World Tanks and Reconnaissance Vehicles Since 1945

152 Pages·1984·39.829 MB·English

by  Noel Ayliffe-Jones

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World Tanks and
Reconnaissance
Vehicles since 1945
NOEL AYLIFFE-JONES
Since World War 2 the armoured fighting
vehicle has developed into a sophisticated —
and expensive! — fighting machine in an
evolution comparable with other facets of
modern warfare. Computers, lasers, solid-state
electronics, miniaturisation, active and passive
sensor equipment: the developments in the
aviation and maritime field have been mirrored
on land.
However, what hasn't changed — despite
the threat of easily-portable anti-tank
weapons, the advent of tne attack helicopters
and the sophistication of tanx-Dusting' aircraft
— is the fact that the heavily armoured battle
tank is still the most potent vehicle involved in
the modern land ba^ls that the best
weapon to deal with a tank is still another tank.
In this fascinating and eminently readable
work, Noel Ayliffe-Jones provides the reader
with a commentary Lha changing face of
armoured warfare. Today's generation of tank
and reconnaissance vehicle still present the
same outward appear3n'~5 in many ways to
their World War 2 predecessors, but laminate
or spaced armoured, laser rangefinders,
improved weaponry and ammunition make
them an even more difficult proposition for the
defending infantrymen.
The story of the evolution from Centurion to
Challenger, M26 to Ml Abramc, 7-64 to T-72
is covered with perception and insight.
Separate sections cover firepower, the threat
of ATGW, armour and the future of the AFV.
Published in the United States by
HIPPOCRENE BOOKS, Inc.,
171 Madison Avenue,
New York, N.Y. 10016
ISBN 0-88254-978-2
$19.95
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2018 with funding from
Kahle/Austin Foundation
https://archive.org/details/worldtanksreconnOOOOayli

