From the AMX 13 to the Leclerc - French Cold War Tanks
From the AMX 13 to the Leclerc - French Cold...

From the AMX 13 to the Leclerc - French Cold War Tanks

L20210149
Out of stock
€28.34

Built on the development of several war machines that shaped their era, the Ateliers de Construction d'Issy-les-Moulineaux were one of the crown jewels of the French defence industry. It was on them that the French Army would notably rely, in the aftermath of the Second World War, to embark on an ambitious rearmament programme.


 

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This led to the development of the AMX 13 light tank, which would achieve remarkable success both at home and on the export market, thanks to its low cost, mobility and high-velocity 75 mm gun.

But the growing strength of the Warsaw Pact made it necessary to develop a Main Battle Tank capable of countering the Soviet T-54/55s that "threatened" to sweep across Western Europe. Fast and boasting excellent firepower thanks to its 105 mm gun, the AMX 30 tank became one of the symbols of the renewal of the French armed forces.

Yet during the Cold War, those armed forces found themselves locked in an arms race that would give birth to the Leclerc tank, which its designers claimed could theoretically engage, in one minute, seven moving targets at 3,000 metres with its 120 mm gun while travelling cross-country at 50 km/h — a vehicle capable of standing up to waves of T-72s and T-80s.

France also has extensive experience in the field of wheeled combat vehicles, one of the most notable being the AMX 10RC wheeled tank armed with a 105 mm gun, which demonstrated its capabilities during Operation "Daguet" in 1991.

Cover
Paperback
Language
French

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