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AMX-30

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AMX-30
Specifications
Mass36
Length9.5
Width3.1
Height2.5
Crew4 (Commander, Gunner, Loader, Driver)

The AMX-30 is perhaps the most successful post-war French armoured vehicle design, a main battle tank designed by GIAT Industries with a focus on good firepower and superior mobility and first delivered to the French Army in 1966. In addition, it was designed to be able to operate with minimal support services. The downside of the design was the limited armour protection, unable to protect the tank against contemporary main battle tank weapons of NATO or the Warsaw Pact.

Design features included a fully sealed hull, allowing operations in nuclear, chemical, and biological contamination areas. The tank is also capable of fording water up to 2 m in depth. The armour is made of rolled plates and castings, completely welded. The turret is entirely cast and highly shaped for maximum protection.

History

The AMX design was the result of French specifications for a new main battle tank to replace ageing American tanks in French service since the end of World War II. Like the Germans during the same period, the French subscribed to the theory that even the heaviest armour would prove unable to keep up with rapid development of anti-tank weaponry, and that the best way to protect tanks within a reasonable design was to enhance their maneuverability. Thus the design solution was a tank with less heavy armour, but greater speed and an accurate powerful weapon that would allow quick destruction of the enemy.

An additional design requirement, as with most French military designs, was for the design to be able to attract wide export markets, as French weapon design relied heavily on foreign sales for financing. The AMX-30 was successful in this regard, being widely exported in many versions.

France used the AMX-30B2 during the first Gulf War in 1991, where it equipped the 6th Light Armored Division. The tanks' performance was regarded as excellent. Saudi Arabia, and Qatar used their AMX-30S' tanks in the ground campaign of the Gulf War aswell.

The design has been supplanted in France by the Leclerc, but is still in world-wide use. In addition to the more than 2,000 tanks produced, more than 1,000 chassis were used as the basis for a range of self-propelled artillery and other derivatives.

Known Users:

Derivatives

  • Prototype
    Prototype
  • View of the turret system
    View of the turret system
  • amphibious capabilities
    amphibious capabilities
  • Roland ground-air missile system
    Roland ground-air missile system
  • AMX-30 Pluton tactical nuclear missile
    AMX-30 Pluton tactical nuclear missile
  • 155 mm autonomous artillery
    155 mm autonomous artillery
  • AMX-30 Hull (AuF1 under repairs)
    AMX-30 Hull (AuF1 under repairs)


Wikimedia Commons has media related to AMX-30.


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