mm
LENGTH OF TRACK ON GROUND 4m 4m 4m 4m 4m
MAX ROAD SPEED FORWARDS 41 .8 km/h 41.8 km/h 48.2 km/h 48.2 km/h 48.2 km/h
FUEL CAPACITY 7571itres 757 litres 1268 litres 1420 litres 1420 litres
MAX ROAD RANGE
without external tanks which could
be fitted to M48A 1 and
M48A2 113 km 113 km 258 km 463 km 499 km
FORDING 1.219 m 1.219 m 1.219 m 1.219 m 1.219 m
with preparation 2.438 m 2.438 m 2.438 m 2.438 m 2.438 m
GRADIENT 60% 60% 60% 60% 60%
VERTICAL OBSTACLE 0.915 m 0.915 m 0.915 m 0.915 m 0.9 15 m
TRENCH 2.59 m 2.59 m 2.59 m 2.59 m 2.59 m
ENGINE
all Conlinental 12-cylinder air-cooled AV- 1790-5BI7I7B/7C AV-1790-7C AV- 1790-8 AVDS-1790-2A A VDS-1790-2Dt
Type petrol petrol petrol diesel diesel
Output 810/2800 hp/rpm 810/2800 hp/rpm 82512800 hp/rpm 750/2400 hp/rpm 750/2400 hp/rpm
Auxiliary engine General Motors Corporation Model A-41 none none
TRANSMISSION (model) CD-850-4/4A14B CD-850-4B CD-850-5 CD-850-6 CD-850-6A
TYPE p lanetary gear shift with hydraulic 10rque converter with 2 forward and 1 reverse (low. high and reverse)
STEERING cross-drive differential in all models
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24 V 24 V 24 V 24 V 24 V
BATIER IES 4 x 12 V 4 x 12 V 4 x 12 V 6 x 12 V 6 x 12 V
ARMAMENT
main x 90mm x 90 mm 1 x 90 mm 1 x 90 mm 1 x 105mm
coaxial* x 7.62 mm MG x 7.62 mm MG 1 x 7.62 mm MG 1 x 7.62 mm MG 1 x 7.62 mm MG
anti-aireraft§ x 12.7 mm MG x 12.7 mm MG 1 x 12.7 mm MG 1 x 12.7 mm MG 2 x 7.62 mm MG
SMOKE-LAYING EQUIPMENT none none none none M239 smoke
grenade launchers
and engine smoke
laying system
AMMUNITI ON
main 60 60 64 62 54
7.62 mm 5900 5900 5590 6000 10000
12.7 mm 180 500 1365 630 none
GUN CONTROL EQUIPMENT
Turret power control eleclro-hydraulic with manual for emergency use
by commander yes yes yes yes yes
by gunner yes yes yes yes yes
Max rate of power traverse 360° in 15 seconds for all models
Gun elevation/depression +19°/-9° +19°/- 9° +19°/ - 9" + 19°/ - 9° + 19°/_9°
commander's override yes yes yes yes yes
Commander's fj re-control override yes yes yes yes yes
Gun stabiliser
vertical no no no no no
horizonlal no no no no no
Rangefinder M 13 M13 M13Al M17B1C M17Al or
M17B1C
Gunner's te lescope M97C M97C M97C Ml05 Ml05D
Elevation quadrant M 13A l M13A l M13A l M13A3 M13Bl
Traverse indicator yes yes yes yes yes
ARMOUR
Hull front 101 / 120 mm 101 / 120 mm 101/ 120 mm 101 / 120 mm 101/ 120 mm
Hull sides front 76mm 76mm 76 mm 76mm 76mm
Hull sides rear 51 mm 51 mm 51 mm 51 mm 51 mm
Hull top 57 mm 57 mm 57 mm 57 mm 57 mm
Hull floor 12.7/63 mm 12.7/63 mm 12.7/63 mm 12.7/63 mm 12.7/63 mm
Hull rear 44 mm 44 mm 44 mm 44 mm 44 mm
Turret front 110 mm 110 mm 110 mm 11 0mm 110 mm
Turret sides 76mm 76mm 76mm 76 mm 76 mm
Turret rear 50mm 50mm 50 mm 50mm 50 mm
Turret top 25mm 25 mm 25mm 25 mm 25mm

Status: Production complete. In service with West Germany
(including 105 mm armed versions), Greece (including
105 mm versions), Iran (including M48A5), Israel (105 mm
versions), Jordan, South Korea (including M48A5),
Lebanon, Morocco (including 105 mm versions), Norway,
Pakistan, Portugal (M48A5 from West Germany) , Somalia,
Spain (including M48E and M48A5), Taiwan, Thailand (55
M48A5s), Tunisia, Turkey, USA and Viet-Nam.
Manufacturers: Chrysler Corporation, Delaware, Ford
Motor Company, Michigan, Fis her Body Division of General
Motors Corporation, Michigan and Alco Products of
Schenectady. Although no longer in production, the Systems
Technical Support (engineering) work for the M48A5 is still
being done by General Dynamics Land Systems Division.
(Please see notes at top of next page)

152
.... • inc luding AA MG. a nd tracks the ta rge t, and bo resig hts the gu n for fir ing. T he
t M48A3 conversion uses AVOS-1790-2A engine while M48A 1 conversion uses loader is provid ed with a single-piece ha tch cover tha t opens
AV0 8- 1790-20 engi ne.
l As original ly bui lt coaxial machine gun was 7.62 mm (0.30) M1 919A4E1 but those to the right front a nd a n M 13 periscope mounted forward of
still in service with US Arm y now have 7.62 mm M73 machine gun his hatch . T he turre t has a n overhanging bustl e with the
§ Browning 12.7 mm (0.50) M2 HB machine gun , except M48A5.
dome-sha ped turret ventilator moun ted in the roof a t th e
rear. A lig ht s teel stowage box is provided at th e rear of th e
M47 Medium Tank turret.
The engine compartm en t is at th e rear of the vehicle a nd
Development separated from the fig hting com partment by a bulkhead . The
The heavies t tank in th e U S Army a t th e end of th e Second engine trans mits power via th e cross-d rive transmiss ion to
World Wa r was th e M 26 Pershing. A total of 2428 Pershing th e fi nal d rives . The torsion bar suspension consists of six
tanks was built by th e Detroit Tank Pla nt (run by th e du al rubber-tyred road wheels with the id ler at th e fron t a nd
C hrys ler Corpora tion) and the G rand Bla nc T ank Arsenal the drive sprocket a t th e rear. T here are th ree track return
(run by the Fisher Bod y Division of General M otors Cor- rollers a nd a n adj ustable ten sioning wheel between the sixth
pora tion). In M ay 1946 th e designa tio n of the H eavy T ank road wheel a nd th e drive sp rocket. H ydrau lic shock absor-
M26 was changed to M edium T ank M 26. F urth er d evelop- bers are provided for the fi rst, second , fifth a nd sixth road
ment of the M 26 res ulted in th e M 46 (M 26E2), which had a wheel stations. T he steel tracks have ru bber blocks a nd when
new engine and cross-drive tra nsmission and a new gun . new each track has 86 links.
In 1949 a decision was ta ken to design three new ta nks, the T he main a rm a ment of the M 47 consis ts ofa 90 mm gun
T41light, which became th e M 4 1 Bulldog, T 42 medium a nd M 36 (T 11 9E I) in a moun t M 78. The main componen ts of the
th e T43 heavy, which became th e MI03. When th e Korean gun are the blas t d efl ector (d epending on th e type of ta nk this
War broke out th e following year the T 42 was not read y for
production so th e turret of th e T 42 ta nk (with gun T11 9) was Top view of M47 without M2 12.7 mm (0.50) HB machine gun
mounted on th e chassis of th e M 46 ta nk. This combina tion fitted for anti-airc raft defence (US Army)
was known as th e M 46E I a nd acce pted for limited service as
the M 46A I . The fro nt hull a rmour of th e M 46 was improved
in th e M46A I by elimina ting the ventila tor housing between
the dri ve r's a nd bow machine g unn er's position a nd increas-
ing th e front slope angle of th e armour.
Produ ction of the M 47 was underta ken by th e D etroit
T ank Plan t (w hich built 3440 by Nove m ber 1953) a nd the
American Locomotive Compa ny (which built over 5000).
T otal production a mounted to 86 76 units. The M 47 did not
see comba t in K orea and was soon replaced in th e reg ula r
Army by the M 48, development of which sta rted la te in 1950
by C hrys ler. The maj ority ofM 47s were subsequentl y sup-
plied to oth er countries und er the Mutual Aid Prog ra m .

Description
The hull of th e M47 is made of a rmo ured plate a nd cast
a rm our sections weld ed together a nd reinforced , and has
three compa rtm en ts, drive r a nd bow machine g unn er a t the
front, fig hting in th e centre and th e engine and transmissio n
a t th e rea r.
The driver is seated a t th e front of the vehicl e on the left
side wi th the bow machine g unn er to his right. Both men a re
provided with a single-piece ha tch cover th a t opens to th e
outs ide of the vehicl e with a n integral M 13 periscope. Both
th e dri ver and bow-g unner a re prov id ed with a hull escape
ha tch.
The cast turret is mounted in th e centre of th e hull with th e
comma nd er a nd g unn er on th e right and th e loader on the
left. The command er is provided with a single-piece ha tch
cover th a t opens to the rear an d five vision blocks are
arranged a round th e sides a nd behind his position . Mounted
to his front is an M 20 periscope and a simi lar periscope is
provided forwa rd, a nd slightly below the command er' s posi-
tion for the gunner. The M 20 periscope has two built-in
optical systems, a x I sys tem for wide-angle observa tion a nd
a X6 for sightin g dista nt objects a nd ra nging on targets. The
M 12 stereoscopic ballisti c com puting rangefi nder is moun ted
in the forward pa rt of th e turret and is used by th e gunner
who, through the use of various adjustment knobs, ind exes
th e proper a mmunition, sets th e ballistic correction, ranges

153
M47 medium tank with 7.62 mm (O.30-inch) bow machine gun not installed (US Army)
can be of the 'T', cylindrical or as fitted to the M46 tank),
evacuator chamber and the barrel mechanism. The mount
consists of the shield group and th e recoil mechanism assem-
bly. The recoil mechanism is of th e concentric hydrospring
type and the breech-block is of the vertical sliding type. Once
a round is loaded into the breech, a closing mechanism closes
the breech which is re-opened automatically during
counter-recoil of the gun. The empty cartridge case is ej ected
into the spent bag under the gun. The barrel has a life of700
rounds and can fire the following types of ammunition (not
all of these rounds are currently in use and th e ranges quoted
are with th e weapon at maximum elevation, effective anti-
tank range is 2000 metres) :
APC-T (M82) with th e round weighing 19.39 kg, muz zle
velocity of 792 to 853 metres per second and a maximum
range of 19 568 metres
APERS-T (XM580E I) with the round weighing 18.7 I kg,
muzzle velocity of914.4 metres per second and a maxi-
mum range of 4400 metres
M47 medium tank without anti-aircraft machine gun
M47 medium tank
154
AP-T (M77) with th e round weighing 19.06 kg, muzzle
velocity of822 metres per second and a max imum range of
II 269 metres
AP-T (M3 18) with th e round weighing 19.94 kg, muzzle
velocity of 853.4 metres per second and a max imum range
of 19 568 metres
Blank (M394) with the round weighing 3.733 kg
Canister (M 336) with th e round weigh ing 18.86 kg,
muzzle velocity of 874 metres per second and a effective
range of 183 metres .
Canister (M377) with th e round weigh ing 17.82 kg,
muzzle velocity of 899 metres per second and a effective
range of 365 metres
Dummy (M I2) with th e round weighing between 19.06
and 19.95 kg
HE (M 71) with th e round weighing between 18.68 and
19.0 I kg, muzzle velocity of 823 metres per second and a
maximum range of 17 7 16 metres
HEP-T
 HE-T (M7IAI) with the round weighing between 17.59
and 17.93 kg, muzzle velocity of731 metres per second and
a maximum range of 15 550 metres
HEAT (M348A I) (fi n-stabilised) with the round weighing
15.78 kg, muzzle. velocity of853 metres per second and a
maximum range of II 896 metres
HEAT (M431) with the round weighing 14.96 kg, muzzle
velocity of 1219 metres per second and a maximum range
of 8138 metres
HVAP-T (M304) with the round weighing 16.84 kg,
muzzle velocity of 1021 metres per second and a maximum
range of 13 835 metres
HVAP-T (M332A I) with round weighing 18.37 kg,
muzzle velocity of 1165 metres per second and a maximum
range of 15 362 metres
HVTP-T (M333A I) with th e round weighing 14.28 kg,
muzzle velocity of 1165 metres per second and a maximum
range of 14 356 metres
HVTP-T (M317) with round weighing 17 kg, muzzle vel-
ocity of 102 1 metres per second and a maximum range of
13 835 metres
TP-T (M353) with round weighing 19.91 kg, muzzle vel-
ocity of914.4 metres per second and a max imum range of
21 031 metres
The M71 TP round has no tracer
Smoke WP (M313) with round weighing 19.29 kg, muzzle
veiocity of822 .9 metres per second and a maximum range
of 17716 metres.
Of 71 rounds of90 mm ammunition carried II are in th e
turret bustle for ready use. A 7.62 mm (0.30) MI919A4EI
machine gun is mounted coaxially to the left of the main
armament and a similar weapon is mounted in the bow of the
tank on the right side. Some countries have taken out the bow
machine gun enabling the number of 90 mm rounds to be
increased from 71 to 105. A 12.7 mm (0.50) Browning M2
HB machine gun is mounted on the roof of the tank for
an ti-aircraft use.
The M47 is not fitted with an NBC system and as built was
not provided with any infra-red night vision equipment,
although some countries have since fitted it. The tank can be
fitted with the M6 dozer blade. Thirty-one pre-production
dozer blades were built followed by 468 production models.
Variants
Many companies have carried out various modifi cations to
the M47 to extend its life including Austria (new powerpack) ,
France (105 mm gun), Israel (RKM conversion with new
powerpack and 105 mm gun), Italy (105 mm gun and new
powerpack) and the United Kingdom (installation of
Swingfire ATGWs), but none of these entered service.
Details of the Iranian M47M (also used by Pakistan) are
given under Iran in Part 2. Details of Spanish M47E are
given in this Part.
NAPea M47 s
In 1984 NAPCO of the USA purchased 101 M47 medium
tanks in a US Army property disposal sale. These tanks are
ex-Italian Army and one has now been sent to NAPCO'.s
facilities in Hopkins, Minnesota while the remaining 100 are
still in Italy.

SPECIFICATIONS (data in square brackets relate s to

M47M where diHerent from M47)

CREW 5 [4] TRENCH 2.59 m GUN CONTROL

COMBAT WEIGHT 46170 [46 814] kg TURNING RADIUS skid turns EQUIPMENT
UNLOADED WEIGHT 42130kg ENGINE Continental AV-1790-5B Turret power control hydraulic/manual
POWER-TO-WEIGHT [AVDS-1790-2A, 750 bhp al Max rate power traverse 360· in 10 s
RATIO 17.54116.11] hp/lonne 2400 rpm] , 7 or 7B, V-12, Max rate power elevation 4°/s
GROUND PRESSURE 0.935 kg/cm' 4-cycle. air-cooled petrol Gun stabiliser
LENGTH GUN developing 810 bhp at vertica l none
forwards 8.508 [8.553] m 2800 rpm horizontal none
rear 7.09 m AUXILIARY ENGINE Wisconsin TFT 2-cylinder Elevation quadrant T21
LENGTH HULL 6.307 [6.267] m petrol Traverse indicator T24
WIDTH 3.51 [3.39] m TRANSMISSION Allison model CD-850-4 ARMOUR
WIDTH OVER TRACKS 3.377 m [CD-850-6A], 4A or 4B cross Hull front 101 mm at 60·
HEIGHT drive with 2 forward and 1 Hull front lower 76/89 mm at 53·
to turret top 2.954 m reverse ranges Hull sides front 76 mm
overall including SUSPENSION torsion bar Hull sides rear 50.8 mm
NAMG 3.352 [3.397] m ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24 V Hull top 22mm
commander's cupola 3.016 m BATIERIES 4 x 12 V Hull floor front 25.4 mm
GROUND CLEARANCE 0.469 m ARMAMENT Hull floor rear 12.7 mm
TRACK 2.794 m main 1 x 90mm Turret mantlet 115mm
TRACK WIDTH 584 mm coaxial 1 x 7.62 mm (0.30) MG Turret front 101 mm at 40·
LENGTH OF TRACK bow 1 x 7.62 mm (0.30) MG Turret sides 63.5 mm at 30·
ON GROUND 3.911 m [none] Turret rear 76.2 mm at 30·
MAX ROAD SPEED 48 [56.3] km/h anti-aircraft 1 x 12.7 mm (0.50) MG Turret top 12.7 mm
early model 58 km/h SMOKE-LAYING
FUEL CAPACITY 875 [1476]litres EQUIPMENT none
MAX RANGE 130 [600] km AMMUNITION
FORDING 1.219 m main 71 [79]
GRADIENT 60% 7.62 mm 4125
VERTICAL OBSTACLE 0.914 m 12.7 mm 440

Status: Produ ction complete. In service with Greece, Iran, Manufacturers : D etroit Tank Plant and American
Italy, Pakistan , Somalia, South Korea, Spain, Sudan ( 17 Locomotive Company.
were delivered from Saudi Arabia in 1981), Taiwan, Turkey
and Yugoslavia.

155
 PART 2
PRESENT AND POSSIBLE
FUTURE MBT OPERATORS
Afghanistan la tter is co rrect a nd they a re organised a long Soviet lines it
would account for a furth er 34 1 MBTs.
The ord er of battle of th e Afghanista n Army includes II
infantry di visio ns a nd three a rmoured divisions which, like Angola
th e rest of the Army, are und er strength du e to th e in ternal
probl ems within th e co un try. The armoured di visio ns, which
When Portugal withd rew from Angola in 1975 it left behind a
to all inten ts and purposes a re brigad es , a re th e 4th and 15th
sma ll number of ligh t a rmo ured vehicles incl uding Panha rd
based in th e ca pital K a bul a nd th e 7th based a t K and a har.
AML (4 x 4) a rm oured cars a nd Pa n ha rd M 3 (4 x 4)
All three a re organised along Soviet lines.
armo ured personnel carriers.
To tal ta nk strength includes 50 T-34/85s, a bo ut 400
In 1985 it was reported tha t Angola had 263 T-54/T-55
T-54/ T-55s a nd a round 100 more mod ern T-62/T- 72.
MBTs a nd 153 of th e older T -34/85s. Between 90 a nd 100 of
The Soviet Unio n in vaded Afgha nista n on 27 December
more mod ern T -62/T-72 M BTs are believed to be in service.
1979 and total Soviet milita ry strength is es timated to be
A number of Soviet-s uppli ed ta nks were des troyed by
around 120000 offi cers and men , including supporting units.
South Afri can Ela nd a rmo ured cars (French Pa nha rd
There is one Soviet Army HQ, two motorised rifl e a nd one
AML-90 ma nufactured und er licence in South Africa by
a irborn e di visions, one air assa ult and two motorised rifl e
Sa n dock- Austral) when th ey operated deep in Angola in
brigades.
1976 in s upport of UNITA/FN LA units. In 198 1 South
Africa captured a nd destroyed a number of T -34/85 tanks
du ring ope ra tions against SW APO bases in South ern
Albania Angola.
Angola has two moto rised brigades each of whi ch com-
Between 1949 a nd 1961 Alba nia was a Soviet satellite but in prises two infantry a nd one ta nk batta lion . Each of th e la tter
1961 th e co untry broke with th e Soviet U nio n and in 1968 comprises three com panies each of ten tanks plus a single
withdrew from th e W arsaw Pact. Since 1961 Alba nia has tank a t battalio n HQ, th us giving each ba ttalion a front line
been a ligned with C hina a nd an y future procurement of strength of 3 1 ta nks. There a re a lso 17 infa ntry brigades, ten
MBTs will proba bly come from this source. tank battalions plus anti-aircra ft and a rtillery ba ttalions.
Albania has one ta nk brigad e which is believed to consist of Angola has some 20000 C uba n a nd 500 Eas t Germ a n and
three ta nk ba ttalions a nd one motor rifl e ba tta lion . I fth e ta nk Soviet ad visors a nd it is beli eved th a t many of th e ta nks a re
ba ttalion follows C hinese lines it would have 33 MBTs, mann ed by C uba ns as th ere a re insufficient Angolans tra in ed
although from informa tion in the West it wo uld seem th a t to operate them .
th ere is only suffi cient ta nks to form two operati onal
ba ttalions.
The co untry took deli very of some 110 T-34/85 ta nks but
und er ha lf this number a re now opera tional. Fifteen C hinese
suppli ed T ype 59 a nd a simila r number of So viet T -54 MBTs
are also in service with th e Alba nia n Army.

Algeria
When Algeria became independ ent from Fra nce in 1962 it
took over some French AFVs including AMX-1 3 light ta nks,
M8 G rey hound a nd Panha rd AML light a rmoured cars. In
the early 1960s some 200 T -34/ 85 tanks were s upplied by th e
Soviet Union, but all of th ese a re now either in reserve or a re
used for training.
From 1964 th e Soviet Union provided a la rge nu m ber of
tanks a nd in 1985 front line strength consis ted of 300 to 400
T-54/ T-55s, 300 T-62 and 100 of th e more modern T- 72 wi th Angolan T-34/85 tanks captured by South Afri can forces. Note
first of la tter delivered in 1980. long-range fuel tanks at hull rear
T oday th e Algeria n Army is known to ha ve two a rm oured
brigades, five mecha nised brigad es and eight motorised Argentina
infa ntry brigad es. Each of th e form er is beli eved to have th ree
battalions of MBTs so giving Algeria a total of nin e ta nk Argen tina has no MBTs bu t abo ut 125 Sherm an ta nks a re in
batta lions. T hese a re believed to be organised along Soviet service. These were modernised in the 1970s and fitt ed with
lines with each having 3 1 MBTs with three companies often French Poya ud 580 V8 S25 di esel engin es developing 570 hp.
tanks a nd one at battalion HQ. To meet th e requirements of th e Argen tinian Army th e
From th e a bove it can be seen th a t Algeri a has ta ken Wes t Germ a n compa ny of T hyssen H ensc hel designed a nd
deli ve ry of fa r more ta nks th an required to equip its kn ow n built th e TAM medium ta nk a nd th e VCT P armo ured per-
tank ba tta lions. The rema inder of th e tanks a re eith er in sonnel ca rri er. Produ ction of th ese is now und erway in
reserve, held for shipment to oth er coun tri es in th e Middle Argen tin a a nd it is beli eved that a bout 150 TAMs have now
East or each of th e eigh t moto ris ed infa ntry a nd fi ve mecha n- been built. Ex port sales have been made to Pana ma a nd
ised brigades has an integra l or a ttached ta nk ba ttalion. If the Peru. Deta ils of T AM a re given in Pa rt I .

