Great Britain's Light Tanks Mk I, Mk IA
Photos
Light Tank Mk I: Royal Armored Corps Tank Museum |
Light Tank Mk IAs traveling from Rawalpindi to Kohat in 1931: Royal Armored Corps Tank Museum |
Design
Had the engine in the front beside the driver.
Prototype
Production
- Light Tank Mk I:
- Manufacturer: Vickers Armstrong3
Variants
- Light Tank Mk I:
- Light Tank Mk IA: Four were sent to India and square cupolas were installed.5 Had additional armor.6
Usage
The Light Tank Mk I entered service in 1930.3,6
Specifications
| Light Tank Mk I | |
|---|---|
| Crew | 24,5,6 |
| Physical Characteristics | |
| Weight | 4.8 tons4,5 |
| Length w/gun | 13' 2"4,5 |
| Length w/o gun | |
| Height | 5' 7"4,5 |
| Width | 6' 1"4,5 |
| Width over tracks | |
| Ground clearance | |
| Ground contact length | |
| Ground pressure | |
| Turret ring diameter | |
| Armament (mm) | |
| Main | .303 Vickers MG4,5 |
| Secondary | |
| MG | |
| Side arms | |
| Quantity | |
| Main | 2,5005 |
| Secondary | |
| MG | |
| Side arms | |
| Armor Thickness (mm) | 4 - 144,5 |
| 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) | Meadows EPT4 Meadows5 |
| Bore / stroke | |
| Cooling | |
| Cylinders | 65 |
| Capacity | |
| Net HP | 58@2,400 rpm5 |
| Power to weight ratio | 12.1 hp/ton5 |
| Compression ratio | |
| Transmission (Type) | |
| Steering | |
| Steering ratio | |
| Starter | |
| Electrical system | |
| Ignition | |
| Fuel (Type) | |
| Octane | |
| Capacity | |
| Road consumption | |
| Cross country consumption | |
| Performance | |
| Traverse | |
| Speed - Road | 30 mph4, 32 mph5 |
| Speed - Cross Country | |
| Range - Road | 160 miles5 |
| Range - Cross Country | |
| Turning radius | |
| Elevation limits | |
| Fording depth | |
| Trench crossing | |
| Vertical obstacle | |
| Climbing ability | |
| Suspension (Type) | Horstmann4 Two wheel bogies leaf springs5 |
| Wheels each side | |
| Return rollers each side | 35 |
| Tracks (Type) | |
| Length | |
| Width | |
| Diameter | |
| 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
- World War Two Tanks, George Forty, 1995
- Tanks of the World, 1915-1945, Peter Chamberlain, Chris Ellis, 1972
- AFV 5: Light Tanks Marks I-VI, Major-General N. W. Duncan
- The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II, Chris Bishop, 1998
