Post by simon darkshade on Oct 24, 2020 4:19:39 GMT
A bit of a 1966/67 update on the Tanks of the World:
USA
The USA has the M60 MBT in full scale production, having replaced the M48 in Regular Army and National Guard service. Further production will allow for the fielding of variants including armoured recovery vehicles, combat engineering tanks, bridge layers, anti-aircraft tanks, assault guns and missile launchers, as well as the most competitive export programme in the Free World - the British and French cannot afford to sell Chieftains and AMX-30s at the same price. Possible buyers will be Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the big South American nations, Persia, the Arab Union and various European states; there are even some proposals for effectively killing off independent tank production in some European countries. Thailand, South Vietnam and the Philippines will be the beneficiaries of very cheap M48s.
The M64 Lejeune is an amphibious tank based on the M60 designed for the USMC that is somewhat contentious among US military circles as an unnecessary luxury/duplication of capabilities.
The M96 Custer is a light tank for reconnaissance and rapid deployment. It is based on the historical T92, but weighs 24t, is armed with a high velocity 90mm gun, is a powerful lightweight engine of 600hp to a top speed of 58mph and is protected by composite armour. This has driven up the cost somewhat.
Under development is the M70 Marshall MBT, which is progressing steadily towards production in 1968. It is currently armed with an upgraded 125mm gun, but there are options for a larger weapon.
1960: 4022 (642 M96 Custers, 2984 M60 Pattons)
1961: 4585 (779 M96 Custers, 3806 M60 Pattons
1962: 4821 (914 M96 Custers, 3907 M60 Pattons)
1963: 5068 (963 M96 Custers, 4105 M60 Pattons
1964: 5156 (980 M96 Custers, 4176 M60 Pattons)
1965: 5236 (1028 M96 Custers, 4032 M60 Pattons, 176 M64 Lejeunes)
1966: 5482 (1090 M96 Custers, 4152 M60 Pattons, 240 M64 Lejeunes)
USSR
The Soviets have the largest tank force in the world and the largest production rate. The majority are still the T62, which at this stage is essentially a secondline tank, but the Soviets have adopted a dual track approach for the larger, more powerful and more expensive T64 to equip tank divisions and T62s for the motor rifle divisions. The T-64 is a 50t MBT with a 125mm gun and composite armour equivalent to 24" of RHA, making it the first Soviet tank that can really compete with their Western equivalents.
The PT-85 is a lightweight amphibious and airborne tank armed, as the name implies, with a modernised 85mm gun. It is outgunned and outperformed by Western vehicles developed in reaction to it, but has the advantage of numbers. The T-68 heavy tank is an exceptionally powerful vehicle. It is just on 60 tons, has a 130mm main gun, a secondary armament of a 23mm autocannon and two 14.5mm heavy machine guns, and is protected composite armour equivalent to 28" of RHA against HEAT. It is designed to replace the IS-10/T-10, but is already proving expensive and is slower than all MBTs in service.
1960: 6511 (5244 T-62, 1267 PT-85)
1961: 7000 (4891 T-62, 1024 T-64, 1085 PT-85)
1962: 7150 (4777 T-62, 1450 T-64, 923 PT-85)
1963: 6927 (4410 T-62, 1529 T-64, 988 PT-85)
1964: 7563 (4625 T-62, 2056 T-64, 882 PT-85)
1965: 8690 (3972 T-62, 3247 T-64, 903 PT-85, 563 T-68)
1966: 8416 (3026 T-62, 3435 T-64, 1062 PT-85, 893 T-68)
Britain
Britain has one of the largest tank forces currently in service and the majority of its MBT production in the 1960s has been devoted to the Chieftain. As a result, it has now replaced the Centurion completely in active service and will do so in remaining Territorial Army units by 1968. Subsequent production will be dedicated to sales in Europe, with the Commonwealth Dominions focusing their tank production on their own pool of needs and those of India; this is considered as beneficial to Australia, Canada and South Africa.
