m1b@rayssd.ssd.ray.com (M. Joseph Barone) (06/12/91)
From: m1b@rayssd.ssd.ray.com (M. Joseph Barone)
Since there has been some references to the late, lamented
MBT-70, I thought I would provide some info concerning this vehicle.
This information came with an Aurora model kit that I had bought as a
kid in 1970. Since it was written in 1968-69, the program had not yet
been cancelled, so the text reflects that fact. (As an aside, I'd like
to know the circumstances of the program's cancellation.) Pay attention
to the tone of the write-up since it seems to reflect the times. It
has a 1969 copyright notice but Aurora has been out of business for
quite some time now so this is definitely reprinted without
permission. (Awkward sentence structures and bad punctuation are all
theirs!)
The story behind the MBT-70, a sleek powerful main battle tank
for the 1970's the most modern armored vehicle in the world, designed
to outshoot and outrun any other tank while providing unprecedented
protection for its three-man crew, has its origins in an
inter-governmental agreement concluded on August 1, 1963, between the
United States and the Federal Republic of Germany. This agreement
covered the development of an armored combat vehicle which would
correspond with the established military specifications agreed between
the two governments, would be ready for production by 1970 at the
latest, and would go into service with the Armed Forces of the Federal
Republic of Germany and the United States. This action initiated a
unique international program of research, design and development of a
tank from the ground up which would incorporate all possible
technological advances in tank design and development. Furthermore, it
would have the advantage of the direct contribution of German technical
skill and impressive tactical experience in battlefield tank employment.
The initial design work on the MBT-70 was carried out by the
Joint Design Team (JDT), in which the American share of the personnel
was provided by the General Motors Corporation and the German
complement by the Deutsche Entwicklungs Gesellschaft mbh (DEG) - a
Company founded expressly for this purpose. Technical supervision is
the responsibility of the Joint Engineering Agency (JEA), which in its
turn, is responsible to the Program Management Board (PMB) composed of
a representative of the Federal Republic of Germany, and a
representative of the United States.
Together and in only four years, the teams from the two nations
had designed and developed the most advanced armored combat vehicle
known to man. On October 9, 1967, the product of the agreement and the
four years of work was put on display. On that date, the first two
prototypes of the Main Battle Tank-70 were displayed simultaneously in
Augsburg and in Washington. What the public saw was a sophisticated
land dreadnaught of unusually low silhouette incorporating a rare
combination of firepower, mobility and protective armor.
The MBT-70 weight is 47 tons, is 25' long, 11.5' wide and its
normal height is 7.5'. An exceptionally effective spring suspension
system allows adjustment of the ground clearance in either a
forward/rear or right/left direction or vice versa, enabling the
vehicle to tilt front to back and side to side in order to remain level
under a wide variety of battlefield terrain conditions. This system
also can reduce the normal height of the tank to 6.5'. In addition to
this unique suspension system, a new type of hydropneumatic suspension
has been incorporated to maintain the stability of the tank when combat
conditions make it necessary to fire while on the move.
The powerplant of the MBT-70 is a 1,475 h.p. multifuel, air-
cooled 12 cylinder, 120o V, variable-compression-ratio engine. The
transmission is of advanced design, a German-made Renk HSWL 354. With
this engine/transmission power package, the MBT can accelerate rapidly
from a standing start and climb steep slopes with relative ease.
It can reach a top speed of 44 mph in forward or reverse,
maintain high cross-country speeds, and start, stop and operate while
totally submerged under water.
The main armament is also of a new design. It consists of a
combined gun and missile system with a 152 mm. bore barrel from which
guided missiles of the Shillelagh type or conventional ammunition can
be fired. The missile is fired, automatically controlled, and guided
by electronic equipment within the vehicle and is capable of scoring
extremely high first-round kills on stationary or moving targets at
extended ranges. The gunner simply keeps the cross-hairs of the
telescopic sight on the target and the missile remains on course.
