AMX - 30 The AMX - 30 is a main battle tank designed by GIAT , first delivered to the French Army in 1966 . The first five tanks were issued to the 501st " Régiment de Chars de Combat " ( Tank Regiment ) in August of that year . The production version of the AMX - 30 weighed , and sacrificed protection for increased mobility . The French believed that it would have required too much armour to protect against the latest anti - tank threats , thereby reducing the tank ' s maneuverability . Protection , instead , was allotted in terms of speed and the compact dimensions of the vehicle , including a height of . The tank ' s firepower was manifested through its cannon , firing an advanced high explosive anti - tank warhead known as the " Obus G " . The " Obus G " used an outer shell , separated from the main charge by ball bearings , to allow the round to be spin stabilized by the gun without affecting the warhead inside . Speed was provided by the HS - 110 diesel engine , although the troublesome transmission adversely affected the tank ' s performance . Due to the issues caused by the transmission , in 1979 the French Army began to modernize its fleet of tanks to AMX - 30B2 standards , which included a new transmission , an improved engine and the introduction of a new fin - stabilized kinetic energy penetrator , amongst other improvements . Production of the AMX - 30 also extended to a number of variants , including the AMX - 30D armored recovery vehicle , the AMX - 30R anti - aircraft gun system , a bridgelayer , the Pluton tactical nuclear missile launcher and a surface to air missile launcher . It was preceded by two prior post - war French medium tank designs , including the ARL 44 . Although the ARL 44 was an interim tank , its replacement tank , the AMX 50 , was canceled in the mid - 1950s in favor of adopting the M47 Patton tank . In 1956 the French government entered a cooperative development program with Germany and Italy in an effort to design a standardized tank . Although the three nations agreed to a series of specific characteristics that the new tank should have , and both France and Germany began work on distinctive prototypes with the intentions of testing them and combining the best of both , the program failed as Germany decided not to adopt the new French tank gun and France declared that it would postpone production until 1965 . As a result , both nations decided to adopt tanks based on their own prototypes . The German tank became known as the Leopard 1 , while the French prototype became the AMX - 30 . As early as 1969 , the AMX - 30 and variants were ordered by Greece , soon followed by Spain . In the coming years , the AMX - 30 would be exported to Saudi Arabia , Venezuela , Qatar , United Arab Emirates , Cyprus and Chile . By the end of production , 3 , 571 units of AMX - 30s and its variants had been manufactured . Both Spain and Venezuela later began extensive modernization programs to extend the life of their vehicles and to bring their tanks up to more modern standards . In the 1991 Gulf War , AMX - 30s were deployed by both the French and Qatari armies , and Qatari AMX - 30s saw action against Iraqi forces at the Battle of Khafji . However , France and most other nations replaced their AMX - 30s with more up - to - date equipment by the end of the 20th century . Background . Although the occupation of France during World War II temporarily interrupted French development of armoured fighting vehicle s , clandestine research allowed the French to quickly recover lost ground after its liberation in mid - 1944 . During the occupation , the French had secretly worked on an armour program that was in 1944 taken over by the state workshop " Atelier de Construction de Rueil " ( ARL ) , resulting in the design and production of the ARL 44 , which was produced from 1946 . The tank was powered by a Maybach HL - 230 engine , and armed with a tank gun . Although the vehicle was comparable to contemporary battle tanks in firepower and engine power , it suffered from distinct disadvantages , including an antiquated track design . While 600 were planned for production , only 60 were ultimately manufactured by 1950 . These were that year issued to the 503rd Tank Regiment , of the French Army . Given that the ARL 44 was considered only a stop - gap vehicle for the French Army ' s armoured forces since the beginning of its inception , work on a new tank had begun as early as March 1945 . Development of the new tank was offered to five separate manufacturers , including " Atelier de Construction d ' Issy - les - Moulineaux " ( AMX ) , " Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée " ( FCM ) , Renault , " Societe Lorraine de Dietrich " ( SLD - Lorraine ) and " Societé d ' Outillage Mécanique et d ' Usinage d ' Artillerie " ( SOMUA ) . The new vehicle was based on the new post - war requirement for a single battle tank . The new vehicle was designated the AMX 50 , and its hull and suspension were