158
 The order of battl e of th e Argentinian Army includes two control system, tropical kit, improved turret and trunnion
armoured cavalry brigad es each of which has two armoured bea rings, modifications to th e fire control system to enable
cavalry regiments, one ta nk regiment a nd one a rtill ery APFSDS rounds to be fir ed , improved combustion clean ers
ba ttalion. and ex ternal stowage boxes on hull sid es. A small qu a ntity of
dozer blades were also ordered.
As can be seen from the figures, sufficient ta nks and
Australia specialised veh icl es are available to form another regiment
shou ld this be required. More recently three of th e Leo pard
Australi a has only one tank ba ttalion, th e I st Armoured MBTs have had th eir turrets removed and are in service in
Regiment, Royal Australia n Armoured Corps, based at th e driver training rol e, with th e turrets being used for
Pucka punyal. instru ctional training.
This regiment has a HQ with two MBTs, three Sabre ta nk In Australian Army service th e Leopard varia nts are
sq uadrons and a technical sq uad ro n. d esignated as follows: Leo pard AS I MBT, Leo pard AS I
Each ta nk squadron has a HQ with two MBTs a nd one armo ured recovery vehicle medium , Leo pard AS I A VLB
MBT with a dozer blade and three tank troops each with Leopard AS I medium tank dozer.
three MBTs. The HQ squ adron has a qu a rterm aste r troop,
transport troop , reconnaissance troop and a special troop Leopard 1 driver training tank of Australian Army (Paul Handel)
with two AVLBs. The techni cal squ adron has a special
equipment troo p and three tank squ adron technical sections
each of wh ich includ es a n ARV. Total strength of th e regi-
ment is 47 MBTs, three ARVs a nd two AVLBs.
For many years the regiment used th e British Centu rion
MBT with 135 g un ta nks, seven ARVs a nd four bridgelaye rs
being procured, including s'o me from New Zealand.
Between 1972 and 1973 Australia evalua ted th e M60AI
a nd th e Leopard I MBTs a nd subsequently placed an order
with Wes t Germany for th e supply orgO Leopard IA3 MBTs,
six ARVs and fi ve AVLBs; th ese were deli vered to Australia
between 1976 a nd 1978.
The Leo pa rd I A3s of the Australian Army were delivered
with a number of cha nges including a Belgian SABCA fire

Leopard AS 1 medium tank dozer of Australian Army with dozer blade raised (Paul Handel)

159
Austria
When Austria became ind ependent fo ll owing th e withdrawal
of American, British, French and Soviet occupation troops,
the Austrian Army was form ed . Initi al ta nk equipment
included 27 Soviet T -34/85s and 56 Charioteer tank d es-
troyers which were s uppli ed by the Un ited Kingdom in 1956.
None of these rema in in service today.
These were follow ed by an ini tial batch of 150 M47 tanks
which were s upp lied by the United States and issued to the
10th , 33 rd an d 34th Tank Battalions. Later additional M47s
were supplied a nd some so urces have given a total of 320
which appears to be far too high. For trials purposes one M47
was fitted with the powerpack of th e M60A I but this was not
adopted. As far as it is known, no M47 tanks remain in service
with the Austrian Army.
Between 1962 and 1963 120 M60A ls were delivered by the
United States an d more recently 50 M60A3s were acqu ired
a t a total cost of $47.2 million.
In 1980 the U nited States Congress was advised ofa letter
of offer to Austria va lued at $ 117 million for 120 M60A3
turrets , 80 M60A I turrets and 120 modification kits , but this
letter of offer was not taken up . The basic idea was that the
existing M60Als wou ld have been brought up to M60A3
standard a nd the old turrets used in the static d efence roles .
Today th e Standing Alert Force Austrian Army includ es
three mecha nised infantry brigad es, 3rd , 4th a nd 9th , each of
which has a staff battalion (including signals, engin eer,
anti-aircraft, supply/tra nsport, reco nn a issance a nd medi cal
co~panies), tank ba ttalion, mechanised infantry ba ttalion,
a na-tank battalion with SK 105s a nd a n a rtill ery ba ttalion.
The ta nk ba tta lion has a staff company a nd three ta nk
companies with two tan ks at company HQ and three pl a-
toons of fi ve tanks each, giving the battalion a total of 51
M60AI / M 60A3 tan ks.
An interes ting feature of the Austrian Army is tha t it us es
old ta nk turrets em bedd ed in concrete for th e static d efence
role; th ese includ e Centurion turrets with 105 mm L7 g uns,
C harioteer with 20 pounder (83 .4 mm), M47 with 90 mm
g uns and T -34/85 with 85 mm g uns.
In Ap ril 1984 it was confirmed th at Austria was purchas-
ing 120 Centurion tanks from the Neth erl ands and thei r
M60A3 MBT of Austrian Army fitted with infra-red/wh ite li ght
searchlight over main armament and thermal sleeve for latter;
12.7 mm c upola-mounted MG is not fitted (A ustrian Army)
160
turrets will be used in static d efence rol e. A fur th er 180 turrets
may be purchased from the Netherlands for similar purposes .
Bahrain
At present Ba hrai n has no MBTs but in November 1985 th e
US D epartm ent of Defense ann ounced a letter of offer to th e
co untry for the s upply of 54 M60A3 MBTs a t a cost of $90
million, including a mmunition a nd training.
Bangladesh
The Banglad esh Army has two a rmoured regim ents one of
which is believed to be equipped with 30 T-54/T-55 tanks
su ppli ed by Egypt in 1974 a nd the ot her with 20 C hin ese
Type 59 ta nks and six ex-Pa kistani Arm y M24 C haffee light
tanks.
Belgium
T he Belgian Army ord er of battle includes one armo ured and
three mecha nised brigades fully manned and one mechan-
ised brigade a nd one moto ris ed brigad e in reserve. These a re
organised into two divisions, I st Division ( I st M echanised
and 7th Mechanised Brigad es and 10th Reserve M echanised
Brigade) and the 16th Divisio n (4th M echanised, 17th
Armoured a nd 12th Reserve Moto rised Brigade) . T he 16th
Division, less the reserve motorised brigade is forward
d eployed in West Germany.
T he armoured brigad e consists of a HQ company, two
armo ured ba ttalio ns, two a rmo ured infantry battalions
anti-tank battalion, a rtillery battalion, engineer, medi cal:
supply/ transporta tion and maintenance companies.
Each armoured battalion has a HQ a nd HQ support com-
pany with one MBT and two ARVs plus a reconnaissance
pla toon with CVR(T), and three a rm oured companies. Each
of th e la tter has an M BT at com pany HQ and four platoons
of three ta nks. This gives th e battalion a total strength of 40
MBTs plus one ARV.
The mecha nised in fantry brigad e is similar to th e
armou red brigad e but has onl y one tank battalion and differ-
ent equipment in some of th e s upport battalions (eg anti-ta nk
and a rtillery).
Belgium was the first co un try to order th e Leo pard I MBT
after West Germany and placed its first ord er in 1967. T he
first d eli veries took place in 1968.
The Belgian vehicl es had th eir 7.62 mm Rh einmetall
MG 3 machine gu ns replaced by 7.62 mm FN MAG
weapons plus minor stowage cha nges. F rom 1975 th e tanks
were fitted with stowage boxes similar to those of th e Dutch
Leo pards, thermal sleeve for th e main armament a nd
Cadillac Gage weapon stabilisation system. The initial third
were also fitt ed with th e Belgia n SABCA fi re control system
which has also been adopted by Austra lia a nd Canada.
T he SABCA FCS consists of a laser ra ngefinder, seven
sensors, an a nalogue computer a nd aJ;\ op tical sight. The
computer d etermin es the a ngles between th e line of sight a nd
th e gun axis from informa tion it rece ives about the range of
th e target a nd other variab les . T he o utput of the computer is
transformed th rough a two-d egrees-of-freedom gimba lled
mirror sys tem, with torq ue dc motor dri ves a nd a compen-
Leopard 1s of Belgian Army without thermal sleeve for main armame nt (C R Zwart)
sated resolver feedback network, into a displ acement of
cross-ha irs in th e g unn er's sig ht. When th e cross ha irs a re
brought back on to th e ta rge t, th e g un is laid with th e co rrect
target elevation (or super- eleva tio n) and az imuth. The sen-
sors measure a mbi ent temperature, a ir press ure, tempera-
ture in th e ammunition stowage a rea, g un wear, cross wind ,
trunnion ca n t or til t and ra te of turret trave rse. Ea rl y in 1980
th e Belgia n Governm ent placed a n ord er for th e seco nd a nd
third ba tch of SABCA FCS for Belgian Arm y Leo pa rd Is.
Following trials with a prototype Leopa rd I fitted with th e
West G erm an Blohm and Voss add -on a rmour, as alread y
installed on W es t G erm a n a nd Dutch Leo pa rd I MBTs, th e
Belgian Army is expected to refit a ll of its ta nks a t th e R oco urt
Arsenal in Belgium.
The Belg ian Army has a tota l of 334 Leo pa rd I MBTs, 36
Leopard ARVs, s ix AEVs, 12 dri ve r training tanks a nd 55
Gepard twin 35 mm self-propelled a nti- a ircra ft guns.
Brazil
At present Braz il has no MBTs in service. E NGESA and
Bernardini of Brazil have d eveloped MBTs to th e prototype
stage to meet requirements of bo th home a nd ex port ma rk ets.
Deta ils of th ese are given in Pa rt I.
Bulgaria
The Bulga ri a n Arm y is uniqu e among th e W a rsaw Pact in
th a t it has no ta nk di visions, hav ing fi ve ta nk brigades and
eight motorised riA e di visions, whi ch a re organised a long
Soviet lin es. I t is not th ought th a t th ese units a re up to full
streng th . There a re no Soviet units s ta ti oned in Bulga ri a .
Each motorised riA e di visio n has three moto rised riA e
reg iments, one ta nk regiment a nd one a rtill ery regiment.
Eac h mo torised riA e regim en t has one ba tta lion of 40 ta nks
while th e ta nk regim ent has 95 tanks. The la tter has two
ta nks a t HQ a nd three ta nk ba ttalions each with 3 1 ta nks,
one a t HQ and three ta nk co mpa ni es each with ten ta nks.
T o tal ta nk streng th includ es so me 300 T- 34/85s whi ch a re
used ma inl y for tra ining, 1500 T-54/T-55s a nd a few m ore
mod ern T-62s a nd T- 72s .
Burma
This co untry has no MBTs as such altho ug h abo ut 25
obsolete Briti sh- built Comet ta nks rema in in service.
Canada
T he Canadi a n A rm ed Fo rces has one brigade g ro up
deployed in Europe and two brigad e g roups plus a specia l
force in Canad a.
The 4th Brigad e G roup in Europe is sta tio ned in Wes t
G erm a ny a nd has one a rm oured regim ent (Royal Canadi a n
Dragoons), two mec ha nised infa n try batta lions, one artill ery
regim ent and one enginee r regim ent plus s upporting uni ts .
The a rm o ured regiment has a regimental H Q with two
Leo pa rd IA3 MBTs, two M 577 s a nd two M I1 3s, one
reconn a issance squ adron with H Q a nd three troo ps of L ynx
16 1

Canadian Leopard C1 fitted with fro nt-mounted doze r blade and
PZB 200 passive searchl ight above and coaxial with ma in
armament (Canadian Arm ed Forces)
comma nd and reconn aissance vehicles, three a rm o ured
squ ad rons and one armoured d efence group with TOW
ATGW. Each armoured squadron has a HQ element with
one Leopa rd lA3 a nd one M577 comma nd post a nd fo ur
troops each of four Leopard I A3s. This gives th e battalion a
total of 53 Leo pard I A3 ta nks.
For ma ny yea rs Canada used th e Centurion MBT a nd in
th e 1970s selected the Leo pard lA3 fitted with the Belgia n
SABCA fire control sys tem. Total value of the Canadian
ord er, fo r 11 4 MBTs, six bridgelaye rs and eight ARVs, was
$ 187 mi ll ion , of which $ 11 5 million was for th e vehicles, $2 .7
mi llion for the loan of 35 Leo pards unti l th e Canadian
Leo pa rds were read y and th e rema in ing $69.3 mi llion for
Leopa rd armoured veh ic le launched bridge of the Canadian Armed Forces in trave ll ing configu ration (Canadian Arm ed Forces)
162
logisti c suppl ies, training, a mmunition and oth er equipment.
The first Leo pa rd lA3s, call ed th e Cl by the Canadians,
were ha nd ed over in June 1978. Under th e terms of th e
contract Kra uss-M a fTei took Canada's entire fl eet of Euro-
pean Centurion tanks. Some of the turrets of th ese vehicles,
comp lete with 105 mm guns, were subsequently sold to
Austria where th ey are used in the static defence ro le.
InJanuary 1984 it was a nnoun ced that O ceonics Vehicle
Technology was undertaking a study on behalf of the Can-
adi a n Armed Forces for using th e company's hydro-
pneumatic suspens ion system as a poss ible replacement for
th e torsion bar susp ension sys tem currently fitted to th e
Canadian Leopard I MBTs . This study forms part of th e
Canadia n MBT improvement progra mme.
As can be seen fro m the a bove figures less than half th e
Leopards are in service, the remainder a re used in Canada a t
Gagetown for training or held in reserve in Europe. The two
oth er brigad es in Canada a re equipped with th e Armoured
Vehicle General Purpose ra nge of6 x 6 ve hicles which were
manufac tured und er licence from MOWAG of Switzerl a nd .
Central African Republic
In 1982 Libya su pplied the Centra l African Republic with a
quantity of military eq uipm en t including four T -55 ta nks.
Chile
Chile has two armoured regim ents wh ich by Wes tern sta n-
da rds a re battalions a nd th ese a re equipped with some 70 M 4
Sherman tanks (th ese being supp lied by the United Sta tes in
th e 1950s, a lthou gh some reports have stated th a t an addi-
tiona l 60/70 vehicl es have been received fro m oth er so urces)
and 2 1 A M X~3 0 MBTs. Chile did ord er 50 AMX-30 MBTs
from Fra nce bu t in M a rch 1982 France a nnoun ced th a t it had
suspend ed deli ve ry of the rema ining 29 vehicl es.
Chile is known to have ta ken d eli ve ry of a qu a ntity of M 5 1
105 mm Sherm an' ta nks from Israe l; th ese a re believed to be
th e 60/70 vehicl es mentioned a bove.
China (People's Republic)
The C hin ese Arm y is th e la rges t in th e world a nd its front line
streng th includ es so me 13 a rmo ured di visio ns with 11 9 (so me
so urces have recentl y sugges ted 130) infa ntry di visio ns a nd
possibl y so me independ ent ta nk regimen ts .
Each a rm oured di vision has a n H Q element with one
MBT, sig na ls ba tta lio n, engin ee r batta lion, a nti- a ircra ft bat-
ta lion, reconn a issance compa n y, g ua rd co mpa ny, chemi cal
wa rfa re compa ny, a rtill ery regiment, mec hanised infa ntry
regim ent a nd three tank regiments. Eac h tank regiment has
100 ta nks, one a t regimenta l HQ a nd three ta nk ba tta lions
each with 33 ta nks. T his gives th e a rmoured di vision a total
streng th of 30 I ta nks.
Each infa ntry di visio n has one ta nk/assa ul t g un regiment
with 32 medium ta nks and ten assa ult g uns (eg Soviet s up-
plied SU- IOOs).
M os t so urces give C hin a a tota l tank streng th of between
II 000 a nd 12 000 ve hicl es whi ch would seem to be more
th an enough to equip th e kn own ta nk units leaving plent y in
reserve. If the a bove organis a tio n is correct, 39 13 ta nks a re in
th e 13 a rm oured units a nd 3808 in th e infa n try di visio ns.
It is es tim a ted th a t so me 9000 T ype 59 MBTs a re in se rvice
plus a ro und 1000 T-34/ 85s a nd a t leas t 2000 more recent
T-55 MBT of Czechoslovakian Army fitted with long-range fuel tanks at hull rear
T ype 69s. Sma ll numb ers of T-54s we re suppli ed by the
Soviet Union in th e 1950s. It is proba ble th a t th e T-34/85
ta nks a re now used fo r training whil e some Soviet IS-2 heavy
ta nks m ay also be in reserve or used for tra ining.
Congo
The ord er of ba ttl e of th e Congo Arm y includ es one
a rm oured ba tta lion wh ose equi pment includ es 35 Soviet
suppli ed T-54/T-55 ta nks and 15 Chin ese T ype 59 ta nks.
Cuba
The C uba n Arm y ord er of ba ttl e includ es one a rm o ured
di vision, three mec ha nised di vis ions a nd 13 infa n try di v-
isions (of whi ch eig ht are rese rve a nd onl y ma nn ed on
mobili sa tion).
Each mec ha ni sed di vision co nsists of one ta nk regim ent,
three mecha ni sed infa ntry regim ents, one a rtill ery regiment,
one a ir defence regiment, one reco nn aissance ba tta lion, one
engin eer ba tta lion, one signals ba tta lio n, one NBC d efence
co mpa ny, one ma intena nce ba tta lion, o ne s upport co mp a ny
a nd one tra nsporta tion ba tta li on.
An a rm o ured di vis ion is simila r to th e mec ha nised di visio n
exce pt th a t it has three ta nk regim ents a nd one mecha nised
in fa ntry regiment a nd a medi cal compa ny ra th er tha n a
ba tta lion .
Eac h ta nk regim ent has one a rm o ured reconn a issance,
eng in ee r, ma intena nce, suppl y, tra nsporta ti on a nd s igna ls
compa ni es plus che mi cal d efence pla toon, medi cal pla toon,
two a ir d efence ba tteri es and three tank batta lio ns.
163
 Each ta nk ba ttalion has one ta nk a t ba ttalio n HQ a nd two
ta nk compa nies each with ten ta nks. Each company has one
ta nk a t compa ny HQ and three pl a toons each with three
ta nks. Each ba ttalion may have one company of S U-IOO
assa ult g uns in place of a compa ny of ta nks a nd it is poss ible
th a t each ta nk bat talion has an additional ta nk compa ny
whi ch is no t norm all y ma nned.
Regul a r infantry di visio ns usua ll y have one tank regiment
of three ta nk ba tta lions.
T ota l tank strength includes a bo ut 300 T-34/85s, 350
T -54/T-55s, 150 T-62s (d eli vered in 1975) a nd 40 T-72s (first
observed with th e a rmo ured di visio n sta tioned near H avana
in 1980-8 1). It is no tth oug ht th a t a ny of th e IS-3 hea vy ta nks
rema in in fr ont line service but may be used in sta ti c defence
role.
Czechoslovakia
The Czechos lovaki a n ord er of ba ttl e includes fi ve motori sed
rifl e (2 nd , 3rd , 15 th , 19 th a nd 20th ) a nd fi ve ta nk ( 1st, 4th ,
9th , 13th a nd 14th ) di visions, with two of th e la tter being a t
Category II status, eg ma nned a t 50 per cent of es tablishm ent
but hav ing full compl ement of equipment. C zechoslovaki a n
units a re organised a long Soviet lines.
In addition th ere a re three Soviet moto rised rifl e ( 16 th ,
55 th a nd 66 th ) a nd two ta nk ( lOth a nd 3 1st) di visio ns
s ta tioned in Czechoslovaki a, th ese being known as th e Soviet
Centra l Group of Fo rces in Czechoslova ki a, with HQ at
T a bor.
In th e pos t-wa r period C zechoslova ki a produced th e
T-34/85 ta nk a nd th e SU-IOO ta nk d es troyer on th e sa me
chass is, ma inly for th e export ma rket, es peciall y th e Middl e
East. From th e mid-1 960s th e co untry produced th e T-55 for
both ho me a nd ex port ma rkets a nd between 1976 and 1980
Dan is h Centurion with 105 mm L7 series gun and 12.7 mm Browning M2 HB anti-aircraft MG (Ministry of Defence)
164
produ cti on of tanks was, acco rding to Ameri can reports,
running a t a bout 800 a year in Czechoslova ki a and Poland.
C zechos lovakia is kn own to have produ ced some T-62
MBTs.
In 1979/80 th e M a rtin M achine T ool Enterprise in Martin
sta rted tooling up to produ ce th e Soviet-designed T-72 MBT.
Th e tra nsmiss ion is produ ced by C KD-Praga which man-
aged T-34/85 produ ction in Czechoslova kia.
Accordin g to th e 1983 editi on of Soviet Military Power pub-
lished by th e U S Governm ent, onl y 100 T-72s were produced
in Czechos lova ki a a nd Pola nd during 1982 . I t also sta ted that
produ ction of th e older T-55 was still being und ertaken o ut-
sid e of th e U SSR (fo r exa mpl e in Czechoslovakia a nd
Pola nd ) a t th e ra te of 500 per yea r, pres um a bl y for th e export
ma rket.
T he 1985 edition of Soviet Military Power sta ted that produc-
tion of MBTs in th e Wa rsaw Pact, excluding th e U SSR was a
to ta l of 550 in 1983 a nd 450 in 1984.
C urrent Czechoslovaki an ta nk streng th is believed to
includ e just over 3000 T-54/ T-55 and a bout 600 T-62 / T-72
ta nks.
Cyprus
The Greek-C ypriot Na tional Gua rd has one a rm oured ba t-
talion wh ose equipm ent includ es a bout ten T-34/85 ta nks.
Denmark
The D a nish Arm y ord er of ba ttl e includ es five mechanised
brigad es, four acti ve and on e reserve, each of which has one
ta nk ba ttalion, two mecha nised ba tta lions, one motorised
ba tta lion, one a rtill ery ba tta lion, reco nn a issa nce compa ny
a nd th e norma l s upport elements.
 Each tank ba tta lion has two ta nk com panies of I I MBTs
plus an a rmoured infa ntry compa ny with M 11 3s and M 125
morta r carri ers, a motorised infa ntry compa ny a nd a HQ
compa ny. The mecha nised ba tta lions have two a rm oured
infantry compa nies, a ta nk com pany of I I MBTs, mo to ri sed
infa ntry company' a nd a HQ com pany.
The active brigades use th e Leopard I and th e Centurion
arm ed with th e 105 mm L7 gun whil e th e rese rve brigad e
uses th e C enturio n with th e old 20 po und er (83 .4 mm ) g un .
Denm a rk ord ered 120 Leo pa rd Is in] un e 1974 wh ich were
d eli ve red between M a rch 1976 a nd Nove mber 1978. U nlike
oth er users of the Leopa rd I, Denma rk did not ord er a ny
specialised versions of the Leo pa rd s uch as the ARV or
bridgelayer. Danish Leo pa rd I s ha ve the dri ve rs peri sco pes
fitted with was hers and wiper blad es.
The Danish Arm y took deli ve ry of 200 Centurion Mk 3
MBTs and a sma ll qu a ntity of Centurion Mk 2 ARVs, in th e
mid- 1950s which were fund ed by th e U nited Sta tes und er th e
Mutual Defense Assista nce Progra m ( MDAP). Th ese were
la ter brought up to Mk 5 a nd Mk 5/ 2 ( 105 mm L7 sta nd a rd ).
By 1985 a bout 90 Centurions rema ined in service. One local
modifi cation is th e ins talla tio n of a 12.7 mm Brownin g M2
HB anti-aircraft machin e gun on th e comma nd er's cupola
and some also have a Leo pa rd I type infra-red / white light
searchlight mo unted over th e ma in a rm a ment. In 1983 it was
a nn oun ced th a t th e Danish Arm y was to upgrad e its
Cen'turions by replacing existing g unn ers sight by a Eri csson
sight with integ ra ted lase r 'fa ngefind er. This sight ha s
magnifi cations of X I a nd x 10 a nd a ra nge of from 200 to
9990 metres, a nd is accura te to 10 metres . This has a lso been
ord ered by Sweden for its Centurions.
T otal Egy ptian fro nt-l ine ta nk s treng th is believed to con-
sist of 900 T-54/ T- 55s (some of which have recent ly been
supp li ed to I raq ), 700 T -62s a nd 659 M60A3s . In M ay 1985
th e Pentagon a nn o un ced a letter of offer to Egy pt for a n
additi onal 94 M 60 A3 ta nks at a cos t $ 165 mi ll ion. In ea rl y
1984 th e Ameri can Kollsma n Ins trum ent Compa ny was
awa rd ed a two-yea r contract va lued a t $5 mi ll io n for th e
insta ll a tion of a maintena nce facility in Egypt to supp ort th e
repa ir of th e M60A 3 Integrated T ank Fire Control System.
Egy pt has a lso sent a T -55 to th e United Kin gdo m to have
a 105 mm L7 A3 rifl ed g un in sta ll ed . Deta ils of this co nve r-
sion a re g iven in th e entry for th e Soviet T-54/ T -55 in Pa rt I.
In th e 1970s severa l hundred Egy ptia n T-54/T -55/T -62
MBTs were fitted wi th W es t G erm a n AEG/Telefunk en
wh ite/i nfra-red searchlig hts to th e right of th e ma in a rm a-
men t a nd some were also fitt ed with th e Iska ra lase r
ra ngefind er. Some Egy ptia n T-62s ha ve also been fitt ed with
two la un chers eith er sid e of th e turret rea r for gro und - to-
ground s moke rockets.
La te in 1984 th e Egy ptian D efence a nd Wa r Produ ctio n
Minister s ta ted th a t $2 16 m illi on had been a llocated for th e
d esign a nd development of a new Egy ptia n MBT. It is
beli eved th at th e Egy ptia n requi rement is for a n MBT we igh-
ing a bo ut 46 to nnes, equipped with a 120 mm smoo th-bore
g un a nd powered by a 1200 hp di esel eng in e.
T-55 of Egypti an Army on parade in Cairo (Egyptian Arm y
Offic ial)

Egypt
The Egy ptia n Arm y ord er of ba ttl e includ es three a rmo ured
di visions (each with two a rm oured a nd one mecha nised
brigad e), six mecha nised infa ntry di visions (each with tw o
mecha nised a nd one a rmoured brigad e), three infa n try di v i-
sions (each with two infantry a nd one mecha nised brigad e),
two Rep ublican Gua rd brigades, one ind epend ent a rm o ured
brigade, two ind epend ent mec ha nised infa ntry brigades a nd
fiv e independ ent infa ntry brigad es.
Each armoured brigad e consists of three ta nk batta lions,
one a nt i-aircraft company, one moto rised rifl e compa ny a nd
one reconna issance compa ny. A mechanised brigad e co nsists
of three mecha nised infantry ba ttalions, one morta r com-
pany, one anti-tank compa ny with ATG Ws, o ne a nti-a ircra ft
compa ny a nd one reconn a issance compa ny. Eac h infa ntry T-54 of Egyptian Army captured by Israe l with 12.7 mm DShKM
di vision and has one ta nk ba tta lio n. anti-aircraft gun removed (I srae li Mini stry of Defence)
At present it is beli eved th a t each ta nk batta lion is o rgan-
ised along Soviet li nes with 3 1 ta nks, one ta nk a t ba tta lion
HQ and three compa nies of ten tanks, one a t compa ny HQ
and three platoons each of three ta nks. With th e influx of so
mu ch American equipment it is pro ba ble th a t th e wh ole
stru cture of th e Egy ptia n a rm oured co rps will cha nge a nd
each ba ttalion be mod elled a long Ameri can lines with 54/ 58
tanks.
In 1983 th e Egy ptia n M inistry of Defence ann oun ced th a t
an agreement had been reached with Roma n ia for th e pro-
du ction of th e M-77 (or TR- 77) MBT in Egy pt as well as th e
manufacture of spa re pa rts for th ese a nd Soviet suppli ed
T-54/T-55 Egyptian Arm y ta nks. The M- 77 is essentiall y a
mod ern ised Soviet T-54/T -55 a nd ava ila ble d eta ils of this
ta nk a re given und er Romania.

165
 Egyptian Army T-55 MBTfitted with Royal Ordnance Nottingham
Late in 1984 General D ynam ics Land Systems Divisio n 105 mm L7 series rifled tank gun
was awarded a $ 150 million con tract to build a new tank
plant outside Cairo. The facility will be called Factory 200
Finland
and will initially overhaul US supplied M60A3 and M88A I
armoured vehicl es. It is expected to become operational in
This co untry has on ly one armoured brigade which is
1987 a nd any new Egyptian ta nks will be built there.
stationed at Parol a a nd has one tank battalion and support-
In 1984 the General Products Division of Teledyne Conti-
ing units. There is no armoured corps as such as the armour
nental Motors was awarded a contract by the Egyptian Army
belongs to the infantry. Some reports have indicated tha,t an
to modernise a T-54 tank. This work is being carried out in
additional tank battalion can be raised on mobilisation. Tank
the USA a nd will include th e installation of the
strength co'nsists of between 75 and 100 T-54/T-55 MBTs
AVDS- 1790-2C diesel engine developing 750 hp co upl ed to
which were suppli ed by th e Soviet Un ion. In 1984 Finl and
the CD-850 series fully-automatic transmission.
ordered a quantity ofT-72 MBTs from the Soviet Union.
The existing torsion bar suspension will be replaced by
In the 1950s the U nited Kingdom suppli ed some Comet
Teledyne Model 2880 in-arm hydro-pneumatic suspension
medium tanks and Charioteer tank destroyers but these have
units for greater cross-cou ntry mobility. The Soviet 100 mm
now been phased out of service.
gun will be replaced by the 105 mm M68 in a new mount and
other eq uipment to be installed includes a muzzle reference
system, image intensification periscope for tank commander, T-54 of Finni sh Army with 12.7 mm DShKM anti-aircraft MG in
position on turret roof (Finnish Army)
modernised gunner's station with digital fire-control system
a nd laser rangefinder integrated into gunner's sight, NBC
system and a Halon fire-suppress ion system.

Ethiopia
The ord er of battle of this country includ es three motorised
infantry and 12 infantry di visions. There are 20 tank b.at-
talions with each infantry division having one tank battahon
a nd each mechanised infantry division having two tank bat-
talions. It is believed that th e tank battalions are organised
along Soviet lines with each hav ing one MBT at battalion
HQ and three companies each with ten tanks .
Ethiopia is believed to have 800 T-54/T-55 MBTs. There
may be abo ut 50 T-34/85 tan ks used for training. As far as It
is known no M47 tanks remain in service .