In turn, this has left the British Empire with thousands of surplus Centurions which are being directed towards friendly regimes and newly independent governments in the Middle East and Africa. For other markets, particularly South America, the Super Centurion (a variant armed with a 120mm gun and improved armour equivalent to 14.5" of RHA) has been produced and is currently offered. New variants of the Conqueror heavy tank have been directed towards providing heavy troops for each active armoured regiment, whilst production of the Royalist light tank has been steady through the first half of the decade and the vehicle is regarded as an increasing export success.
With increasing challenges from the US and European competitors, British tank production stands at a crossroads, as many established markets are now being opened to rival producers. There is a contingency plan to continue production to build up further stockpiles of tanks for war emergency storage as well as preplaced equipment sets in Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere.
1960: 2436 (221 Royalist, 250 Super Centurion, 1982 Chieftains, 183 Conquerors)
1961: 2396 (269 Royalists, 150 Super Centurions, 1807 Chieftains, 170 Conquerors)
1962: 2475 (324 Royalists, 1865 Chieftains, 286 Conquerors)
1963: 2587 (381 Royalists, 1963 Chieftains, 243 Conquerors)
1964: 2647 (472 Royalists, 1984 Chieftains, 191 Conquerors)
1965: 2569 (326 Royalists, 2032 Chieftains, 211 Conquerors)
1966: 2536 (284 Royalists, 1910 Chieftains, 342 Conquerors)
China
Chinese tank development remains relatively secretive from the outside world, with few international export markets allowing examination of their performance and features. Additionally, the continued production of substantial numbers of superheavy tanks puts China apart from the other great powers. Chinese armoured doctrine is based around the model of large numbers rather than extremely powerful individual vehicles and the Imperial Chinese Army certainly fields one of the largest tank forces in the world.
The medium Ch’ing-Lung is now in service in very large numbers, but bears the disadvantage of lighter armour than new foreign MBTs and its 110mm main gun is increasingly outclassed by the same development. The Huang-Lung heavy tank is capable of engaging the likes of the T-62 successfully, but its slow speed is its chief handicap. As such, a new MBT is under development in China, purportedly named the Jilong, which combines several of the successful features of both designs, but little firm information is available on it at this time.
1960s Chinese Tank Production
1960: 3043 (950 Yu-Lung, 1812 Ch'ing-Lung, 238 Huang-Lung, 43 Hong-Lung)
1961: 2976 (969 Yu-Lung, 1730 Ch'ing-Lung, 210 Huang-Lung, 50 Hong-Lung)
1962: 3339 (1015 Yu-Lung, 1987 Ch'ing-Lung, 275 Huang-Lung, 62 Hong-Lung)
1963: 3547 (1028 Yu-Lung, 2163 Ch'ing-Lung, 300 Huang-Lung, 56 Hong-Lung)
1964: 3975 (1187 Yu-Lung, 2398 Ch'ing-Lung, 320 Huang-Lung, 70 Hong-Lung)
1965: 4418 (1244 Yu-Lung, 2689 Ch'ing-Lung, 400 Huang-Lung, 85 Hong-Lung)
1966: 4235 (1093 Yu-Lung, 2626 Ch'ing-Lung, 420 Huang-Lung, 96 Hong-Lung)
Germany
Germany tank development and production is now entering its second stage of postwar evolution with the removal of restrictions on export. The initial production runs of the Panther II and Tiger III have now been completed and the Heer is looking to eventually replace the current mix of the Panther II and Tiger III with a new MBT in the 1970s. In the interim, German Panther IIs are to be upgunned to a 120mm gun and fitted with enhanced armour, whilst the Tiger IIIs will continue in service in independent heavy tank brigades
In a recent development, this tank will combine development work undertaken by Germany and Austria-Hungary; the latter's Panzer 68 had become too great a financial burden for Austria to bear on its own without the prospect of offsetting costs through export. The new Austro-German tank project has been named the Leopard and only some limited design details are known at this stage: it will be armed with a 128mm smooth bore gun, weigh 64 tons and be protected by composite armour comparable to American and British tanks. Production is due to commence in 1969, with interim Panther II construction in the meantime to be utilised for increasing the operational size of Heer Panzer battalions from 64 to 72.
