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The Vickers MBT is a series of main battle tanks (MBTs) developed as a private venture by Vickers-Armstrongs for export. The design makes use of proven components such as the L7 gun of the Centurion, and the Leyland L60 multi-fuel engine, transmission and fire control system of the Chieftain. A large number of tanks were also built by India under licence as the Vijayanta. ==Design and development== The Vickers MBT followed on from a 24-tonne 20-pdr gunned tank design intended for export.〔Ogorkiewicz, R M (1973). ''Vickers Battle Tank'', Profile Publications, August 1973.〕 This would be as well equipped as Centurion but substantially cheaper and with Vickers Vigilant missiles as effective. However with the appearance of the 105 mm L7 gun into the British, US and German tank designs, this light tank would have been less powerful while too large for the reconnaissance role, and so a new design was required. With armour twice that of the light tank design, it would still be 12 tonnes lighter than Centurion and hence more mobile. The design would use the new engine and transmission of the Chieftain tank then being developed. The development coincided with an agreement with India in 1961 to produce a tank design and help set up a factory there to produce it. The Vickers MBT Mk 1 was designed to be a simple, low-cost, but effective tank. The first prototype was completed in 1963.〔 In 1964 one of the prototypes was sent to India. The Vickers was made of welded rolled homogeneous armour plates. It weighed 38,600 kg, carried a 105mm gun with 44 rounds and had a top speed of 48 km/h.〔 70 tanks were sold to Kuwait and a large number of a modified version were made in India where the tank was called Vijayanta.〔 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「Vickers MBT」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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