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Britain's Infantry Tank, A.385, Valiant5
Infantry Tank, A38, Valiant: Royal Armored Corps Tank Museum |
Design
Vickers proposed improving the Valentine tank in 1943.1,5 It would be patterned after the Valentine as much as possible and have a bigger 3 man turret.1,4,5
To speed up production the road wheels were made the same size.1 Vickers gave the design to Birmingham Carriage & Wagon who then passed it on to Ruston & Hornby.1,5 The pilot was completed in mid-1944.1
One model had a GMC engine with an AEC gearbox and the other a Rolls-Royce Meteor engine and gearbox.4 The Meteorite engine could take diesel or petrol.5
The turret was 2 casts bolted together.1 The front of the hull was also made of castings.1
Only reached prototype stage as the war was close to ending.1
Variants
- Valiant5: Had GM diesel engine.5
- Valiant II5: Had Ford V-8 or Rolls-Royce Meteorite (de-rated Merlin) engine.5
| Infantry Tank, A.385, Valiant5 | |
|---|---|
| Crew | Commander, gunner, loader, driver.2 3-41, 42,3,4 |
| Physical Characteristics | |
| Weight | 60,480 lb2 27 tons1,3,4,5 27,432 kg1, 27,433 kg4 |
| Length w/gun | 17' 7"2,3,4, 18' 4"1 5.36 m4, 5.57 m1 |
| Length w/o gun | |
| Height | 7'1,2,3,4 2.13 m1,4 |
| Width | 9' 3"1,2,3,4 2.8 m1, 2.82 m4 |
| Width over tracks | |
| Ground clearance | 9.5"5 |
| Ground contact length | |
| Ground pressure | |
| Turret ring diameter | |
| Armament | |
| Main | 6 pdr3,4,5 75 mm1 75 mm OQF2 |
| OR | 75 mm3,5 75 mm OQF4 |
| Secondary | |
| MG | 2: 7.92 mm Besa MG2,4 MG3 |
| MG - coaxial | 7.7 mm or 7.92 mm Besa MG1 Besa MG5 |
| Side arms | |
| Quantity | |
| Main | |
| Secondary | |
| MG | |
| Side arms | |
| Armor Thickness (mm) | 10 - 1121,
10 - 1143 102, 1142,4 |
| Hull Front, Upper | 4.5"5 |
| Hull Front, Lower | |
| Hull Sides, Upper | |
| Hull Sides, Lower | |
| Hull Rear | |
| Hull Top | |
| Hull Bottom | |
| Turret Front | |
| Turret Sides | |
| Turret Rear | |
| Turret Top | |
| Engine (Make / Model) | GMC1,2,4, GM3, General Motors5 |
| Bore / stroke | |
| Cooling | |
| Cylinders | |
| Capacity | |
| Net HP | 2104,5 |
| Power to weight ratio | |
| Compression ratio | |
| Transmission (Type) | |
| Steering | |
| Steering ratio | |
| Starter | |
| Electrical system | |
| Ignition | |
| Fuel (Type) | Diesel4,5 |
| Octane | |
| Quantity | |
| Road consumption | |
| Cross country consumption | |
| Performance | |
| Traverse | 360°2 |
| Max speed | 12 mph1,2,3,4 19 kph4, 19.3 kph1 |
| Cross country speed | 7 mph2 |
| Road radius | 80 miles1,2,4 128.7 km1, 129 km4 |
| Turning radius | |
| Elevation limits | |
| Fording depth | 3'2 |
| Trench crossing | 7' 6"2 |
| Vertical obstacle | 2' 9"2 |
| Climbing ability | |
| Suspension (Type) | Independent sprung1,5 Independent sprung bogies for each wheel.2 |
| Wheels each side | 65 |
| Return rollers each side | 35 |
| Tracks (Type) | |
| Length | |
| Width | |
| Diameter | 2'5 |
| Number of links | |
| Pitch | |
| Tire tread | |
| Track centers/tread |
Sources:
- The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles - The Comprehensive Guide to Over 900 Armored Fighting Vehicles From 1915 to the Present Day, General Editor: Christopher F. Foss, 2002
- British and American Tanks of World War Two, The Complete Illustrated History of British, American, and Commonwealth Tanks 1933-1945, Peter Chamberlain and Chris Ellis, 1969
- Tanks of the World, 1915-1945, Peter Chamberlain, Chris Ellis, 1972
- The Illustrated Guide to Tanks of the World, George Forty, 2006
- AFV 6: Valentine Mark III, B.T. White