German needs led to the development of a second turret, armed with a
120 mm. conventional gun which would appear to be better suited to
operations in the European theatre. This two-turret system combines
the advantages of the exceptional accuracy of the Shillelagh guided
missile over long ranges with the rapid-fire capability of an automatic
gun over short to medium ranges. The two turret system will allow a
tank division to be equipped with a mixture of both gun and missile-
firing tanks.
Both turrets can also be fitted with an additional 20 mm gun
traversing independently of the turret for engagement of air or ground
targets. A 7.62 mm machine gun and smoke bomb or grenade launch tubes
are also fitted to the turrets of the MBT-70.
Sighting and fire-control equipment provided for the tank
commander consists of a periscope for all-round observation, a
stabilized panoramic telescopic sight for air and ground targets, and
night vision and target sighting devices. The gun layer has the choice
of an auxiliary telescopic sight for day or night vision, or the main
telescopic sight with laser rangefinding. He has all-round vision
capability via a periscope, similar to the driver, who also has night
driving aids in addition.
Another of the outstanding features which makes the MBT-70 so
different from a conventional tank is the environmental control
capsule. The MBT is, in fact the first tank in which the entire
three-man crew is housed within the actual turret in order to provide
better protection against ABC effects. The tank is safer and more
comfortable for the crew due to its built-in environmental control/life
support system of German design. The system provides a compatible and
adaptable environment in the crew compartment through air purification,
conditioning and heating. It allows the tank to operate buttoned-up
for a longer period of time than any currently in operation. Built to
withstand the rigors of nuclear combat, the MBT is equipped with
shielding, special filters, and warning devices to protect the crew
against radiation as well as chemical and biological airborne
contaminants.
Each of the two countries is to build eight prototypes.
Technical testing of the first prototypes is to extend until mid 1968,
and then a 12-month series of combat trials is to begin. These tests
will be conducted simultaneously in West Germany and the United States
in such a way that any improvements necessary can be incorporated in
the design of the MBT-70 before it goes into series production. One
finds it difficult to conceive of any necessary improvements on the
most advanced, most versatile, most mobile and most powerful armored
combat vehicle developed to date.
Whatever the outcome, the MBT-70 program is not only a great
achievement in tank design and development but also a successful
pioneering effort in the field of cooperative international research
and development of a major weapons system.
--
Joe Barone
m1b@rayssd.ssd.ray.com
{gatech, decuac, sun, necntc, ukma, uiucdcs}!rayssd!m1b
Tell them in Lacedaemon, passer-by,
That here obedient to their word, we lie.hc1@reef.cis.ufl.edu (Harry Campbell) (06/14/91)
From: hc1@reef.cis.ufl.edu (Harry Campbell)
This is in response to the article about the MBT-70.
The project was cancelled mainly because of the gun system. We
Americans wanted our home-grown 152mm gun/launcher, while the German's
insisted on their 120mm Rhienmetal gun.
The 152mm gun/launcher was already being used on the M60A2 and the
M551 Sheridan light tank (used by the 82nd Airbourne in Desert Strom,
and Panama). When the M551 saw combat in Vietnam, the crews found that
the severe recoil from firing the gun would damage the fire-control for
the Shillelagh missile. In Panama the M551 served well as assault guns
('bunker busting'), but to my knowlege the Shillelagh were not fired.
The M60A2 with heavier steel armor plate (not the aluminum/styrofoam
"armor" on the M551), overcame the recoil problem providing a sturdier
firing base. But soon enough the Russians would see how well Reactive
Armor worked for the Isrealis, and start puting it on their production
MBT's. The Shillelagh is known to penetrate about 600mm of armor
plate, and it would be hard pressed T-70B with R. A. (let alone a
T-80). The 152mm round is a HEAT warhead that penetrates about 450mm,
making it virtually useless against the frontal armor of most MBT's.
So it was finally shown that the 152mm gun was not the
super-weapon it was once thought to be. The Army has completely
abandoned the M60A2, and the 82nd Airbourne is the only U.S. force to
use the Sheridan in the front-line (due to it's airportability).