similar to that of the German Panther tank , which had been used by the French Army in the immediate post - war . The French government ' s specifications for the new tank were strongly influenced by both the Panther tank and the heavier Tiger I ; specifically the French Army was looking for a tank with the protection of the former and the firepower of the latter . Although the design borrowed from German tanks , including the Maybach engine , based on an earlier model , and the torsion bar sprung road wheels , the AMX 50 also included a number of unique features . For example , it included an oscillating turret , mounted on trunnions , which was a first of its kind . The oscillating turret consisted of two parts , one of which was mounted on the trunnions of the lower part , attached to the turret ring . The main gun was attached to the upper part , facilitating gun elevation and depression , as well as simplifying the fire control equipment and the installation of the automatic loading system . Of the three contractors , Renault withdrew from the program , while in early 1946 the French government selected AMX and SOMUA to continue the development . The prototypes were designated M4s , and AMX completed its prototype in 1949 , while SOMUA would not be finished until 1956 . AMX ' s first prototype was armed with a cannon , although a second prototype was fitted with a larger gun in July 1950 Although it was intended to put the AMX 50 into production as the standard medium tank of the Western European Union , financial reasons and the arrival of military aid from the United States in the form of 856 M47 Patton tanks caused the original program to be abandoned . In 1951 it was decided to turn the program into a heavy tank project with an even larger tank gun ; though three prototypes were built , this too was abandoned in 1956 , mainly due to a failure to design a powerful enough engine . With the demise of the AMX 50 program in 1951 , France temporarily officially abandoned the thought of producing a medium tank . It was expected that West Germany would soon be allowed to rearm , and the Germans had appeared to entertain the concept of equipping their forces with a host of low - cost light , but relatively powerfully armed tanks , their quantity compensating for a lack of full armament parity with the latest medium tanks . The prospect of delivering many thousands of these to the Germans induced the French to adopt the idea and plan to create light tank " Type 67 " armoured divisions , for which the AMX - 13 / 105 was specially designed . A private enterprise design aimed at fulfilling the same requirement was the somewhat larger Char Batignolles - Châtillon . A derived medium tank prototype of the latter , made in 1955 , proved that it was possible to produce a tank with a first - rate gun and frontally protected with steel equivalence within a weight constraint of . This revived interest in the medium tank concept . In 1956 the WEU defence workgroup FINBEL ( named after France , Italy , Netherlands , Belgium and Luxembourg ) , founded in 1953 and consisting of representatives of the various General Staffs , drafted a set of specifications for a new medium tank to eventually replace their American and British tanks . That same year , Germany joined the workgroup , turning it into FINABEL ( the added " A " standing for " Allemagne " , " Germany " in French ) and on 27 October 1956 at Colomb - Béchar a bilateral agreement was concluded between France and Germany to collaborate in building a tank . Though the other FINABEL nations did not formally participate , the type was called " Europa - Panzer " to indicate its common European nature , and experts from all countries were involved in the design process . The specifications ( FINABEL 3A5 ) for the new tank called for a lightweight and mobile battle tank , setting the weight limit to and compromising the ability to heavily armour the vehicle . French and German engineers , during a conference in Bonn on 12 February 1957 , defined the requirements for the future tank . This included a maximum width of , a height of and a tank gun , to be developed by the Franco - German military research institute at Saint Louis . The new tank would have an air - cooled , petrol engine , a torsion bar suspension with hydraulic shocks , a power - to - weight ratio of at least / metric ton and a road range of at least . In May , Italy joined the project , though only nominally , without any material contribution , because after the war it had no tank design bureaus . That same year , on 28 November , the French and German ministries of defence in Paris agreed upon a contract which would allow both countries to manufacture two prototypes separately . The next year however , the project suffered a first setback when Charles de Gaulle took power in France , creating the Fifth Republic : the Paris treaty had as its main point the development of a common nuclear weapon and on 17 June 