MBT-70

MBT-70
A model of the United States MBT-70 design
Type	Main battle tank
Place of origin	United States West Germany
Production history
Number built	14 (prototypes and pilots)
Specifications
Weight	50.4 tonnes (49.6 long tons; 55.6 short tons)
Length	9.1 metres (29 ft 10 in)
Width	3.51 metres (11 ft 6 in)
Height	1.99 to 2.59 m (6 ft 6 in to 8 ft 6 in)
Crew	3
Armor	Spaced armour
Main armament	152 mm XM150E5
Secondary armament	20 mm RH202 autocannon 7.62 mm M73 or MG-3 machine gun (coaxial)
Engine	1,500 horsepower (1,100 kW).
Transmission	Renk HSWL354
Suspension	Hydropneumatic
Fuel capacity	1300 litres (343 gallons)
Operational range	644 km (400 miles)
Speed	69 km/h (43 mph)

The MBT-70 (German: KPz 70) was a 1960s German-U.S. joint project to develop a new main battle tank, which was to be equipped with a number of advanced features. It utilized a newly developed hydropneumatic "kneeling" suspension and housed the entire crew in the large turret. The MBT-70 was armed with a 152mm XM150 gun/launcher, which could use conventional ammunition and the Shillelagh missile for long range combat.

By 1969 the project was well over budget and Germany withdrew from the effort. They developed a new main battle tank on their own, the Leopard 2. In the US, MBT-70 development continued for a short time, until 1971 when Congress cancelled the program. They began development of a less expensive design, which became the M1 Abrams. Although the MBT-70 failed to enter service, the Leopard 2 and M1 are the current main battle tanks of both countries.

In the early 1960s the German Leopard 1 and the US M60 were the newest main battle tanks in their respective country's service. While designed to counter the T-54/55 tanks, it became clear that the next generation of Soviet tanks would have increased firepower and protection, and both designs would be placed at a disadvantage by the new smoothbore gun in the T-62. An upgrade project for the Leopard was planned, but it appeared this model would not be enough of an advance to be worthwhile.

In order to develop a vehicle that would meet the standards of both armies, Germany and the United States drafted a memorandum of understanding that specified certain desired characteristics and organized a Joint Engineering Agency and a Join Design Team with equal representation from both countries. Despite these measures, conflicts between the differing engineering practices of each country plagued the MBT-70 project throughout its development. Arguments arose over almost every part of the design: the gun, the engine, and the use of both metric and SAE units in the separately-manufactured components of the tank. While this last dispute was settled by an agreement to use a common metric standard in all interface connections, the resulting complexity contributed to delays in the development schedule and the ultimately inflated budget of the project.