The US made Sheridan light tanks have been replaced in frontline service by Gepard 'light' tanks, which are 36t and armed with a 105mm gun; they are among the fastest tanks in their class in the world with a top speed of 62 mph.
1960s German Tank Production
1960: 1732 (376 Gepard, 1127 Panther II, 229 Tiger III)
1961: 1874 (350 Gepard, 1243 Panther II, 283 Tiger III)
1962: 2089 (290 Gepard, 1604 Panther II, 195 Tiger III)
1963: 2333 (248 Gepard, 1952 Panther II, 133 Tiger III)
1964: 2438 (264 Gepard, 2024 Panther II, 150 Tiger III)
1965: 2890 (395 Gepard, 2395 Panther II, 100 Tiger III)
1966: 2682 (420 Gepard, 2262 Panther II)
France
The French Army is in the process of introducing the AMX-30 main battle tank, a 56t vehicle with the standard Western 125mm gun and French composite armour equivalent to over 25" of RHA, which will replace the AMX-25 by 1970. The AMX-50 heavy tank remains out of production, but there are some developments underway to replace it with a very large tank capable of outmatching Soviet and other heavy tanks.
French tank exports have begun to rise with several potential markets in Africa and Asia, but these have predominantly been focused on the lighter AMX-13 at this point; this vehicle has been one of France's major defence export successes of the 1950s and 1960s and has been upgunned to 90mm.
1960s French Tank Production
1960: 1610 (489 AMX-13, 1121 AMX-25)
1961: 1728 (412 AMX-13, 1316 AMX-25)
1962: 1764 (362 AMX-13, 1402 AMX-25)
1963: 1892 (326 AMX-13, 560 AMX-30, 1006 AMX-25)
1964: 2029 (340 AMX-13, 1268 AMX-30, 421 AMX-25)
1965: 2378 (296 AMX-13, 2082 AMX-30)
1966: 2222 (263 AMX-13, 1959 AMX-30)
USA
The USA has the M60 MBT in full scale production, having replaced the M48 in Regular Army and National Guard service. Further production will allow for the fielding of variants including armoured recovery vehicles, combat engineering tanks, bridge layers, anti-aircraft tanks, assault guns and missile launchers, as well as the most competitive export programme in the Free World - the British and French cannot afford to sell Chieftains and AMX-30s at the same price. Possible buyers will be Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the big South American nations, Persia, the Arab Union and various European states; there are even some proposals for effectively killing off independent tank production in some European countries. Thailand, South Vietnam and the Philippines will be the beneficiaries of very cheap M48s.
The M64 Lejeune is an amphibious tank based on the M60 designed for the USMC that is somewhat contentious among US military circles as an unnecessary luxury/duplication of capabilities.
The M96 Custer is a light tank for reconnaissance and rapid deployment. It is based on the historical T92, but weighs 24t, is armed with a high velocity 90mm gun, is a powerful lightweight engine of 600hp to a top speed of 58mph and is protected by composite armour. This has driven up the cost somewhat.
Under development is the M70 Marshall MBT, which is progressing steadily towards production in 1968. It is currently armed with an upgraded 125mm gun, but there are options for a larger weapon.
1960: 4022 (642 M96 Custers, 2984 M60 Pattons)
1961: 4585 (779 M96 Custers, 3806 M60 Pattons
1962: 4821 (914 M96 Custers, 3907 M60 Pattons)
1963: 5068 (963 M96 Custers, 4105 M60 Pattons
1964: 5156 (980 M96 Custers, 4176 M60 Pattons)
1965: 5236 (1028 M96 Custers, 4032 M60 Pattons, 176 M64 Lejeunes)
1966: 5482 (1090 M96 Custers, 4152 M60 Pattons, 240 M64 Lejeunes)
USSR
The Soviets have the largest tank force in the world and the largest production rate. The majority are still the T62, which at this stage is essentially a secondline tank, but the Soviets have adopted a dual track approach for the larger, more powerful and more expensive T64 to equip tank divisions and T62s for the motor rifle divisions. The T-64 is a 50t MBT with a 125mm gun and composite armour equivalent to 24" of RHA, making it the first Soviet tank that can really compete with their Western equivalents.