166
AMX-30 MBTs of French Army on parade in Paris (G IAT)
France
The French Arm y is a t present und ergoing a maj or reo rgan-
isa tion and when complete will consist of six a rm oured div-
isions, one air mobile division , one light a rmoured di vision
and seven infantry di visions.
Of th ese th e so-call ed Ba ttl e Corps will consist of six
a rmoured di visions, two infa ntry di visio ns (with VABs) and
two in fantry divisio ns.
The Fas t Intervention Force (FAR) will consist of the 4th
air mobile di visio n (Na ncy), 6th light armoured di visio n
(Nimes) and three infantry divisions, th e II th Pa rachute
Division (Tou louse) , 9 th M a rin e In fa ntry Division (St M alo)
and 27th Alpin e Division (Grenoble) . The FAR does not
have an y MBTs in its ta bl es of organisation a nd equipment.
On full mobilisatio n a n additional eig ht in fa ntry di visions
will be form ed.
Of th e 15 peacetime divisions, three a rmo ured di visio ns
will be based in Wes t Ger ma ny, with a n additio nal a rmoured
regimen t a nd infa ntry regimen t in West Berlin .
Each a rmoured division co nsis ts ofa HQ, two mecha nised
infantry regiments, one VAB (4 x 4) regimen t, two ta nk
regiments, reconn a issa nce compa ny, a rtillery regiment,
anti-ta nk company, enginee r reg imen t a nd comma nd a nd
support regiment (which includ es signals, maintenan ce,
transport a nd medi cal units) . T otal AMX-30 MBT strength
of th e a rm oured di visions is 148 in all.
Each tank regim ent has a n HQ element with two
AMX-30s and four tank com panies and one mecha nised
infa ntry company. Each tank compa ny has an HQ element
with one AMX-30 a nd four ta nk platoons each with three
AMX-30s. This gives each tank regim ent a total of 54
AMX- 30 MBTs.
Each mecha nised infa ntry regiment has two ta nk com-
panies each of which consists of a n HQ element with one
AMX-30, three tank pla toons each with three AMX-30s a nd
a mecha nised infantry pla toon .
As of 1985 the French Arm y had a total of 1173 AMX-30
series MBTs plus 134 ARV s and oth er varian ts. A to ta l of 271
AMX-30 B2 MBTs a re being delivered to French Arm y with
a fu rth er 693 existing AMX-30s being conve rted to upgrad ed
confi g ura tion. The AMX-30 seri es will be supplemented
fro m th e early 1900s by the EPC now und er development by
th e AMX/ GIAT.
Germany, Democratic Republic (East)
The Na ti onal Peo ple's Army (NV A - Nationale Volksarm ee)
is con sidered to be th e most reliable a mong th e Wa rsaw Pact
forces a nd has in recent years been iss ued with th e la test
Soviet equipment.
The co untry is di vid ed into two milita ry regions. North ern
gro up offorces with HQ a t Neubrand enburg controls th e 1st
M oto rised Rifl e Division a t Potsd a m, 8th M otorised Rifl e
Division a t Schwerin a nd th e 9th Arm oured Division a t
Eggesin . So uthern group of for ces has th e HQ a t Leipzig a nd
contro ls th e 4th M otorised Rifl e Division a t E rfurt, 11 th
M o torised Rifl e Division a t H alle and th e 7th Armoured
Division a t Dresd en.
The ta nk di visions have three ta nk a nd one moto rised rifl e
regiments while th e motorised rifl e di visions have one tank
167
a nd three moto rised rifl e regimen ts. All of th ese are organised
along Soviet lines a nd a t Category I sta tus (eg full y equipped
and ma nn ed ).
The to tal ta nk strength is believed to be around 1500
T-54/T-55s, with a s mall number of T -62s a nd about 1500
T-34/85s which a re used for training or held in rese rve. The
T- 72 is now being introdu ced in signifi cant numbers having
mad e its first public a ppeara nce during a pa rad e held in East
Berlin in October 1979 to celebra te th e 30th anniversa ry of
th e found a tio n of th e Germ a n Democra tic Republic.
Eas t Germ any also houses th e la rges t contingent of Soviet
forces in th e W a rs aw Pact. In 1979 th e Group of Soviet
Forces G ermany (GSFG) had some 11 ta nk a nd nine motor-
ised rifl e di visio ns, plus s upporting units , a ll of which were a t
Category 1. Sin ce th en some units have been withdra wn
eastw a rd with much publicity , although th e remaining units
have in turn been strength en ed to more tha n compensate for
th e forces withdra wn . T he list on the right rela tes to th e
position before th e redu ctions.

BLG-60 bridgelayer of East German Army

T-72 MBT of East German Army showing dozer blade under nose
of vehicle

Group of Soviet Forces, Germany

H eadq ua rters Zossen- Wunsdorf
34th Gun Artill ery Di vision Potsda m
1st Gu a rds T a nk Army Dresd en
Polish built T-55(M) of East German Army fitted with 12.7 mm 6th Gu a rds T a nk Di vision Lli therstad t- Wittenberg
DShKM anti-aircraft MG (traversed to rear) and hull-mounted 7th G ua rd s T a nk Division Dessa u Ross la u .
dozer blade. Note stowage box on left side of turret and 9th T a nk Di vision Ri esa
protective covers over externally-mounted infra-red searchlights II th G ua rd s T a nk Division Dresd cn-Klotzsche
27th Gua rd s Mo torised Rifl e Di vision H all e
2nd Gua rd s T a nk Army Furstenberg
16 th Gu a rd s T a nk Di vision N eustreli tz
2 1st Motori sed Rifl e Di vision PerI eberg
25 th T a nk Di vision Vogel sang-Berlin
94th Gua rd s Motorised Rifl e Di vision Schwe rin
3rd Shock Arm y Magd eburg
10th Gu a rd s T ank Di vision Kra mpni tz
12th Gu ards T a nk Di visio n Neurllppin
47th Gu a rds T ank Division Hill ers leben
207th G ua rd s M otorised Rifl e Di vision Stend al
8th Gua rds Arm y Weim a r-Nohra
79th Guard s T ank Di vision J ena
20th Guard s Motori sed Rifl e Di vision Grimm a
39th Guard s Motorised Rifl e Di vision Ohrdrllf
5 7th Guards M otori sed Rifl e Division Na umberg-Saale
20th Gu a rds Arm y Eberswald e
6th Gua rd s Motorised Rifl e Di vision Bern a u
14th Gu a rds Motorised Rifl e Di vision Juterbog
35th Motorised Rifl e Division Doberitz

As of 1985 th e GSFG consisted of ten ta nk, nine motorised

rifl e a nd one a rtillery di visions plus one air assa ult brigad e,
three SSM brigades, fi ve a rtillery brigades 'and fiv e attack
heli copter regim ents.

168
Germany, Federal Republic
Following its recent reorganisation the West German Army
now has a total of 36 regu la r brigades; 17 armoured (each
with two tank, one mechanised infan try, one mixed co mbat
and one artill ery battalion, one anti-tank company, one
reconnaissance platoon plus engineer, maintenance, medical
and support companies), 15 a rmoured infantry (similar to
armoured brigades but with one ta nk a nd two mechanised
battalions instead), three a ir borne and one mountain
brigade. These are organised into 12 divisions (six a rmoured,
four mechanised infantry, one mountain and one airborne),
which ma ke up three Corps.
The armoured division co nta ins two armoured brigades,
one armou red infa ntry brigade, armoured reconn a issance
and anti-aircraft battalions, arti llery regiment, engineer,
signal, maintenance, transport/supply and medical bat-
ta lions, aviation, MP a nd NBC co mpanies. The armoured
infantry division is simil a r but has one a rmoured a nd two
armoured infantry brigad es. Excluding arti ll ery and support
units, an armoured brigade has two tank regiments/
battalions each with 41 MBTs, one mechanised infantry bat-
talion with 35 infantry fighting vehicles and one mixed com-
bat battalion with 28 MBTs and II infantry fighting vehicles.
A mechanised infantry brigad e has one tank regiment/
battalion·with 4 1 MBTs, two mechanised infantry battalions
with 34 infantry fighting vehicles each and one mixed combat
battalion with 24 infantry fighting veh icl es and 13 MBTs.
Leopard 2 MBT of West German Army in latest camouflage scheme
Each West German tank battalion consists of two tanks at
HQ and three tank companies; each of the la tter has an HQ
element with one tank and three pla toons (or troop) each
with four ta nks, so giving the battalion a total strength of 4 1
MBTs. The mixed battalion of both armoured and infantry
brigades is formed in wartime.
In addition th e strength of the Territorial Army includes
12 home defence brigades each with two tank, two infantry
and one a rtillery battalion. Of these 12 home defence
brigades, one is a t 85 per cent of wart im e strength, three at 65
per cent of wartime strength and two at 52 per cent of
wartime strength. The remaining six are not manned but the
equipment is already in position.
It is also planned that all of the armoured brigades will be
equipped with the Leopard 2 (with the exception of two
wh ich will have the Leopard I A4), while the armoured infan -
try brigades have the Leopard Is and the home defence
brigades the M 48s.
By 1985 total a rmoured strength of th e W es t G erman
Army consisted of some 1400 Leopard 2s (with a tota l of 1800
to be d eli vered by 1986),945 M48A2 (see below) and 2437
Leopard I MBTs (details of the individual marks a re given in
the entry for the Leopard I in th e first part of this book).
Variants used by the West German Army include 544
armoured recove ry veh icles, 36 armoured engineer ve hicles,
105 Biber bridgelayers, 420 Gepard tw in 35 mm self-
propell ed anti-aircraft guns and 60 unarmed training tanks.
West Germany also uses a number of M48 series AVLBs.
169
West German M48A2GA2 with 105 mm L7A3 gun and other
modif ications
Of th e 945 M48A2s Wegma nn of K assel has rebuilt 650 to
a new confi gura tion known as th e M48A2GA2 with th e first
of these being d elivered in 1978 . This has th e 90 mm gun
replaced by a 105 mm L 7A3 rifl ed gun as installed in th e
Leopa rd I, thermal sleeve for main arma ment, new travelling
lock, new commander's cupola, modifi ed a mmunition stow-
age, passive night vision equipment for th e driver (BM8005
image intensifi cation periscope) and gunner (PZB 200 pas-
sive TV aiming and observation unit), and modifi cations to
th e fire control system. Four West German type smoke dis-
chargers are mounted either side of th e turret and an infra-
red/ white light searchlight is mounted above the main
a rm amen t, simila r to that of the L eopa rd 1. Basic da ta of the
M48A2GA 2 is: load ed weight 47 800 kg, length gun forw ards
9. 35 m, length gun rear 8.1 m, heigh t 2.9 m. Ammunition
stowage is 46 rounds of 105 mm and 4750 rounds of7.62 mm;
of the la tter 2250 rounds are in th e turret and 2500 in the hull.
For th e future th e W est G erm an Army has a requirement
for a bout 1300 Leop ard 3 MBTs (in service from 1999), 1700
120 mm armed tank d estroyers (in service from 1994) and
796 a nti-tank/anti-helicopter vehicles (in service from
1990s).
AMX-30 MBTs of Greek Army
170
Leopard 1A3 of Greek Army
Greece
The Greek Arm y includes one armoured di vision, one
mechanised division , II infantry di visions, one parachu te/
command o division, fi ve armoured brigades, two mechan-
ised brigades, four a rm oured reconnaissance ba tta lions plus
aviation , artill ery and air defen ce uni ts.
The armoured di vision consists of a HQ company, th ree
armoured regimen ts, reconn a issance ba ttalion, artill ery
regim ent, engin eer, signals, medi cal a nd suppl y ba ttalions
plus an avia tion company.
The arm oured regiments have two tank and one mechan-
ised infa ntry battalions. The ta nk ba ttalion has an HQ ele-
ment with one to three MBTs and three tank compani es each
with two tanks a t HQ and three platoons each with fi ve tanks.
This gives th e tank ba ttalion a strength of between 52 and 54
tanks . The reconnaissance ba ttalion has three reconnais-
san ce companies with three pla toons each consistin g of a n
HQ element, one squad with two M 48 tanks, two reconn ais-
sance squ ads with j ee ps, one mechanised infantry squ ad and
one morta r squ ad with 8 1 mm mortars.
The infantry division has a HQ company, infantry regi-
ment of three ba tta lions, one ta nk batta lio n (sa me as in
armoured division but also has a reco nn aissance compan y
simila r to th a t in th e a rm oured di vision), a rtill ery regiment
and suppl y ba tta lio n.
T ota l tank strength of th e Greek Arm y in cl ud es a bout 400
M47s (mos t ofwhicli were s uppli ed by th e U nited Sta tes with
th e remaind er by Wes t Germ a ny), 900 M48s (of which 204
a re being brought up to M48A5 sta nd a rd a nd 600 to M 48A3
stand a rd ) and 285 AMX-30s (one batch of 170 and a noth er
of 11 5).
After in viting tend ers for building a new ta nk produ ctio n
facility in Greece, th e follow ing we re received by th e end of
Apri l 1977: Fra nce with th e AMX-30 a nd th e AMX-1 3, West
Germ a ny with the Leo pa rd I a nd the Th yssen-H enschel
T AM , Ita ly with a modifi ed versio n of the West G erm a n
des igned Leo pa rd I and th e United Kin gdom with th e
Vickers M a rk 3 a nd th e Royal Ordna nce Leeds with th e T-54 MBT of Indian Army with US 12.7 mm Browning M2 HB
Chieftain. anti -aircraft MG (Indian Army Official)
But in th e end no fac ility was built in G reece a nd in Apri l
198 1 th e Greek Governm ent placed a n o rd er for 110 Leo pa rd sta te th a t Guin ea-Bissa u has just one a rmoured squ adron
Is valu ed a t DM300 mi llion with Wes t Germ any. The ord er with a bout 10 T-34/85 ta nks and 20 PT -76 light ta nks.
comprised 106 Leo pa rd IA3 MBTs a nd fo ur ARVs, plus a n
option on a furth er 11 3 vehicl es . D eli ve ries commenced in
Februa ry 1983 and we re co mpleted in April 1984 with
Kra uss-Maffei building 73 MBTs a nd Krupp M aK building Hungary
33 MBTs a nd four ARVs. Greek Leo pa rd Is have th e E MES
12A3 fire control sys tem a nd th e PZB 200 LLLTV system. The Hunga ri a n Peo ples Arm y (M N - Magyar Nephadsereg)
includes one ta nk di vision (th e 5th ) a nd fi ve moto rised rifl e
divisions (4 th, 9 th , 12th , 17th a nd 27 th ), a ll of which are
organised a long Soviet lin es . Two Hungari a n di visions took
GUinea pa rt in th e Soviet in vas ion of Czechos lovakia in 1968. I t is
believed th a t th e single ta nk division a nd two of th e motor-
Guin ea has one a rm oured ba ttalion wh ich is believed to be ised rifl e d ivisions a re a t C a tego ry 2 status (full scale of
organised along Soviet li nes a nd be equipp ed with some 45 equipment but onl y 70 per cent of manpower) whi le oth er
T-34/85 and eight T -54/T-55 ta nks. three mo torised rifl e di visions a re a t Catego ry 3 status.
T o ta l ta nk strength is believed to includ e orn e 1400
T-54/T-55s a nd a t least 200 T- 72s which entered service in
1979 . Some T-34/85s a re held in reserve and used fo r tra in-
mg.
Guinea-Bissau The Soviet Southern G roup of Forces is s ta tio ned in Hun-
ga ry with its HQ a t Bud a pes t a nd c( 1sists of two ta nk
Guin ea-Bissa u has one ta nk ba tta lion whi ch is equipped with di visions (2 nd a nd 5th ) a nd two moto ri sed rifl e di visio ns
. a bout 30 T-54/T-55 a nd 15 T-34/85 ta nks a nd this is beli eved (35 th a nd 102nd).
to be orga nised a long Soviet lines. One so urce does however

Hungarian T-72 MBT India

The India n Arm y ord er of ba ttl e includ es two a rm o ured

divisio ns (th e 1st a nd 6th ), one mecha nised di visio n, 19
infa ntry diyisions, 10 mountain di visions (witho ut any
ta nks ), ten independ ent infa ntry brigad es, seven indepen-
dent a rmo ured brigad es, one mo un ta in brigad e, one pa ra-
chute brigad e, three independ en t eng in eer brigades a nd
eight independ en t artill ery brigad es.
It is believed th at each a rm oured di vision has two
arm oured brigad es (with a to tal of six a rm oured regiments) ,
one infa ntry brigade (with three ' ba tta lions) , a rti llery a nd
support elements.
Each a rm oured brigade has three tank regiments plus a n
HQ ele ment. Each ta nk regiment has a HQ compa ny a nd
three tank companies . Each of th e la tter has a n H Q element
with three ta nks a nd fo ur pla toons of three tanks, giving the
regiment a total of 45 ta nks. •

17 1
 Infa ntry cli visio ns have one ta nk regiment which is orga n-
ised a long simila r lines to th a t in th e a rm oured brigades.
T ota l India n ta nk strength co nsists of a bo ut 1500 V ij aya n-
tas, 1000 T -54/T-55s (provid ed from th e la te 1960s) a nd
a bout 300 T-72s. All of th e C en turions have now bee n phased
out of se rvice.
India n T-54/T-55 ta nks have had th eir Soviet 12.7 mm
DShKM a nti-a ircraft machine g uns replaced by 12.7 mm
Browning M2 HB wea pons as fitted to oth er India n MBTs,
a nd it is proba ble th a t the coaxi al wea pons a re also now
Brow nin g machine g uns. India pl aced sheet metal tubes over
th e 100 mm ba rrels to rese mble th e bore evac ua tor of the L7
gun to serve as a means of disting uishing Indi a n T-54/T-55
ta nks from Pa kista ni Type 59 MBTs.
There is a separa te entry in the first pa rt of this book on th e
Vij ayanta MBT a nd current a nd fu ture India n ta nk
d evelop men ts .
Iran
In November 1985 th e wa r between Ira n a nd Iraq was s till
continuing a nd it is th erefore impossibl e to give an accurate
ord er of battle of th e Ira nia n Arm y.
Western so urces give th e Ira ni a n Arm y a total strength of
seven infa ntry di visions, one special for ces di vision (23 rd ),
three mecha nised di visio ns, a n unknown number of ind e-
pend ent a rmoured a nd infa ntry brigad es a nd a n Indepen-
d ent Coas ta l Force. In additio n th ere is th e Revolutiona ry
Gua rd Corps which has a to tal of a t least ten di visions
organised in brigad es.
During the fi ghtin g in th e ea rl y pa rt of 1985 in th e Huwaiza
ma rshes battl e, th e Iraqi Arm y identifi ed th e following Ira-
nia n di visions, in addition to th e 23rd Special Forces
Di vision: the 5th , 7th , 14th , 25 th , 31st a nd 41st Kho meini
Gua rd ' s di visions, as well as th e 3rd, 8th , 19 th a nd 27 th
brigad es fro m th e followin g Khomeini Gua rd's di visio ns,
2 1st, 28 th , 92 nd a nd 77th regul a r di visions.
Prio r to th e IraqlIra n wa r th e Ira nia n Army had fo ur
a rmoured a nd fo ur infan try di visions plus independ ent
brigad es. Each a rm o ured division had two a rm oured
M47M as used by Iran
172
brigad es each of which had two ta nk ba ttalions, one mecha n-
ised infa ntry ba tta lion, one a rtill ery ba ttalion a nd a company
of enginee rs. Armo ured divisions had C hieftains and
M60Als while infantry di visions had M 47Ms.
Prior to the confli ct the Ira nian a rm y had 707 Mk 3/3 P
a nd Mk 5/5 P C hiefta ins, 18 7 improved C hieftains, 40 C hief-
ta in ARVs, 460 M 60Al s, 400 M 47s and 240 M48 seri es
ta nks.
M a ny of th ese have been los t although th e Irania n Army
has obtain ed new ta nks rrom o th er so urces as well as captur-
ing a sig nifica nt num ber of Iraqi vehicl es.
By la te 1985 Ira ni an strength is beli eved to include 250
M60Al , 300 Chierta in s, 200 M47M a nd M48 A5s and
perh a ps 250 T ype 59/ T -54/T -55/T -62/T -72 ta nks ca ptured
from Iraq . U nconfirmed reports sta te th a t Iran has ord ered
100 TAMs rrom Argentin a as well as 200 ta nks rrom C hina
who is a lread y suppl ying Iraq with T ype 69s.
Betwee n 1970 and 1972 Bowen-M cLa ug hlin York es ta b-
li shed a vehicl e overh a ul a nd repa ir facility in Ira n. This first
brought th e Irania n M 47 ta nks up to M 47M stand a rd a nd
la ter Ira nia n M 48A2 seri es up to M 48A5 se ries. The plant
also und ertook work ror Pa kista n including upg rading th eir
M47s to M47 M sta nd a rd a nd M 48A2s to M 48A5 sta ndard .
As ra r as it is known this plant is still operatio nal altho ugh all
or th e BMY sta rr have long sin ce gone. It no longer und er-
ta kes work for Pa kista n a nd it has been reported th a t at the
time of th e revolutio n some Pa kista ni ta nks were still in the
racility a nd th at th ese were neve r return ed .
The M47M has th e following compon ents which a re also
intercha ngea bl e with th e M48A3 a nd M60A 1 MBTs: engine,
tra nsmiss ion, g un eleva ting a nd traversin g componen ts, per-
sonnel heater, engin e top d eck a nd hull rear doors, air cl ean-
ers, machin e g un a mmunition racks, tail a nd wa rning lights,
ga uge instrum ent panel, dri ve r's mas ter control panel,
tachometer with hour meter, speedometer with odometer,
tu rret accessori es control box, fi re ex tinguisher control, drain
valve and shock a bsorbers .
The bow machine g un has bee n removed a nd the gunn er's
position used to carry 22 rounds of 90 mm a mmunition. The
M47M carries 79 ro unds or 90 mm a mmunition compa red to
71 rounds of the bas ic M 47. The M 47M can be fitted with th e
T80E6 steel track or th e T84E I rubber track. The auxi li ary
compensating idler wheels, support a rms a nd torsion ba rs
whi ch are between th e No 6 road wheel and th e drive
sprocket have been removed . New M60 se ri es shock a b-
so rbers have been fitt ed permitting greater vehicle speed a nd
mobility. •
The larger capacity fu el tanks, co upl ed with th e imp roved
fuel economy of th e di esel engin e, have increased th e opera-
tion a l range of the M47M to 600 km, a dramatic improve-
ment over that of th e origin a l M 47. Specifi cations of the
M47M are given in th e entry for th e M47 medium tank in the
first part of this book.

Iraq
The Iraq i Army order of battl e is believed to includ e six
a rmoured divisions (each with one or two a rmoured and one
mechanised brigades), five infa ntry divisions, five mec ha n-
ised or motorised infa ntry divisio ns, two special forc es div-
isions (each with three brigades) , four mountain divisions,
the Presidentia l guard (two a rmoured, one co mmando and
one infantry brigad e), perhaps 10 rese rve brigad es a nd a
la rge number of voluntee r brigades .
It is beli eved that th e a rmoured d ivision eq ua te to a Soviet
tank division except that it has two ta nk regiments not three
and no integral SSM or MRL . The mechanised di vision is
simi lar to th e Soviet moto rised rifl e di vision but is thoug ht to
have on ly two motorised rifl e regiments (no t three as in th e
Soviet) and also no SSM or MRL.
In view of th e fi g htin g between Iraq and Iran , th e prese nt
ORBAT of th e Iraqi Army and th e exact number of vehicles
th a t it operates must be trea ted with ca uti on. Front line
armoured strength is believed to includ e 1200 T -54/T-55,
1000 T-62, 600 T -72, 400 to 500 T ype 59, 200 plus Type 69
(with 100 mm g un ) and between 50 a nd 200 Roma nian M-77
MBTs. Significant numbers ofM60A I, M47M, M48s, Chief-
tains a nd Soviet T-seri es ta nks have bee n ca ptured. Apart
from th e T-series veh icles it is not thought that a ny of these
captured vehicles have entered service with th e Iraqi Army.
Iraq has also received th e first of 85 155 mm GCT self-
Centurion MBT (left) and M60A 1 (right) MBTs of Israeli Army,
both of which are armed with the proven M68 gun which is
essentially the British 105 mm L7 series (Kensuke Ebata)
propelled guns from France on th e AMX-30 ta nk chassis and
18 Rol a nd 2 sys te ms on th e AMX-30 c hassi s. A small qu a n-
tity of AMX-30 ARVs are a lso in service.
A number of reports have stated that some of th e ca ptured
Chieftains have been passed on toJord a n who a lready oper-
ates a more ad vanced version called th e Kh a lid.
Israel
The Israeli Army is beli eved to co mprise some 33 a rm o ured
brigad es (each of which has three tank and one mec ha nised
infa ntry battalion in M 11 3s) , II a rmoured divisions, fiv e
mec ha nis ed infantry brigad es, fi ve parachute brigades, 15
arti ll ery brigades a nd a bo ut 12 border/territorial infa ntry
brigades. In peacetime it is proba bl e that on ly five a rm oured ,
four infantry and two a irborne brigad es are kept at full
streng th. The armoured divisions a re form ed from the
brigades d epending on th e mission but co uld consist of three
a rm oured brigad es, one a rtill ery brigade, reconn a iss a nc:e

T-55 MBT of Iraqi Army

173
M60A1 MBT of Is raeli Army fitted with Israeli RKM mine c learing rollers

battalion (with MBTs and APCs), enginee r battalion a nd by U rdan. Details of th ese are given in the entry lor th e Israeli
other sup porting units. Upgraded Centurion in th e first pa rt of this book.
Each a rmoured brigade has a n HQ element, three tank
battalions, one mechanised infa ntry battalion (with M 11 3 M60A 1 MBT of Israeli Army fitted with Blazer add-on reactive
seri es APCs), reconnaissance co mpa ny a nd a 120 mm mor- armour, new commander's cupola, 7.62 mm machine guns at
tar battalion. Each ta nk battalion has a n HQ element with commander's and loader's stations and 12.7 mm machine gun
three MBTs and four tank co mpanies each consisting of an over 105 mm gun which has a thermal sleeve
HQ element with two tanks and three platoons each with
three tanks. This would give the tank battalion a total of 47
tanks.
Total Israeli tank strength is believed to consist of about
1100 Centurions (all of which have been re-built to ' the
Upgraded Centurion configuration which is fully described
in the first pa rt of this book), 650 M48s (all of which are to
M48A5 co nfiguration with 105 mm g un, di esel engine and a
low profi le command er's cupola) , 1200 M60AI/M60A3s,
plus small numbers ofM728 Combat Engineer Vehicles and
M60 AVLBSs), and 400 Merkava MBTs, with the latter
seeing combat for the first time during the invasion of the
Lebanon in the summer of 1982.
About 250 T-54/ T-55 and 150 T-62 MBTs a re held in
reserve.
A few Sherman tanks are a lso in service, th ese being used
mainly by the territorial/infantry brigades, although some of
these ve hicl es have also been passed on to the Christia n
faction in Southern Lebanon. There is a separate entry on th e
Sherman and many of the specia li sed vers ions develop ed by
Israel in the first part of this book.
Israe li M48, M60 , Centurion and Merkava tanks can be
fitted with dozer blad es a nd min e clea ring roll ers developed

