Vickers MBT Mark 7
| Vickers MBT Mk. 7 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Main battle tank |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom/West Germany |
| Production history | |
| No. built | 1 prototype |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 54.6 t |
| Length | 7.722 m (25 ft 4.0 in) hull 10.95 m (35 ft 11 in) with gun forward |
| Width | 3.42 m (11 ft 3 in) |
| Height | 2.54 m (8 ft 4.00 in) |
| Crew | 4 (commander, gunner, loader and driver) |
| Armour | Chobham |
Main armament | 120 mm L11 rifled gun |
Secondary armament | McDonnell-Douglas Helicopter Co 7.62 mm EX-34 chain gun |
| Engine | MTU MB 873 Ka-501 1,500 hp (1,100 kW) at 2,600 rpm |
| Power/weight | 27 hp/t |
| Transmission | Renk HSWL 354 |
| Suspension | torsion bar |
| Ground clearance | 50 cm |
| Fuel capacity | 1,160 litres (255 imperial gallons; 306 US gallons) |
Operational range | 550 km (340 mi) |
| Maximum speed | 72 km/h (45 mph) |
The Vickers Main Battle Tank Mark 7 was a main battle tank developed on the basis of a joint venture between Vickers Defence Systems in the United Kingdom and Krauss-Maffei of Germany. It combined the Leopard 2 chassis with the Universal Turret previously developed for the Vickers Valiant main battle tank. The Vickers Mk. 7 was a key milestone in the development of the Challenger 2 as many of the features developed and successfully demonstrated in the turret of the Vickers Mk. 7 were later incorporated into the Challenger 2.