Vickers MBT

The Vickers MBT is a series of main battle tanks developed as a private venture by the British company Vickers-Armstrongs for export. The design used proven parts, including the L7 105 mm gun of the Centurion, the Leyland L60 multi-fuel engine and the Chieftain transmission and fire control system, to give a simple, low-cost tank about 12 tonnes lighter than the Centurion. It followed from an earlier 24-tonne export tank design, and the first prototype was completed in 1963. It weighed 38,600 kg, carried a 105 mm gun with 44 rounds and had a top speed of 48 km/h. Seventy were sold to Kuwait and a licensed version was built in India as the Vijayanta, while later proposals included a Mark 2 and a Mark 7 with Chobham armour.