The AMX-30 is perhaps the most successful post-war French armoured vehicle design, a main battle tank designed by GIAT Industries with a focus on good firepower and superior mobility and first delivered to the French Army in 1966. In addition, it was designed to be able to operate with minimal support services. The downside of the design was the limited armour protection, unable to protect the tank against contemporary main battle tank weapons of NATO or the Warsaw Pact.

Design features included a fully sealed hull, allowing operations in nuclear, chemical, and biological contamination areas. The tank is also capable of fording water up to 2 m in depth. The armour is made of rolled plates and castings, completely welded. The turret is entirely cast and highly shaped for maximum protection.

History

The AMX design was the result of French specifications for a new main battle tank to replace ageing American tanks in French service since the end of World War II. Like the Germans during the same period, the French subscribed to the theory that even the heaviest armour would prove unable to keep up with rapid development of anti-tank weaponry, and that the best way to protect tanks within a reasonable design was to enhance their manoeuverability. Thus the design solution was a tank with less heavy armour, but greater speed and an accurate powerful weapon that would allow quick destruction of the enemy.

An additional design requirement, as with most French military designs, was for the design to be able to attract wide export markets, as French weapon design relied heavily on foreign sales for financing. The AMX-30 was successful in this regard, being widely exported in many versions.

France used the AMX-30B2 during the first Gulf War in 1991, where it equipped the 6th Light Armored Division. The tanks' performance was regarded as excellent.

The design has been supplanted in France by the Leclerc, but is still in world-wide use. In addition to the more than 2,000 tanks produced, more than 1,000 chassis were used as the basis for a range of self-propelled artillery and other derivatives.

Known Users:

• Bosnia
• Chile (19 AMX-30s)
• Croatia (42 AMX-30s)
• Cyprus (102 AMX-30B2s)
• France (387 AMX-30s & 659 AMX-30B2s)
• Greece (102 AMX-30B2s)
• Israel
• Qatar (24 AMX-30Ss)
• Saudi Arabia (290 AMX-30Ss & AMX-30SAs)
• Spain (210 AMX-30s)
• United Arab Emirates (64 AMX-30s)
• Venezuela (AMX-30V model, the most advanced variation, modernized in 1989) (81 AMX-30Vs)

Derivatives

• AMX 30 D: repair tank
• AMX 30 AuF1: 155 mm autonomous artillery
• AMX 30 EBG: armoured engineering
• AMX 30 ROLAND: Roland ground-air missile system
• AMX 30 PLUTON: Pluton tactical nuclear missile
• AMX 30 B2: Improved version with new onboard computers
• AMX 30 EBD: armoured minesweeper
• AMX 30 BRENUS: Improved version with reactive armour
• AMX 30 FORAD: Cosmetically modified version, to play the role of foreign tanks during exercises.
• AMX 32: Export version with heavier armour, but far less manoeuvability.

Image:Amx30 proto 09.jpg|Prototype Image:Amx30 fz 041.jpg|View of the turret system Image:Amx30 064 valmy.jpg|amphibious capabilities Image:Roland 009.jpg|Roland ground-air missile system Image:Amx30 pluton.jpg|AMX-30 Pluton tactical nuclear missile Image:Auf1 041.jpg|155 mm autonomous artillery Image:Hirlimann-Chassi-amx30.jpeg|AMX-30 Hull (AuF1 under repairs)

French tanks | Main battle tanks | Cold War tanks

AMX-30 | ΑΜΧ-30 | Char AMX-30 | AMX-30 (戦車) | AMX-30 | AMX-30 | AMX-30

External links

• AMX 30 at Army-Guide.com