1958 de Gaulle decided to refuse Germany and Italy the atomic bomb , in order not to antagonize the USA and United Kingdom ; this made Germany lose much interest in a common tank project also . The French prototypes were developed and produced by the " Atelier de Construction d ' Issy - les - Moulineaux " , under the direction of General Joseph Molinié of the " Direction des Études et Fabrications d ' Armements " ( DEFA , the later " Direction Technique des Armements Terrestres " ) and AMX head engineer Heissler , and the first prototype was completed in September 1960 and tested from February 1961 , the second , with an improved range finder and track , in July 1961 . These first vehicles had a very rounded turret , in a deliberate imitation of the Soviet T - 54 , and Sofam petrol engines . Another seven , with an improved sleeker turret cast , were manufactured between 1961 and 1963 . Work on the German prototypes was carried out by two teams , including Team A composed of Porsche , Maschinenbau Kiel and Luther & Jung . Team B was made up by Ruhrstahl , Rheinstahl - HANOMAG and Henschel . Wood mock - ups were completed in 1959 , while the first two prototypes were finished by 1961 ( completed by Team A ) . Development history . De Gaulle decided that France , though formally remaining a member , would no longer participate in the NATO military organization . This caused a rift between France and West Germany , that then started to emphasize standardization with American equipment , especially in armament , and to follow the new NATO policy to use multifuel diesel engines . German defence minister Franz Josef Strauss began to oppose the common tank project . In July 1963 the defence committee of the German Bundesrat decided to procure a purely national tank . In response the same month the French government decided likewise . Comparative trials were nevertheless held at Mailly - le - Camp , Meppen , Bourges and Satory between five French and five German prototypes between August and October 1963 , under Italian , Dutch , Belgian and American supervision . The French type had received a separate national designation : " AMX 30 " . The trials indicated that the German type , on 1 October also getting its own name " Leopard " , had a better mobility and acceleration . The French government decided that it could not procure a new tank until 1965 , while the Germans refused to adopt the Franco - German tank gun , in lieu of the British Royal Ordnance L7 , of which they had already ordered 1500 in the autumn of 1962 , their efforts to produce for the common type munition of sufficient quality in Germany by Rheinmetall having failed . Suggestions to save the project by combining the French turret with the German chassis failed . As a result , the program was canceled and the French and Germans definitely decided to adopt their two separate tanks . The prototypes of the AMX - 30 weighed , and were compact , with a width of , comparable only to the Swiss Panzer 61 , and a height of , comparable only to the Soviet T - 55 . In contrast to the AMX 50 , the AMX - 30 was issued a conventional turret , because it was found that it was more difficult to seal oscillating turrets from radioactive dust and against water when the tank was submerged . Oscillating turrets also had a large ballistic weakness in the area of the skirt and turret ring . Originally , the first two prototypes were powered by a spark ignition engine , named the SOFAM 12 GSds . Later a multi - fuel diesel engine was adopted , developed by Hispano - Suiza . The seven 1963 prototypes of the AMX - 30 were later rebuilt with the new diesel engine . Two further prototypes , meant to be direct preproduction vehicles , were delivered in November 1965 . Besides the diesel engines they had changed hull and turret casts and different gun mantlet s ; the latter would again be changed in the production vehicles . The first production versions of the AMX - 30 , named " AMX 30B " to distinguish them from the " AMX 30A " prototypes , were completed in June 1966 , manufactured with a welded and cast hull and an entirely cast turret . The production version of the tank had a combat weight of . The AMX - 30 ' s survivability was based on its mobility ; French engineers believed that the tank ' s mobility would have been compromised had they added enough steel plating to protect against modern anti - tank threats , including high explosive anti - tank warheads ( HEAT ) . As a result the type had the thinnest armour of any main battle tank produced at the time . The turret has a maximum armour thickness of , the armour sloped at 70 degrees on the front plate and 23 degrees on the side , offering protection against armour piercing projectiles . The Line - of - Sight armour values are : for the front of the hull ; for the forward sides of the hull ; for the rear sides and rear of the hull ; for the hull top and bottom ; for the turret front ; for the turret sides ; for the turret