The U. S. came to the conclusion that the new tank must be armed
with a standard gun, with some sort of AP-DS round (Meanwhile the
German's are saying, "I told you so"). Of the guns considered the two
finallists were the Rhinemetal 120mm smoothbore, and the U. S. made
105mm M68A1 rifled gun (the same gun used on the M60A3). The design
for the 105mm gun came from the Brittish L7 gun, and though the
Brittish had abandoned it for their own 120mm rifled cannon on the
Chieftain, it was (and is) in use by many armies in NATO. Of course we
chose the 105mm gun, despite it's being clrearly outmatched by the
German gun. And though no-one would admit it at the time the only real
reason, besides standardization of ammo, was the fact that we would
have to lisence the gun from Germany, instead of having the money stay
here in the U. S.
The two sides began to have a serious falling out, and when the
Pentagon started changing the design requirements (insisting on a tank
with a 4-man crew), the project was killed.
The MBT-70 was replaced with the XM-1, which was to have the 105mm
cannon, and a crew of four, much of the suspension, and fire-control
ideas of the MBT-70 were retained. After a few years of production it
was decided that the 105mm gun might prove inadequate against the
newest generation of soviet tanks. The upgrade for the Abrahms
M1-Improved turned out to be a 120mm Smoothbore produced on a foreign
liscense (guess who!).
To be honest, it is likely that we came out with a far suppior
tank, by incorporating the new Chobahm armor, Thermal Imaging, and
highly improved engine that were all developed after the MBT-70 was
scrapped. The MBT-70 would already be obsolete.zonker@ihlpf.att.com (Thomas M Harris) (06/15/91)
From: zonker@ihlpf.att.com (Thomas M Harris) One other point needs to be made about the MBT-70 that I have not seen so far: This is that the W. Germans did not cancel the program and the final product is the Leopard II. This means that the Leopard II is basicially what would have happened to the MBT-70 had the German got their way on all the design decisions. The remarks about the M-1 being in far the best way to go are definately right (excpet for the original gun being the 105mm). Tom Harris
johnm@vme.heurikon.com (John Mahoney) (06/19/91)
From: johnm@vme.heurikon.com (John Mahoney) In article <1991Jun14.075939.19915@amd.com> hc1@reef.cis.ufl.edu (Harry Campbell) writes: > > The MBT-70 was replaced with the XM-1, which was to have the 105mm >cannon, and a crew of four, much of the suspension, Actually, the suspension of the MBT-70 was of the "Squatting" type, and was not used for the M1. >After a few years of production it >was decided that the 105mm gun might prove inadequate against the >newest generation of soviet tanks. The upgrade for the Abrahms >M1-Improved turned out to be a 120mm Smoothbore produced on a foreign >liscense (guess who!). > The 120 was slated to be installed in the M1 from the beginning of production, but it wasn't ready yet, as the gun was much closer to infancy than it was to the US's perception of operational. The 120 was rammed down the army's throat by politicians and DOD because, at the time, we were trying to sell the West Germans E-3s. It was seen as an inducement to closing the AWACS deal. The Army wanted the 105 because the 105 was very close in performance to the 120, and both were expected to become obsolete for the next (or next after) generation of Soviet Armour. The idea was to mount the already operational 105 and spend money developing a gun (or whatever) that could be dropped into the M1 down the road. (The 105 was much cheaper) Instead, the Army was force fed the 120 and, since it was the hottest gun in Dodge City, there was essentially no funding for a future replacement. > To be honest, it is likely that we came out with a far suppior >tank, by incorporating the new Chobahm armor, Thermal Imaging, and >highly improved engine that were all developed after the MBT-70 was >scrapped. The MBT-70 would already be obsolete. Amen! I don't think there is any doubt about it. ------------------------------------------------------------------ No, I'm not a Brit, I just think Armour looks better than Armor