Vickers MBT (VMBT)

History of the Vickers Main Battle Tank (VMBT)

The Vickers MBT series was developed for export customers. It soon became apparent that the Centurion's foreign operators would find its successor, the Chieftain, too expensive to procure, and indeed too expensive to maintain. Because of this, Vickers started working on low-cost export designs to secure future orders. As it turns out, India is looking for a new full-service main battle tank to add to its arsenal.

The agreement will secure orders and licensed production for years to come.

The Vickers tank series is very traditional. They are used with the proven L7 105mm rifled main gun and 12.7mm (0.50 caliber) machine gun as well as some internal components already found in the Chieftain series. The result was a capable tank that was mass-produced at home and abroad.

Vickers appeared in two Mark series, including the Mk 1 and the improved Mk 3. The Mk 2 was never mass-produced. The Mk 3 series differed from the Mk 1 by the installation of a new Leyland 60 engine and welded turret structure. The production of the Vickers tank spawned several variants using similar chassis, including the VABV bridge counterpart and the armored rescue vehicle.

Another interesting variant is the 155mm self-propelled howitzer, which can be retrofitted from the MBT.

Production in India was handled by Avadi (which gave rise to the Vijayanta, based on the 1965 Mk 1 model). By the end of the production run in the mid-1980s, more than 2,000 units had been produced under license. Other export customers are Kuwait, Kenya and Nigeria.

As expected, the regular Vickers tank can be fitted with a variety of options to suit buyers, including an air filtration system, night vision goggles and a fire suppression system.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

50 x 105mm projectile.

700x12.7mm ammo.

2,400x7.62mm ammo.

12 x Smoke Grenade.

Changes