rear and for the turret top . Further protection is offered by a nuclear , biological and chemical protection suit , including a ventilation system . One of the most unique features of the AMX - 30 was the " Obus à Charge Creuse de 105 mm Modèle F1 " ( Obus G ) HEAT projectile and its main gun , the Modele F1 , a monoblock steel cannon . HEAT warheads suffer when spin stabilized , a product of rifled barrels , causing the French to develop the Obus G , ( Gresse ) . This projectile was composed of two major parts , including the outer shell and a suspended inner shell , divided by ball bearings . This allowed the projectile to be spin - stabilized , and therefore more accurate than a normal fin - stabilized HEAT - round , while the inner shell did not move , allowing the warhead to work at maximum efficiency . The warhead , containing 780 gram hexolite , could penetrate up to of steel armour and was effective against tanks at up to . As it combined a good accuracy with a penetration that was independent of range , it has been considered an " ideal round " for its day The AMX - 30 was also designed to fire the OCC F1 Mle . 60 high explosive projectile , the SCC F1 training warhead and the OFUM PH - 105 F1 smoke round . The main gun was coupled with a recoil brake , which had a maximum extension of , and could depress to - 8 degrees or elevate to 20 degrees . The turret ' s firepower was augmented by a coaxial M2 Browning machine gun . The tank commander also made use of a anti - aircraft machine gun on the turret roof . The vehicle carried 50 projectiles , 748 rounds and 2 , 050 bullets . The tank commander was issued a cupola which offered ten all - around direct - vision episcopes , and a binocular telescope with 10x magnification . The commander was also given an optical full - field coincidence range finder . The gunner was given a telescoping gun sight and two observation periscopes . The production version of the AMX - 30 was fitted with Hispano - Suiza ' s HS - 110 diesel engine , located in the rear of the hull . The engine could be replaced on the field in 45 minutes , and produced , offering the tank a maximum velocity of on roads . The fuel efficient engine , in conjunction with a total fuel capacity of , gave the AMX - 30 a maximum road range of up to . The engine ' s drive is taken through a Gravina G . H . B . 200C twin - plate centrifugal clutch . The gearbox was an AMX 5 - SD - 200D , with five forward gears and five reverse gears . This transmission was heavily influenced by that of the German Panther tank and was based on a project which had begun in 1938 . The transmission was one of the AMX - 30 ' s major faults and caused a variety of mechanical problems , including that the driver would have to manually change gears at specific times , even if the tank was moving over rough terrain . The tank ' s weight is distributed over five double , aluminum - alloy , rubber - tyred road wheels on either side , propelled on wide tracks . The tank could ford deep water obstacles without preparation , up to with minor preparation , and up to with full preparation . Full preparation for water operations consisted of the addition of a snorkel tube , the installation of blanking plates , carried on the front of the hull , over the engine compartment ' s air intake louvers , and the installment of infra - red driving equipment , including a searchlight . In 1969 a single special dive training vehicle was adapted , nicknamed the " AMX 30 Gloutte " ( from French " faire glouglou " , " gurgle " ) , without engine and tracks , that over a ramp could quickly be lowered into a reservoir by a winch ; it was equipped with an escape tube . Modernization . During the production run many improvements were implemented . These included gun stabilization from 1971 , and from 1972 replacing the original coaxial heavy machine gun by a dual purpose autocannon against light armour and helicopters , with the ability to depress to - 8 degrees and elevate to 40 degrees . All French army vehicles were eventually brought to this newer standard ; the designation remained " AMX 30B " . Beginning as early as 1973 , only seven years after the beginning of production , the French began a research program for a future modification of the tank . The project was to result in a " AMX 30 Valorisé " ( " upgraded AMX - 30 " ) . In June 1979 , the French Army decided to both build new and modernize existing AMX - 30s with an improved fire control system and a new transmission , and designated them AMX - 30B2s . The first new production vehicles were taken into service in January 1982 . Improvements to the COTAC APX M - 508 fire control system included the installation of a laser rangefinder and a low - light TV ( LLTV ) . The main gun ' s lethality was improved with the introduction of a new armour piercing fin stabilized discarding sabot ( APFSDS ) . The original engine was exchanged for an improved variant , known as the HS - 110 . 