Cruiser Mk I

The Tank, Cruiser, Mk I (A9) was a British cruiser tank of the interwar period and the first of its kind, a fast tank meant to bypass the main enemy lines and attack lines of communication as well as enemy tanks. Sir John Carden of Vickers-Armstrong was asked in 1934 for a reasonably cheap replacement for the medium tanks then in use, and the pilot model, the A9E1, was finished in 1936. It was the first British tank with a central turret and powered traverse, carried a 2-pounder gun and three machine guns, had armour no thicker than 14 mm, and reached 25 mph on roads. It was accepted in 1937 as an interim design, with 125 ordered, and its hull and suspension were reused for the Valentine. The Cruiser Mk II was a more heavily armoured adaptation.