174

M60A 1 MBT of Israeli Army fitted with Blazer add-on reactive
armour, 7.62 mm and machine gun mounts and banks of ten
smoke dischargers mounted either side of 105 mm M68 gun
Israeli T-54 and T-55
The Israeli Army ca ptured la rge numbers ofT-54 and T-55
tanks during both th e 1967 and 1973 conflicts , man y of which
have been modifi ed for their ow n use. These modifi cations
which have not been carri ed out on every I sraeli T-54 or T-55
include replacing th e 100 mm g un by a 105 mm rifl ed g un,
th e coaxial machine gun by a 7.62 mm (0. 30) Browning
machine gun a nd th e 12.7 mm DShKM anti-aircraft
machin e gun by a 12.7 mm (0.50 ) Brow ning M2 HB machine
gun, new fire-con trol a nd electri cal system, air-conditioning
system, new radi o mounts on turret rear, American infantry
telephone on hull rea r, Browning 0. 30 machine g un a t
loader's station, ex ha ust outlet a ngled upwards, additional
track stowage, fire-ex tin guishin g system installed a nd new
night vision equipm ent. These tanks are designated the
TI-67.
Israeli T-54/T-55 Model S
This was announced in 1984 a nd in addition to all of the
previous modifi cati ons such as replacement of th e 100 mm
gun by th e 105 mm rifl ed gun, it has ma ny other improve-
ments including th e American General Motors 8V-71T
engine d eveloping 609 hp, new semi-a utomatic hydro-
mecha ni cal transmission eq uipped with a torque converter,
new air cleaners as fitted to th e Israe li M60 a nd Merkava
ta nks, Blaze r reactive a rmour add ed to th e hull a nd turret;
Cadillac Gage weapon sta bilisation sys tem, installa tion of
EI-Op computerised M a tador fire-control system, new low-
profile command er's cupola, infra-red detectors, passive
night vision equipm ent for comma nd er, gunn er a nd dri ver,
fire detection and suppression sys tem, new turret bas ket and
ex tensi ve ex tern al stowage, mod ernised driver's station
in cluding replace ment of sticks by a stee ring wheel a nd
improved suspension. These as well as modernised T-62s are
now being offered for ex port.
Italy
T he Itali an Arm y has 24 brigad es of which 18 a re in th e
northern part of the country and th e remaining six in th e
south. There are five a rmoured, seven mechanised , two ind e-
pend ent mechanised , four ind epend en t motorised, fi ve
Alpine and one airborne brigade. There is also a heavy
support brigad e with La nce SSMs, HAWK SAMs a nd heavy
a rtillery .
I ta ly is divid ed into six military regions , I with HQ at
Turin , V with HQ at Pa uda, VII with HQ a t Florence, VIII
with HQ a t Rome, X with HQ at Naples and XI with HQ at
Palerm o.
There are three Corps, 3rd , 4th and 5th. The 5th Corps has
its HQ a t Vittorio Veneto and has th e Ariete armoured
division with HQ Pord enon e, Mantova (HQ a t U din e) a nd
Folgore (HQ at Treviso) mechanised divisions plus associ-
a ted supporting units.
The 4th Corps d efend s the Alps and has fiv e Alpine
brigad es.
The 3rd Corps has its HQ in Milan and consists of the
Centauro (HQ in Novara) mecha nised di vision a nd th e
Cremona (HQ in Turin) motorised brigade.
There are also independ ent mechanised brigad es, which
are not ass igned to NATO, Gra na tieri di Sa rd egna (in
Rom e), Pinerolo (in Ba ri l, as well as three ind epend ent
moto ris ed brigad es, Friul in Florence, Acqui in L'Aq uila a nd
Aosta in M essina. In addition th ere is th e Folgore a irborn e
brigade a t Pis a and th e Serenissim a ma rin e regiment whic h
has one tank and three infantry ba ttalions .
The Ariete armoured division, which is equipped with th e
M60A I, has two a rm oured a nd one mechanised brigade pi us
a reco nnaissance battalion (with one company of ta nks a nd
two of infa ntry), artillery regiment, engineer battalion, avia-
tion squadron, signals battalion and a s upply ba ttali on . The
mecha nised di visions have one armoured a nd two mecha n-
ised brigad es and th e same supporting units as the armoured
di visio ns.
Italian-built Leopard 1 MBTwith thermal sleeve for 105 mm gun ,
infra-red/white light searchlight fitted with tra ck skirts removed
175
 The a rmoured brigad e has two ta nk ba ttalions and
one mec ha nised infa ntry battalion whi le the mecha nised
brigade has two mec hanised infantry battalions and one tank
battalion.
All tank battalions have one tank at battalion HQ a nd
three tank companies . Each of th e la tter has one ta nk at
compa ny HQ and three platoons each with five tanks, giving
th e ba tta li on a total of 49 ta nks.
Each of the ind epend ent mechanised and motorised
brigad es has one battalion of M 47 tanks .
T otal Ita li an tank strength consists of some 500 M47s (800
were supplied by th e U nited States but 100 have since been
suppli ed to Spain for conversion into specia lised veh icles) ,
300 M60A Isand 920 Leopard Is (plus 69 ARV sand 12
AEVs with anoth er 160 specia li sed versions built in Ital y by
OTO-Melara).
In 1956 Italy, France and West Germany drew up a
requ irement for a European MBT which would be well
a rmed , li ghter and more mobil e th an oth er tanks th en in
servIce.
In the end France placed th e AMX-30 in production , Wes t
Germany placed the Leo pard I in production while Ita ly
obtained a licence to manufacture th e M60AI from th e
U nited States. A total of 200 were built in Italy by OTO-
Mela ra for the Italia n Army with a further 100 being sup-
pli ed direct from th e United States.
In the summer of 1964 Ita ly evalua ted th e Leo pa rd I in
Sardin ia a nd after many delays in 1970 placed an order for
800 Leo pard I MBTs, th e first 200 of wh ich were to be
suppli ed from Wes t G erm a ny by Kra uss-Maffei a nd th e
remaining 600 to be built und er li cence in Italy by a consor-
tium head ed by OTO-Melara. In addition 69 ARVs and 12
AEVs were ord ered from Krupp MaK of West Germ a ny
wh ich built all of th e specialised versions of the Leopard I.
The first Italian-built Leo pard I was completed in 1974
and th e last of th e original order for 600 in 1978. Sin ce then a
furth er order was placed for 120 wh ich were delivered in
1982.
OTO-Melara has recentl y built 160 specialised ve rsio ns
based on th e hull of th e Leo pard I MBT including 64
bridgelayers, 68 ARVs a nd 28 AEVs. Co-producers to
OTO-Melara are FIAT which suppli es the engin e, suspen-
sion a nd track, Lancia which supplies the transmission a nd
major sub-contractors include Fucine Breda which provid es
th e forged steel g un barrel and the cas t turret.
For trials purposes Italy has ordered four sets of th e Wes t
German Blohm and Voss add-on a rmour system as installed
on Dutch a nd Wes t G erman Leopard I MBTs.
Produ ction of th e new OTO-Melara/F IAT MBT for th e
Ita lja n Army is ex pected to commence in 1987 with first
deli veries due in 1988. First order is for 200 vehicles wh ich
wi ll replace part of the rema ining M47 fl eet. A new 8 x 8
tank des troyer with a 105 mm g un is also being built.
Japan
The J apanese Ground Self-Defence Force order of battle
includes one a rmoured di visio n (7th ), 12 infa ntry di visions
( I st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5 th , 6th , 8th, 9th, 10th, II th , 12th a nd
13th), two composite brigad es, one a irborne brigade, one
a rtillery brigade, fiv e engineer brigad es a nd a single signals
brigad e.
176
The I st, 2nd , 3rd, 4th , 6th , II th a nd 13th infantry divisions
each have four infantry regimen ts, one a rtill ery regimen t, o ne
ta nk battalion, one anti-tank compa ny, one reconnaissa nce
compa ny, enginee r battalion, plus transport, avia tion, medi-
cal a nd o th er supporting units. The other five infantry div-
isions (5 th, 8th, 9th, 10 th a nd 12th) a re simil a r but have o nl y
three infa ntry regiments.
The 7th a rm oured di vision has three in fa ntry regiments
mounted in a rmoured personnel carri ers, one tank battalion,
one self-propelled arti ll ery regiment plu s supporting units.
The tank battalion has a HQ compa ny with four tanks a nd
four tank companies. Each of the latter has a HQ with two
ta nks a nd three platoons of four ta nks giving th e ba ttalion a
total strength of 60 ta nks.
Total a rmoured strength of the J a pa nese Ground Self-
Defence Forces consists of500 (o ut of 559 bu il t) Type 61 and
600 T ype 74 MBTs, with th e la tter ex pected to increase to a
tota l of 850 by 1988.
Jordan
T he Jorda nian Army has recently been reo rganised a nd re-
equipped a nd now consists of two a rmoured divisions , two
mechanised in fantry di visions, two a ir defence brigades, 16
a rtill ery battalions, a specia l for ces brigade and a number of
ind epend ent brigades and units.
Each a rm oured division consists of three a rmoured
brigades each of whi ch has two tank batta lions, one mechan-
ised infantry battalion with M 11 3s, a ba ttali on of 155 mm
M I 09A I self-prope ll ed how itzers a nd supporting units. At
di vision level th ere is a battali on of 10 203 mm MilO self-
propell ed how itzers and an anti-a ircra rt batta lion.
Each mechanised infa ntry di vision consists of two infantry
brigades each of wh ich has two mec hanised infantry bat-
talions, one tank battalion a nd same supportin g units as th e
armoured di vision.
The Kh alid a nd Tariq ta nks a re used by th e armoured
divisions wh ile th e M60A I a re used by th e mechanised infan-
try di visions.
In la te 1985 Jord a n had 278 Khalid ta nks (plus some
Chieftain armoured recovery ve hicl es), 293 T a riqs a nd 200
Upgraded Centurion of Jordanian Army with new power-pack,
Cadillac Gage weapon stabilisation system, new suspension
and night vision equipment
M60A I/M60A3 MBTs. About ISO to 170 M47/M48AS
ta nks a re held i~ rese rve, with some of the latter already being
hand ed over to Leba non several years ago.
Each J ord anian tank batta lion has 44 ta nks, two a t batta-
lion HQ a nd three tank compa nies, each of th e latter has two
MBTs a t compa ny HQ a nd four pla toons each of three ta nks.
All Centurions have now been upgrad ed and fitted
with th e Belgian SABCA fi re control system (described in
this section und er Belgium), T eledyn e Continental
AVDS- 1790-2C engine, CD-8S0-6A transmission , Cadillac
Gage weapon stabili sation system. T eledyn e Continental
hydrop neum a tic s uspension a nd passive night vision equip-
ment.

Kampuchea
The order of battle of Kampu chea includ es one armoured
regiment whose eq uipment includ es 10 T -S4/T-SS ta nks and Last Kenyan Vicke rs Mk 3 MBT and ARVawa it del ivery at Vickers
10 PT-76 light a mphibious tanks . Defence Systems new Armstrong faci lity in November 1982

co untry's first ta nk ba ttalion. In December 1980 th e co untry

Kenya
Whe.n Kenya became independ ent its Army consisted ma inl y
of infa ntry bat talio ns with logistic support. In 1977 a Somali
force crossed the border in Northern K enya and in th e same
year Kenya placed a n ord er with Vickers Defence Systems of
th e United Kin gdom for 38 Vickers Mk 3 MBTs plus 3
ARVs which were a ll comp leted by 1980 and form ed the
ordered a further 38 Vi ckers Mk 3 MBTs , plus four ARV s
wh ich were d elivered from 198 1. The last two vehicl es, an
Mk 3 MBT a nd a n ARV were completed at Vickers Defence
Systems new Armstrong works in November 1982 . Th ese two
tank battalions form a n armoured brigad e. It is believed that
K enya has a requirement for a third ba ttalion of Vickers
Mk 3 MBTs but there is in suffi cient funding at present to
allow these to be purchased.

Vicke rs Mk 3 MBT of Kenyan Army

177
Korea, Democratic People's Republic
(North)
The North Korean Army is one of the largest in Asia and its
order of battle incl udes 24 infantry divisions, two armoured
divisions (stationed near the South Korean border), fiv e
motorised and mechanised infantry divisions, seven inde-
pendent armoured brigades, nine independent infantry
brigades, 22 special operation brigades, plus air defence and
artillery divisions and over 20 reserve infantry divisions and
ten tank training battalions of which nine are believed to be
equipped with the T-34/ 85 . .
The armoured division has three armoured regiments, an
armoured infantry regiment, reconnaissance battalion, artil-
lery regiment, anti-aircraft battery and support units. Each
armoured regiment has three armoured battalions each of
M48s of South Korean Army (via Kensuke Ebata)
which has 31 MBTs plus a reconnaissance company,
armoured infantry company, anti-aircraft battery and an
engineer company. The a rmoured infantry regiment has
Korea, Republic of (South)
three armoured infantry battalions, reconnaissance platoon,
anti-aircraft battery, mu ltiple rocket launcher battery,
The South Korean Army has a front- li ne strength of two
76 mm gun battery, mortar battery and an engineeer com-
mechan ised infantry divisions, 19 infantry divisions, seven
pany. Total M BT strength of the armoured division is 283.
special warfare brigad es plus air d e fe~ce (gu n and .missile),
The independent armoured brigad es have three tank bat-
surface-to-surface missile and a rm y a ir d efence bngades.
talions, an armoured infantry battalion, reconna issance ba t-
Reserves include at least 23 infantry divisions . T hese are
talion, anti-aircraft battery and an engineer company. Each
all organised into three Army HQs (I st, 2~d a n~ 3rd) and
tank ba ttalion has 3 1 MBTs.
five Corps. In addition there is th e Combm ed Field Army
Each infantry division has one battalion of tanks with one
(ROK/USA) which includes th e Ameri~an 2nd I~fantry
at th e battalion HQ, plus an ARV, and three companies each
Division stationed around Camp Casey-U IJongbu which has
with 10 tanks. The motorised infantry divisions also have a
two battalions of M60A3 ta nks .
single tan k battalion.
Each mechanised infantry division has three brigades each
It is reported that total North Korean tan k strength now
of which consists of three ba tta lions of mechanised infantry,
consists of about 175 Chinese Type 59 MBTs, 300 T -34/85s
three battalions of motorised infantry, three tank battalions,
(used mainly for training), 2000 T-54/ T -55s and about 400
one reconnaissance battalion, one fi eld a rtillery brigad e of
T-62s, with the latter now being made und er licence in North
four battalions, one engineer battalion, one signals battalion,
Korea. Late in 1985 South Korean sources stated tha t North
one av ia tion d etachment, one chemical support d etachment,
Korea had organised and deployed anothe r armoured corps
one TOW ATGW company a nd one combat service
to the rear of the DMZ consisting of three armoured di vi-
command.
sions.
Each infantry di vision has three infantry regiments, one
It is believed that North Korea now deploys four Corps
reconnaissance battalion, one tank battalion, one engineer
along the border with South Korea, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th
ba ttalion , one di visional ar till ery gro up, one signals bat-
Corps. To the rear of these infantry corps are dep loyed th e
talion, one aviation group, one chem ical support detach-
Special Corps and the 3rd, 7th and 8th armoured corps.
Based on this more recent in formation North Korea must
have anything up to at least 12 armoured di visions . M48A5 of South Ko rean Army with side skirts

178
M48A5s of South Korean Army fitted with 105 mm M68 guns and side skirts (via Kensuke Ebata)

ment, one TOW ATGW co mpany (not in all divisions ye t) Some of th e M47s have been converted to th e recovery role
and one combat service support command. with the 90 mm gun removed and winch installed in the
Each tank batta li on has a HQ and three tank compan ies turret. Mounted at th e front of th e hull is an A-frame with th e
with each of th e latte r hav ing two tanks a t HQ and four-fi ve winch cable being taken out throu gh th e front of th e turret.
tank platoons, giving th e battalion a tota l of 66 tanks . This vehicle is prima rily us ed for changing vehicle compo-
The United Sta tes suppli ed South Korea with between 500 nents in th e fie ld as there are insuffi cient ARVs in service.
and 600 M47 med iu m tanks but it is believed th a t only Under contract to the South Korean Gove rnment, Genera l
between 300 an d 400 of these are now operational. About Dyna mi cs, Land Sys tems Division, has d esigned a nd bui lt
11 00 of th e later 90 mm M48 were suppli ed of which 800 to th e XK- I MBT wh ich is now being bui l t in Sou th K orea.
900 are operational with abo ut 600 of these hav ing been Deta ils of this are given in Part I.
brought up to M48A5 standard. In addition to being fit ted
with 105 mm gu n, th e South K orean M48A5s also have the
di esel engine, infra-red dri ving lights, infra- red searchl ight
over main armament, smoke dis cha rge rs eith er side of turret M47 armoured recove ry ve hicle of South Korean Army (via T Bell)
and side skirts th a t a re hinged a t top to allow access to
susp ension and tracks for maintenance. These were origi-
na ll y conve rted with th e a id of kits supp lied by th e U ni red
States but kits were subsequ entl y produ ced in South Korea
with majo r sub-contractors being:-
JE-IL Precision Co Ltd: Hull and turret electri cal kit
Kangwon Industria l Co Ltd: Top engin e deck grill e,
elbows of air cleaner, command er's cu pola, hull weld-
ing and machining, engine and transmission mounts
Korea H eavy Industries and Constru ction Co Ltd :
Track shoes
Ssan gyo ng H eavy Indu s tri es Ltd: Con tin enta l
A VDS-1790-2D di esel engine
Tong Myung H eavy Industries Co Ltd: Turret and gun
con trol equipment
Miki Chemi cal Co Ltd: Road wheel asse mbl y

179
Kuwait
When K uwait gained its independ ence from th e U nited
Kingdom in Ju ne 196 1 it came und er almos t immedi a te
pressure from I raq which res ul ted in British troops being
quickly di spa tched to the co un try. Included in the latter were
Centu rion Mk 8/ l s of C Squ adron, 3rd Cara biniers, who
a rrived by sea fr om Ad en . T heir 25 Centurions were left
behind when th e crisis was over so th a t th ey wo uld be read y
for immedi a te use s ho uld the situation d eteriorate again . At a
la ter da te th ese we re ha nd ed over to Kuwa it a nd a further 25
Centu rions were supplied. M ost of th ese have now been
disposed of to Somali and only ten a re now thought to rema in
In serVIce.
In 1968 Kuw ait placed a n ord er for 70 Vickers M k I
MBTs which were delivered between 1970 a nd 1972 . During
th e las t Middl e East conflict these were driven fro m Ku wait
to Syria und er their ow n power a nd back aga in when th e
conflict was over. Altho ugh th ere have been ma ny pro blems
with th e C hiefta in powered by the Leyla nd L60 engin e th ere
a ppea rs to have been li ttl e troubl e when this engine has been
install ed in the lighter V ickers Mk I MBT .
In th e late 1970s Kuwait ordered 165 C hieft ains from th e Vicke rs Mk 1 MBTs of Kuwa iti Army
U nited K ingdom, most of which were built by Vickers at
Elswick with fin al deli veries ta king place in 1979. Th ese a re
based on the Mk 5 and d esigna ted the Mk 5/2 K but are not
fitted with th e M a rconi Rada r Sys tems light proj ector on th e
left side of the turret. It is proba ble th a t th ese will be fi tted
Laos
with pass ive ni ght vision eq uipmen t in th e future a nd a more Arm oured vehicl es used by this co untry include a bout 30
advanced fire con trol syste m as th ey do not have th e Marconi
Soviet supplied T- 34/85 a nd T -54/T-55 MBTs.
Comma nd a nd Control Sys tems I m proved Fire Control Sys-
tem which has now been retrofitted to most C hiefta ins of th e
British Army.
T he K uwait Arm y has two ar moured a nd one mecha nised Lebanon
in fa ntry bri gad es a nd a s urface- to-surface missile batta li on .
Owing to the curren t political situa tion in this country no
exact details of ta nk strength a re available. In 1982 th e
U nited Sta tes supplied th e Leba non with 34 M48A56 with
additional vehicl es being s uppli ed by Jorda n . It is believed
th at th e Arm y has a bout50 M 48A5s with a simi la r number in
reserve. Other factions in th e country also have tanks includ-
ing th e Lebanese Forces Militia (perh aps M48s), South
Leba non Arm y (Sherma ns fro m Israel a nd T -54), Druze
(T-54/T-55 and T -34/85) plus others.

Chieftain Mk 5/2K awaiting delivery from Royal Ordnance Leed s.
Note the absence of light projector on left side of turret (R 0
Leeds)
Libya
The strength of the Libyan Arm y includ es some 20 ta nk
ba tta lions which a re organised along Soviet lines with each
having one MBT a t ba ttalion HQ and three tank companies
each with ten ta nks. T his gives a front lin e acti ve strength of
620 ta nks There a re also 30 mechanised infa ntry ba ttalions,
two a n ti-aircraft ba ttali ons, ten fie ld a rtillery ba ttalions plus
the National Gua rd Brigad e. H Qs exist for one ta nk a nd one
mecha nised infan try di vision.
For some years Libya has bee n purchas ing tanks a nd oth er
milita ry equ ipment on a la rge scale, far more th an it can
opera te a nd ma inta in a nd for this reason mu ch of it remains
in storage and un used.
T otal ta nk streng th is now beli eved to be a round 3000
vehicles including 250 T- 72s, 2000 T-54/T -55s (mostly th e
la tter) a nd 750 T -62s. A few T -34/85s may be used for
training.