2 , producing . The poor transmission was replaced with the semi - automatic SESM ENC200 transmission , with a torque converter . The suspension was improved by adopting new torsion bars and shocks which increased the vertical deflection range of the road wheels , thereby improving the tank ' s off - road mobility . From 1998 , the French army started to replace the engines of its remaining AMX - 30 tanks and variants with 500 Renault Mack E9 750 hp engines . In the nineties , an reactive armour package , named BRENUS or Brennus , was also developed for the AMX - 30B2 , but was issued only to two tank regiments , in peacetime combined into " 1er / 2e Chasseurs " , in France ' s rapid reaction force ; the other two regiments using the AMX - 30 , " 2e / 5e Dragons " , only had their tanks adapted for a possible upgrade . The BRENUS system used 112 GIAT BS ( " Brique de Surblindage " ) G2 explosive reactive boxes with a total weight of , offering a protection equivalent to of steel at 60° . Recently , the AMX - 30 has also been used as a testbed for several stealth technologies , including air cooling of hull surfaces and the use of visual camouflage . This prototype is known as the " Démonstrateur Furtif à Chenille " . Its hull and turret are completely covered by a superstructure constructed with angled plates made of radar absorbent material . Variants . The AMX - 30 has a number of different variations , including a number of other armoured vehicles based on the same chassis . A simplified version of the tank , without the infra - red searchlight and periscopes and a less complex commander ' s cupola was developed for export , known as the " basic AMX - 30 " . This version also came devoid of the pressurized air filtering system , and moved the smaller machine gun into the coaxial position and the larger M2 to the turret roof . Another version was considered for the French Army , adopting a tank gun capable of firing the supersonic ACRA ( " Anti - Char Rapide Autopropulsé " ) anti - tank guided missile , as well as high explosive rounds . A prototype was finished in 1967 with a new cast turret , wide enough to hold the much larger armament . However , the high costs of the missiles forced the French Army to abandon the program in 1972 . The vehicles based on the chassis include an armoured recovery vehicle , a bridgelayer , a self - propelled anti - aircraft vehicle , a tactical nuclear missile launcher and a self - propelled artillery piece . The armoured recovery vehicle , known as the AMX - 30D ( AMX - 30 " Dépanneur - Niveleur " ) , was designed to recuperate or help maintain vehicles in the field . Work on the AMX - 30D began in 1966 , as the French Army researched for the development of a recovery vehicle to be issued to units receiving the AMX - 30 tank . A prototype was produced and delivered for experimentation in 1971 , and in February 1973 the first of a pre - series of five vehicles was delivered . That same year , another 100 AMX - 30Ds were ordered , and these began production in 1975 . The recovery vehicle includes a winch powered by the vehicle ' s engine , with the ability to pull a maximum of of weight . The vehicle also has a heavy towing cable , while an auxiliary wrench has another towing cable , capable of towing up to when working over the front of the AMX - 30D . In the latter case the vehicle must be supported by removable props , which are carried on the vehicle , and the bulldozer blade must be lowered on the ground . The crane can lift up the power pack and the turret . Instead of a turret , the AMX - 30D is fitted with a superstructure , and weighs , although with the extra power pack it can weigh up to . The vehicle can protect itself with a machine gun . The driver ' s visibility is aided by the inclusion of three M - 223 episcopes . The AMX - 30D has a maximum on - road velocity of and a maximum road range of . The AMX - 30 bridgelayer , or " Poseur de pont " , consists of the AMX - 30 ' s chassis with a box - like superstructure , supporting a scissor - type folding bridge . The long bridge can span gaps . The bridge has a width of , but can be increased to through the use of appliqué panels . It can support weighs of up to . Development of a bridgelayer began as early as 1963 , although it was not until June 1967 that development began on a prototype . Although a prototype designated AMX - 30H was completed in 1968 , it was not until 1971 that the vehicle was evaluated . At the end of the evaluations in September 1971 , a pre - series of five vehicles was ordered , resulting in a new period of evaluations beginning on 16 October 1972 . In 1975 , the AMX - 30H was declared standard in the French Army , although none of these vehicles were ever ordered . The self - propelled anti - aircraft gun began development in 1969 to provide this type of vehicle to the French Army and for export . Although ultimately none were ordered for France , in 1975 Saudi Arabia ordered an improved version , denominated the AMX - 30SA . Developed to defend against low - altitude attacks , the system included two Hispano - Suiza 831 A automatic guns , coupled to an " Oeil - noir " fire control system . This system had already been installed on the AMX - 13 , in lieu of a heavier chassis , using a turret designated the S 401 A . Although this particular vehicle began production in 1962 , the appearance of the AMX - 30 offered a larger chassis to which the S 401 A turret could be mounted on , providing superior mobility . The heavier AMX - 30 also provided a more stable platform for the guns , and allowed the system to carry much more ammunition ( 1 , 200 rounds , as compared to the 600 carried by the AMX - 13 version ) . The guns were designed to fire in 5 - round or 15 - round bursts , with a cyclic rate of fire of 650 rounds per minute . They were controlled by an analogue computer , receiving information from a Doppler radar , which could be folded into an armoured box when not in use to protect from damage . The radar depended on visual tracking , and so could only work in clear weather . Three missile systems were developed to be mounted on the AMX - 30 chassis . Recognizing the need for tactical nuclear missile mobile launchers , the French Army began development of the Pluton missile in 1963 . In 1964 , the program was suspended and instead the French Army opted for a missile with a longer range , capable of being mounted on the AMX - 30 . A contract for the development of the system was established in 1968 . The first prototype was soon delivered and testing took place between July and August 1970 , followed by the production of a second prototype in 1971 . Two more prototypes were fabricated in 1972 . The next year , the vehicle was put into mass production and by 1 May 1974 four of these vehicles had been delivered to the 3rd Artillery Regiment . The missile itself weighs and is long . Using a simplified inertial guidance system and a solid propellant rocket motor , the Pluton has a maximum range of . The second missile system is the AMX - 30R ( Roland ) surface - to - air missile launching system , which began development in 1974 . Five vehicles of a pre - series were completed by 1977 and then evaluated , prompting the order of 183 vehicles that same year . The Roland includes a rectangular superstructure , taller than that of both the AMX - 30D and the Pluton , which houses the radar system and mounts two launching tubes on either side , with an autoloading system feeding from an eight missile reserve inside the superstructure . The Roland ' s exploration radar has a detection range of . The third missile system , called the AMX - 30SA , was developed in 1975 for Saudi Arabia , to fire the SA - 10 " Shahine " , developed and manufactured by Thomson - CSF ; the launching vehicle was heavily based on the AMX - 30R . The " canon automoteur de 155 GCT " ( for " Grande Cadence de Tir " , fast rate of fire ) was developed based on the AMX - 30 chassis to provide tactical artillery support to units in the French Army , who refer to it as the AuF1 . The howitzer was 40 caliber s long , and was autoloaded allowing it a rate of fire of eight rounds per minute , with a maximum range of . The turret enables the gun to have an elevation of up to 66 degrees , and allows it to traverse a full 360 degrees . The vehicle carries 42 rounds of ammunition , with combustible cartridge cases . The origins of the decision to design a self - propelled howitzer can be traced back to 1969 , with the first prototype completed in 1972 . By 1979 a total of seven prototypes had been produced , and six pre - series vehicles , followed by the production of 110 vehicles . This order was later increased to 190 . The first prototype of an improved AMX - 30 for the export market , known as the AMX - 32 , was unveiled in June 1979 . Originally intended as an alternative for the AMX - 30B2 , and deliberately imitating the spaced armour concept the Germans had successfully implemented on the Leopard 1A3 and A4 , the AMX - 32 fielded greater armour protection to offer increased survivability against anti - tank guided missiles . A autocannon was included as the main gun ' s coaxial weapon , and a machine gun attached to the roof . However , no orders were ever placed . Production . Production of the AMX - 30 took place at the " Atelier de Construction de Roanne " in the town of Roanne . This heavy manufacturing factory was constructed during World War I for the production of artillery shells , although by 1952 the factory had begun to produce armoured fighting vehicles . Prior to the production of the AMX - 30 , for example , it had produced 1 , 900 AMX - 13s and variants . The Roanne factory was responsible for the final assemblage , most components were made elsewhere : the powerplant by the " Atelier de Construction de Limoges " , the complete armour set by the " Ateliers et Forges de la Loire " , the turret by the " Atelier de Construction de