MBT-80 facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids MBT-80
Drawing of the ATR-2 test rig for Shir and MBT-80
Type	Main battle tank
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	Never; 1989 (planned)
Production history
Designer	Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment
Designed	1979
Manufacturer	ROF Leeds (planned)
Unit cost	£1,000,000 Pounds Sterling estimate (September 1978)
No. built	17 prototypes (ATR1 & ATR2)
Specifications
Mass	55 tonnes, empty; 62 tonnes, fully loaded (crew, fuel, ammunition, armour package, etc.)
Crew	4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)

Armour	Chobham
Main armament	RARDE EXP-28M1 120 mm split-block breach rifled gun
Secondary armament	RSAF 7.62 mm L37A1 GPMG fitted to the commander's cupola
Engine	Rolls-Royce Motors, Military Engine Division CV12 TCA Condor 12-cylinder diesel 1,500 hp
Power/weight	27 bhp/t
Transmission	David Brown Gear Industries TN-38 automatic transmission
Suspension	Hydropneumatic suspension (similar to the later Challenger MBT)

The FV4601 MBT-80 was a special British tank. It was an experimental main battle tank designed in the late 1970s. Its main goal was to replace the older Chieftain tank. However, the project was later stopped. Instead, the Challenger 1 tank was chosen, which was an improved version of the Chieftain.

History of the MBT-80 Tank
Designing the MBT-80
Different MBT-80 Versions
Why the MBT-80 Was Cancelled
Surviving MBT-80 Test Vehicles
See also

History of the MBT-80 Tank

Why a New Tank Was Needed

In the early 1970s, there was a big difference in the number of tanks. NATO (Western countries) had fewer tanks than the Warsaw Pact (Eastern Bloc countries). The tanks used by the US Army, like the M60, were not strong enough. They could not stop the powerful guns of newer Soviet tanks like the T-64 and T-72.

West Germany's Leopard 1 tank was very lightly armored. Designers thought heavy armor was not useful against new high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) weapons. They believed the tank should be fast to outmaneuver slower Soviet tanks. But this idea proved wrong as Soviet tank numbers grew.

Joint Tank Projects

In 1963, the United States and West Germany started a project. They wanted to build a new tank for both armies, called the MBT-70. This tank aimed to be fast like the Leopard but with better armor. It also had a new gun that could fire missiles from far away. However, the MBT-70 project cost too much money. The US government eventually stopped it.

By the late 1960s, the British Army's Chieftain tank was one of the best. It was introduced in 1967. The Chieftain had strong armor to stop Soviet tank shells. Its 120 mm gun was very powerful. It could defeat even the newest Soviet armor. Later, "Stillbrew armor" was added to keep it competitive. But the Chieftain had problems. Its engine and suspension were not very good. This made it slow when moving across rough ground.

Germany still needed a new tank. The UK also wanted a faster tank. So, the UK and West Germany started a new project. They aimed to develop a Future Main Battle Tank (FMBT). This tank was meant to replace the Chieftain and older German tanks. But in 1977, the countries decided to stop working together. Their plans for replacing tanks were too different.

The MBT-80 Project Begins

After the MBT-70 project was cancelled, the US started designing its own tank, the XM1. Prototypes were ready in 1976. This tank used the UK's new Chobham armour. It was a very strong design. However, the British Army found some issues with the XM1. Its 105 mm gun was not powerful enough to defeat the latest Soviet tanks from long distances. Also, its armor could not stop the most powerful Soviet shells.

Despite these issues, the UK still wanted a more mobile tank than the Chieftain. There was an idea to use parts of the XM1. They thought about importing XM1 bodies and turrets. Then, they would add British engines, transmissions, and the 120 mm gun. But reports on the XM1 were not good. So, the UK officially began developing the MBT-80 in September 1978.

This new project used earlier work from the Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment (MVEE). They had made a tank prototype in 1968 with a special external turret. In 1978, they made another prototype. This one had Chobham armour and was based on the Chieftain. It was called the FV4211.

Designing the MBT-80

The MBT-80 was designed to fight all current and future armored threats. It combined a powerful gun, advanced armor, and better movement. Other features included an automatic transmission and a special sight for the tank commander. It also had advanced computer systems. The MBT-80 would have been the first British tank with a full environmental system. This means it could heat, cool, and ventilate the crew compartment.

Tank Weapons

The main weapon of the MBT-80 was a 120 mm rifled gun, the EXP-28M1. This gun was similar to those on the Chieftain and later Challenger tanks. But it was a new design. It was an improved version of the Royal Ordnance L11A5 tank gun. This new gun used a special steel barrel. This was meant to make the gun last much longer.

