Vickers MBT Mk 1
In service 1965 - Into the 2000s in Indian service
A privately developed export main battle tank: the Centurion's excellent 105 mm gun in a lighter, cheaper hull, sold to India and Kuwait and built in India as the Vijayanta.
Built byVickers-Armstrongs, Elswick
Development history
Vickers designed this tank without a British Army requirement, aiming squarely at export customers who wanted the L7 gun and Centurion fire control in something cheaper and lighter. India signed first, taking a small number of British-built vehicles and then a licence to manufacture at Avadi. Kuwait bought Mk 1s too, and some were lost during the Iraqi invasion in 1990. The Leyland L60 multi-fuel engine, shared with the Chieftain, was the vehicle's weak point and the source of most complaints. Later Mk 3 versions with a new engine and improved fire control went to Kenya and Nigeria.
Variants
One canonical record, 2 recorded variants.
Mk 1
1965Original version with the L7 gun and Leyland L60 engine.
Mk 3
1977New cast turret, General Motors diesel and improved fire control; Kenya and Nigeria.
Notable actions
- Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
- Iraqi invasion of Kuwait