The Australian Experimental light tank (AELT, and also known as "Chassis 160") was a prototype light tank built by Australia during World War II, using a local pattern carrier hull.
It was one of two indigenously developed tank designs, the other being the cruiser Sentinel tank.
While the LP1 Chassis 160 was only developed as a light tank prototype, the Sentinel and Thunderbolt were put into production. None of the two Australian developed tanks saw combat.
Australia in 1941 saw the need to produce its own military vehicles, as their normal source, the United Kingdom, could not spare the vehicles because of their own war effort needs. This saw Australia produce a number of armoured cars, and both a light tank and several cruiser tanks. The first effort to create a tank in Australia was the assembly of a light tank, in 1941.
A total of 160 Carrier, MG (Aust) No.1 or LP1, based on the Universal Carrier, were built with the last two, chassis number 159 and 160, being experimental vehicles for developing the LP2 carriers. Number 160 being formally identified as "MG Carrier LP1 Track Displacement-Closed Front". [1]
Chassis 160 was subsequently rebuilt into a light tank with new suspension and a rudimentary cylindrical turret on top of the body for testing. The tank as constructed, however, was found to be completely unmanoeuvrable and a total failure. [2] The project was promptly terminated. [3]
Plans were drawn up for the AELT to be armed with a 2 pounder gun, a 6 pounder gun, and later, when it was started to be produced in Australia, the 25 pounder gun-howitzer [4] [ unreliable source? ] much like the AC3 Thunderbolt. The tank would have been able to achieve a speed of about 48 km/h. [4] The tank was of welded construction, with the envisaged turret of a similar polygonal shape to the Crusader tank and the Rhino Heavy Armoured Car.[ citation needed ] Like the Rhino, the armour thickness was 30mm.[ citation needed ] Little else is known about the tank.
With increased tank production overseas Australia was able to get access to US-built tanks, and British Matilda II tanks became available after being replaced in British service by later tanks, such as the Churchill.
Visually, the light tank is based on local pattern carrier components, [5] with four wheels per side individually sprung on a Watt's linkage. The upper hull and cylindrical turret are of indigenous design.
There is only one example of the Australian experimental light tank. It was previously on display at The Melbourne Tank Museum, owned by John Belfield. The Museum was closed down in 2006 and the contents were sold off, the tank was for sold for $6215. [6] It is now located at the Puckapunyal Military Museum.[ citation needed ]
An armoured fighting vehicle or armored fighting vehicle (AFV) is an armed combat vehicle protected by armour, generally combining operational mobility with offensive and defensive capabilities. AFVs can be wheeled or tracked. Examples of AFVs are tanks, armoured cars, assault guns, self-propelled artilleries, infantry fighting vehicles (IFV), and armoured personnel carriers (APC).
A tank destroyer, tank hunter or tank killer is a type of armoured fighting vehicle, predominantly intended for anti-tank duties. They are typically armed with a direct fire artillery gun, also known as a self-propelled anti-tank gun, or missile launcher, also called an anti-tank missile carrier. The vehicles are designed specifically to engage and destroy enemy tanks, often with limited operational capacities.
The Infantry Tank Mark II, best known as the Matilda, is a British infantry tank of the Second World War.
The M3 Lee, officially Medium Tank, M3, was an American medium tank used during World War II. The turret was produced in two forms, one for US needs and one modified to British requirements to place the radio next to the commander. In British Commonwealth service, the tank was called by two names: tanks employing US pattern turrets were called "Lee", named after Confederate general Robert E. Lee, while those with British pattern turrets were known as "Grant", named after Union general Ulysses S. Grant.
The Centurion was the primary British Army main battle tank of the post-World War II period. Introduced in 1945, it is widely considered to be one of the most successful post-war tank designs, remaining in production into the 1960s, and seeing combat into the 1980s. The chassis was adapted for several other roles, and these variants have remained in service. It was a very popular tank with good armour, mobility, and a powerful main armament.
The AC1 Sentinel was a cruiser tank designed in Australia in World War II in response to the war in Europe, and to the threat of Japan expanding the war to the Pacific or even a feared Japanese invasion of Australia. It was the first tank to be built with a hull cast as a single piece, and the only tank to be produced in quantity in Australia. The few Sentinels that were built never saw action as Australia's armoured divisions had been equipped by that time with British and American tanks.
Crusader, in full "Tank, Cruiser Mk VI, Crusader", also known by its General Staff number A.15, was one of the primary British cruiser tanks during the early part of the Second World War. Over 5,000 tanks were manufactured and they made important contributions to the British victories during the North African campaign. The Crusader tank would not see active service beyond Africa but the chassis of the tank was modified to create anti-aircraft, fire support, observation, communication, bulldozer and recovery vehicle variants.
The Self Propelled 17pdr, Valentine, Mk I, Archer was a British tank destroyer of the Second World War based on the Valentine infantry tank chassis fitted with an Ordnance QF 17 pounder gun. Designed and manufactured by Vickers-Armstrongs, 655 were produced between March 1943 and May 1945. It was used in north-west Europe and Italy during the war; post-war, it served with the Egyptian Army. This vehicle was unusual in that its gun faced the rear of the chassis instead of the front.
The Universal Carrier, also known as the Bren Gun Carrier and sometimes simply the Bren Carrier from the light machine gun armament, is a common name describing a family of light armoured tracked vehicles built by Vickers-Armstrongs and other companies.
The Tank, Cruiser, Ram was a cruiser tank designed and built by Canada in the Second World War, based on the U.S. M3 Medium tank chassis. Due to standardization on the American Sherman tank for frontline units, it was used exclusively for training purposes and was never used in combat as a gun tank. The chassis was used for several other combat roles however, such as a flamethrower tank, observation post and armoured personnel carrier.
The Vickers Medium Mark II was a British tank built by Vickers in the Inter-war period.
Armoured Carrier, Wheeled, Indian Pattern (ACV-IP), known also as Indian Pattern Carrier or other similar names, was an armoured car produced in India during the Second World War. It was typically armed with a Bren light machine gun. Those produced by Tata Locomotives were called "Tatanagars" after the location of the works. 4,655 were produced, used by Indian units in the Far East and Mediterranean and Middle East Theatre, typically in divisional reconnaissance regiments.
Car, Armoured, Heavy (Aust), also known as Rhino, was an armoured car designed in Australia during the Second World War. Due to enemy action and design problems the project never got beyond a prototype stage.
This article lists British armoured fighting vehicle production during the Second World War. The United Kingdom produced 27,528 tanks and self-propelled guns from July 1939 to May 1945, as well as 26,191 armoured cars and 69,071 armoured personnel carriers.
The British Army made extensive use of a variety of combat vehicles during the Second World War. This article is a summary of those vehicles.
FV 4401 Contentious was a prototype British air-portable tank destroyer of the early 1960s. At least one prototype was constructed and tested, although no production vehicles were built or saw service.
This article on military tanks deals with the history and development of tanks of the British Army from their first use in the First World War, the interwar period, during the Second World War, the Cold War and modern era.
AC3 Thunderbolt (Australian Cruiser III) was a cruiser tank designed and built in Australia in World War II as the successor to the AC1 Sentinel. Like the Sentinel the AC3 featured a one piece cast hull and turret. The AC3 featured a much improved design over the AC1 with better armour protection, a more powerful engine, and most importantly increased firepower.