AMX-13

Light Tank (LT)

France | 1952

"The French-originated AMX-13 Light tank was in development shortly after World War 2 drew to a close."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/16/2023 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

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The AMX-13 Light Tank was designed to a new post-World War 2 French Army requirement. In the post-war years, France was rebuilding from years of German occupation and war and eventually restocked her inventory through Allied donations, captured German equipment and pre-war supplies. Design on a new light tank commenced in 1946 and was handled by the concern of Atelier de Construciton d'Issy-les-Moulineaux. The result was a conventional tracked armored vehicle mounting a unique "oscillating" turret assembly which, after trials, was adopted by the French Army as the "AMX-13". Production was handled by Atelier de Construction Roanne to which some 7,700 units were completed from the span of 1952 to 1987. Beyond the 4,300 units produced for the French Army, a further 3,400 examples were exported to French allies worldwide.

As can be expected, the AMX-13 was highly influenced by World War 2 armored warfare doctrine. She was designed around a traditional "track-and-wheel" system allotted five double-tired road wheels per track side, a front-mounted drive sprocket and a rear-mounted track idler. Power was derived from a SOFAM Model 8Gxb 8-cylinder water-cooled gasoline-fueled engine developing 250 horsepower. Capabilities included a top speed of 37 miles per hour and an operational road range of 250 miles while the hull was suspended on a torsion bar system which provided the needed cross country mobility. The vehicle was crewed by three personnel made up of the driver (seated in front hull) as well as the commander and gunner (residing in the turret). An automatic loader negated use of a fourth dedicated crewman and thusly allowed for a more compact turret design. NBC protection was not afforded and night vision equipment was optional.

The unique turret was provided by GIAT (now the Nexter brand) which consisted of an upper and lower turret section assembly, the upper section hinged to operate independent of the lower. This allowed engineers the ability to mount a very heavy main armament to an otherwise lightweight chassis. In this way, the AMX-13 was granted use of a capable 75mm main gun - a weapon based on the German war time L/71 main gun as fired from the Panther Medium Tank (updated to a 90mm main gun in 1966). Internal volume was limited and thusly a noticeable overhang was given to the upper turret section for ammunition stowage. The oscillating turret became the primary design characteristic of only the AMX-13 Light Tank and Panhard EBR armored car designs frontline vehicles - the concept having never caught on in the mainstream design world concerning armored fighting vehicles.

The AMX-13 eventually emerged in many prototype forms to test the validity of various concepts. Some prototypes appeared after operational service was ongoing and these gave rise to over a dozen production variants over the life of the vehicle. Modernization programs served to keep the system capable throughout the Cold War years. Beyond the base light tank forms, the chassis of the AMX-13 also served in the development (and subsequent production) of an armored personnel carrier (AMX-VTT/AMX-VCI) , a 105mm-armed self-propelled gun (AMX-105) and a 155mm-armed self-propelled gun (AMX-155). Other notable versions included the AMX-13 PDP bridge-launcher, the AMX-D armored recover vehicle and the dual-cannon air-defense-minded AMX-DCA armed with 2 x 30mm Hispano-Suiza HS 831 series cannons. A turretless version was developed for driver training.

Operators of AMX-13 (or related products) spanned the globe beyond France and went on to include Argentina, Indonesia, Mexico, Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland and Venezuela. The French began to retire the AMX-13 series in the 1970s but its reach endured beyond that. Israeli types were used in anger during the 1967 Six Day War though its original 75mm main gun proved ineffective against Egyptian and Syrian Soviet tanks. Some of the Israeli stock managed to find its way to Singapore which enjoyed operation of some 350 examples which, though modernized, are being phased out as of this writing (2012).

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one land system design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the AMX-13 Light Tank (LT).

1 x SOFAM Model 8Gxb 8-cylinder water-cooled gasoline engine developing 250 horsepower at 3,200rpm.
Installed Power

37 mph
60 kph
Road Speed

233 miles
375 km
Range

Structure
The physical qualities of the AMX-13 Light Tank (LT).

3
(MANNED)
Crew

20.9 ft
6.36 meters
O/A Length

8.2 ft
2.51 meters
O/A Width

7.5 ft
2.3 meters
O/A Height

33,069 lb
15,000 kg | 16.5 tons
Weight

Armament & Ammunition
Available supported armament, ammunition, and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the AMX-13 Light Tank (LT).

EARLY:
1 x 75mm main gun.
1 x 7.62mm coaxial machine gun.
1 x 7.62mm AA machine gun (optional) on turret roof.
4 x smoke grenade dischargers.

LATE:
1 x 90mm main gun.
1 x 7.62mm coaxial machine gun.
1 x 7.62mm AA machine gun (optional) on turret roof.
4 x Smoke grenade dischargers.

AMMUNITION:
32 x 90mm projectiles.
3,600 x 7.62mm ammunition.
4 x Smoke grenades.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
Nightvision - OPTIONAL.
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Protection (CBRN) - NONE.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the AMX-13 family line.

Char AMX-13 (2) - Prototype vehicles from 2A to 2F with varying running gear configurations.

AMX-13 - Base Series Designation

AMX-13/75 Modele 51 - Fitted with high-velocity 75mm main gun.

AMX-13 T75 - Armed with SS.11 anti-tank guided missiles.

AMX-13 T75 avec TCA - T75 model upgraded with electronic guidance package.

AMX-13/90 Modele 52 (AMX-90) - Fitting 90mm main gun in FL-10 series turret; appearing in 1966.

AMX-13/105 Modele 58 (AMX-105) - Self-Propelled Gun variant; armed with 105mm main gun.

AMX-13/105 - Upgraded export model of Modele 58 SPG.

AMX-13 Modele 87 - Modernized variant; appearing in 1987.

AMX-DCA - Self-Propelled Air Defense platform fitted with 2 x 30mm autocannons.

AMX-13 (Trainer) - Turretless variant for driver training.

AMX-13 Modele 55 (AMX-D) - Armored Recovery Vehicle; appearing in 1955.

AMX-13 PDP Modele 51 - Bridgelayer

Leichter Panzer 51 - Swiss Army Designation

AMX-13 (LAR-160) - Venezuelan MLRS variant; AMX-13 chassis mated to Israeli 160mm rocket launcher assembly.

AMX-13M51 "Rafaga" - Venezuelan Army air defense variant.

AMX-VTT - Armored Personnel Carrier Variant

AMX-VCI - Armored Personnel Carrier Variant

AMX-155 - 155mm-armed self-propelled gun variant

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the AMX-13. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national land systems listing.

Total Production: 7,700 Units
Contractor(s): GIAT Industries - France

[ Algeria; Argentina; Austria; Belgium; Cambodia; Chile; Cyprus; Dominican Republic; Djibouti; Ecuador; Egypt; El Salvador; France; Guatemala; India; Indonesia; Israel; Ivory Coast; Kuwait; Lebanon; Mexico; Morocco; Nepal; Netherlands; Peru; Singapore; Switzerland; Tunisia; Venezuela ]

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Design Qualities
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to battlefield requirements.

ANTI-AIRCRAFT

ANTI-TANK/ARMOR

FIRE SUPPORT / ASSAULT / BREACHING

INFANTRY SUPPORT

TANK-vs-TANK

RECONNAISSANCE

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars

Going Further...
The AMX-13 Light Tank (LT) appears in the following collections:

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