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The AMX-30E (''E'' stands for ''España'', Spanish for Spain) is a main battle tank based on France's AMX-30. Although originally the Spanish government sought to procure the German Leopard 1, the AMX-30 was ultimately awarded the contract due to its lower price and the ability to manufacture it in Spain. 280 units were manufactured by Santa Bárbara Sistemas for the Spanish Army, between 1974 and 1983. First acquired in 1970, the tank was to supplement Spain's fleet of M47 and M48 Patton United States tanks and to reduce Spain's reliance on American equipment in its army. The first 19 AMX-30 tanks were acquired from France in 1970, while another 280 were assembled in Spain. It was Spain's first mass-produced tank and developed the country's industry to the point where the government felt it could produce a tank on its own, leading to the development of the Lince tank project in 1985. It also offered Santa Bárbara Sistemas the experience which led to the production of the Leopard 2E in late 2003. Although final assembly was carried out by Santa Bárbara Sistemas, the production of the AMX-30E also included other companies in the country. Total production within Spain amounted to as much as 65% of the tank. Spain's AMX-30E fleet went through two separate modifications in the late 1980s, a modernization program and a reconstruction program. The former, named the AMX-30EM2 (150 tanks), sought to modernize and improve the vehicle's automotive characteristics, while the latter, or the AMX-30EM1 (149 tanks), resulted in a more austere improvement of the tank's power plant by maintaining the existing engine and replacing the transmission. Both programs extended the vehicle's lifetime. Spain's fleet of AMX-30EM1s was replaced in the late 1990s by the German Leopard 2A4, and the AMX-30EM2s were replaced by Centauro wheeled anti-tank vehicles in the early 21st century. Although 19 AMX-30Es were deployed to the Spanish Sahara in 1970, the tank never saw combat. In 1985 Indonesia expressed interest in the AMX-30E, while in 2004 the Spanish and Colombian governments discussed the possible sale of around 40 AMX-30EM2s. Both trade deals fell through. ==Background== In 1960, Spain's tank fleet was composed mainly of American M47 Patton tanks, with some newer M48 Patton tanks.〔Manrique & Molina, ''La Brunete'', pp. 31–69〕 The M47s had been acquired by the Spanish army in the mid-1950s,〔Zaloga, ''The M47 and M48 Patton Tanks'', p. 36〕 replacing the previous fleet of 1930s-vintage Panzer I, T-26 and Panzer IV tank designs.〔Manrique & Molina, ''La Brunete'', p. 34〕 During the 1957-58 Ifni War, the United States' ban on the usage of American ordnance supplied earlier as military aid to Spain〔Vidal, ''Ifni 1957–1958'', p. 70〕 pushed Spain to look for alternative equipment which could be freely employed in the Spanish Sahara.〔Mazarrasa, ''Carro de Combate AMX-30E'', p. 57〕 In the early 1960s, Spain looked towards its European neighbors for a new tank. The Spanish government first approached Krauss-Maffei, the German manufacturer of the Leopard 1,〔 and the company applied for an export license from the German Economics Ministry.〔Rudnick, ''Atlantic Relations'', p. 200〕 Spain's status as a non-NATO country meant that the decision to grant the export license had to be reviewed by the ''Bundessicherheitsrat'' (Federal Security Council), or the BSR, which was responsible for the coordination of the national defense policy. Ultimately, the council ruled that Krauss-Maffei could sign an export contract with Spain.〔Rudnick, ''Atlantic Relations'', p. 201〕 The deal was, however, stalled by pressure from the United Kingdom's Labour Party〔Rudnick, ''Atlantic Relations'', p. 203〕 on the basis that the Leopard's 105-millimeter (4.13 in) L7 tank gun was British technology.〔Rudnick, ''Atlantic Relations'', p. 199〕 Meanwhile, Spain tested the French AMX-30 between 2 and 10 June 1964.〔 The Leopard 1 and the AMX-30 originated from a joint tank development program known as the Europanzer.〔Hilmes, ''Modern German Tank Development, 1956–2000'', p.17〕 For a tank, the AMX-30 had a low silhouette; the height of the tank was 2.28 meters (7.48 ft),〔Ogorkiewicz, ''AMX-30 Battle Tank'', p. 5〕 compared to the Leopard's 2.6 meters (8.53 ft).〔Jerchel, ''Leopard 1 Main Battle Tank 1965–1995'', p. 28〕 In terms of lethality, the AMX-30's ''Obus G'' high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) round was one of the most advanced projectiles at the time.〔Ogorkiewicz, ''AMX-30 Battle Tank'', p. 8〕 Because HEAT warheads become less efficient during spin stabilization induced by the rifling of a tank-gun barrel,〔Ferrari, ''The "Hows" and "Whys" of Armour Penetration'', p. 87〕 the ''Obus G'' was designed so that the shaped charge warhead was mounted on ball bearings within an outer casing, allowing the round to be spin stabilized through the rifling of the gun without affecting the warhead inside. The ''Obus G'' was designed to penetrate up to 400 millimeters (15.75 in) of steel armor.〔 On the other hand, the Leopard was armed with the L7A3 tank gun, capable of penetrating the frontal armor of most contemporary tanks.〔Lathrop & McDonald, ''M60 Main Battle Tank 1960–91'', p. 5〕 Although the Leopard boasted greater armor than the AMX-30〔—partially accounting for the weight difference between the two tanks—the latter was sold at a cheaper price.〔Rudnick, ''Atlantic Relations'', p. 204〕 In May 1970, the Spanish government decided to sign a contract with the French company GIAT to begin production of the AMX-30.〔 However, it was not the advantages of the French vehicle itself that influenced the decision. Rather, it was the UK's unwillingness to sell their L7 tank-gun, the low cost of the AMX-30, and the French offer to allow Spain to manufacture the tank, that led the Spanish Army to favor the French armored vehicle.〔Rudnick, ''Atlantic Relations'', pp. 203–204〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「AMX-30E」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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