| Vijayanta | |
|---|---|
 Vijayanta MBT taken outside the Indian National War Memorial (Maharashtra). |
|
| Type | Main Battle Tank |
| Place of origin |  India/ United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1965-2008 |
| Used by | India |
| Wars | Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Vickers-Armstrongs |
| Produced | 1963 (Vickers Mk.I prototype) 1965-1983 (Vijayanta production) |
| Number built | 2200 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 39,000 kg (43 short tons) |
| Length | 9.788 m (32.11 ft) |
| Width | 3.168 m (10.39 ft) |
| Height | 2.711 m (8.89 ft) |
| Crew | 4 |
|
|
|
| Armour | 80 mm (3.1 in) steel (hull and turret front) |
| Primary armament |
1 x 105 mm L7A2 (44 rounds) |
| Secondary armament |
1 x 12.7 mm MG (ranging gun) (1000 rounds) 1 x 12.7 mm MG (pintle mount) (2000 rounds) 1 x 7.62 mm MG(Co-Ax) (500 rounds) |
| Engine | Leyland L60 Diesel 535 bhp (399 kW) |
| Transmission | David Brown Ltd. (formerly Self-Changing Gears Ltd.) TN12 semi-automatic gearbox |
| Suspension | Torsion bar |
| Operational range |
530 km (330 mi) |
| Speed | 50 km/h (31 mph) |
The Vijayanta (en:"Victorious"[1]) main battle tank was built in India based on a licensed design of the Vickers Mk.1. The prototype was completed in 1963 and the tank entered service in 1965. The first 90 Vehicles were built by Vickers in the UK.[2] Production continued at the Heavy Vehicles Factory in Avadi until 1983 with 2200 being built. A number of the tank hulls were converted to other uses such as self propelled guns after being withdrawn from service.[3] The Vijayanta has been supplanted by the T-72M1 in Indian service.
Variants
- Catapult SPA - Self-propelled artillery. A Russian M-46 field gun was mounted on a lengthened Vijayanta hull in an open-topped armoured box superstructure.[4]
- Kartik AVLB - Armoured vehicle-launched bridge. The same elongated hull used for the Catapult was also used to create the Kartik bridge launching vehicle. The Kartik uses a scissors style bridge of Eastern European design, and was first introduced in 1989.
- Vijayanta ARV - Armoured recovery vehicle based on the Vijayanta hull.
References
- ^ "Vijayanta MBT production (India), MBTs and medium tanks". Jane's Information Group. 2009-02-24. http://www.janes.com/articles/Janes-Armour-and-Artillery/Vijayanta-MBT-production-India.html. Retrieved 2009-08-02.
- ^ Foss, Christopher F; McKenzie, Peter (1988). The Vickers tanks From landships to Challenger. Patrick Stephens Limited. pp. 185-186. ISBN 1853601418.
- ^ Gelbart, Marsh (1996). Tanks main battle and light tanks. Brassey’s UK Ltd. pp. pp.39-40. ISBN 185753168X.
- ^ "130 mm self-propelled gun (Catapult) (India), Self-propelled guns and howitzers (tracked)". Jane's Information Group. 2008-12-12. http://www.janes.com/articles/Janes-Armour-and-Artillery/130-mm-self-propelled-gun-Catapult-India.html. Retrieved 2009-08-02.
External links
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