The tank's fire-control system (FCS) helped the gun hit targets accurately. It used sensors like laser rangefinders and thermal cameras. The goal was "First shot, first kill." The FCS had a computer, gun controls, and a special sight. All these parts were connected by a digital system. Both the commander and gunner could aim and fire the main gun. The tank could fire different types of shells. These included armor-piercing, high-explosive, and smoke rounds.

The secondary weapon was a 7.62 mm L37A1 General Purpose Machine Gun. It was mounted on the commander's cupola (a small dome). It could be aimed and fired from inside the tank.

Tank Protection

The MBT-80 was to be protected by Chobham armour. This armor was first used on the American M1 Abrams tank. It offered strong protection against different types of shells. Because of Chobham armor, the tank's body could use more light aluminum alloy. This helped keep the tank's weight down. A lighter tank is easier to move and transport.

The tank also had full NBC defenses. This means it could protect the crew from chemical, biological, and nuclear threats. This was becoming common on military vehicles in the late 1970s. It included special sensors and shielding. An advanced electronic warfare system was also planned. This system would help protect against threats like rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and anti-tank guided missiles.

To hide the tank from heat sensors, its engine exhaust gases were mixed with cool air. This made the tank harder to detect. The tank also had two six-barrel smoke grenade launchers on its turret. These could create a smoke screen to hide the tank.

Tank Movement

The MBT-80 was designed to travel farther, move better, and be faster than older tanks. Two engine options were considered. One was the Honeywell AGT1500 gas turbine engine, used by the US XM1 Abrams tank. The other was a modified turbocharged Rolls-Royce CV12 diesel engine. Both produced 1,500 horsepower. The CV12 diesel engine was chosen. It was picked because the gas turbine engine would need too many changes to the tank. Also, the diesel engine used less fuel.

Tank Sensors

The MBT-80 would have had advanced sensors:

A special sight for the tank commander. It could magnify images up to 10 times.
PANTILI (Panoramic, Thermal Imager, Laser Integrated Sight). This was a 360-degree rotating thermal camera. It had a laser rangefinder. Both the commander and gunner could use it.
A stabilized gunner's sight with a laser rangefinder. It had different magnification levels. A backup telescope was also included.
A thermal camera for the driver.
STAMPLAR (Sight, Thermal, Armoured, Periscope, LAser Rangefinder). This was part of the fire control system.
A roof-mounted infrared detector. This was part of the NBC defense system. It could detect chemical agents and radioactive fallout.

Different MBT-80 Versions

Plans for the MBT-80 included other vehicles based on its design. These were a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, a bridge-laying vehicle, and a recovery vehicle. However, none of these ideas went past the planning stage. The program was stopped before they could be built.

Why the MBT-80 Was Cancelled

After the Iranian Revolution, Iran cancelled all weapon orders from the UK. This included orders for Shir 2 tanks. The British defense industry relied heavily on these orders. This forced the government to cut jobs at ROF Leeds, a tank factory. The government wanted to keep the factory's skills for future tanks. But the MBT-80 would not be ready for production until the mid-1980s, even if development was sped up.

Also, there were growing worries about Soviet tank technology. New designs like the T-80 were expected to make existing British tanks old very quickly. So, the entire MBT-80 program was cancelled. Instead, the Challenger 1 tank was chosen. The Challenger was developed from the Shir 2 tank. It was expected to be ready by 1983 to replace the Chieftain tanks.

When the Challenger was officially adopted, it was sometimes called the MBT-85. However, some research from the MBT-80 program continued. This helped develop advanced technology for the next generation of British tanks. A new program, MBT-95, was launched in late 1982. But the MBT-95 was later replaced by the Challenger 2 program in 1987. This was partly due to money issues and partly because the first Challenger tanks did not perform well in early tests. This showed an urgent need for a new tank. The Challenger 2 was not officially chosen until late 1991. By then, the Challenger 1's problems were fixed, and it had performed very well in the Gulf War.

The MBT-80 was planned to be finished by 1987 and produced by 1989. By 1989, the Challenger tank, even after years of production, was still not fully ready for action.

Surviving MBT-80 Test Vehicles

Two test rigs were built to test the MBT-80's systems. The first, Automotive Test Rig 1 (ATR1), had a body from Shir 2 prototypes. It had removable armor blocks and a fake gun. It could also move on its own. ATR1 is now owned by a private collector but is in poor condition.

The second rig, ATR2, was built to test welding aluminum and steel tank bodies. This was to make the tank lighter. It also had a different turret design from ATR1. It had advanced sights that were very modern at the time. ATR2 is now on display at the Bovington Tank Museum in Dorset.