AMX-32

The AMX-32 was a French prototype main battle tank developed by AMX and APX during the late 1970s as an export tank to fit in a specific market niche of nations with smaller defence budgets.

AMX-32
AMX-32 on display at the museum of the armored vehicles of Saumur.
TypeMain battle tank
Place of originFrance
Production history
Designed1975-1979
No. built6 prototypes
Specifications
Mass38 tonnes (42 short tons; 37 long tons) (1st prototype)
40 tonnes (44 short tons; 39 long tons) (2nd prototype)
Length9.45 m (31 ft 0 in) (gun forward)
Width3.1 m (10 ft 2 in)
Height2.29 m (7 ft 6 in) (roof)
Crew4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)
Armorspaced armor
Main
armament
CN 105 F1 rifled gun or a 120 mm CN 120-25 smoothbore tank gun
Secondary
armament
1× 20 mm M693 autocannon
1× 7.62 mm AAN F1 machine gun
EngineHispano-Suiza HS-110-2-SR
800 hp (600 kW)-800 hp (600 kW)
Power/weight20 hp/tonne
TransmissionSESM Minerva ENC 200 (automatic, 5 fwd & 5 rev)
SuspensionTorsion bar with shock absorbers
Operational
range
530 km (330 mi)
Maximum speed 65 km/h (40 mph)

Armor

The mantlet, the turret sides and the hull noseplate of the AMX-32 are hollow, the outer layers are made of dual hardness steel plates which are particularly effective against kinetic energy projectiles.[1]

The frontal armor of the AMX-32 was successfully tested against 75 mm tungsten-cored PCOT rounds fired from the AMX-13 light tank and 57 mm armor-piercing rounds of the ASU-57.[1] The turret side armor can withstand impacts of 23 mm armor-piercing rounds. The turret roof has been thickened in order to be protected from autocannons shells fired by fighter-bombers at a steep angle of 30°.

In addition, the AMX-32 features six smoke grenade dischargers and a dense white smoke screen can be generated by injecting vaporized diesel fuel into the exhaust system.

Fire control and observation

Turret traverse and main gun elevation are powered by an electro-hydraulic drive. The main gun can be stabilized through servo-control; using inputs sent by the stabilized mirror head of the commander's M527 panoramic sight.

Gunner

The gunner uses an APX M581 telescopic sight with ×10 magnification with a built-in APX M550 laser rangefinder (a.k.a. CILAS TCV 80). The possibility of misalignment are reduced as the sight is an integral part of the mantlet. A Thomson CSF DIVT-13 low light television camera (LLLTV) with a ×1 magnification allows night observation up to 1200 m. The image obtained is displayed on two TV monitors (gunner and commander). The gunner also has two episcopes for direct observation.

Commander

The commander has the latest iteration of the TOP 7 cupola with eight episcopes. Each episcope has a button placed under it allowing to quickly bring his sight toward the observed area.[2] A SFIM M527 gyrostabilized panoramic sight with three channels; two daylight (×2 and ×8) and one night (×1) with light intensification allowing night observation up to 300–400 m.

Loader

The loader has at his disposal one left-facing episcope and two rotating periscopes.

Mobility

The AMX-32 was powered by a 24,790 cc (1,513 cu in) 800 horsepower (600 kW) Hispano-Suiza (then Renault) HS-110-2-SR diesel engine fitted with twin Holset turbochargers and intercooler. The engine is coupled to an automatic, power shifting, SESM Minerva ENC 200 transmission with five forwards and reverse gears.

Prototypes
  • P1 : presented to the public for the first time in June 1979 at Satory VII Exhibition of Military Equipment and Weapons. Like the AMX-30, it retained a cast gun mantlet with a CN-105-F1 105 mm gun. In 1980, it was fitted with a modified turret featuring a new welded mantlet.[3]
  • P2 : displayed at Satory VIII arms fair in 1981, the shape of the hull front was modified to improve its ballistic protection. Due to the previous changes, the combat weight of the AMX-32 increased to 40 tonnes.[3]
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See also

References
  1. Marc Chassillan (2008). Raids, Hors-série (n°29) (in French). Histoire & Collections.
  2. D.H.C. Jenkins (1981). Le Vickers Valiant et l'AMX-32, deux poids moyens sur le même ring (in French). Revue Internationale de Défense. p. 1668.
  3. HILMES, Rolf (1983). Kampfpanzer - Die Entwicklungen der Nachkriegszeit. Report Verlag GmbH. p. 30. ISBN 3-524-89001-6.
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