MBT-70

[SGTGunn]

Hi,

Does anyone know if there is any reliable data on the level of armor protection (thickness/slope) planned for the production version of the MBT-70 available online? I haven't been able to find anything.

Thanks,

Adrian

[Mobhack]

as only a few prototypes got built - It may not have gotten out of the mild steel prototype stage?.

Only articles I could find on it mention no thicknesses, but that it was to be layered armour (saw a mention of 2 layers so probably a simple spaced armour ?), but not of the Chobham type. That came later on the XM-1 that replaced it.

Andy

[MarkSheppard]

I really don't know, but if you give me time, I could go down to aberdeen, and try to measure the MBT-70 itself, and look at my books.

This is from Hunnicutts' Abrams:

MBT-70 US Pilot
3 man crew
114,000 lbs weight combat

152mm Gun with 6 RPM Loader
48 rounds of 152mm
750 rounds of 20mm
6000 rounds of 7.62mm
40 MPH sustained speed on level road

ARMOR
Turret: Cast homogeneous armor steel inner shell overlaid with spaced high
hardness homogeneous rolled armor steel, welded assembly

Hull: Welded assembly of rolled homogeneous armor steel plate with some armor steel
castings and aluminum armor

[SGTGunn]

Thanks for the info!

No need to bother on the measurments, but thanks for offering. I'm not sure it would do much could in any case, as the only MBT-70's built we're mild steel prototypes.

Adrian

[MarkSheppard]

I started a thread on Tanknet with my analysis of the MBT-70 protection; you can see it HERE

Very Early Calculations (may be disproved by Tanknetters)


This calculated gives us the following statistics:

Frontal Hull Protection: 253mm KE, 312mm HEAT
Side Hull Protection: 100mm KE/HEAT

Gun Mantlet Protection: 449mm KE/HEAT
Side Turret Protection: 194mm KE, 227mm HEAT
Rear Turret Protection: 63.36mm KE/HEAT

[Mustang]

Is it just me, or does that seem to be pretty low? From what I understand, the MBT-70 was supposed to be a very heavy and very big tank. I've looked before but no source gives you a straight answer. Why is that they still haven't released the armor figures? It has to be declassified by now.

[Sewter]

Hello, here is a nice website. It has pictures of the German prototype, as well as some interesting facts. The US prototype appears to incorporate the 152mm gun/launcher, which was the same as the M60A2 and the M551! That would have been quite a machine.

http://www.battletanks.com/mbt70.htm

[MarkSheppard]

The US prototype appears to incorporate the 152mm gun/launcher, which was the same as the M60A2 and the M551

No, those were the short versions, the MBT-70 had a long barrelled 152mm gun.

[Sewter]

My friend, I did not mean to offend. Though the weapon was a longer barrel 152mm prototype, the fact that it was to incorporate the Shillelagh missile is still an amazing idea.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...und/mbt-70.htm

"The US prototype was equipped with a 152mm gun launcher with an auto loader. It was capable of firing AP/HE/WP rounds and the Shillelagh Missile. The main armament was to be a long-barrelled improved XM-150 variant of the XM-81 gun/launcher mounted on the M551 Sheridan and the M60a2 Patton. This was a much more reliable weapon than the earlier variant, firing Sabot, HE, and Cannister rounds in addition to the Shilelagh A/T Missile, but the earlier weapon's reputation was such that it was a lost cause from the start. It had a coax 7.62 machinegun and a 20mm AA remote control gun in a separate part of the turret. It would pop up out of twin hatches and fire at the target. The German version had a 120mm autocannon, instead of the 152mm gun launcher."

There is an interesting review on Wikipedia: Here is the link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MBT-70

and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shillelagh_missile

And for more pictures:

http://www.panzerbaer.de/types/bw_kpz_70-a.htm

[Mustang]

Did anyone tell you, by the way, that the Shillelagh had a one mile minimum range?