AMX-30

History

The AMX-30 comes from a post-WWII design when many countries in Europe were trying to re-equip and update their weapons stocks. West Germany, France and Italy tripled their efforts to design and produce M47 Patton series tanks similar to those made in the United States (there was already a substantial stock in French inventory), but upgraded while reducing weight, West German and French engineers each developed own experiment.

West Germany produced a working prototype called the Leopard, while France designed and produced the AMX-30 prototype. At this point, each country embraced its own design to meet their MBT needs, with the West German Leopard becoming the Leopard 1 MBT and the AMX-30 being produced for France.

The core of the AMX-30 revolves around a 105mm CH-105-F1 main gun mounted on a three-person turret. The muzzle velocity is about 3,280 feet per second, and the main gun can knock back about 15 inches of enemy armor (it should be noted that the AMX-30 doesn't have any gun stabilization, so it can't effectively fire movement when it's on).

A special design feature also includes a 20mm cannon, which is mounted coaxially in the turret and can be raised separately from the main gun. An additional 7.62mm machine gun is mounted on top of the turret for infantry or anti-aircraft defense. There are five wheels on each side of the track.

Power comes from a Hispano-Suiza 12-cylinder 720 hp diesel engine. The magazine consists of 47 x 105mm projectiles, over 1,000 rounds of 20mm ammunition and over 2,000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition.

The AMX-30 appeared in production form from 1966 and was produced for the next 27 years. The AMX-30 became the darling of the export market - especially for customers in the Middle East - with around 3,500 prototypes produced.

The 155mm GCT self-propelled artillery system is based on the AMX-30 chassis.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

47x105mm bullet

1,050 x 20mm ammo

2,050 x 7.62mm ammo

Changes