180
Mali
Mali was a French colony until indpend ence in 1966 and
since then most aid a nd equipment has been supplied by th e
Soviet Union incl\Jding a single tank battalion that has a
small number of T -54/T-55 tanks plus the remains of 30 to
40 T-34/85 tanks supp lied many years ago. This batta lion is
probably organised along Soviet lines with 3 1 tanks.
Malaysia
The Federation of M alays ia was form ed in 1963 and com-
prises M alaya, Sarawak a nd Sabah (previously British North
Borneo). Singapore was a member of the Federation unti l
1965 when 'it seceded.
At th e present time Malaysia has no tank units but has a
requirement for at least one tank battalion. The known con-
tenders for this contract include the Thyssen-H enschel
TH-30 1, Vickers Mk 3, AMX-32, Cadi llac Gage Stingray
and OF-40 plus others th at are still on th e drawing board .
Mongolia
The 'Mongolian Arm y has fou r infantry divisions each of
which has a number of tank battalions organised a long Soviet
lines with 3 1 tanks per battali on. It is believed th a t total tank
strength includ es about 650 T- 54/T-55 and T-62 tanks.
Morocco
The Moroccan Army has been engaged in fighting th e
Polisario gueri llas in th e Sahara for some years and has been
expand ed and re-equipped with Austrian, French, South
African and American equipment.
Morocco is believed to have at least five tank battalions .
Two of th ese are thou ght to be organised a long Soviet lines
with 31 T -54/T-55 tanks per battalion, these being th e
remains of some 100 to 120 vehicles supplied by Czecho-
slovakia and the USSR in th e 1960s .
The other three tank battalions are thought to be organised
along American lines with each battalion hav ing 54 M48
tanks. About 180 M48 series ta nks have been supplied by the
United States and most of these have been brought up to
M48A5 standard with new engine and 105 mm gu n.
In 1981 th e US D epartment of Defense ann ounced a letter
of offer to Morocco for 108 M60A3 MBTs a t a cos t of $ 182
million including spares and training, but this was never
taken up.
Mozambique
In the 1970s Mozambique received signifi cant a mounts
of military equipment from th e Soviet Union and other
members of th e Warsaw Pact and the country acted as a base
for guerillas operating against th e then Rhod esia (now
Zimbabwe).
It has been reported th at about 150 T-34/85, 200
T -54/T-55 and a small number of T -62 MBTs have been
supplied and that some of these, specifi call y th e T -34/85s
were for use by th e guerilla forces.
The M ozambique Army ord er of battle is believed to
include one tank brigade, two independent mechanised ba t-
ta lions, seven infantry brigad es plus a rtill ery units.
Each infantry brigad e consis ts of one tank battalion
(believed to be organised along Soviet lines), three infa ntry
battalions, two artillery ba ttalions, one air d efence battalion
plus other su pporting units including logistics.
Netherlands
The regular Netherlands Army has two ar mou red an d four
mechanised brigades with one armoured brigade (4 1st) and
support units being forward d eployed in West Germ any.
Upon mobilisation a furth er a rmoured brigad e, two mecha n-
ised a nd one ind epend ent infantry brigade would be ad d ed.
In April 1984 it was an noun ced that the Netherlands was to
sell 120 Centurion tanks to Austria for £3800 each with the
possib ility of an add itional 180 vehicles. On a rrival in Austria
these have had th ei r turrets removed and used in static
defence positions.
Each armoured brigade has a HQ and HQ company, two
armoured battalions, a n a rmoured infantry battalion, recon-
niassance company, a rtill ery battalion, an ti-tan k company,
engineer company, anti-aircraft battery, signals company
and suppl y battery.
The armoured battalion has a HQ company with two
Leopard I MBTs and th ree L eo pard ARVs and a reconna is-
sance p latoon with three com mand and reconnaissa nce
ve hicl es, and three armoured companies. Each of th e lat ter
has a HQ with two Leo pa rd I MBTs and three pla toons each
with five Leo pard I MBTs. This gives the tank battalion a
tota l strength of 53 Leopa rd I MBTs and three Leopard
ARVs.
The mechanised infantry brigade is similar to the
armoured brigade exce pt it has one tank ba ttalion and two
infa ntry battalions. One of the latter was equipped with th e
AMX VCI tracked APC and th e other with the DAF YP-408
(8 X 6) APC, but these are both now being converted to th e
FMC tracked AIFV.
Today the Dutch Army tank Aeet consists of300 Centurion
and 468 Leopard I vehicles, plus specia lised versions and
over 350 Leo pa rd 2s.
Centurion Mk 5/2 of Dutch Army without track skirts fitted (Royal
Netherlands Army)
181
Leopard 2 MBT of Royal Netherlands Army (Michael C Klaver)
In th e early 1950s the Netherlands procured 59 1 Cen-
turion gun tanks plus 44 Mk 2 ARVs. A further batch of70
Mk 7 gu n ta nks followed but th ese were sold with American
approval in the early 1960s as th e UNF d esign was not
com pati ble with th e original batch. 343 Centurions were
brought up to Mk 5/2 standard with 105 mm L 7 series guns,
216 reta ined the old 20 pounder (83.4 mm) gun, 16 were
fitted with an old Sherm an dozer blade and 16 were fitted
with an M48 type AVLB . A furth er 122 Mk 5s were sold to
Israe l, aga in with US approval, when th e Leopard I was
introduced into service. These ten brigades form I (NL )
Corps which was esta blished in November 1952 and is the
Dutch contribution to NATO ground forces in the centra l
region. Of the ten brigades, nine of these are formed into
three divisions, th ese being the 1st Division ( 13th armou red ,
II th, and 12th mechanised brigad es) with HQ in Schaars-
bergen, 4th Division (41 st armoured , 42nd a nd 43 rd mechan-
ised brigad es) with HQ in H ard erwijk an d 5th Division (5 1st
armoured , 52nd and 53rd mechanised brigades) with HQ in
Stroe. The I st and 4th Divisions are fully operational with th e
5th being formed on mobilisation.
After evaluating th e Chieftain, Leopard I and MBT-70
between 1967 and 1968, th e Netherlands placed an initial
ord er for 400 Leopard I s in 1968. This was followed by
furth er ord ers for th e Leopard MBT and specialised vari ants
and in the end 468 Leo pa rd I MBTs, 52 ARVs, 14
bridgelayers, 12 driver training vehicles and 65 twin 35 mm
self-propelled anti-aircraft gun systems were acq uired . The
MBTs were d elivered from 1969 to 197 1 and many compo-
nents were made by th e DAF company in Holland .
The Dutch vehicles have different radios, Dutch type
smoke dischargers, three stowage panniers and different
exha ust covers. The 7.62 mm MG was replaced by a
12.7 mm Browning M2 HB MG a t th e commander's station.
At a later date th e tanks were fitted with an American
Honeywell gun stabilisation system , modifi ed optical sights
to enable British L52 APDS am munition to be fired , a nd a
pass ive periscope for th e dri ver.
All 468 Leopard Is of the Dutch Army are now being
modified by 574 Tankwerkplaats a t Leusden and fitt ed with
182
applique armour provid ed by Blohm and Voss of West Ger-
many. This is similar to th a t fitt ed to th e Leopard IAIAI of
the West German Army. When modified they are designated
the Leopard I-V with the latter sta nding for Verbeterd, or
improved . New track skirts are also being fitted. When the
Leopard Is are being up- armoured, th e EMES 12A3 (Dutch
confi gura tion ) gunner's fire control sys tem is being installed.
The EMES 12A3 is supplied by Honeywell , Zeiss with Old
Delft as th e major Dutch sub- contracto r.
Following a competition between th e United Kingdom
(L64), Israel (M ill ) and the United States (M735) fora new
APFSDS round for the 105 mm L7 guns, th e British L64 was
selected as th e replacement for the L52 APDS round cur-
rentl y used by the Dutch Army.
In March 1979 th e Netherlands placed an order for 445
Leopard 2s to replace th e 369 Centurion MBTs and 130
AMX-13 light tanks. First vehicles were d elivered in 1982
with fi nal deli veri es du e in 1986. The Dutch vehicles have
Belgian 7.62 mm FN MAG machin e guns . Dutch smoke
dis chargers, night vision equipment and radios . The Dutch
Army's 4 1st Amoured Brigade, based in West Germany, is
th e first unit to be re-equipped with th e Leo pard 2. When the
Leopard 2 was introdu ced the armoured squadrons now
have four platoons each of four tanks in place of the current
three platoons wi th five tanks.
Centurion AVLB of Dutch Army
Nigeria
The order of battle of the N igerian Army includ es one
armoured division which is said to consist of four armoured
and one mechanise.d brigade plus a reconnaissance battalion,
engineer battalion and an arti llery brigade, two mechanised
divisions, one composite division and a Guards brigade with
one armoured reconnaissance battalion and three infantry
batta lions. M any of th e a rm oured units have light armoured
vehicles. Tanks in service includ e remains of 100 T-54/T-55
and some 40 Vickers Mk 3s with more still to be delivered.
In August 1981 N igeria placed an order with Vickers
Defence Systems of the United Kingdom for the supply of36
MBTs , six ARVs and five AVLBs worth some £60 million .
The MBTs are powered by th e General Motors 12V-71T
di esel engine, and fitted with Pilkington PE Condor com-
mander's day/night sight and the Marconi Comm and and
Control Systems SFC 600 fire-control system. T hey a lso have
th e Vickers L22 sight which incorporates the Simrad L V352
lase r rangefind er. Ea rl y in 1985 N igeria placed a repeat ord er
for a simi lar number of Vickers Mk 3 MBTs, ARVs and
bridgelaye rs with first d eli veri es made in 1985 .
Nicaragua
Owing to the present situation in Nicaragua th e exact ord er
of battle of th e Nicaraguan Army is uncertain but is believed
to includ e a t least fi ve armo ured battalions whose equ ipment
includes about 120 T-54/T-55 plus a few Shermans supplied
by the United States many years ago.
Norway
The Royal Norwegia n Army operates a total of38 M48s a nd
78 Leopa rd I MBTs which are organised into one tank
company for th e brigade group based on th e north of the
co untry and one company for th e all arms gro up based in
southern Norway. In addition there are seven ind epend ent
armou red squadrons in various 'parts of the cou ntry, five
Norwegian M48 showing 12.7 mm (0.50-inch) anti-aircraft
machine gun on commander's cupola (Royal Norwegian Army)
Norwegian Leopard 1 fitted with West German Hoffmann-Werke
AFV gunfire simulator over 105 mm gun and stowage box on
glacis plate (Ministry of Defence)
being equipped with the Leopard I and two with th e M48.
From November 1966 Norway tested the Leo pard I a t th e
Trandum Armour School and th e Snoeheim Cold Weather
Command and on 22 November 1968 placed an order for 78
Leopa rd I s which were delivered between 1969 and 1971. In
addition six ARVs were ordered from Krupp-MaK of Kiel.
The Leo pard Is a re similar to the first production batch of
Leopard Is for th e West German Army as Norway requ ested
no specia l modifi cations to the vehicles. In recent years M48s
have been brought up to M48A5 standard with 105 mm gun
and di esel engine in place of original petrol engine.
Oman
In 1980 a d ecision was taken to incorporate MBTs into the
Sultan of Oman's Land Forces (SOLF) which at th a t time
operated Alvis Saladin (6 X 6) armoured cars.
In August six American, M60Als were delivered and
formed as th e Oman Tank Force/6th Tank Squadron.
In August 198 1 12 Chieftain Mk 7/2C MBTs were sup-
plied by th e British Army on a loan basis and formed into E
Squadron, as by that time th e Saladins (now replaced by the
Alvis Scorpion) had been form ed into A, B and C sq uadrons.
The Chieftains made their first public appearance during the
National Day Parad e held in O cto ber 1981.
More recently Oman has ta ken d elivery of27 new Chief-
tains from Royal Ordnance L eeds known as th e Q ayis AI
Ardh. These, like th e Alvis Scorpions, have th e Vickers
Instrum ents L20 sight which incorporates a Ferranti Type
520 Mk 2 laser rangefi nder. The Omani order of ba ttle now
includes one armoured regiment with two tank squadrons
and a n a rtillery battery with M 109A2.
Pakistan
The Pakistani Army ord er of ba ttle includes two a rmoured
di visions (1st and 6th ), 16 infantry divisions, four indepen-
d ent armoured brigad es and eight independent infantry
brigades .
183
Pakistani Army Type 59 MBT with standard 100 mm gun (via G Jacobs)
T he a rm oured di visions a re believed to ha ve six ta nk reg i-
ments, th e a rmo ured brigades three and each infa ntry di v-
ision one. Each ta nk regiment has three MBTs a t HQ a nd
three ta nk compa nies each with three ta nks a t HQ a nd four
pla toons of three ta nks giving each regiment an a uth orised
strength of 48 ta nks. It has however been reported tha t ta nks
a re in s uch short s up ply th a t each regiment now has only 38
ta nks.
Pa kis ta n has foug ht two major campaigns with India in
1965 a nd 197 1 a nd los t signifi cant numbers of tanks in both.
In th e 1950s most of its vehicles were supplied by the U nited
Vi ckers Instruments L20 sight which incorporates a Ferranti Type
520 Mk 2 laser rangefinder
184
Sta tes including la rge numbers of M 47 and M 48 ta nks.
From 1965 however all vehicl es came from C hin a including
la rge numbers of Type 59 ta nks. Prior to th e Ira nia n revolu-
tion th e BMY company of th e U nited Sta tes constru cted a
pla nt in Ira n for th e rebuilding ofI rania n M 47s to the M 47M
stand a rd (qv this section und er I ran). Pa kistan had its
remaining M 47s brought up to M 47 M sta nd a rd in the earl y
1970s after which th e M 48s were brought up to M 48A5
sta nd a rd , altho ugh it has been said th a t some vehicles were
still in Iran a t th e time of th e revolu tion.
Following th e Soviet in vasion of Afgha nistan , Pa kista n has
again s ta rted to receive Ameri can milita ry ass ista nce a nd la te
in 1982 th e Pentagon inform ed Congress th at it intended to
sell 100 M 48A5s to Pa kista n a t a cos t of$80 million .
With Chinese assista nce Pa kistan has es ta blished the
H eavy Rebuild Factory a t Taxila. T his facility covers so me
48 acr es a nd is capa ble of reb uildin g ta nks a nd poweq;Jacks
as well as manufact uring indi vidu al opti cal a nd electrical
components.
It is believed th a t th e to ta l. front line strength of th e
Pa kista ni Arm y co nsists of 800 to 1000 C hin ese supplied
T ype 59s , 40 to 50 T -54/T-55s, 150 M 47 Ms a nd a bout 350
M48A5s.
M48 tank of Pakistani Army knocked out by Indian forces in the
Western sector in 1971 (Indian Army Offic ial)
 Of th ese th e fi rst 145 M48s were rebuilt to M 48A5
configura tion De tween 1977 a nd 1979 wit h a furth er 100
being supp lied from th e U ni ted States in 1982 a t a cos t of $ 71
million a nd a noth er 100 in 1984.
Panama
Ea rl y in 1984 it was reported th a t Pa na ma had placed an
ord er with Argentin a fo r th e supp ly of 60 TA M 105 mm
ta nks a nd a sma ll qu a ntity of VCT P a rm o ured perso nn el
carrier versions to form a single a rm oured ba ttalion.
Peru
The Peru via n Arm y ord er of ba ttl e includ es three a rm o ured
di visions, alth o ugh by Wes tern sta nd a rds they a re in fact
brigades .
T ota l a rm oured s trength is believed to includ e betw ee n
250 a nd 300 T-54/T-55s which were s upplied by th e Soviet
U nion in th e early 1970s a nd the rema ind er of some 60 M 4
Sherm a n ta nks suppli ed by the United Sta tes in th e 1950s.
The Soviet U ni on is kn own to have offered Peru th e more
recent T-62 MBT but th e problems with th e o ri gin al
T-54/'f-55 ve hicl es a nd th e co untry's lack of foreign
excha nge have so fa r prevented this a nd oth er mod ernisati on
prog ra mmes . In mid- 1983 Peru pl aced a n ord er for 80 T AM s
with deli ve ri es ex pected to ta ke pl ace in 1985 .
Poland
The Polish Arm y ord er of ba tt le includ es fi ve ta nk (5 th , 10th ,
I I th , 16th a nd 20th ) a nd eight mo to rised rifl e ( I st, 2nd , 3 rd ,
4th , 8th , 9th , 12th a nd 15 th ) divisions, a ll of wh ich a re
organised a long Soviet lines . Th e Soviet So uth ern Gro up of
Forces is sta ti oned in Pola nd a nd consists of two ta nk (2 nd
and 5 th ) di visions.
Total ta nk strength includ es some 3500 T-54/T-55 a nd 100
T- 72 MBTs; th e la tter wi ll ra pidly in crease as productio n
Soviet supplied T-55 MBT in servi c e wi th Peru (U S Department 01
Delense)
bui ld s up in Pola nd. A few T -34/85s a re proba bly used for
training to conserve track life on the more mod ern ve hicl es.
Pola nd produ ced th e T -34/85 from 195 1 to 1956 and th e
T -54 a nd T-54M from 1956 to 1965 a t La bed y. This was
followed in produ c tion by th e T -55 which has been bui lt for
both th e Polish Arm y a nd for ex port, main ly to o th er mem-
bers of th e Wa rsaw Pact. M a ny of th e Polish veh icles were
fitted with a large s to wage box mo unted on th e left side of th e
turret (see photog ra ph in this sectio n und er Eas t Germ a ny).
Produ ctio n of th e T-55 has now been compl eted in Pola nd
a nd th e ta nk facili ty a t K ato wice sta rted tooling up to pro-
du ce th e T-72 MBT in 1979 with first produ cti on ta nks being
compl eted th e following yea r. Accordin g to U ni ted Sta tes
Depa rtm ent of Defense fi g ures between 1976 and 1980 com-
bin ed ta nk prod uction of Czechoslovakia a nd Poland
a mounted to 800 vehicl es a yea r.
Portugal
The First Ind epend ent Mi xed Brigad e, which is ATO ear-
ma rked , includ es one ta nk ba tta lion equipped with 66
M 48A5 ta nks a rm ed with 105 mm g uns.
Qatar
This co untry has one ta nk ba tta li on, th e equipment of which
includ es 24 AM X -30S MBTs a nd one AMX-30D a rm o ured
recovery vehicle suppli ed by France in th e mid- 1970s. T he
MBTs are proba bl y the AMX-30S ve rsio n which is also used
by Sa udi Ara bia a nd has been modifi ed specifi call y for o pera-
tions in th e desert.
Romania
The ord er of ba tt le of th e Romania n Arm y includes two ta nk
a nd eig h t mo torised rifl e di visions which Ire o rganised a long
Soviet li nes.
Ro ma nia is a member of the Warsaw Pact but its forces
took no pa rt in th e in vasion of Czechos lova ki a in 1968 a nd in
recent yea rs has tend ed to lean mo re to th e Wes t a nd C hin a.
The a rm y is mainl y d efensive a nd it is not th o ug ht th at it
would fig ht outside of its own bo rd ers in th e future. T here
have been no Sov iet troops sta ti oned in Ro ma nia since 1958
a nd its forces have not ta ken pa rt in th e a nnu al Wa rsaw Pact
exercises in recent years .
T a nk s trength includ es some 200 T-34/85s which a re used
mainl y for tra ining, 1300 T -54/T-55s, a few T-62s, a bout
30/40 T -7 2s purchased in 19 79-80 a nd several hundred
M-1 977 (or M-77 ) MBTs.
T he M - 1977 was seen for the first time during a pa rad e
held in Bucha rest in 1977 a nd is beli eved to be a rebuilt T -55.
It has six road wheels instead offi ve as on th e T -54/T-55, sid e
skirts simila r to those fitted to th e Briti sh C hieftain a nd
Centurion, new 12.7 mm a nti-a ircraft machine g un with
some a mmun iti on boxes mo unted ex tern all y on th e sid es of
th e turret simil a r to th ose of th e T-64 and T- 72 MBTs, and
improved cooling for th e eng in e, which is not th ought to have
been replaced . The M- 1977 (also referred to as th e TR-77 o r
M- 77) has also bee n s uppli ed to Iraq a nd Egy pt
185

Romanian M-1977 (modified T-55) MBTs showing side skirts and
six road wheels during a parade held in Bucharest.
Saudi Arabia
The strength of the Saudi Arabian Army includes three
armoured brigades (with a fourth now being formed), one
infantry brigade, three mechanised brigades, one airborne
brigade, one Royal Guard regiment, plus field and air
defence battalions.
Total tank strength includes some 290 AMX-30Ss (plus
ARVs, bridgelayers, 155 mm GCT self-propelled howitzers,
Shahine SAM systems and AMX-30S DCA twin 30 mm
self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, also on an AMX-30S typ e
chassis) and 150 M60Als (plus some M728 combat engineer
vehicles). In 1983 Saudi Arabia placed an order with the
United States for 100 M60A3 MBTs with tank therma l sights
and these have now been delivered.
Saudi Arabia was to purchase 86 M60A3 chassis mounted
with a Swiss Oerlikon-Biihrle twin 35 mm turret as fitted to
th e Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft gun system but this
was subsequently dropped.
Saudi Arabia was also supplied with about 75 M47 tanks
in th e 1950s and recently some of these have been given to
Sudan and Somalia. It is not thought that any M47s remain
operational with the Saudi Army.
Saudi Arab ia has a requirement for a new MBT and in
1985 tested two British Royal Ordnance Challenger MBTs,
one ENGESA EE-TI Osorio MBT and one GIAT AMX-40
MBT.
Singapore
Singapore is known to have eight M728 Combat Enginee r
V ehicles and 12 M60 AVLBs, and 60 Centurion MBTs have
been purchased and are kept in Taiwan for training as there
is insufficient space on Singapore to cond uct realistic training
with MBTs. In addition the Army has some 300 French-built
AMX-13 light tanks with 75 mm guns.
Somali Democratic Republic
In the I 96bs and early 1970s the Somali Army was train ed
and equipped with weapons provided by the Soviet Union .
Following the heavy fighting between Somalia and Ethiopia
in 1977, in which Somalia lost a good deal of equipment,
supplies were stopped by the Soviet Union.
Today the order of banle of the Somali Army includes
three tank/mechanised brigades and about 20 infantry bat-
186
talions. Armoured strength is said to consist of about 40
T-34/85s (out of some 200 plus supplied) and about 50
T-54/T-55 (o ut of 100 T-54/T-55 and supplied). It is a
ma tter as to how many of th ese a re operational as no spares
have been supplied by the Soviet Union for some six years.
Saudi Arabia is providing some funding for th e re-
equipment of the Somali Army but so far most of this appears
to have been for FIAT trucks, FlAT/OTO-Melara 6616
armoured cars and FIAT 6614 armoured personnel carriers.
Saudi Arabia has transferred a number of M47 tanks to
Somali (with first batch consisting of 17 vehicles with total
now believed to be as many as 100) , Kuwait is believed to
have suppli ed 35 Centurions.
South Africa
In th e early 1950s th e United Kingdom supplied South
Africa with some 200 Centurion Mk 3 MBTs which were to
be us ed by a South African armoured division as part of a
British Commonwealth contingency force for employment in
th e Middle East. These were subsequently upgraded to Mk 5
standard but following the Suez campaign 100 were sold to
Switzerland.
In th e 1970s th e remaining Centurions, plus vehicles
obtained as scrap from Iraq (very small number), India
(various figures have been quoted with 90 being the most
common) and Jorda n (4 1 Mk 7), were rebuilt at 6 1 Base
Workshop in Verwoerdurg and fitted with a new powerback
and standard 105 mm tank gun. These are called the Olifant
(Elephant) and total South African tank strength is now put
at 300 Centurions.
During the fighting in Angola no South African tanks were
deployed as the Eland armoured cars with th eir 90 mm guns
were more than adequate to deal with the T-34/85 and few
T-54 tanks used by Ango la.
Upon mobilisation South Africa wou ld field one armpured
and one infantry division which would have a tota l of four
motorised brigades, one armoured brigade (with two tank
battalions) and one mechanised brigade (with one tank bat-
ta lion). A small number of Centurion tanks have been
deployed with the 6 1st Mechanised Battalion Group of the
South African Army in South West Africa.
Olifant MBT of South African Army with turret traversed to rear
and showing 105 mm gun (South African Army)
Specifications of Ollfant MBT
COMBAT WEiGHT 56000 kg
POWER-TO-WEiGHT
RATiO 13.39 hp/tonn e
LENGTH 8.6 1 m
WiDTH 339 m
HEiGHT 2.94 m
MAXiMUM ROAD
SPEED 45 km/h
FUEL CAPACITY 1240 litres
MAXIMUM RANGE 250 km
GRADIENT 60 per cent
TRENCH 3.45 m
ENGINE diesel developing 750 hp
ARMAMENT
main 1 x 105 mm
coaxial 1 x 7. 62mm MG
anti-aircraft 1 x 7.62 mm MG
AMMUN ITION
mai n 72

Spanish AMX-30 fitted with British Weston Simfire tank gunnery

Spain and tactical training system

The Spanish Army ord er of battle includes the Immedi ate
Intervention Force, the Territorial D efence Force (to dis-
band ), the General Reserve. Force, a few ind ependent units
and the O verseas Forces. The first of th ese includes one
armoured, one motorised a nd one mechanised di visio n,
armoured cavalry, parachute, airportab le a nd arti llery
brigades plus a number of specialised regiments such as
multiple rocket la un chers and light anti-aircraft. All MBTs
are concentrated in the Immediate Intervention Force.
The a rmoured di vision consists of two armoured brigad es
(of which one is in cadre form ) a nd one mechanised brigad e.
The m echanised di vision co nsists of two mechanised (of
which one is in cadre form) a nd two motorised brigades, a nd
the motorised division consists of two motorised brigades
plus anoth er in cadre form. Each division also has one artil-
lery regiment, a light a nti-aircraft gun regiment, a light
cavalry sq uadron (the eq uipment of which includ es the M41
light tan ks) plus supporting units.
Each armou red brigade consists of two battalions ofM 48s,
one mechan ised infa ntry battalion with M 11 3s and an artil-
lery battalion with three batteries each with six MI09AI
155 mm self-propelled howitzers.
The mechanised brigade has one tank ba ttalion (with M47
or AMX-30E), three mecha nised infantry battalions, a nd a n
a rtillery battalion.
The motorised division has a single tank battalion (with
M 47 or AMX-30E) , three motorised battalions an d an artil-
lery ba ttalion with 105 mm MIDI series towed howitzers.
Each tank battalion has three ta nks at HQ and three tank
compa nies each with a total of 17 tanks giving a strength of 54
ta nks, eg the same as an Ameri can tank battalion.
The Spanish Army use of ta nks is unus ual in th at some

Talbot rebuilt M47E1 with powerpack and turret traversed to rear with 90 mm gun in travel lock

187
belong to the infantry (seven battalions with AMX-30E,
M47E and M48E) and some to th e cavalry.
The Spanish cavalry consists of four light armoured
cavalry regiments, one equipped with AMX-30E MBTs and
MI13AI armoured personnel carriers and three with M47E
MBTs and MI13AI armoured personnel carriers. There are
also II ight cavalry groups of which nine are equipped with
M41 light tanks and AML 60/90 4 x 4 armou red cars and
two withjust AML 60/90s, of which one is with the Legion.
There are also seven armoured cavalry regiments, three
with M47E MBTs and MI13AI armoured personnel car-
ri ers, two with M47E MBTs and BMR-600 (6 x 6)
armoured personnel carriers and two with M48E MBTs and
MI1 3A I armoured personnel carriers. Of these the two with
M48E/MI13AI are based at Ceuta and Melilla, the three
with M47E/MI13AI are with the cavalry brigade and the
remaining two with M47E/BMR-600 are with the mountain
division.
The armoured cavalry brigade has a total of 170 MBTs
and consists ofa HQ and HQ squadron , one light armoured
cavalry regiment, three armoured cavalry regiments, one
a rtillery regiment with 36 self-propelled howitzers and an
engineer battalion.
In 1985 the Spanish Ministry of Defence stated that the
tota l front-line tank strength of the Spanish Army consisted
of 127 M41 1ight tanks, 375 M47, 164 M48 and 299 AMX-30
MBTs.
AMX-30E
Following delivery of the first 19 vehicl es from France, Spain
built the AMX-30 under licence from 1974 under the desig-
nation AMX-30E. Initially these tanks were built from
components supplied by France but gradually th e Spanish
content increased until about 85 per cent of the tank was built
in Spain. Ten AMX-30D ARVs were also supplied direct
from France.
It is estimated that five tanks were completed in Spain in
1974,2 1 in 1975,52 in 1976,66 in 1977 and at least 80 in 1978.
Production of the AMX-30 was completed in Spain in 1983.
The Span ish ta nks are almost identical to the French
mod els but have a 7.92 mm MG 42 machine gun in place of
the 7.62 mm weapons and other minor differences . Produc-
tion of the AMX-30 was undertaken by the Alcala de
Guadaira factory of Empressa Nacional Santa Barbara
(ENSB), with Empressa Nacional de Optica (ENOSA) pro-
viding the optical equipment and Experiences Industriales
SA(EISA) the electrical and hydraulic equipment.
In 1980 Spain purchased the entire licence from G IA T of
France in order to continue d evelopment of the tank itself.
and the third batch the M47E2. It is believed that th ese have
a new di esel engine and at least one batch has been fi tted with
th e West German Rheinmetall 105 mm 105-30 gun which
fires standard 105 mm tank ammunition . In 1981 an addi-
tional 100 ex-West German and Itali an M47s were pur-
chased as scrap and may be rebuilt with new engines and
converted into engineer and recovery vehicles. The former
are very similar in appearance to the AMX-30D and
Leo pard I ARVs with a dozer/stabilising blade at the front of
th e hull a nd a crane pivoted at th e front of the hull on the
right side.
Note :
The Spanish Foreign Legion also operates the AMX-30E
and the Spanish Marines operate 18 M48E tanks with 90 mm
guns.
Sudan
Sudan has two armoured brigades each of which is believed
to have two tank and one mechanised infantry battalion.
Armo ured equipment includ es 17 M47s (s upplied by Saudi
Arabia in 1980),20 T -34/85s (out ono supplied in 1958-59
and probably now relegated to training) , 60 T -54s and 60
T-55s. In October 1981 th e US Depa rtment of Defense
advised Congress of a letter of offer to Sudan for 20 M60A3
MBTs pi us spares at a cost of$36 million, and th ese have now
been delivered. China is believed to have supplied 20 Type 59
MBTs to Sudan.
For much of th e 1960s Sudan obtained a ll of its military
equipment from the Soviet Union but in recent years has
purchased equipment from China, France and the United
States. Saudi Arabia is also providing military equipment as
well as funding some of th e American purchases. The main
external threat to Sudan is Libya, which has already backed a
number of unsuccessful coups that have taken place in the
Sudan.
Centurion MBT of Swedish Army fitted with 105 mm gun and
machine gun mounted externally at commander's cupola
(Swedish Army)

Spanish M48 tanks

A total of 18 M48s of the Spanish Marines have been
retrofi tted by Chrysler with a n A VDS-I 790 series diesel
engine but retain their 90 mm guns. Fifty-four Spanish Army
M48Als have been brought up to M48A5 standard with
105 mm guns, with a similar number converted more
recently. Spain has also purchased a number ofM48A2 tanks
from West Germany and these are being brought up to
M48A5 standard.

