AMX-30

## Overview

After the failure of the AMX 50 project to replace the stopgap ARL-44s, France decided to forgo the medium tank concept, and go with a light tank/light tank destroyer concept, like Germany was doing at the time, creating the AMX 13 and Batignolles-Châtillon 25t. In 1956 the West European Union (WEU) defense workgroup FINBEL (created in 1953 by France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg) drafted a medium tank concept to replace their American and British tanks, which, with Germany joining the same year, changing the name to FINABEL (the "A" stood for Allemagne, "Germany" in French), became known as the Europa-Panzer.

The tank was supposed to be a lightweight, mobile MBT, with a max weight of 30 tons, wielding a 105 mm cannon, and was to be developed by the Franco-German military research institute in Saint Louis. The next year, (1958) saw the project have its first setback. As Charles De Gaulle took power in France, establishing the Fifth Republic and development of a common nuclear weapon. De Gaulle decided to refuse Germany and Italy the bomb to not antagonize the US and UK, making Germany lose interest in the project, and eventually leave with Italy in 1959.

Still, the project carried on, with Germany deciding to produce a purely national tank in July 1963, with France beginning to do the same thing in response. Trials would be eventually be held between 5 French and 5 German designs, with Italian, Dutch, Belgian and American supervision. The French designs got the designation **AMX 30**, while the German designs got the designation **Leopard**, with the latter having better speed and accel than the former. With the project splitting 2 ways, the Europa-Panzer was canceled in 1965, with AMX 30B (AMX 30A designation was for the prototypes) production starting in June the following year. The AMX 30 would remain in French service until 2011.

## History

During France's occupation in WW2, the French had secretly worked on an armor program. In 1944, this program was taken over by the state workshop *Atelier de Construction de Rueil* (ARL), resulting in the ARL-44, which started production in 1946. Even though the ARL-44 was comparable to the then-modern MBTs in firepower and engine power, it had disadvantages, such as its antique track design. Due to the fact that the ARL-44 had been only a stop-gap vehicle for the French Army's armored forces since inception, work on a new tank had begun as early as March 1945, which would lead to the AMX-50. After the AMX-50 project failed, France wasn't so keen on designing any medium tanks. In the early 1950s, Germany was expected to be able to rearm. Germany seemed to support the idea 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 idea of delivering many thousands of these tanks to the Germans induced the French to create the light tank AMX-13. Company *Batignolles-Châtillon* also made a tank for this purpose.

In 1956, the Western European Union defense workgroup FINBEL (named after its members, France, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg), drafted a set of specifications for a new medium tank to eventually replace their American and British tanks. Germany joined in 1953, making the workgroup FINABEL ("A" for Allemagne, Germany in French). On the 27th October 1956, a bilateral agreement was made between France and Germany to collaborate in building a tank. Other FINABEL members did not participate. In 1957, Italy would join the project.

The specifications for the new tank, called *Europa-Panzer*, called for a lightweight and mobile main battle tank, setting the weight limit to 30 tons (33 short tons), thus compromising the ability to heavily armor the vehicle. On the 12th February 1957, German and French engineers defined the requirements for the future tank: maximum width of 3.15 meters (10.3 ft), a height of 2.15 meters (7.1 ft) and a 105 mm (4.1 in) tank gun. The tank was to be developed by the Franco-German military research institute in Saint Louis.

The next year, however, the project suffered a first setback when Charles de Gaulle took power in France. The Paris treaty had as its main point developing a common nuclear weapon and on 17 June 1958 de Gaulle decided to refuse Germany and Italy the atomic bomb, to avoid antagonizing the US and United Kingdom. This made Germany lose much interest in a common tank project. In 1959, Italy and Germany left the project.

In July 1963, the defense 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.

Finally, the *Europa-Panzer* project was cancelled in 1965. 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 a fully cast turret. The AMX-30 was out of French Army's service in 2011.