Tankopedia
Late Cold WarMBTMain Battle TankFrance

AMX-30

In service 1966 - 2000s

France's light, fast main battle tank, built around firepower and mobility rather than armour.

Built byAtelier de Construction Roanne

AMX-30
French AMX-30, Desert Storm — Staff Sgt. Dean Wagner, via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Development history

France concluded that no practical armour would stop modern shaped charges, so the AMX-30 was deliberately thin-skinned and light, relying on speed and its OBUS-G shaped-charge round. The coaxial 20 mm cannon could elevate against helicopters. The B2 upgrade added a laser rangefinder, thermal sights and a new gearbox; Saudi examples saw combat in the Gulf.

Variants

One canonical record, 3 recorded variants.

  1. AMX-30B

    1966

    Original production version with optical rangefinding.

  2. AMX-30B2

    1981

    Laser rangefinder, low-light sights and new automatic transmission.

  3. AMX-30 Brenus

    1993

    Add-on reactive armour package for French units.

Notable actions

  • Gulf War 1991
  • Lebanon 1980s