Tarbes " , the cannon by the " Atelier de Construction de Bourges " , the cupola and machine - gun by the " Manufacture d ' Armes de Saint - Étienne " and the optics by the " Atelier de Construction de Puteaux " ; all these again used many subcontractors . In a series of corporate mergers under state guidance , most of these firms would eventually be concentrated into GIAT . Originally , 300 AMX - 30s were ordered by the French Army , and by 1971 the order had been increased to 900 , divided between eight batches , including all variants based on the chassis . Beginning in 1966 , ten AMX - 30s were assembled per month , and the first five were issued in August 1966 to the 501st " Régiment de Chars de Combat " . Monthly production grew to 15 – 20 tanks as new factories began to manufacture components of the vehicle and existing factories increased their production potential . However , in April 1969 , production was again reduced to ten per month . By 1971 about 180 vehicles were in service ; in 1975 delivery began of the last 143 units of the final eighth batch of the original order . In 1985 the number of AMX - 30s had risen to 1173 . By the end of production , France had accepted 1 , 355 AMX - 30s into service , including 166 brand - new AMX - 30B2s . Another 493 tanks were refitted and modernized to AMX - 30B2 standards ; originally 271 new and 820 refitted vehicles had been planned . The French Army also accepted a large number of variants , including 195 self - propelled howitzers , 44 AMX - 30 Pluton tactical nuclear missile launchers , 183 AMX - 30Rs , 134 AMX - 30Ds and 48 engineer vehicles ( AMX - 30EBG ) . The last 35 new battle tanks were in 1989 ordered by Cyprus and the last new variant vehicles , a batch of twenty GCTs , in 1994 by France . In the late 1990s , the French Army began to accept the new Leclerc main battle tank to replace the antiquated AMX - 30 . The first units to be outfitted with the new tank were the 501st and 503rd tank regiments , followed by the 6th and 12th Cuirassier Regiments . Export . Having in February 1964 decided to produce its own battle tank , Israel at first considered licence production of AMX - 30 hulls , while importing the turrets from France . Favoring heavier armour over mobility , Major - General Israel Tal discontinued negotiations with France when the United Kingdom agreed to allow licensed production of the Chieftain tank , in 1966 . France eventually also failed to obtain orders from the remaining two FINABEL nations , Belgium and the Netherlands : the Dutch did not even test the type and the Belgians ordered the Leopard when France refused to allow partial component production of the AMX - 30 in Belgium , fearing it would increase the unit cost . Less expensive and easier to maintain , the AMX - 30 has been preferred over the Leopard 1 by less affluent or developed nations . In 1969 , Greece agreed to procure a total of 190 AMX - 30s and 14 AMX - 30Ds , making them the first foreign nation to purchase the French tank . Throughout the 1960s , Spain had considered both the AMX - 30 and the Leopard 1 to complement their existing fleet of M47 and M48 Patton tanks . Ultimately , Spain opted for the AMX - 30 for a variety of reasons , including British unwillingness to sell the L7 tank gun to a fascist regime and the French offer to allow the AMX - 30 to be manufactured in Spain . Spain ordered 19 tanks in 1970 , and later agreed to manufacture another 180 tanks in Spain . In 1979 , Spain began the production of a second batch of 100 tanks , completing a total of 299 AMX - 30s issued to the Spanish Army ; these were designated AMX - 30E s . Spain also procured 10 AMX - 30Ds and 18 AMX - 30Rs . As production of the AMX - 30E ended in 1979 , the Spanish Army was already looking for a modernization program to improve the quality of the tank ' s mobility . In 1987 , the Spanish Army began a six - year modernization program which brought 150 tanks up to AMX - 30EM2 standards and modified another 149 tanks to AMX - 30EM1 standards . The former was a much more complete upgrade , which saw improvements to the tank ' s mobility through the adoption of a new engine and gearbox , as well as to the tank ' s firepower , with the development of a new kinetic energy penetrator and the introduction of a far more complex and accurate fire control system for the tank ' s gunner , amongst other things . The AMX - 30EM1 was termed a " reconstruction " and only saw improvements to the tank ' s mobility by adopting a new transmission and renovating much of the vehicle ' s worn out systems , such as the brakes , indicators and controls . These reconstructed AMX - 30s were soon replaced by M60 Patton tanks procured from the United States in the early 1990s , while its fleet of AMX - 30EM2s was later replaced by the B1 Centauro anti - tank vehicle . In 1972 , France was able to gain a contract with Saudi Arabia over the purchase of 190 AMX - 30S ' , designed for the desert environment of