Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!lll-winken!sun-barr!newstop!exodus!appserv!sun!amdcad!amdcad!military From: m1b@rayssd.ssd.ray.com (M. Joseph Barone) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: MBT-70 Message-ID: <1991Jun13.055233.22751@amd.com> Date: 12 Jun 91 15:57:46 GMT Sender: military@amd.com Organization: Raytheon Company, Portsmouth, RI Lines: 140 Approved: military@amd.com 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.