The PT-85 is a lightweight amphibious and airborne tank armed, as the name implies, with a modernised 85mm gun. It is outgunned and outperformed by Western vehicles developed in reaction to it, but has the advantage of numbers. The T-68 heavy tank is an exceptionally powerful vehicle. It is just on 60 tons, has a 130mm main gun, a secondary armament of a 23mm autocannon and two 14.5mm heavy machine guns, and is protected composite armour equivalent to 28" of RHA against HEAT. It is designed to replace the IS-10/T-10, but is already proving expensive and is slower than all MBTs in service.
1960: 6511 (5244 T-62, 1267 PT-85)
1961: 7000 (4891 T-62, 1024 T-64, 1085 PT-85)
1962: 7150 (4777 T-62, 1450 T-64, 923 PT-85)
1963: 6927 (4410 T-62, 1529 T-64, 988 PT-85)
1964: 7563 (4625 T-62, 2056 T-64, 882 PT-85)
1965: 8690 (3972 T-62, 3247 T-64, 903 PT-85, 563 T-68)
1966: 8416 (3026 T-62, 3435 T-64, 1062 PT-85, 893 T-68)
Britain
Britain has one of the largest tank forces currently in service and the majority of its MBT production in the 1960s has been devoted to the Chieftain. As a result, it has now replaced the Centurion completely in active service and will do so in remaining Territorial Army units by 1968. Subsequent production will be dedicated to sales in Europe, with the Commonwealth Dominions focusing their tank production on their own pool of needs and those of India; this is considered as beneficial to Australia, Canada and South Africa.
In turn, this has left the British Empire with thousands of surplus Centurions which are being directed towards friendly regimes and newly independent governments in the Middle East and Africa. For other markets, particularly South America, the Super Centurion (a variant armed with a 120mm gun and improved armour equivalent to 14.5" of RHA) has been produced and is currently offered. New variants of the Conqueror heavy tank have been directed towards providing heavy troops for each active armoured regiment, whilst production of the Royalist light tank has been steady through the first half of the decade and the vehicle is regarded as an increasing export success.
With increasing challenges from the US and European competitors, British tank production stands at a crossroads, as many established markets are now being opened to rival producers. There is a contingency plan to continue production to build up further stockpiles of tanks for war emergency storage as well as preplaced equipment sets in Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere.
1960: 2436 (221 Royalist, 250 Super Centurion, 1982 Chieftains, 183 Conquerors)
1961: 2396 (269 Royalists, 150 Super Centurions, 1807 Chieftains, 170 Conquerors)
1962: 2475 (324 Royalists, 1865 Chieftains, 286 Conquerors)
1963: 2587 (381 Royalists, 1963 Chieftains, 243 Conquerors)
1964: 2647 (472 Royalists, 1984 Chieftains, 191 Conquerors)
1965: 2569 (326 Royalists, 2032 Chieftains, 211 Conquerors)
1966: 2536 (284 Royalists, 1910 Chieftains, 342 Conquerors)
China
Chinese tank development remains relatively secretive from the outside world, with few international export markets allowing examination of their performance and features. Additionally, the continued production of substantial numbers of superheavy tanks puts China apart from the other great powers. Chinese armoured doctrine is based around the model of large numbers rather than extremely powerful individual vehicles and the Imperial Chinese Army certainly fields one of the largest tank forces in the world.
The medium Ch’ing-Lung is now in service in very large numbers, but bears the disadvantage of lighter armour than new foreign MBTs and its 110mm main gun is increasingly outclassed by the same development. The Huang-Lung heavy tank is capable of engaging the likes of the T-62 successfully, but its slow speed is its chief handicap. As such, a new MBT is under development in China, purportedly named the Jilong, which combines several of the successful features of both designs, but little firm information is available on it at this time.