Spanish M47 tanks

Some 560 M47s were supplied to Spain by the United States
and 330 of these have now been selected for rebuilding. The
first 110 a re designated the M47E , the second 110 the M47E I

188
Sweden
The Swedi sh Arm y, when mo bili sed , wo uld fi eld fo ur
a rmoured brigad es, one mecha nised brigade, fi ve No rrl a nd
brigades, 19 infa ntry brigad es plus 60 ind epend ent
armoured , infantry, air defence and ar tillery ba ttalions.
Each a rm oured brigade has a H Q a nd HQ compa ny, th ree
a rmoured ba tta li ons, reconnaissance compa ny two a nti-ta nk
compa nies, a rtill ery ba ttalion, engin eer ba ttalion a nd suppl y
ba ttalio n.
Each a rm o ured battalion has a H Q a nd H Q com pany, two
ta nk com panies, two a rm oured infa ntry co mpanies, one how-
itzer ba tte ry a nd one s uppl y ba ttery. Each tank compa ny has
an H Q element with one ta nk, fo ur ta nk platoons each of
three ta nks a nd one mecha nised in fa ntry pla toon . T his gives
the bat talion a total of 26 ta nks, or 78 per brigad e.
T he infa ntry a nd Norrl a nd brigad es do not have a ny
M BTs but have a n assa ult gun compa ny with 12 Ikv-9 1 ta nk
destroyers.
Swedish a rm oured strength co nsists of 300 S-ta nks a nd a
simila r nu m ber of British-sup pli ed Centurions.
Sweden originall y o rd ered 88 Centurion M k 3 ta nks in th e
ea rl y 1950s which were subsequ en tly given th e Swedish
Arm y designatio n ofStridsvagn 8 1 (S trv 8 1 for short). T hese
were fo llowed by a la rge number of Mk 5s in th e mid-1 950s .
In 1958 Mk lOs were ord ered with 105 mm L7 g uns which
we re'deli ve red fro m 1960 a nd d esig na ted th e Stridsvagn 10 1.
From 1962 the ea rli er Centurions were refitted with the
105 mm g un and th en d esigna ted th e Strv 102. Sweden is
now the onl y know n user of the mono-trail er which carri es
additi ona l fu el. Swed en also used th e Centurion Mk 2 ARV
und er th e designa tion of the Ba rgninsta nvagn 8 1 (Bgtv 8 1).
T he Swedish Centurions a lso have differen t radios, Brown-
ing machi ne guns mad e in Swed en (d esigna ted th e K sp
m/39), special track link ice peg, crew heater a nd facility to
warm engine.
After evalua tin g Centurions fi tted with new power packs
by Vickers Defence Sys tems of the UK a nd Teled yne Conti-
nental of th e US, the lat ter was selected in 1982, la te in 198 1
the Swedish FM V award ed a contract worth some SKr 150
million to Bofors for the upgrading of th e Swedish Centurio n
Strv 101 a nd S trv 102 MBTs.
This programme is being carried out in two s tages covering
fi repower and mo bili ty. The fi rst retrofi tted vehicl e was deli-
vered to th e Swedish Ar my earl y in 1983.
Leopard 2 MBT of Swi ss Army showing Bofors Lyran launc her on left side of turret (Swi ss Army)
Bofors Aero tronics is providing a new fi re control sys tem
based on its ex port ve rsio n compu te r. A new g un co n trol
equipment, incl uding solid-sta te a mplifi ers, a gy ro-uni t a nd
a new g unn er's a nd comm and er's control ha ndles will also be
in th e package.
The g unn er's sight is replaced by a new Ericsso n sig ht
incorpora ting a lase r rangefind er. Add itiona l details of this
sight a re given in this section und er th e D anish Centu r io ns.
A modifi ed cupola retaining th e existin g comm a nd er's
sig ht but including a n a rmoured hood to provide protection
when observing head out is also being installed.
Bofors Ordna nce will prov ide the Ly ra n tw in la un cher for
th e 71 mm illumina ting sys tem with a ra nge of 1300 metres .
Late in 1982 th e Swed ish Army pl aced a n order worth
SkI' 180 million with Detroit Diesel Allison (C D-850-6A
a utoma ti c tra n s mi ss ion ) a n d Teledy ne Co ntin en ta l
(A VDS-1 790-2C di esel engine) to be used in th e Strv 10 1 a nd
Strv 102 MBTs.
C hass is convers ion will be carried o ut by Hagglu nd and
Sa ner whi le integra tion of th e chass is a nd tur ret will ta ke
pl ace in South ern Swed en a t a gove rnm ent fac ili ty.
Early in 1985 th e Swedish a rm ed forces success full y com-
pleted trials of a Cen turion MBT with th e British hyd ro-strut
suspension system which has been developed j oin tly by
O ceoni cs Vehicl e T echn ology a nd Royal Ordn ance Leeds.
T his has a lso been tes ted on a British Army C hiefta in M BT
a nd th e priva te venture Royal Ord nance C hieftain 900
M BT. The hyd ro-str ut s uspension system can be install ed on
a n exis ting Centu rion in just one day with no mod ificat io ns
being required to th e hull.
Switzerland
T he Swiss Arm y ord er of ba ttle incl ud es three F ield Army
Corps (FAK - Felda rm eekorp s) a nd one Mo un ta in Army
Cor ps (Geb AK - Geb irgsarmeekorps). 1st Field Army
Corps conta ins th e 1st Mecha nised a nd 2nd a nd 3rd Field
D ivisions, 2nd F ield Arm y Corps th e 4th Mecha nised a nd
5th a nd 8 th Field Divisions a nd 4th Field Arm y Corps th e
I I th M echanised a nd 6 th a nd 7th Field Di visions. T he 3rd
M ountain Arm y Corps has no a rm oured units and con ta ins
the 9 th , 10th a nd 12th Mountain Divisions. T he I st, 2nd a nd
4th FA K d efend th e northern part of Switzerl and while the
3rd Geb AK defends the so uth . Most of the Swiss Army is
mad e up of reservists.
189

Swiss Centurion pz 57/60 fitted with 105 mm gun and new smoke
dischargers (Swiss Army)
Swiss Centurion Mk 2 ARV (Entpannungspanzer 56) (Swiss
Army)
Each mechanised (or arm oured) division has a HQ, two
a rm oured regiments, one motorised infantry regiment, one
howitzer regiment, one artillery regiment, one anti-aircraft
battalion, one engineer battalion and one signals battalion .
The armoured regiment has a HQ which also contains the
four Briickenlegepanzer 68 armoured bridgelayers (based on
the pz 68 MBT chassis), two armoured battalions, regimen-
tal mortar company and an anti- tank compan y. Each
armoured battalion has a HQ and support company, tw o
tank companies, two armoured infantry companies and a
mortar company. Each tank company has an HQ elemen t
with one tank and three platoons each with fo ur tanks making
a total of 13 tanks per company or 26 tanks per battalion.
The field (or infantry) division has th e followin g: three
infantry regiments, two armoured battalions, one a nti-tank
company, artillery regiment, anti-aircraft battalion, engineer
batta lion and a signa ls battalion . One of the armoured batta-
lions is identical to that of the mechanised divisions with a
total of26 tanks. T he other battalion is however different as it
has an HQ compan y, three armoured companies a nd one
armoured infantry company. Each armoured company has
190
an HQ element of one tank and three platoons each of four
tanks, thus giving th e battalion 39 tanks compared to the 26
of th e norm al battalion. Each of the three infantry regiments
is normally given one of these armoured companies for close
support.
The armoured battalions of th e field divisions normally
have the Centurions while the mechanised divisions have the
Swiss built tanks. In addition each Field Army Corps has a
central reserve of two tank battalions.
Total a rm oured strength of the Swiss army consists of:-
300 Cen turions
150 pz 68 Mark Is
50 p z 68 Mark 2s
110 pz 68 Mark 3s
60 p z 68 Mark 4s
The first batch of th e 100 Centurions were purchased from
the U nited Kingdom as Mk 5s and d elivered in 1956- 57.
These were followed by a further 100 Mk 7s and in 196 1, 100
Centurion Mk 5 (Mk 3s upgraded ) were purchased from
South Africa making a total of 300 MBTs. The Mk 5s were
designated the p z 55 and the Mk 7 the p z 57; all were subse-
quently fitted with the 105 mm L7 seri es gun and redesig-
nated the pz 55/60 and p z 57/60. In addition th ey have Swiss
driving lights, Swiss radios, MG 51 machine guns and
8.05 cm 195 1 smoke dischargers. Switzerland a lso purchased
30 Centurion Mk 2 ARVs which are d es igna ted the Entpan-
nungspanzer 56.
Switzerland has had two of its Centurions upgraded by
Vickers (as described in the Centurion MBT entry) Sau rer of
Switzerland has also offered a retrofit package to th e Swiss
Army as have Teledyne Continental of th e U nited States and
Israel with its Upgraded Centurion (q v). In 1983 th e pro-
posal to upgrade the Centurion tank was stopped.
The Swiss Army has a requirement for a new MBT for th e
la te 1980s. After studying various proposals and designs
submitted with the Swiss defence industry a decision was
ta ken in 1979 to order an MBT from a broad tha t had already
been d eveloped.
After evaluating th e United Sta tes MI (105 mm gun ) and
West G erman Leopard 2 ( 120 mm gun ), th e latter was
accepted for service with th e Swiss Army. The first 35 will be
deli vered from West Germany in 198 7 and remaining 345
will be built in Switzerland with final deli veries taking place
in 1993 .
Syria
The Syrian Arm y ord er of battle includes five armoured
di visions (each with three armoured and one mechanised
brigades), three mechanised di visions (each with two
armoured and two mechanised brigad es), one special forces
di vision, two ind ependent mechanised brigades, plus artil-
lery, air defence and surface-to-surface brigades. There are
also reserves of nine infantry and mechanised brigades.
An armoured brigad e has an HQ element with two MBT,
three tank battalions, one mechanised infantry battalion, one
reconnaissance company and one anti-aircraft company.
Each tank b attalion has an HQ element with one tank and
three tank companies. Each of the latter consists of a HQ
element with one tank and three platoons each of three tanks.
This gives a total of31 tanks per battalion (same as the Soviet
Union). Some reports have said that the battalion has four
tank companies, which would give the bat talion 41 tanks.
 The mechanised brigade has an HQ element, two mechan-
ised infantry battalions, one tank battalion (but with five
tank companies), anti-tank company with BRDM-2
(4 X 4)/Sagger, mortar battery and anti-aircraft battery.
Each division wou ld also have an engineer battalion, artil-
lery brigade, anti-a ircraft battalion and other supporting
arms.
Total strength of the Syrian tank force is believed to
include about 1800T-54/T-55s, 1300T-62s, I 100T-72s and
a few T-34/85s , the latter being used for training.
Syria is believed to be actively considering installing a new
fire control system in her T-54/ T-55/T-62 fleet as well as a
passive night vis ion system for the commander, gunner and
driver.
Taiwan
The order of battle of th e Taiwanese Army includes 12 heavy
infantry divisions, six light infantry divisions, six mechanised
and two airborne brigades, four tank groups plus artillery, air
defence and a rmy aviation units. A further nine infantry
divisions exist
. in cadre form. .
The army has some 300 M48A2s and possibly 100 plus
M47s, but there is considerable doubt about the latter. L ight
tanks. are more suitable for use in Taiwan and for this reason
some 1100 M24 Chaffee and M41 Walker Bulldog tanks are
In service.
In mid-1984 it was announ ced that the Pen tagon had
awarded General Dynamics Land Systems Division a con-
tract for the supply of 75 M60A3 assembly-ready hulls to
Taiwan at a cost of $ 12.2 mi llion and in January 1985 a
further 140 were ordered at a cost of$2 1.1 million. These will
be fitted with engines, transmissions and turrets in Taiwan.
In 1981 Teledyne Continental were awarded a contract by
Taiwan to provide kits for a small number of M48A2s to be
fitted with a new powerpack consisting of a Teledyn e Conti-
nental AVDS-1790-2D diesel cou pled to a CD-850-6A
transmission. No improvements so far have been mad e to the
tank's fire control system and the tank still retains its old
90 mm gun.
Tanzania
Tanzania has one tank battalion which is equipped with 30
Type 59 tanks supplied by (::hina plus Scorpion CVR(T),
Type 60 and Type 62 light tanks. I t is reported tha t some 300
T -54/T-55 tanks were delivered to Tanzania for use by
ZAPU forces against the then White regime in Rhodesia.
These were never supplied and are believed to remain in
Tanzan ia . As the country faces no external threat at the
present time it would appear unlikely that these tanks have
been taken into service with the Tanzanian Army.
Thailand
It was not unti l the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia (now
Kampuchea) th at Thailand took steps to form its first MBT
battalion as up until that time its heaviest AFVs were the
American supplied M41 Walker Bulldog light tanks. The
orderofbattleofthe Thai Army today includes one armoured
division which has one tank, one cavalry and one mechanised
regiments, one cavalry division, seven infantry divisions
(each of which has one tank battalion), two special forces
di visions, one Royal Guard plus artillery, air defence and
engineer units.
A total of95 M48A5 MBTs are in service; 55 of these were
delivered in 1979 to 1981, with the remaining 40 from 1984:
Thailand has large numbers ofM 4 1, M24 and Scorpion light
tanks which are more suited to much of the Thai terrain than
MBTs .
Thailand has a requirement for over 100 new MBTs and
has evaluated the Vickers Mk 3, OF-40, Leopard I and
SK 105 so far, but as of November 1985 no orders had been
placed.
Togo
This country has seven T-34/85 and two T-54/T-55 tanks in
service.
Tunisia
For many years th e only MBTs operated by Tunisia were 13
M48s supplied by th e United States under MAP in 1972-74.
InJ uly 1981 the Pentagon advised Congress ofa letter of offer
for th e supply to Tunisia of 54 M60A3 MBTs at a total cost of
$92 million, including training and support and these have
now been delivered .
The order of battle of the Tunisian Army includes one
Sahara brigade, one para-commando brigade, two combined
arms brigades, plus engineer, reconnaissance, field arti ll ery
and anti-aircraft regiments/battalions.
Each of the two combined arms brigades has two mechan-
ised infantry battalions and one armoured battalion . It is
believed that one of the latter has the M60A3 and the other
M48A5, AMX- 13 and M41s. It is probable that the M60A3
battalion is organised along United States lines with a HQ
and HQ company which wou ld include three M60A3s in
headquarters tank section, three tank companies each with
17 M60A3s and one combat support company. Each tank
company has two M60A3s at company HQ, with one of these
being equipped with a dozer blade, and three tank platoons
each with five M60A3s.
Turkey
The Turkish Army's order of battle includes one armoured
division, two mechanised infantry divisions, 14 infantry div-
isions, five to six armoured brigades, four mechanised
brigades and II infantry brigades, one commando brigade,
one parachute brigade. Corps units (there are ten Corps
HQs) include ten tank battalions, 20 anti-aircraft battalions
and 30 field artill ery battalions. There are also surface-to-
surface missile battalions.
The armoured division has two armoured brigades, one
armoured infantry brigade, reconnaissance battalion, artil-
lery regiment, engineer battalion, signals battalion and med-
ical, maintenance and supply companies . The armoured
brigade has two tank battalions, one mechanised infantry
191
 In 1981 ord ers were placed for 348 kits to co nvert M48Als
to M 48A5 sta nda rd followed by a noth er 52 in 1982, 51 8 in
Aug ust 1982 a nd 600 a t a cost of$ 129 million in 1984. Late in
1985 th e Pentagon a nn oun ced a letter of offer to Turkey for
590 conversion kits to conve rt M48A I ta nks to M 48A5
confi gura tion at a cos t of $ 79 million.

Uganda
As far as it is know n Uganda has no tank uni ts, although a
few T-34/85s, T-54s a nd so me Israeli supplied Sherm ans
may remain from th ose acquired ma ny yea rs ago.

M48 tank of Turkish Army modernised by Wegmann of West

Germany and fitted with a new diesel engine and 105 mm gun Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
with thermal sleeve
The Soviet ord er of ba ttle includ es 5 1 ta nk di visionns, 141
motorised rifl e di visions, seven airborn e divisions, eight air
ba tta lion plus ma intena nce, engin ee r, medi cal, reconn aIs- assa ult brigad es, 16 a rtill ery di visions, plus a rtillery
sance, tra nsporta tio n and suppl y companies. brigades, a nd ind ependent tank, a rtillery, surface-to-surface
The ta nk ba ttalion has a n HQ element with two MBTs missile, a nti-ta nk, air d efence, signa ls, electroni c wa rfare and
a nd three ta nk compa nies, each with a MBT a t compa ny HQ oth er supporting regiments a nd brigades. Specia l for ces
a nd three pla toons of fi ve tanks . The reconn aissa nce ba t- include Spetsnaz with 16 brigad es. These ha ve three degrees
talion has three reconn aissa nce companies each with two of comba t readin ess whi ch a re Catego ry I which a re at 75 to
ta nks a t company HQ and three pl a toons each with five 100 per cent of a uth orised manpower with all required
ta nks. equipment. C a tegory II which are a t 50 to 75 per cent of
The mechanised infa ntry di vision is simila r to th e a uthorised manpower with all required equipment. Category
a rm oured division but has one a rmoured a nd two a rm oured III have only a bout 25 per cen t of a uthorised strength and
infa ntry brigad es (eg reve rs e of a rmoured di vision), plus th eir equipment includes old er vehicl es .
similar supporting units. Soviet di visions a re believed to be deployed as follows:
Each of the infa ntry di visions has one ta nk ba ttalion which
has a simila r organisa tion to th a t of th e a bove. In th e recon- East Germ any 10 tank di visions
na issa nce pla toon of each infa ntry ba tta[jon a re seven ta nks, 9 motori sed rifl e di visions
norm ally M47 s. I a rtill ery di vision
T ota l ta nk strength of th e Turkish Army now consists of I air assa ult brigad e
some 700 M47s (o ut of 1340 suppli ed ) and a bout 2700 M 48s Pola nd 2 ta nk di visions
(o ut ofsom e 2800 suppli ed by W es t German y and the United Hungary 2 tank divisions
Sta tes). I t is reported tha t Turkey has a few Sherma n ta nks in 2 motorised rifl e di visions
rese rve. Czechoslovakia 2 ta nk di visions
Wegma nn of Wes t German y equipped fi ve Turkish M 48s 3 motorised rifl e di visions
with a di esel engin e a nd 105 mm gun as fitted to th e 650
M48A 2GA2s it supplied to the W es t Germ a n Arm y. It was Baltic military district (HO Kaliningrad)
th en awa rd ed a contract by th e W es t G erm a n governm ent to 3 ta nk di visions
provid e 170 kits, plus personn el support, to en a ble Turkey to 6 motoris ed rifl e di visions
carry out the work itself. W es t Germa ny has for some time 2 airborn e di visions
provided assista nce to th e Turkish Army, including th e 2 artillery di visions
tra nsfer of equipment such as M48A2 ta nks th a t were being
phased o ut of servi ce with th e G erma n Army. The 1983- 84 Belorussian military district (HO Minsk)
pla n included some DM 32.7 million for th e Turkish ta nk 10 ta nk di visions
maintenan ce pla nts a t Arifi ye a nd K a yseri as well as th e 4 motorised rifl e di visions
provision of spa re pa rts for th e M 48 and Leo pa rd 1. I a rtill ery di vision
Under a n agreement signed in Bonn in November 1980 ,
Turkey received from 1982 77 Leo pard IA3 MBTs (54 to be Carpathian military district (HO Lvov)
built by Krauss-Matfei and 23 by Krupp-M a K ) a nd four 4 tank di visions
ARVs (to be built by Krupp-MaK) . These MBTs a re fitt ed 7 motoris ed rifl e di visions
with th e EMES 12A3 fire control syste m and PZB 200 2 a rtillery di visions
LLL TV sys tem.
In recent years Turkey has commen ced a major mod ern- Kiev military district (HO Kiev)
isa ti on progra mme to upgrad e its fl eet ofM 48A2 ta nks to the 6 ta nk di vis ions
M48A5 sta ndard with di esel engine, 105 mm gun a nd pas- 4 moto ris ed rifl e di visions
sive night vision equipment. I a rtill ery di vision

192
Leningrad military district (HO Leningrad)
9 motorised rifl e di visio ns
I airborn e division
I a rtillery di vision
I air assa ult brigade
Moscow military district (HO Moscow)
2 tank di visions
6 motorised rifl e di visions
I airborn e di vision
Odessa military district (HO Odessa)
8 motoris ed rifl e divisions
I airborn e di vision
I a rtillery di vision
Ural military district (HO Sverdlovsk)
I tank di vision
4 motoris ed rifl e di visions
Volga military district (HO Kuybyshev)
4 motorised rifl e di visions
North Caucasus military district (HO Rostov)
I ta nk di vision
7 mo torised rifl e di visions
I a rti llery di vision
Trans-Caucasus military district (HO Tbilisi)
12 motorised rifl e divisions
I artill ery division
Turkestan military district (HO Tashkent)
6 motorised rifl e divisions
Central Asian military district (HO Alma Ata)
I ta nk division
6 motoris ed rifl e divisions
I arti ll ery di vision
Siberian military district (HO Novosibirsk)
6 moto ris ed rifl e di visions
I a rtillery di vision
Transbaykal military district (HO Chita)
2 tank divisions
8 moto ris ed rifl e di visions
I a rtill ery di vision
Far Eastern military district (HO Khabar Ovsk)
2 ta nk d ivisions
22 motorised rifl e di visions
I arti ll ery di vision
Mongolia military district (HO Ulan Bator)
2 tank di visions
3 motorised rifl e divisions
Units deployed to Afghanistan includ e two motori sed rifle
divisions, one airborne division , one air assault and two
motoris ed rifl e brigad es plus sma ller a nd s upport units .
There a re three types of Soviet division, ta nk, motorised
rifl e and airborn e, but onl y the first two of th ese have ta nks.
In recent yea rs th e organisation of th ese di visions has been
Soviet Army T-55 MBTs with laser rangefinders mounted over
their 100 mm guns advance under cover of smoke during
training
cha nged a nd th e examples given below a re fo r th e new di v-
isions, th e old er ones ha ve less ta nks.
The motorised rifl e di vision has a di vision HQ a nd HQ
compa ny, two moto rised rifl e regiments with BTR-60/
BTR-70 series APCs, one motorised rifl e regiment with
BMPs, ta nk, a rtillery and SAM-6 regim ents, plus FROG,
mu ltipl e rocket la un cher, a nti-ta nk, reco nn a issance,
enginee r, signal, moto r transport, chemi cal d efence a nd med-
ical ba ttali ons, a rtill ery command ba ttery, mobile fi eld
ba kery a nd a heli copter squadron .
The BTR-60/ BT R-70 equipped moto rised rifl e regiment
has a regimenta l HQ, three moto rised rifl e ba tta lions, ta nk
ba ttalion, 122 mm howitze r batta lion , a nti-aircraft ba tte ry,
a nti-ta nk missi le ba ttery, enginee r compa ny, signal com-
pany, chemical defence company, motor tra nsport company,
maintena nce company, medical company and a service a nd
s upply pla toon. The only tanks a re in th e ta nk ba tta lion
which has a total of40 MBTs with one MBT a t ba ttalion HQ
a nd three companies each with one ta nk a t HQ a nd three
pla too ns each of four ta nks. The BMP equipped mo torised
riR e regim ent has a simila r ta nk ba ttalion with a total of 40
MBTs.
The ta nk regimen t has a regimen tal HQ which includ es
one MBT, three ta nk ba ttalions , one self- propell ed howitzer
ba ttalion , a nti-aircra ft missile/artillery ba ttery plus recon-
naissance, engineer, signal, chemical d efence, motor tra ns-
port, maintena nce a nd medical companies a nd a service a nd
supply pla toon.
Each ta nk ba ttalion has a ba ttalion HQ, HQ and servi ce
platoon a nd three ta nk companies. There is one MBT a t
ba tta lion HQ and one MBT at compa ny HQ with each
compa ny hav ing three platoo ns each of three ta nks. This
gives th e ba ttalion a to ta l of 31 MBTs a nd th e ta nk regiment
a tota l of 96 MBTs. In addition th ere a re six MBTs in th e
reconnaissance ba tta lion.
The ta nk di vision has three ta nk regiments , one motorised
rifl e regiment with BMP, one artillery regiment a nd one
anti-aircra ft regim ent. All of the supporting units a re th e
same as th e motorised rifl e di vision except th a t it does not'
ha ve a n a nti-tank battalion.
The ta nk division has a total of328 ta nks, 282 in three ta nk
regiments, 40 in th e tank battalion of th e moto ris ed rifl e
regiment a nd six in the reconnaissance ba tta lion. Each ta nk
regiment has one MBT a t regimenta l HQ a nd three ta nk
batta lions. Each of the la tter has a to tal of 31 MBTs with one
a t ba tta lion HQ a nd three ta nk compa nies each of which
193
 Production of Ground Forces Material
USSR/NSWP
Equipment type 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984
USSR NSWP USSR NSWP USSR NSWP USSR NSWP USSR NSWP
Tanks 3100 700 2000 500 2500 600 2700 550 3200 450
Other AFVs 6500 1300 5200 1300 4500 1400 4500 1300 3800 1200
Towed fie ld artillery 1400 175 1600 150 1800 250 1700 300 1600 250
Self-prope ll ed fie ld
artillery 900 50 950 50 850 150 750 200 1000 300
Multipl e rocket launchers 700 150 700 150 700 100 700 100 600 100
Self-propelled anti-
aircraft guns 300 100 300 50 200 50 100 0 50 0
Towed anti-aircraft
guns 0 150 o 250 o 200 o 225 o 225
Source: Soviet Military Power 1985 (US Department of Defense)

have ten tanks, eg one at company HQ and three pla toons
each of three tanks.
It is es timated that th e Soviet Union has over 50000
MBTs including th e T -54/T-55/T-62/T-64/T-72 and th e
new T -74. In addition numbers ofT-34/85, T-44, IS-3 and
T- IO/ T-IOM tanks are used for train ing, m ilitia or held in
reserve. The Soviet Navy Infantry (Marines) has fiv e
regiments/ brigades each of which is a bout 3000 men strong.
Each includes a single tank ba tta lion organised along ar my
lines with 31 T -54/T-55 tanks.
In 1981 Dubai took delivery of th e first of 18 Italian
OTO-Melara OF-40 Mk I MBTs and more recently has
taken d eli very of an additiona l 18 OF-40 Mk 2 MBTs and
three armoured recovery vehicles on th e same chassis. The
original Mk I OF-40s have now been brought up to Mk 2
standard which includ es a stabi lisation system for th e main
arm a ment, mod ifi ed fire control system and a LLLTV with
camera mounted coaxial with the 105 mm gun on right sid e
of ma ntl et, all OF-40's form a single tank ba ttalion.

