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AMX-50

1953 COLD WAR X-TANK

History

The AMX-50 was a promising French heavy tank released shortly after World War II. To reaffirm its global status as the world's military power, France began designing new tanks for its German-occupied allies almost immediately after the liberation of Paris. However, by the end of the war, the French army did not even have anything modern in its inventory and was temporarily content with rebuilt German Panther and Tiger tanks. A heavy tank company "ARL 44" became a futile attempt to design and build a modern French heavy tank - a design that combined old and new methods to produce a very simple but outdated end product. French heavy industry group AMX (Atelier de Construction d'Issy-les-Moulineaux) submitted its "Project 141" study, which proposed a 90mm heavy tank, codenamed "M4" for the pilots - with a hull design in Externally imitated (slightly smaller) of the wartime German army's heavy tank "Konigtiger".

French authorities commissioned AMX to use two M4 prototypes for evaluation.

The basic idea behind the M4 was to produce a tank that combined all the outstanding qualities of a proven war tank - both on the German and Soviet side. The tank should be well armored and armed, but still maneuverable to deal with any tank threat presented by the Soviet Union.

The long-term optimistic goal of the program is to create a main battle tank that would fit all European allies (and have some common ground), while having indigenous origins, in order to restore France's credibility on the world stage.

The original specification was slightly modified by the French Army to provide more armor protection (the original specification only required 30mm of armor). This design change naturally increases the expected working weight of the vehicle, so other design elements must compensate. French concern FAMH produced a unique "swing" turret that allowed the use of a smaller, lighter turret system, still capable of managing large caliber weapons. The tower is basically made up of two distinct parts - the upper half and the lower half. The upper part contains the main gun mount, and the system can rotate on its own to increase height.

The lower part controls the movement of the turret in the traditional way. The main gun of choice became a 90mm unit that supplied projectile ammunition via an automatic loader. For the power required by the design, the engine was a questionable choice. So the diesel and petrol forms are maintained, the petrol form wins - the engine is from the captured stock of the German Maybach HL 295. The prevailing hope was always that the French engineers could squeeze a lot of horsepower out of the Maybach, but in the end the engine failed to impress.

The M4 prototype - in its final form - is now referred to as "AMX-50", denoting both the intended manufacturer and the vehicle's gross weight class (50 tons).

Eventually, two different AMX-50 prototypes were produced, the first in 1949. The first prototype was fitted with a 100mm gun instead of the 90mm gun as intended; the second prototype was also completed with a 100mm gun, but mounted on a different turret. Both M4 pilots used dual 7.5mm Reibel machine guns on top of the turrets to counter low-flying aircraft - a feature that was eventually removed from a later proposed design. Pilot vehicles underwent standard evaluation and testing from 1950 to 1952. The use of large-caliber main guns naturally forced a redesign of the autoloading system, and the new mechanics proved somewhat unreliable compared to the original.

Three other M4 prototypes joined the original mix - the third was fitted with a larger turret, while the fourth had increased armor protection. The fifth prototype introduced a round cast lower hull. The M4 was featured in a parade during the Bastille Day celebrations in 1950.

In 1953, a new initiative proposed a 120mm armor form with improved armor protection and a reinforced suspension system. This version is officially called the "AMX-50 120mm".

When completed, the AMX-50 heavy tank weighs 63 short tons and has a barrel length of 7.35 meters, a width of 3.4 meters, and a height of 3.35 meters. Its various fairings have armor protection ranging from 80mm to 120mm.

The main armament is the 120mm gun mounted on the swinging turret, which in the design was placed forward amidships. Secondary armament includes a pair of 7.5mm Reibel machine guns for self-defense - one coaxial in the turret and the other on top of the turret for defense against low-flying aircraft. It is powered by an 850 hp Maybach HL 295 12VC petrol engine. The hull uses a torsion bar suspension system and has a top speed of 51 km/h.

Externally, the AMX-50's hull is somewhat similar to the German wartime Panther medium tank - especially the large sloping sloping plate at the front. The sides of the hull are flat, as is the back. There is no hull superstructure, but there is a flat roof high enough to accommodate the engine and crew. The turret has a rear overhang to make room for the required autoloader. During the short life of the tank, the turret came in several unique forms, but was very similar in overall form and function.

The barrel protruded well in front of the forward fuselage and was closed by a muzzle brake with a stun device. From the front, the tracks are wide, mimicking the design of the Black Panther. There are nine overlapping wheels on one side of the track - another German-inspired design. The drive sprocket is located at the rear of the vehicle and the chain idler is located at the front. There are neither track return rollers nor side armored skirts to protect the tank's tracks, wheels and sides.

The engine is installed in the rear compartment. The standard AMX-50 operator consists of four people - a driver, a tank commander, a gunner and a radio operator. Interestingly, the addition of the autoloader did not result in the removal of a crew member, as the radio operator was also responsible for reloading the autoloader's ammunition depot with new shells on the hull.

All in all, the AMX-50 was more in line with mid-range tank offerings at the time, although it was classified as a "heavy tank" in France.

Similar to the ARL 44, the AMX-50 has been surpassed by a new generation of tanks presented at an increasingly frenetic pace. Disappointed with the results of the M47 Patton medium tank's service during the Korean War, the Americans set out to "correct the error" and produced the M48 Patton medium tank, offering a limited number of M47 modifications for free to European allies.

The French took the opportunity to upgrade their armored divisions and put the M47 into service. This more or less means the future of the AMX-50 and other French attempts at post-war tank designs. In addition, advancements in projectiles have rendered the concept of dedicated "heavy" tanks obsolete in modern warfare, in favor of a more explicit "main battle tank" classification. As we all know, the AMX-50 became another failed French tank design project - although the experience and data gathered would prove invaluable in the long run.

French tank engineers were unsuccessful until the AMX-30 main battle tank was developed in 1966, of which 3,500 were eventually produced and shipped to interested parties around the world, some of which are still in service today.

Notable in the development of the M4 pilot vehicle program is the "Canon Automoteur AMX-50 Foch", another prototype, although it was intended as a heavy tank destroyer/self-propelled gun with a 120mm main gun. The design emerged in 1950 and was intended to play a fire support role with the AMX-50, providing powerful range ammunition.

However, like the AMX-50 itself, Foch's design was forgotten.

Only five AMX-50 vehicles were produced in total.