1960s Chinese Tank Production
1960: 3043 (950 Yu-Lung, 1812 Ch'ing-Lung, 238 Huang-Lung, 43 Hong-Lung)
1961: 2976 (969 Yu-Lung, 1730 Ch'ing-Lung, 210 Huang-Lung, 50 Hong-Lung)
1962: 3339 (1015 Yu-Lung, 1987 Ch'ing-Lung, 275 Huang-Lung, 62 Hong-Lung)
1963: 3547 (1028 Yu-Lung, 2163 Ch'ing-Lung, 300 Huang-Lung, 56 Hong-Lung)
1964: 3975 (1187 Yu-Lung, 2398 Ch'ing-Lung, 320 Huang-Lung, 70 Hong-Lung)
1965: 4418 (1244 Yu-Lung, 2689 Ch'ing-Lung, 400 Huang-Lung, 85 Hong-Lung)
1966: 4235 (1093 Yu-Lung, 2626 Ch'ing-Lung, 420 Huang-Lung, 96 Hong-Lung)
Germany
Germany tank development and production is now entering its second stage of postwar evolution with the removal of restrictions on export. The initial production runs of the Panther II and Tiger III have now been completed and the Heer is looking to eventually replace the current mix of the Panther II and Tiger III with a new MBT in the 1970s. In the interim, German Panther IIs are to be upgunned to a 120mm gun and fitted with enhanced armour, whilst the Tiger IIIs will continue in service in independent heavy tank brigades
In a recent development, this tank will combine development work undertaken by Germany and Austria-Hungary; the latter's Panzer 68 had become too great a financial burden for Austria to bear on its own without the prospect of offsetting costs through export. The new Austro-German tank project has been named the Leopard and only some limited design details are known at this stage: it will be armed with a 128mm smooth bore gun, weigh 64 tons and be protected by composite armour comparable to American and British tanks. Production is due to commence in 1969, with interim Panther II construction in the meantime to be utilised for increasing the operational size of Heer Panzer battalions from 64 to 72.
The US made Sheridan light tanks have been replaced in frontline service by Gepard 'light' tanks, which are 36t and armed with a 105mm gun; they are among the fastest tanks in their class in the world with a top speed of 62 mph.
1960s German Tank Production
1960: 1732 (376 Gepard, 1127 Panther II, 229 Tiger III)
1961: 1874 (350 Gepard, 1243 Panther II, 283 Tiger III)
1962: 2089 (290 Gepard, 1604 Panther II, 195 Tiger III)
1963: 2333 (248 Gepard, 1952 Panther II, 133 Tiger III)
1964: 2438 (264 Gepard, 2024 Panther II, 150 Tiger III)
1965: 2890 (395 Gepard, 2395 Panther II, 100 Tiger III)
1966: 2682 (420 Gepard, 2262 Panther II)
France
The French Army is in the process of introducing the AMX-30 main battle tank, a 56t vehicle with the standard Western 125mm gun and French composite armour equivalent to over 25" of RHA, which will replace the AMX-25 by 1970. The AMX-50 heavy tank remains out of production, but there are some developments underway to replace it with a very large tank capable of outmatching Soviet and other heavy tanks.
French tank exports have begun to rise with several potential markets in Africa and Asia, but these have predominantly been focused on the lighter AMX-13 at this point; this vehicle has been one of France's major defence export successes of the 1950s and 1960s and has been upgunned to 90mm.
1960s French Tank Production
1960: 1610 (489 AMX-13, 1121 AMX-25)
1961: 1728 (412 AMX-13, 1316 AMX-25)
1962: 1764 (362 AMX-13, 1402 AMX-25)
1963: 1892 (326 AMX-13, 560 AMX-30, 1006 AMX-25)
1964: 2029 (340 AMX-13, 1268 AMX-30, 421 AMX-25)
1965: 2378 (296 AMX-13, 2082 AMX-30)
1966: 2222 (263 AMX-13, 1959 AMX-30)