30005000180995
* World Tanks and
Reconnaissance
Vehicles
Since 1945
NOEL AYLIFFE-JONES
HIPPOCRENE BOOKS
New York HOUSTOMEXAS'r/095
To Philip
First published 1 984
Published in the United States by
HIPPOCRENE BOOKS, Inc.,
171 Madison Avenue, ■wm
■ it
New York, N.Y. 10016
ISBN 0-88254-978-2
All rights reserved
© Ian Allan Ltd 1984
Printed in Great Britain
Contents
Preface 4
Acknowledgements 4
Bibliography 4
Abbreviations 5
Introduction 7
Technical Situation 1 945 7
Fighting Vehicle Concepts 8
1 MBT Development and Evolution 13
China, People's Republic of 13
France 13
Germany, Federal Republic of 1 8
Israel 24
Japan 27
Sweden 29
Switzerland 32
United Kingdom 36
USA 50
USSR 64
Private Ventures 69
2 Reconnaissance and Light Armoured Vehicles 75
Belgium 75
Brazil 78
France 82
Germany, Federal Republic of 85
Israel 87
United Kingdom 89
USA 104
USSR 113
3 Firepower 115
4 ATGW 132
5 Armour 136
6 The Future 138
Appendices
1 Comparison of MBTs 1 945-1 980s 141
2 AFV Chronology 1 944-1 980s 142
3 Weight Analysis of MBT Components 144
Cover: Head-on view of a Chieftain Mk 7 of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards at
Bergen- Hohne during the Canadian Army Trophy competition in June 1 983.
Simon Forty
Title page: T-54/55s on exercise — now outdated, the T-54/55 was one of the
most significant AFVs of its period if only because it served in the armies of 33
countries, via C. Foss
Left: British Battle Tanks from 1 945 to the present day, represented (r to I) by
Centurion Mk3 with 20pdr, Chieftain with 1 20mm and Challenger with 1 20mm
and Chobham armour. MoD
Preface
It was originally intended to cover, in this book, all types of Royal Ordnance Factories; Ministry of Defence of Great
Armoured Fighting Vehicles since 1945. However, this Britain, Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Switzerland,
period is more than half the whole life, to date, of the tank West Germany, United States of America; and Companies:
and contains the period of greatest development and pro¬ AAI Corporation; Alvis Ltd; Bernardini sa; British Leyland;
liferation, so we have restricted ourselves to Main Battle Cockerill-Sambre; GKN Ltd; General Motors of Canada Ltd;
Tanks and Reconnaissance Vehicles. General Defense Corporation; Engesa; Krauss-Maffei gmbh;
Without pretending to be either a definitive history or a Lohr sa; Marconi Radar Systems Ltd; Pains-Wessex Ltd;
technical manual, we have tried to tell the story of how and Sibmas sa; Vickers Ltd.
why technology, tactics, strategy and politics have all had a
hand in the development of the AFVs of today. If it is not Bibliography
100% up to date when you read it, blame the pace of Design and Development of Fighting Vehicles, Richard
history, and don't shoot the typist. The other half of the Ogorkiewicz; Centurion; Simon Dunstan; Chieftain, George
story, about all the types of AFVs spawned by the tank, Forty; Leopard, A. J. Barker; M48, Geoffrey Tillotson;
remains to be told. Modern American Armour, Steve Zaloga & James Loop;
Modern Soviet Armour, Steve Zaloga; The Business of
Acknowledgements Tanks, G. MacLeod Ross; Vanes World Armoured Fighting
I should like to thank all those who have helped me by Vehicles, Christopher Foss; Armour of the West, R. Adshead
providing information and pictures for this book, individually & N. Ayliffe-Jones; AFVProfiles, Profile Publications; The
and as organisations. In particular I have received help from: Guinness Book of Tank Facts and Feats, Kenneth Macksey;
Robert Bos; Simon Dunstan; Michael Foncannon; Encyclopaedia of Tanks, Duncan Crow and Robert Icks.
Christopher Foss; Fred Garner; Helmoed-Roeder Heitman;
Philip Lilleyman; Richard Ogorkiewicz; Toby Wrigley; from
the following Regiments, Establishments and Ministeries: Scorpion of the 1 7/21 Lancers during Exercise 'Atlantic Lion'
4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards; MVEE; RAC Tank Museum; 1 983. Michael C. K/aver
4
Abbreviations
AA Anti-aircraft IDF Israeli Defence Force
AEV Armoured engineer vehicle IR Infra-red
AFV Armoured fighting vehicle ICV Infantry combat vehicle
AIFV Armoured IFV IFV Infantry fighting vehicle
AMX Ateliers de Moulineaux JSDF Japanese Self-Defence Force
AOS Add-on stabilisation KE Kinetic energy
AP(HE) Armour-piercing (high explosive) LAV Light armoured vehicle
APC Armoured personnel carrier LCC Life cycle cost
AP(FS)DS AP (fin-stabilised) discarding sabot LOS Line of sight
AR/AAV Armoured reconnaissance/airborne assault LRF Laser rangefinder
vehicle MBT Main battle tank
ARSV Armoured reconnaissance scout vehicle MG Machine gun
ARV Armoured recovery vehicle MICV Mechanised ICV
AVRE Armoured vehicle Royal Engineers MMBF Mean miles between failures
ATGW Anti-tank guided weapon MoD Ministry of Defence
AVLB Armoured vehicle launched bridge MRS Muzzle reference system
C&R Command & Reconnaissance m/v Muzzle velocity
CE Chemical energy MVEE Military Vehicles Experimental Establishment
CEV Combat engineer vehicle NBC Nuclear, biological, chemical
CFV Cavalry fighting vehicle OPFOR Opposing forces
Cl Compression ignition pdr Pounder
CLGP Cannon-launched guided projectile PLA People's Liberation Army (China)
CVR(T)(W) Combat vehicle reconnaissance (tracked) PRC People's Republic of China
(wheeled) PV Private venture
DU Depleted uranium RAC Royal Armoured Corps
EPC Engin Principal de Combat RAM-D Reliability, Availability, Maintainability —
ESR Electro-slag refined Durability
FCS Fire control system RARDE Royal Armament Research and Development
FEBA Forward edge of battle area Establishment
FN Fabrique National (Belgium) RDF Rapid Deployment Force
FRG Federal Republic of Germany (West) RMG Ranging MG
FS Fin-stabilised ROF Royal Ordnance Factory
FVRDE Fighting Vehicles Research & Development RSAF Royal Small Arms Factory
Establishment SP Self-propelled
GAO General Accounting Office -T -Training
GPMG General purpose MG TACOM Tank Automotive Command (US Army)
HE High explosive TBO Time between overhauls
HEAT HE anti-tank VCR Variable compression ratio
HESH HE squash head WP White Phosphorous
HVAP High velocity AP WW(1) (2) World War(1) (2)
5
SIlMi
mmmm
M60A1 of US 1 st Cavalry Division on Exercise 'Aquamarine'
crossing the River Maas. NATO
6