United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was form ed in 1976 by th e
merging of the former Trucial Sta tes of Abu Dha bi, Ajman,
Dubai, Fujairah , Ras al K himah , Sharjah and Umm al
Qaiwa in . The order of battle includ es an armo ured brigad e.
Some years ago Abu Dhabi took delivery of64 AMX-30
MBTs and four AMX-30D armoured recovery vehicles from
France wh ich are now believed to be organised into two ta nk
ba tta lions .
OF-40 Mk 1 MBT of United Arab Em irates (Ou bai)
United Kingdom
The Cavalry elements of th e British Army comprise th e
Household Cavalry (two regi ments ), the Royal Armoured
Corps ( 17 regiments) and two Yeomanry regiments. T he
latter a re equ ipped with th e CVR(W) Fox (4 X 4) and based
in th e United Kingdom; in tim e of war these wou ld probably
be deployed to W es t Germany.
Until recently th ere were two typ es of ar moured regiment,
Type A (BAOR) with a total of7 4 Chieftain MBTs and four
Chieftain ARVs and Type B (U K) with a tota l of42 Chief-
ta in MBT and three Chieftain ARVs. .

194
 T od ay th ere is bas icall y one type of a rmoured regiment,
th e T ype 57. This consists of a regimental HQ with one
MBT, three Sulta n command vehicles, one Spa rta n APC and
three Ferrets , a reconnaissance troop with eight CVR(T)
Scorpions, a nd g uided weapons troo p with two Ferret scout
cars and nine FV438s a rm ed with Swingfire ATGWs, HQ
sq uadron, light a id detachment with one FV434, one Chief-
ta in ARV, one Ferret a nd one Samson a nd four a rmoured
squadrons.
Each a rmoured sq uad ron has a squadron HQ with two
MBTs a nd one Ferret, LAD secti on with one Chieftain ARV,
one FV434 and one FV432, one admin troop and four ta nk
troops each with three MBTs .
Total equipm en t in th e a rmo ured reg iment is 57 MBTs,
fi ve Chieftain AR V, three Sui ta ns, eight Scorpions, one Spar-
ta n, one Samson, five FV432 a mbul a nces, four FV432s, five
FV434s, nin e FV438s, ten Ferrets and 58 tru cks a nd La nd-
Rove rs.
Of the 19 regu lar regiments, 14 a re eq uipped as ar moured
(eg tank) regiments and five as a rm oured reconn a issance
regiments with Scorpion CVR(T) . Of th ese 13 regiments ( II
a rmoured a nd two reconn aissance) a re based in W es t Ger-
ma ny with six remaining in the U nited Kingdom .
Of the six regim ents based in the U nited K ingd om, two a re
in training role a t Boving ton a nd Catterick. There is a lso one
armoured regiment in Southern England which only has
three a rmoured sq uadrons as th e fourth squ adron is in W es t
Berlin . The oth er three regiments are reconnaissa nce and
provid e d etachments to NATO fl a nks, Cyprus, Falklands
and Beli ze.
In th e future it is planned to form a 12th armoured regi-
ment in BAOR with C hiefta ins whi ch will be ma nn ed by one
of th e regiments nor ma ll y used in United Kingdom for tra in-
ing purposes .
By 1987 it is ex pected th at six of th e 12 a rmoured regiments
in BAOR will have the C hallenger with remaining regiments
eq uipped with th e C hi eftain. Some so urces believe th~t
furth er Challengers will be ord ered for a furth er three regI-
ments to be equipped with Challenger.
Briti sh Army Chieftain MBTwith turret traversed to rear while
training in Canada. Every year a number of battalions from the
British Army of the Rhine are sent to Canada for extensive
training (United Kingdom Land Forces)
United States of America
The active United States Army has four a rmoured di visions,
six mechanised divisions, one airborn e di vision, one air
assa ult division, two light infa ntry di visions (of which one is
opera tional and one formin g), two infa n try di visions (w hi ch
will be reorganis ed into light divisions ), one high techn ology
infa ntry division (forming), one independ ent ar mo ured
brigade, four ind epend ent infantry brigad es, three a rm o ured
cavalry regiments, plus special forces, ar tillery, a ir defence
a nd independent air cavalry brigad es.
The a rmoured di vision norm a ll y has five mecha nised
infantry, six tank, fo ur a rtillery (three of 155 mm MI09A2
and one with 203 mm MIIOA2 ), a ir d efence, NBC, engineer
and signals battalions plus di visional HQ, military poli ce
compa n y, support compa ny, armoured cavalry sq uadron
and avia tion compa ny. Each of th e ta nk battalions has MBTs
at battalion HQ, a co mba t support compa ny th e equ ipment
of which includ es two AVLBs (M48 or M60) and four tan k
co mpa ni es each of whi ch has 14 ta nks , so g iving the battalion
a total of 58 MBTs . The armoured cavalry squadron eq uip-
ment includ es 43 MBTs and is used for reconn a issance, a ll
the M 55 1 Sherid a n lig ht ta nks/assau lt ve hicles hav ing been
phased out of service.
U nd er the old battalion arra nge ment each battalion had a
tota l of 54 M60 series MBTs . Each of the Division 86 batta-
lions has a total of 58 M60 or M I ta nks. There are two tanks
a t battalion HQ a nd four ta nk compa nies; each of th e latte r
has two ta nks at co mpan y HQ and three platoons each with
four ta nks . The scout platoon is identi cal to that in the
di visional cavalry squ adron a nd has six M3 Cavalry F ig hting
Vehicles. There is also a mortar pla toon with six 4.2 in ch
( 107 mm ) morta rs a nd other supporting units.
The mechanised infantry division is similar to the
a rm oured division but has six mecha nised and four ta nk
battalions.
The infa ntry di vision has th e same type of uni ts as th e
a rmoured and mechanis ed di visions but the four art ill ery
ba ttalions consists of three towed 105 mm (now most ly
155 mm) and one towed 203 mm, eight infa ntry, one tank
a nd one mechanised battalion.
The Reg ul ar U nited States Ar my is deployed as fo llows :
105 mm armed M1 Abrams MBTs line up at Fort Bragg , North
Carolina, prior to target practice. Thi s photograph c learly s hows
blow-out panels in roof of turret to rear of co mmander's and
loader's cupolas
195
United States Army Europe
7th US Army
Berlin Brigade
32nd Army Air Defence Command
10th Air Defence Artillery Brigade
69th Air Defence Artillery Brigade
94th Air Defence Artillery Brigade
I08th Air Defence Artillery Brigade
56th Artillery Brigade
V Corps
3rd Armored Division
8th Infantry Division (mechanised)
V Corps Artillery
II th Armored Cavalry Regiment
130th Engineer Brigade
VII Corps
1st Armored Division
3rd Infantry Division (mechanised)
Ist Infantry Division
3rd Brigade)
(remainder of division is in USA)
V II Corps Artillery
196
Heidelberg
3 infantry battalions C lay Allee
2 companies of MBTs
I battery of 155 mm SPH
engineers and special forces
Darmstadt
2 HAWK and 2 Patriot battalions
4 HAWK battalions
2 Hercules (to disband)
2 HAWK battalions
3 battalions of Vulcan/Chaparral
(of which one is for 1st
Armored Division)
4 Pers hing battalions
I infantry battalion
Frankfurt-am- Main
5 mechanised infantry battalions Frankfurt-am-Main
6 tank battalions
4 artillery battalions
I air defence battalion
I engineer battalion
I cavalry squadron
I aviation battalion
6 mechanised infantry battalions Bad Kreuznach
(to be reduced)
5 tank battalions
4 art illery battalions
I air defence battalion
I engineer battalion
I cavalry squadron
I aviation battalion '
3 Lance SSM battalions Babenhausen
I 155 mm MlO9A2 battalion
4 Mil OA2 battalions
2 squadrons plus support
5 engineer battalions
Stllttgart/Moringen
5 mechanised infantry battalions Ansbach
6 tank battalions
4 artillery battalions
I air defence battalion
I engin eer battalion
I cavalry squadron
I aviation battalion
6 mechanised infantry battalions Wurzburg
5 tank battalions
4 artillery battalions
I air defence battalion
I engineer battalion
I cavalry squadron
I aviation battalion
2 mechanised infantry battalions
I tank battalion
I artillery battalion
I cavalry troop
I engineer company
3 Lance SSM battalions AlIgsbllrg
 7 M I IOA2 battalions
2 M 109A2 battalions
2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment 3 sq uadrons plus support
7th Engineer Brigade 6 engineer battalions

8th US Army, South Korea

2nd Infant ry Division
Yong San
2 tank battalions Camp Casey
5 infantry battalions
I a ir defence battalion
4 artillery battalions
2 engineer battalions
I cavalry squadron
various aviation units

United States of America

CONUS (Continental United States)

I US Corps Fort Lewis,

Was hingto n
9th Infantry (High Technology
Motorised Divisio n)
1st Brigade with three battalions of infantry
2nd Brigade with two battalions of infantry plus one of tanks
3rd Bhgade with three battalions of infantry
4 battalions of artillery (3 with 155 mm M 198 and one with MLRS and 105 mm towed)
9th Cavalry Brigade (Air Attack)
plus av iation, Ranger, HAWK battalion and a Chaparral battalion

7th Infantry Division 9 infantry battalions Ford Ord, Cali fornia

(became Light Division late 1985) 3 battalions of 105 mm towed arti ll ery
plus aviation, air defence,
signals and engineer battalions

172nd Light Infantry Brigade 3 infantry battalions Fort Richardson

(Arctic) I fie ld arti llery battalion plus
engineer aviation units
Between 1986 and 1987 6th Infant ry Division (Light) will form with two brigades and replace 172nd Light Infantry
Brigade

III Corps Fort Hood, T exas

6th Cavalry Brigade (Air Combat)

1st Cavalry Division Fort Hood, Texas

1st Brigade with two tank and one mechanised infantry battalions
2nd Brigade with two tan k and one mechanised infantry battalions
Divisional troops in clude one air defence, one engineer, one aviation ba ttalion, one armoured cavalry squadron and three
artillery battalions (one with 203 mm MIl OA2/MLRS and the other two with 155 mm M 109A2 self-propelled howitzers

2nd Armored Division Fort Hood

1st Brigade with two tank and one mechanised infantry battalions
2nd Brigade with two tank and one mechanised infantry battalions
Divisional troops includ e one air defence, one engineer and one aviation battalion, one armoured cavalry squadron and
three art illery battalions (one with 203 mm MIIOA2/ML RS ) and the other two with 155 mm MI09A2 self-propelled
howitzers

1st In fant ry Division (Mechanised) Fort Riley, Kansas

1st Brigade wi th two tank and two mechanised infantry battalions
2nd Brigade with two tank and two mechanised infantry battalions
Divisional troops include one aviation and one engineer battalion, three battalions of artillery (one wi th 203 mm
MlIOA2 / MLRS) and other two with 155 mm MI09A2 self-propelled howitzers, one armoured cavalry squadron
(remainder of division is already in West Germany)

197
4th Infantry Division (Mechanised) Fort Carson, Colorado
I st Brigade with two tank and two mechanised infantry battalions
2nd Brigade with one tank and two mechanised infantry battalions
3rd Brigade with one mechanised infantry and two tank battalions
Divisional troops include one aviation battalion, one armoured cavalry squadron, one air defence battalion, one engineer
battalion and four battalions of artillery (one with 203 mm MlIOA2/MLRS) and other three with 155 mm MI09A2
self-propelled howitzers

5th Infantry Division (Mechanised) Fort Polk, Louisiana

1st Brigade with two tank and one mechanised infantry battalions
2nd Brigade with one tank and two mechanised infantry battalions
Divisional troops include one aviation battalion, one air defence battalion, one engineer battalion, one armoured cavalry
squadron and three battalions of artillery (two with 155 mm M 109A2 self-propelled howitzers and one with 203 mm
MIIOA2/MLRS)

III Corps Artillery Fort Sill, Oklahoma

9th Field Artillery Missile Brigade

2 battaljons of Lance SSM and one battalion of Pershing SSM

75th Field Artillery Brigade

3 battalions of 155 mm MI09A2 and one battalion of203 mm MllOA2

212th Field Artillery Brigade

2 battalions of 155 mm MI09A2 and two battalions of 230 mm MIIOA2

214th Field Artillery Brigade

one battalion of 105 mm towed howitzers

Artillery School, Fort Sill

7 training battalions

2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment Fort Bliss

3 armoured cavalry regiments

II th Air Defence Artillery Brigade Fort Bliss

3 battaljons of HAWK SAMs plus one battalion of Chaparral/Vulcan

1st Air Defence Artillery Training Brigade

3 battalions plus a Patriot battalion

XVII Airborne Corps Fort Bragg, North Carolina

18th Field Artillery Brigade 3 battalions of 155 mm MI98 towed howitzers

I air defence battalion with HAWK SAMs
2 engineer battalions

82nd Airborne Division

I st Brigade with three airborne battalions and one anti-tank company
2nd Brigade with three airborne battalions and one anti-tank company
3rd Brigade with three airborne battalions and one anti-tank company
Divisional troops include three battalions of towed 105 mm MI02 howitzers, one aviation, one air cavalry, one M551
Sheridan, one Vulcan 20 mm air defence and one engineer battalion

1st Special Operations Command Airborne

4th Psychological Warfare Operations Group

IOlst Airborne Division (Air Assault) Fort Campbell, Kentucky

1st Brigade with three battalions
2nd Brigade wjth three battalions
3rd Brigade with three battalions
Divisional units include three battalions of 105 mm towed howitzers, four aviation battalions, one aviation company, one
engineer battalion, one air defence battalion with towed Vulcans and one air cavalry battalion

198
24th Infa ntry Di vision (Mecha nised ) Fort Stewart, Geo rgia
1st Brigad e wirh two mechanised infantry and one tank battalion
2nd Brigade with two mecha nised infa ntry a nd one ta nk ba ttalion
Divisional asse ts include three battalions of a rtillery (one 203 mm MIIOA2s a nd two MI09A2s) , one av ia tion ba tta lion,
one air defence bat.talion with Vulcan/C ha parral and one armoured cavalry squ adron

10th Light Infa ntry Division

Being formed by 1988, based at Fort Drum, New York

194th Armored Brigade (separate) Fort Knox , K entu cky

With one mec hanised infantry, two tank, a nd one field a rtill ery battalions, one troop of cavalry and one engineer com pa ny

US Armor Centre and School Fort Knox, K entu cky

II tank battalions/cavalry squ adrons (training)

197 th Infa ntry Brigade (Separate) (Mecha nised) Fort Benning, Georgia
With two mecha nised infantry, one tank a nd one field artillery battalions plus one cavalry troop and one engineer company

US Infa ntry School Fort Benning

14 battalions including mechanised and airborne (training)

25th Infantry Division Schofield Barracks, Hawaii

Will be converted to 15th Light Infa ntry Division. At present has some six infa ntry, three field artillery a nd one air defence
battalions

Note: ma ny of th e a bove divisions and brigades have a ttached units a nd some have roundout units to bring th em up to full
strength. There are oth er training units including infa ntry and engineer

National Guard
26th Infantry Division Boston, Massachusetts
28th Infa ntry Division Harrisbury, Pennsylvania
29th Infantry Division (Light) Fort Belvoi r, Virginia (being formed)
35th In fantry Division (Mechanised) Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
38th Infantry Division Indianapolis, Indiana
40th Infantry Division (Mechanised) Long Beach, California
42nd Infantry Division New York City, New York
47th Infantry Division St Paul, Minnesota
49th Armored Division Austin , T exas
50th Armored Division Somerset, New J ersey
8 separate infa ntry brigad es
I infantry gro up (scout)
6 infa ntry brigades (mechanised ) separate
3 armou red brigades (separate)
4 armoured cavalry regiments
22 field artillery brigades (inc X I Corps arti llery )
II th Air Defen ce Artillery Brigad e (5 ba ttalions)
In addition th e National Guard has numerous other special for ces, infan try ba tta lions, engineer groups and battalions,
field artillery battalions, aviation units, a nd many non-combat units .

Army Rese rve

This includes 12 tra ining divisions a nd three training brigades plus .ma ny independent brigades, battalio ns and
companies.

The United Sta tes Marine Corps has a total of 716 M60A I MBTs which wi ll be replaced from th e late 1980s by 560
MIAls.

199
US Army tracked battalions (Armour and Infantry) FY 80 to FY 86
Type FY 80 FY 81 FY 82 FY 83 FY 84 FY 85 FY 86
A R A R A R A R A R A R A R
M1 MBT 0 0 1 0 7 0 11 1 14 1 24 4 30 4
M60 MBT 53 20 52 26 46 33 42 34 40 34 30 31 24 31
M48 MBT 2 25 2 19 2 12 2 10 0 10 0 10 0 10
M2 1FV 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 9 1 11 1
M11 3 APC 58 45 58 45 58 45 59 45 39 45 37 42 35 43

A = active army
R = reserve army

As of late 1985 the US Army had j ust over 3000

M1 s, 1600 M48A5s and about 8800 M60/M60A1 /M60A3 MBTs.

Venezuela infantry although it is reported that some are now being

The Army has one armoured brigade which includes two
MBT and one light tank battalion . The former operates 8 1
AMX-30 MBTs and four AMX-30D ARVs which were built
at the ARE in France and delivered in 1979- 80.
The Venezuelan Marines are believed to operate a small
number ofM48AI tanks which were supplied by the United
States.
converted into mechanised brigades . It is probable that the
armoured brigade has two or three battalions of tanks and
one of mechanised infantry, with each tank battalion having
31 tanks as in a Soviet battalion.
Total tank strength is said to consist of between 400 and
500 T-54/T-55, T-62 and T -34/85s, with the latter being used
for training. From these figures it appears that the country
has far more tanks than it requires to equip the known units
and therefore additional un its could well have been formed.

Viet-Nam

The Vietnamese Army order of battle includes one armoured Yugoslavia

division and 65 infantry divisions. It is believed that the
armoured division is organised along Soviet lines and that
each infantry d ivision has one tank battalion of 31 tanks
attached, one at battalion HQ and three companies each
with ten tanks.
Total Vietnamese tank strength is reported to be around
2000 veh icles of all types including as many as 400 M48s (few
ifany operational) and 1600 T-34/85, T -54/T-55, T-62 and
Type 59 tanks. Some T-54/T-55s have been fitted with addi-
tional armour.
Yemen Arab Republic (North)
The order of battle of the Yemen Arab Republic (North)
includes one armoured brigade, five infantry brigades, one
mechanised brigade, two special forces/ parach u tel
commando brigades, one marine brigade, one central guard
force, three artillery brigades and air defence units.
From available information tota l tank strength consists of
about 500 T -54/T-55s (some supplied by Poland but most by
Soviet Union), 100 T -34/85s (presumably used for training
and 64 M60A3s (supplied by the United States in 1979-80
and paid for by Saudi Arabia).
Yemen: People's Democratic
Republic (South)
F ull details of the Army are not available but it is believed to
include one armoured brigade, one mechanised brigade and
ten infantry brigades. The latter have three battalions of
The Yugoslav People's Army (YPA) is believed to consist of
12 infantry divisions (nine active and three reserve), nine
independent infantry brigades, eight independent tank
brigades, three mountain brigades plus air defence, arti llery
and anti-tank un its. The tank brigades consist of three tank
battalions, one or two motorised/mechanised infantry bat-
talions, an artillery battery and supporting units. It is
believed that the tank brigades are actuall y grouped in twos
to form armoured divisions and some are based around Sisak
(Croatia), Kragujevac (Serbia) and Skopje (Macedonia).
Each of the infantry divisions has one tank battalion. All
Yugos lav tank battalions are believed to be organised along
Soviet lines and each has 3 1 tanks, one at battalion HQ and
three companies each with ten tanks.
Yugoslavia has six military regions, I (Belgrade), III
(Skopje), IV (Split), V (Zagreb), VII (Sarajewo) and IX
(Ljubljana) and each of these has one tank battalion as a
central reserve for that mi litary region.
Total Yugos lav tank strength is reported to consist of some
900 T-54/T-55, 150 T-74and 300 T-34/85 tanks which would
appear to be insufficient to fi ll a ll of the tank battalions. It
could be that some of the tank units are not fu ll y manned and
use the remainder of the 630 Sherman (including Firefly) and
300 M47 tanks supplied by the United States in the 1950s.
From the 1960s tanks were supplied by the Soviet Union.
Yugoslavia is known to have supplied replacement
vehicles to some countries in the Middle East at the request of
the Soviet Union and these may have been subsequently
replaced by newer vehicles. .
Shortly after the end of the Second World War Yugoslavia
redesigned the Soviet T -34/85 medium tank to incorporate

200
an improved frontal hull design and a new turret. These were
not however 'produced in any quantity.
For some years there has been an agreement between the
Swedish company ofL M Ericsson and the Yugoslav com-
pany of Iskara c~ncerning the development and production
oflasers for a number of applications, including their use in
MBTs such as the T-54/T-55. It is reported that Yugoslavia
has supplied some laser rangefinders to Egypt for installation
in their T-54/T-55 MBTs.
In 1984 it was confirmed that production of the Soviet
T-72/T-74 was underway in Yugoslavia with first production
vehicles completed late the same year.
Prior to production commencing in Yugoslavia, the Soviet
Union provided Yugoslavia with a batch of at least 50
vehicles for training.
The version being produced in Yugoslavia is the late pro-
duction model designated T-74 by the Soviet Union. This has
two banks of smoke dischargers mounted on the forward part
of the turret, five on the right and seven on the left. This
model is called the M-84 by the Yugoslav Army.
Yugoslavia took the decision to produce the Soviet
T-72/T-74 in 1977 and by 1979 all of the technical data
package had been received. First prototypes of the vehicle
were completed in Yugoslavia in 1982/83 and these incorpo-
rated a number of changes to meet specific Yugoslav Army
req.u irements and the installation of Yugoslav equipment.

Zambia

For many years Zambia's only armoured unit was A squad-

ron of the Zambia Armoured Car Regiment which was
equipped with Soviet supplied BRDM-I (4 X 4) and
BRDM-2 (4 X 4) amphibious reconnaissance vehicles and
British supplied Ferret (4 X 4) scout cars.
In the late 1970s some 70 T-54/T-55 MBTs were acquired
for use by ZAPU guerilla units operating against Rhodesia
(now Zimbabwe). As far as it is known these were never sent
to Rhodesia/Zimbabwe and it is possible that they have now
been taken into the Zambian Army. Some recent reports
have stated that Zambia now has one armoured regiment
which could consist of one armoured car and two tank bat-
talions. Total front-line strength is now believed to consist of
30 T-54/T-55 tanks and a few Chinese Type 59s.

Zimbabwe
Prior to the formation of Zimbabwe (Rhodesia) about six
T-34/85 tanks were captured during a cross-border raid into
Mozambique and 15 T-54/T-55 tanks were obtained from
South Africa which acquired them from a merchant ship.
Other T-54/T-55 tanks were waiting in Mozambique, Tan-
zania (some estimates have quoted a figure of 300) and
Zambia (50 to 90) for use by guerilla units. But as far as it is
known these never went to Zimbabwe and were subsequen tly
incorporated into the respective armies or are still retained in
store.
The order of battle of Zimbabwe includes a single
armoured regiment whose equipment includes three T-34/85
tanks, 20 Chinese Type 59 tanks and eight to ten Soviet T-54
tanks.

