Main Menu
Britain's A38 Infantry Tank, Valiant
Royal Armored Corps Tank Museum
Vickers proposed improving the Valentine tank in 1943.1 It would be patterned after the Valentine as much as possible and have a bigger 3 man turret.1,4
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 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 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
| A38 Infantry Tank, Valiant | |
|---|---|
| Crew | Commander, gunner, loader, driver.2 3-41, 42,3,4 |
| Physical Characteristics | |
| Weight | 60,480 lb2 27 tons1,3,4 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 | |
| Ground contact length | |
| Ground pressure | |
| Turret ring diameter | |
| Armament | |
| Main | 6 pdr3 OR 75 mm3 6 pdr OR 75 mm OQF4 75 mm1 75 mm OQF2 |
| Secondary | |
| MG | 7.7 mm or 7.92 mm Besa MG, Coaxial1 2: 7.92 mm Besa MG2,4 MG3 |
| Side arms | |
| Quantity | |
| Main | |
| Secondary | |
| MG | |
| Side arms | |
| Armor Thickness (mm) | 10 - 1121,
10 - 1143 102, 1142,4 |
| Hull Front, Upper | |
| 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 |
| Bore / stroke | |
| Cooling | |
| Cylinders | |
| Capacity | |
| Net HP | 2104 |
| Power to weight ratio | |
| Compression ratio | |
| Transmission (Type) | |
| Steering | |
| Steering ratio | |
| Starter | |
| Electrical system | |
| Ignition | |
| Fuel (Tye) | Diesel4 |
| 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 sprung.1 Independent sprung bogies for each wheel.2 |
| Wheels each side | |
| Return rollers each side | |
| Tracks (Type) | |
| Length | |
| Width | |
| Diameter | |
| Number of links | |
| Pitch | |
| Tire tread | |
| Track centers/tread | |
| Production |
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