the Middle Eastern nation . Named the Palmier Contract , Saudi Arabia ' s tanks were delivered between 1973 and 1979 , while 59 AMX - 30Ds were exported between 1975 and 1979 , 12 AMX - 30Ps between 1977 and 1979 , and finally 51 self - propelled howitzers , delivered between 1979 and 1980 . Between 1979 and 1981 , Saudi Arabia also received 52 AMX - 30SAs and later 50 AMX - 30C1 " Shanine - 2 " s delivered in two batches , between 1980 and 1989 . By the 21st century , 50 % of Saudi Arabia ' s AMX - 30 fleet were in storage , given that the AMX - 30 lacked the capabilities to deal with more modern threats , such as against Iraqi T - 62 s and T - 72 s , and Israeli Merkava tanks . These were largely displaced by an order for 315 M1A2 Abrams tanks in 1989 , and the acquisition of 450 M60A3 Patton tanks . Although Saudi Arabia planned to procure more M1 tanks , it was unable to do so for financial reasons and the AMX - 30 has still not been retired . Venezuela originally placed an order for 142 tanks in 1972 , although this was later reduced to 81 and four AMX - 30Ds . In the mid - 1980s , Venezuela adopted a modernization plan for its deprecated AMX - 30s , opting to replace the original engine with a new Continental AVDS - 1790 - 5A diesel engine , producing and exchanging the existing transmission with an Allison CD - 850 - 6A . Venezuelan AMX - 30s received new fuel tanks , increasing the tank ' s road range to , while firepower was improved through the adoption of a modern fire control system . In 1977 , France and Qatar signed an agreement which garnered France another 24 AMX - 30s sold , which would rise to 54 when Qatar ordered 30 AMX - 30B2s in 1987 . The United Arab Emirates placed an order in 1977 for 64 tanks and a single armoured recovery vehicle , to complete an armoured brigade , in 1977 . Due to political issues between Chile and Argentina , the former placed an order for 46 tanks , although this was later cut short to 21 when the contract was canceled by the French government in 1981 . In 1982 , Cyprus acquired a total of 16 AMX - 30B2s and a single AMX - 30D , and later ordered another 36 AMX - 30B2s . Total production of the AMX - 30 and variants totaled 3 , 571 units . Later many used vehicles were resold to other nations : in 2005 Cyprus had 102 AMX - 30s ( obtained from Greece ) and 52 AMX - 30B2s ; Bosnia 32 AMX - 30s ( from the UAE ) . French strength had dwindled to about 250 AMX - 30B2s . Combat history . Qatari AMX - 30s saw combat during the Gulf War at the Battle of Khafji , where on 30 January 1991 they counter - attacked in an attempt to retake the city of Khafji from Iraqi forces which had occupied it the night before . During the action , Qatari AMX - 30s knocked out three Iraqi T - 55s and captured four more . At least one Qatari AMX - 30 was lost during the battle . The French participation in the Gulf War , codenamed " Opération Daguet " , saw the deployment of the " 6e Division Légère Blindée " ( " 6th Light Armoured Division " ) , referred to for the duration of the conflict as the " Division Daguet " . Most of its armoured component was provided by the AMX - 10RC s of the cavalry reconnaissance regiments , but a heavy armoured unit , the " 4e Régiment de Dragons " ( " 4th Dragoon Regiment " ) was also sent to the region with a complement of 44 AMX - 30B2s . Experimentally , a new regimental organisational structure was used , with three squadrons of thirteen tanks , a command tank and six reserve vehicles , instead of the then normal strength of 52 units . Also six older AMX - 30Bs were deployed , fitted with Soviet mine roller s provided by Germany from East German stocks , and named " AMX 30 Demin " . The vehicles were all manned by professional crews , without conscripts . The Daguet Division was positioned to the West of Coalition forces , to protect the right flank of the U . S . XVIII Airborne Corps . This disposition gave the French commander greater autonomy , and also lessened the likelihood of encountering Iraqi T - 72s , which were superior both to the AMX - 10RCs and the AMX - 30B2s . With the beginning of the ground offensive of 24 February 1991 , French forces moved to attack its first target , " Objective Rochambeau " , that was defended by a brigade from the Iraqi 45th Infantry Division . A raid by Gazelle helicopter s paved the way for an attack by the " 4e Régiment de Dragons " . Demoralized by heavy coalition bombardments , the Iraqi defenders rapidly surrendered . The following day , the " 4e Dragons " moved on to their next objective , " Chambord " , where they reported destroying ten tanks , three BMPs , fifteen trucks and five mortar s with the assistance of USAF A - 10 s , and capturing numerous prisoners . The final objective was the As - Salman air base ( " Objective White " ) , that was reported captured by 18 : 15 , after a multi - pronged attack , with the " 4e Dragons " attacking from the South . In all , the AMX - 30s fired 270 main gun rounds .