201

AA Anti-aircraft
AEV Armoured Engineer Vehicle
AFV Armoured Fighting Vehicle
AMX Atelier de Construction
d'Issy-les-Moulineaux
AOS Add On Stabilisation
AP Armo ur Piercing
AP-T Armo ur Piercing - Tracer
APC Armo ured Personnel Carrier
APC Armo ur Piercing Capped
APC-T Armour Piercing Capped-
Tracer
APDS Armour Piercing Discarding
Sabot
APDS-T Armour Piercing
Discarding Sabot - Tracer
APERS-T An ti-Personnel- Tracer
APFSDS Armour Piercing Fin
Stabilised Discarding Sabot
APFSDS-T Armour Piercing Fin
Stabilised Discarding Sabot - Tracer
APFSDS-T(P) Armour Piercing Fin
Stabilised Discarding Sabot - Tracer
(Practice)
ARRADCOM Armament Research
and Development Command
ARE Atelier de Construction Roanne
ARRV Armo ured Repair and
Recovery Vehicle
ARV Armoured Recovery Vehicle
ATGW Anti-tank Guided Weapon
ATR Automotive Test Rig
AV Ar moured Vehicle
AVLB Armoured Vehicle La un ched
Bridge
AVRE Assault Vehicle Royal
Engineers
BAOR British Army of the Rhin e
BARV Beach Armoured Recovery
Vehicle
bhp brake horse power
BITE Built In T est Equipment
BMY Bowen-McLaughlin-York
CCV Close Combat Vehicle
CHARM Challenger Chieftain
Armament
CHARRV Challenger Armoured
Repair and Recovery Vehicle
CHIP Challenger Improve ment
Programme
CLAMS Clear L ane Marking System
CET Combat Engin eer Tractor
CEV Combat Engineer Vehicle
CFV Cavalry Fighting Vehicle
20 2
Abbreviations
COTAC ConduitedeTir
Automatique pour Char
COV Counter Obstacle Vehicle
CSS Computer Sighting System
CVR(T) Combat Vehicle
Reconnaissance (Tracked)
CVR(W) Combat Vehicle
Reconna issance (W heeled )
DAR COM US Army M ate riel
Development and Readiness
Command
DASCU Digital Automotive Sys tem
Control Unit
DCA D efense Contre Avions
(anti-aircraft)
DFCS Digital Fire Control Syste m
DHSS Data H andling Sub-System
DS Discarding Sabot
DS-T Discarding Sabot - Tracer
DTAT Direction T echnique d es
Armements Terrestres
DT/OT Development Test/
Operational rest
DU D epleted Uranium
EBG Engin Blinde Genie
ECCM Electronic Counter Counter
M easures
EFCR Equivalent Full Charge
Rounds
EPC Engin Principal de Combat
(future MBT)
ESRS Electro Slag Refin ed Steel
EWK Eisenwerke K aisersla utern
Goppner
FCCVS Future Close-Combat
Vehicle System
FCS Fire Control System
FCTR Fire Control Test Rig
FFR Fitted For Radio
FMS Foreign Military Sales
FN Fabrique Nationale
FSED Full Scale Engineering
Development
FTS Future Tank Study
FV Fighting Vehicle
FV/GCE Fighting Vehicle Gun
Control Equipment
FVRDE Fighting Vehicle Research
and D evelopment Establishment
FY Fiscal Year
GCE Gun Control Equipment
GCA Gearbox Controller Automatic
GCT Grande Cadence de Tir
GIAT Groupement Industriel des
Armements Terrestres
GPS Gunner's Primary Sight
GST General Staff Target
HAB H eavy Assault Bridge
HB H eavy Barrel
HE High Explosive
HE-T High Explosive - Tracer
HEAT High Explosive Anti-Tank
HEAT-FS High Explosive Anti-Tank
- Fin Stabilised
HEAT-MP-T High Explosive
Anti-T ank-Multi-Purpose - Tracer
HEAT- MP-T(P) High Explosive
Anti-Tank-Multi-Purpose - Tracer-
Practice
HE-FRAG High Explosive
Fragmentation
HE-FRAG(FS) High Explosive
Fragmentation - Fin Stabilised
HEI High Explosive Incendiary
HEI-T High Explosive Incendiary-
Tracer
HEP High Explosive Plas tic
HESH High Explosive Squash H ead
HESH-T High Explosive Squash
H ead - Tracer
hp horsepower
HQ Headquarters
HVAP-T High Velocity Armour
Piercing - Tracer
HVTP-T High Velocity Target
Prac tice - Tracer
HVSS Horizontal Volute Spring
Suspension
IAI Israel Aircraft Industries
IEPG Independen t European
Programme Group
IFCS Improved Fire Control System
IFV Infantry Fighting Vehicle
IMI Israel Milita ry Industries
IR Infra- Red
LAD Light Aid Detachment
LLLTV Low Light Level Television
LST Landing Ship Tank
LTFCS Laser T ank Fire Control
System
LVTP Landing Vehicle Tracked
Personnel
MBT Main Battle T ank
MCCS M arconi Command and
Control Systems
MECU M ain Engin e Control U ni t
MG Machine Gun
MoU Memorandu m of
U nderstanding '
MRL Multiple Rocket La un cher
MRS Muzzle Reference System
MTU Motoren-und-T ur binen- U nion
MVEE Military Vehicl es and
Engineering Esta blishment
NATO North Atlantic T reaty
Organisation
NBC N ucl ear, Biological, C hemical
NSWP on-Soviet Warsaw Pac t
OT Operational T es t
OTEA Operational Test and
Evaluation Agency
OVT O ceonics Vehicle T echnology
PRI Proj ector Reticle Image
PTO Power T a ke Off
RAq Royal Armoured Corps
RAM(O) Reliability, Ava ilability,
Mainta in ability and Durab ility
RAp · Rocket Ass isted Project ile
RAROE Royal Arm ament Research
and D evelopment Establishment
ROTE Research, Development, T est
and Evaluati on
REME Royal Electri cal and
Mechanical Engineers
RISE Reliability Improved Selected
Equipment
RMG Ranging M achine Gun
RO Royal Ordnance
ROBAT Roboti c Counter-Obstacl e
Vehicle
ROC Republic of C hin a
ROC Required Opera tional
Characteristics
ROF Royal Ordnance Fac tories/rate
of fi re
ROKIT Republi c of K orea
Indige nous T ank
rpm ro unds per minute/revolutions
per minute
RSAF Royal Sma ll Arms Factory
SABCA Societe Anonyme BeIge de
Constructions Aerona utics
SAMM Societe d 'Applications des
M achines M otri ces
SFIM Societe de Fa brication
d ' Instrumen t de Mes ure
SAM Surface-to-Air Miss ile
SAPHEI Semi-Armour Piercing High
Explos ive Incendiary
SAPHEI-T Semi-Armo ur Piercing
High Ex plosive Incendiary - Tracer
SFCS Simpli fie d Fire Control
Sys tem
SPAAG Self-propell ed Anti-Aircraft
Gun
SPG Self- propelled G un
SPH Self-propell ed H owitzer
SRV Surroga te Research Veh icl e
SSM Surface-to-Surface M issile
TAM T anque Argentino Medi ano
TCM Teledy ne Continental Motors
TI Therm al Imaging
TICM T herm al Imaging Common
M odules
TIRE Therm al In fra-Red Elbow
TIS Therma l Im aging Sys tem
TLS T ank Laser Sight
TOGS Thermal Observa tion and
Gunnery Sys tem
TOW T ube-La un ched ,
Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided
TP T arget Prac ti ce
TP-T T a rge t Practice - Trace r
TPFSOS-T T arge t Practice
Fin-Sta bili sed Discarding - Sa bot-
Tracer
TRAOOC T raining and Doctrine
Command
TIB T ank Test Bed
TIS T ank T herm al Sight
TWMP Track W idth M ine Plough
USSR U n ion of Soviet Socia list
Rep ubli cs
UK United Kingdom
USA U nited Sta tes of Am erica
VAB V ickers Arm oured Bridgelayer
VARY Vickers Armoured Recovery
Vehicle
VCR Va ri a ble Com press ion Ra tio
VCG Vehicl e d e C omba t du Genie
VCI Ve hicule d e Combat d' Infanteri e
Ve hiculo Combate Infanteri a
VEOES Vehicle Exha ust Dust
Ej ection Sys tem
VIRSS V isual a nd Infra-Red S moke
Screening System
VVS Verti cal Volute Suspension
WP White Phos phorous
WP-T White Phosphoro us - Tracer
YPA Yugoslav Peo ples Army
203
 Index

MBT types and main variants in alphabetical order of countries

Note: T ype designations in bold print indi cate principal models; page numbers in bold print relate to deta il ed descriptions.

ARGENTINA Leopard IA IA 1 37,38,39,40, 184 M51 54,55,56, 165

TAM medium ta nk 8, 57, 160, 174, 187 Leopard lA2 39 AEV / Min e clearance 55
(see also TAM: GERMANY/FR) Leopard IA3 3 1, 38, 39, 161 , 163, 164, T rail Blazer 55
172, 173, 194 155 mm L-33 SPGIH 56
BRAZIL Leopard lA4 31, 39,42,44, 171 155 mm SPH M50 55, 56
ENGESA EE-Tl Osorio 5, 8- 10, 188 Leopard 1 AEV 40, 41, 43 , 163, 178 160 mm SPH 56
MB-3 Tamoio 10-11 Leopard I ARV 39,40, 41 , 43,64, 16 1, Israeli M48 53
XMB-3 10 163, 164, 171, 173, 178, 183, 184, 185, Israeli M48A2 5 1
190, 194 Israeli M60A 1/ Blazer 53
CHINA (PR) Leopard/AT AK 35 42, 43 Merkava 47- 51 , 119, 176
Type 59 11 , 13-16, 90,93, 96, 160, 162, Leopard I BiberAVLB 41, 43, 16 1, 164, Merkava Mk 1 47,48,49,50,5 1
165, 174, 175, 180, 186, 190, 193,202, 171, 184 Merkava Mk 2 5, 48, 49, 50
203 Leopa rd CA I/35 mm SPAAG 43 Merkava Mk 3 50
ARV 16 Leopard 1 driver training tank 41, 43, Merkava/Dozer 5 1
AVLB 16 16 1, 163, 171 , 184 155 mm SPG 5 1
Typ~ 69 5, 11- 13, 165, 174, 175 Leo pard I/Gepard SPAAG T-54/T-55 Model S 177
Type 69 II 11 , 12, 13 (B2/ B2L) 41,42,43,77, 163, 171, Upgraded Centurion 51-3 , 176
Type 653 12, 13 184, 188 Centurion APC 53
Leopard 1 GPM 41 RKM Dozer 52, 53
FRANCE Leopard I/ Roland 2 SAM 42 290 mm MRL 53
AMX-30 16, 17, 18, 19, 20,2 1, 23- 31 ,42, Leopa rd 1/76 mm SPAAG 42
45,54, 55,62,68,69,77, 14 1, 165, 169, Leopard 1/155 mm SPG 42 ITALY
178, 196, 202 Leopard I/OTO-M elara 178 New Italian MBT 56- 7
AMX-30B2 16, 18,20,23,26, 27,28, 68, Leopa rd I-V (Neth erlands) 184 OF-40 42, 57-60 , 183,193, 196
169, 172,173 Leopard AS I (A ustralia) 16 1 OF-40 Mk I 57,58,59, 196
AM X-30D ARV 27,28, 30, 64, 69, 169, Leopard C 1 (Canada) 164 OF-40 Mk 2 57, 58, 59, 196
175, 187 , 188, 190, 196,202 Leopard2 5, 16, 31-6, 40,47,57,68, 132, OF-40 ARV 59
AMX-30DI 28 134, 171, 183, 184, 19 1, 192 ATAK 35 mm SPAAG 60
AMX-30D(X) 28 Leopard 2 ARV 32 OTO-Melara Palm aria 155 mm SHP 8,
AMX-30E 189, 190 Leopard 2/Gepard SPAAG 36 59,60
AMX-30EBG 28 Bergepanzer 3 35 Otomati c 76 mm SPAAG 59,60
AMX-30R 69 Pionier pz 2 35
AMX-30S 26, 27,30, 187, 188 'Leopard 3' 3 1, 57, 172 JAPAN
AMX-30S Sabre SPAAG 29, 30 MBT-70 (US/Germany) 3 1,32,6 1, 132, Future Japanese MBT 61
AMX-30 AVLB 28, 30, 188 184 STC (TK-X) 61
AMX-30 DCA SPAAG 29,30, 188 TAM 43-6, 160, 173 (see also Type 61 61, 64-7, 178
AMX-30 MDR 29 ARGENTINA) ST-A 1 64
AMX-30 Pluton AA System 28, 30 Dragon 30 mm SPAAG 45 ST-A2 64
AMX-30 Roland SAM System 29, 30, TH 301 (TA M-4) 44,45, 183 ST-A3 64
175 57 mm SPAAG 45 ST-A4 64
AMX-30 Shahin e SAM System 29, 30, 57 mm Support T ank proposal 45 Type 67 AVLB 65, 66
188 155 mm SPG 45 Type 70 AVR 66
AMX-30 driver training tank 31 T ype 6 1 train ing tank 66
155 mm GCT SPG/Howitzer 30,3 1, INDIA Type 74 61-4, 119, 178
175, 188 Arjun 47 STB-l 61,62
AMX-32 17, 18, 19- 22 , 183 Indian T-72 47 STB-3 62
AMX-40 5, 16, 17- 19, 20, 57 , 68, 188 Vijayanta 46-7, 174 Type 78 ARV 63
EPC 5, 16- 17,57,68, 169 AW-X SPAAG 63,64
French/German MBT project 16 ISRAEL Type 88
Israeli M4 Sherman tanks 5, 47, 51, Type 89
GERMANY (FR) 53-6 Type 90
Eber (d esign study) 32 M 1 Super Sherman 53, 54
Keiler (design study) 32 MI Arti llery Obs 55 KOREA (ROK)
Leopard 1 23, 24, 3 1, 32, 36-43 , 44, 55, M4/AMX-13 turret 55 XK-l 5, 67-8, 18 1
62, 11 0, 11 9, 16 1, 162, 163, 166, 167, M50 Mk 1 53, 54
171 , 172, 173, 177, 178, 183, 184, 185, M50 Mk 2 53, 54 SPAIN
193, 194 M50 Command Pos t 55 Lince 36, 68- 9
Leopard IA I 37,39, 42 M50 Medevac 54, 55 Spanish AMX-30E 69,. 189, 190

205
Talbot conversions of T-54(M ) 93, 187 CenturionMk3 120, 12 1, 167,188,191 ,
M47 and M48 69-72 , 190 T-54(A) ARV 94 192
M47EI 70, 71,72 T-54(B ) ARV 94 Centurion Mk 4 121
M47E2 70,71 , 72 T-54(C ) ARV 95 Centurion Mk 5 76,120,12 1, 122, 124,
M47E2 I 71 T -54-T(BTS-2) 94, 95 167, 184, 188, 19 1, 192
M47E2 R 71 T-54/ Dozer 95 Centurion Mk 5/ 1 121
M47E2 VLP 71 BTS-2 ARV -see T-54-T/T-55-T Centurion Mk 5/2 12 1, 167,183, 184
M48A 3E 70, 71 MTU/ T-54 AVLB 95 Centurion Mk 6 121
M48A5E 70, 71 ,72 T-54/British retrofit 94 Centurion Mk 6/ 1 12 1
M48A5EI 70,7 1 T -54/T-55 British 105 mm gun Centurion Mk 6/2 121
conversion 94 Centurion Mk 7 (FV4007 ) 76, 106, 120,
SWEDEN T-54/ T-55 Model S - see ISRAEL 12 1, 122, 184, 188, 192
New Swedish MBT 72 T-55 12,24,53,54,65, 66,85,88, 89- 96, Centurion Mk 7/1 (FV4012 ) 12 1
Stridsvagn 103 (S-tank) 5, 72-5, 119, 19 1 14 1, 144, 160, 162, 163,164, 165,166, Centurion Mk 7/2 12 1
Strv 103B 72, 73, 74 167,168, 170, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, Centurion Mk 8 120, 121,122
Strv 103C 74, 75 179, 180, 182,1 83, 185,186, 187, 188, Centurion Mk 8/ I 122, 182
155 mm Bandkanon IA 73 190, 193, 202, 203 Centurion Mk 8/2 122
VEAK 40 mm SPAAG 73 T-55A 92,93, 94 Centurion Mk9 (FV4015) 11 9, 120, 122
Strv81 19 1 (see also UK/Centurion Mk 3) T-55A( M ) 93, 94 Centurion Mk 9/1 122
Strv 101 191 (see also UK/Centurion T-55(M) 94, 170 Centurion Mk 9/2 122
Mk 10) T-55-T (BTS-2) 94 Centurion Mk 10 (FV 40 17) 120, 122,
Strv 102 19 1 (see also UK/Centurion with IMR 29,95 19 1
105 mm gun) MTU-20 A VLB 95 Centurion Mk 10/1 122
Bgtv 8 1 19 1 (see a lso UK/Centurion Mk 2 TO-55 96 Centurion Mk 10/2 122
AVR) BLG-60 (East German/ Polish Centurion Mk II 12 1, 122
AVLB ) 95, 170 Centurion Mk 12 122
SWITZERLAND M-77/ TR-77 (Romanian Centurion Mk 13 120, 121 , 122, 124
KW 30 76 modifica tion) 96, 167, 175, 187 , 188 Centurion Mk I ARV 122
pz 55 (Centurion Mk 5) 76 MT-55 (Czech AVLB) 95 Centurion Mk 2 ARV (FV4006) 53,
pz 55/60 (Centurion with 105 mm MT-55 (Czech AVR) 93 121 , 122, 167, 184, 19 1, 192
gun) 192 WZT-I (Polish BTS-2) 95 Centurion Mk 5 ARK (FV40 16) 122
pz 57 (Centurion Mk 7) 76 WZT-2 (Polish BREM-I ) 95 Centuri on Mk 5 AVLB (FV4002) 122
pz 57/60 (with 105 mm gun) 192 T-62 24,54, 79, 85- 90, 91 , 160, 163, 166, Centurion Mk 5 AVRE (FV4003 ) 122
pz 58 76 167,170, 174, 175, 176, 177 , 180, 182, Centurion AVRE/l05 mm 122, 123
pz 61 34, 75- 9 , 119 183, IJ7, 193, 196,202 Centurion AVRE/l65 mm 122
pz 6 1 AA9 76 T-62A 86, 88, 89 Centurion BARV (FV40 18) 122
pz 6 1 AVLB 78 T-62K 88, 89 Centu rion/Marcon i CCS SFC 600 123
pz 68 34, 75-9, 119, 192 T-62M &9 Centurion/ Ma rksman SPAAG 123
pz 68 Mk 1 77, 192 T-62/ modifi ed 89 Centurion/V ickers Retro-fit 122, 123
pz 68 Mk 2 76, 77, 192 T-62/ British conversion 90 Tariq (J ord an) 178
pz 68 Mk 3 76,77, 192 T-62/ Egypti an 90 Upgraded Centurion 178, 179
pz 68 Mk 4 77, 192 M1977 (SV-1 30) ARV 90 (see a lso ISRAEL )
pz 68 SPAAG 77 T-64 5, 79-85, 147, 187, 196 Olifant (South Afri ca n
pz 68 ta rget version 78, 79 T-64 ( 1980/1) 8 1 Mk 7/ modifi ed) 188, 189
BruPz 68 AVLB 78, 79, 192 T-64A (198 1/1) 81 Challenger 5, 97-101 , 102, 105, 106, 110,
Entp p z 65 ARV 78 T-64B 79,80 III , 134, 188, 197
Entp pz 56 (Centurion Mk 2 ARV ) 192 T-64B ( 198 1/ 1) 81 FV4030/3 (or FV4033) (Shir2 ) 98, 101 ,
155 mm SPG (p zK 68) 79 T-64K 80 102, 106, 107
T-72 5,47, 79-85,89, 147, 160, 163, 166, FV42 I I 97
TAIWAN 168, 170, 173, 174, 175, 182, 187, 193, Chall enger/Marksman SPAAG 100,
ROC 79 196,203 101
T-72 (MI980/ 1) (T-74) 84 CHARRV 101
UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST T-72 (MI981 / 2) 84 Chieftain (FV4201 ) 37,94,97, 98, 100,
REPUBLICS T-72 (MI98 1/3) 84 102, 103, 105, 106- 13 , 124, 173, 174,
IS-2 165 T-72K 84 175, 187, 191 , 196
IS-3 54, 166, 196 T-72M 83,84 Chieftain Mk I 11 0
T-1O/T-I0M 196 T-72MK 84 C hiefta in Mk 1/2 I 10
T-34/85 54,90,95, 160, 162, 163, 165, T-72 (MI984) (T-74) 84 C hi eftain Mk 1/3 I 10
166, 168, 170, 173, 180, 182,183,187, BREM AVR 84 C hi eftain Mk 1/ 4 11 0
188, 190, 194, 196, 202, 203 T-74 79, 80, 84, 85, 196, 202, 203 Chieftain Mk 2 I 10
T-44 90, 196 M-84 (Yugoslav T-74) 203 Chieft ain Mk 3 107 , 110, 11 2
T-44M 90 T-80 79, 80, 84 Ch ieftain Mk 3/G 110
T-54 12, 13,24,54,65,66,85,88, 89-96, Chieftain Mk 3/S 11 0
14 1, 144, 160, 162, 163, 165, 166, 167, UNITED KINGDOM Chieftai n Mk 3/2 I 10
168, 170,173, 174, 175, 176, 17 7, 179, Centurion 23, 34, 37, 47, 48, 49, 5 1, 62, Chieftain Mk 3/3 110
180, 182, 183, 185, 186, 187, 188, 190, 72, 73, 74, 76, 100, 106, 119-24, 139, Chieftai n Mk 3!3 P 106, 110, 174
193, 194, 196,202,203 14 1, 16 1, 162, 164, 167, 174, 175, 183, C hi eft ain Mk 4 110
T-54A 13,92,96 187 , 188,190, 191,192 C hi efta in Mk 5 107, 108, 109, 110, III ,
T-54A(M) 93, 96 A4 1 11 9 11 2
T-54B 92,93 Centurion Mk 1 11 9, 120, 12 1 C hi eftain Mk 5/2K i 10, 182
T -54C (T-54X) 92, 93 Centuri on Mk 2 (A4 1A) 11 9, [20, 12 1 Chieftain Mk 5/5P 106, 107, 11 0, 174

206
 C hieftain Mk 6 109, 11 0, 111 Vickers 155 mm SPG 128, 129 175, 18 1, 182, 183, 185, 186, 187, 189,
Chieftain Mk 7 11 0, 111 Vickers Mk 7 5, 36, 113- 16 193, 194,202 (see also SPAIN)
C hiefta in Mk 7/2C 107, 185 T48 148
C hiefta in Mk 8 11 0, 111 T48 E2 15 1
C hieftain Mk 9 111 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA M48A l 72, 149, 150, 152, 1'54, 190,194,
C hieftain Mk 10 111 Future Close Combat Vehicle 202
Chieftain M k 11 'Ill System 13 1-2 M48A 1C 149
C hieftai n Mk 12 11 1 MIAbrams 5, 16, 34,67,68,72,80, 11 9, M48A 1E2 151
C hieftai n (improved) 111 130, 132-8, 143, 144, 153, 192, 197, M48A2 72, 149, 150, 15 1, 152, 154, 171,
C hi eftai n ARRV 111 202 172, 174, 190, 193, 194
C hi eftai n ARV (FV4204) 106, 111 , 122, XM l 32, 33 , 132, 133, 134, 139 M48A2C 15 1
174, 178, 196, 197 XM803 32, 132 M48A2E l 14 1
Chieftain AVLB (FV4205) 106, 111 M IA 20 1 M48A2GA2 153, 172, 194
C hieftain Mk 6 AV LB 111 , 11 2 M 1A l 33, 51,57, 136, 137 M48A3 149, 150, 15 1, 152, 154, 174
Chieftain AVR E (FV4203) 112 M 1A l (B locks lI/II I ) 137 M48A3E 70, 71
Chieftain/CHARM 111 M 1El 68, 136 M48A4 152
C hi efta in/gas turbine 111 M 1II mproved 137 M48A5 11 9, 146, 148, 150, 152, 153,
C hieftain/H ydrostrut suspension 111 M l AVLB 137 154, 173, 174, 176, 179, 180, 18 1, 182,
Ch ieftain Sabre SPAAG 112 M l Bulldozer kit 137 183, 185, 186, 187, 190, 193 , 194, 202
Chiefta in 155 mm SPG 11 2 Ml M inesweeper 137 M48A5E 70,71,72
FV4202 106 M4 Sherman 8,64, 160, 165, 185, 187, M48A5E l 70, 71
FV4030/l 107 194,202 M48C 150, 15 1
Chieftain 800 111 (see also ISRAEL) M48E 154, 190
Qayis a l Ard h (Oman) 185 M4A l 54 M48 AVLB 152, 153, 171, 184, 197
Chieftain 900 104-6, 19 1 M4A 1E3 53 M48 DI VAD (Sgt York) 153
Comet (A34) 163, 168 M4A 1E8 53, 54 M67 149, 152
Conqueror 106 M4A2 53,54 M67A l 149, 152
Cromwell 53 M4A3 54 M67A2 149, 152
Future Tank Project 97 M4A3E856 M60 23, 24,32, 38, 47 , 48,5 1, 62,70, 88,
Khatid 98, 99, 101--4,105, 107, 11 0, 175, Sherman 17-pd r (B ri tish Mk Vc) 53, 11 9, 141-8, 149, 152, 197,202
178 202 XM60 14 1
FV4030/2 (or FV4032) (S hir 1) 101 , M26 General Pershing 128, 155 M60A l 47, 48, 80, 133, 137, 138, 14 1,
102, 107 M47 23,57,64,72, 141, 149, 155- 7 , 162, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 15 1,
MBT-80 97, 98 168, 173, 174, 178, 179, 18 1, 186, 188, 16 1, 162, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179,
Shir 1 - see FV 4030/2 189, 190, 193, 194, 202 (see also 185, 188, 20 1, 202
Shir 2 - see C hall enger SPA IN) M60A 1E3 145
Vickers Valiant 5, 69, 116--19 M26E2 155 M60A2 144, 145
Va li ant ARV 11 9 M46 148, 155, 156 M60A3 79, 80, 138, 14 1, 142,143, 144,
Valia nt AV LB 11 9 M46A l 149, 155 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 162, 167 , 168,
Valiant 155 mm SPG 11 8 M46El 155 176, 179, 183, 188, 190, 193, 202
Vickers Mk 1 46, 105, 11 9, 123, 124-6, M47E 190 M60E l 14 1
129, 182 M47E l 70,72, 189, 190 M60AVLB 145, 147, 148, 176, 188, 197
(see also VijayantalIND IA) M47E2 70, 71,72, 190 M60/Bulldozer 145
Vickers Mk 2 126 M47E2 I 71 M60 RO BAT 144, 145, 147
Vickers Mk 3 105, 123, 126--9, 173, 179, M47E2 R 71 M728 CEV 145, 147, 148, 176, 188
185, 193 M47E2 VLP 71 T l1 8E l 147
Vickers(Mk 3)ARV 125, 128, 129, 179, M47M 174, 175, 186 High Performance M60 ('S uper
183, 185 M47 ARV 181 M60') 67, 138--41
Vickers (Mk 3) AVLB 125, 128,185 M48 23,47,48, 51 , 70,71 , 72, 11 9, 137, MBT-70 (US/Germa n) 31,32, 6 1, 132
Vickers SPAAG 129 141, 144, 148- 55, 171 , 172, 173, 174, TIB (Tank Test Bed Program) 5, 130- 1

Other armoured fighting vehicles and their variants in alphabetical order of countries
ARGENTINA FRANCE Marder/Roland 2 SPAAG 29
VCTP 43,45, 160, 187 AMX- l0RC 20 57 mm Support Tank proposal 45
AMX- 13 23, 28, 34, 47, 54, 72, 76, 160,
AUSTRIA 173, 184, 188, 193 ITALY
J agdpanzer SK-l 05 Klirass ier 193 AM X VC I 183 FIAT 66 14 APC 188
Hotchkiss H-35/39 53 F IAT/OTO-Melara 66 16 188
BRAZIL Panhard AML (4 x 4) 160
Bernardin i X-30 10 AML-60/90 190 NETHERLANDS
AML-90 160 DAF YP-408 (8 x 6) APC 183
CZECHOSLOV AKIA AML Lynx 163
J agdpanzer 38(t) 75 M3 (4 x 4) APC 160 SOUTH AFRICA
Eland (4 x 4) 160, 188
CHINA (PR) GERMANY (FR)
Type 60 193 Marder M ICV 42, 43, 45 SPAIN
Type62 193 Marder/FL-20 turret 45, 46 BMR-600 (6 x 6) 190

207
SWEDEN PT-76 173,179 FMC AIFV 183
Ikv90 19 1 SU-85-T ARV 90 HIMAG 139
Ikv 103 72 SU- IOO 165, 166 M2 IFV 202
Lvkv 42 73 SU- lOO-T ARV 90 M3 CFV 197
Strv KRV 73 ZSU-57-2 SPAAG 90 M8 Greyhound 160
MIO 53,54
M24 Chaffee 64, 162, 193
SWITZERLAND UNITED KINGDOM
M4 1 Walker Bulldog 10, II, 155, 189, 190,
L pz 5 1 76 Alvis Saladin (6 X 6) 185
193
NK I 75 Samson (FVI06) 197
M53 SPG 149
NK II 75 Scorpion CVR (T) 185, 193, 197
M88 ARV 149
Spartan (FVI03) 197
M88A I 168
Sultan (FV 105) 197
UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST MlO3 155
Charioteer 162, 168
REPUBLICS M I 13 APC 70, 144, 163, 167, 175, 176,
CVR (W) Fox 196
BMP 195 178, 189, 202
Daimler Ferret (FV70 1) 197,203
BRDM- I (4 x 4) 203 M I1 3A I 190
FV432 APC 73, 197
BRDM-2 (4 x 4) 193,203 MI25 167
FV433 Abbot 73
BTR-60 195 M551 Sheridan 197
FV434'ARRV I II , 197
BTR-60PB 93 M577 CP 163
FV438 197
BTR-70 195 M578 ARV 149
IT-122 90 H I 155
KMT-45 1 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA T42 148, 155
PT-55 51 Cadillac Gage Stingray 183 H3 155

208
Jacket illustration:
By 1985 over 3000 M1 Abrams MBTs had
been built for the US Army by General
Dynamics Land Systems Division.

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