The prototype of the French main battle tank - Batignolles-Chatillon Char 25 t

17
50s of the last century. The principles of the formation and construction of ammunition using a cumulative jet are achieved. New types of ammunition have an increasingly powerful armor-piercing effect. Therefore, changes are beginning in tank building. Heavy Tanks began to lose ground - a medium tank with good mobility and a low silhouette is becoming a new trend in the development of tank technology around the world. An example of such a transition is the "confrontation" of the heavy IS-7 and the T-54 medium tank.

The result of this transition is a new concept, which is now accepted throughout the world - the “main battle tank”. The medium tonnage tank was ideally suited for this concept. Almost all world leaders are beginning to implement this idea. France, which has always sought to be one of the first in addressing such issues, but badly affected by the German occupation, also begins the creation of a new medium tank, which would have to become the main battle tank of the French armed forces and, if possible, sell such tanks to countries that do not have their own developed military-industrial complex. The creation of such a tank in France became the company "Batignolles-Chatillon". This French company was known as a railway manufacturer, which produced locomotives and wagons. The basic concept of the new French tank is the lightest, mobile, and efficient tank. The project was named “Batignolles-Chatillon Char 25T”.

The prototype of the French main battle tank - Batignolles-Chatillon Char 25 t


The basis of the tank - the most oblate body. Frontal armor is made of mm 80 inclined armor plates. Tank undercarriage - hydraulic suspension with 6 th track rollers. The tower part of the oscillating type consists of upper and lower parts, interconnected by hinges. The gun is made in the upper part of the tower. For horizontal guidance, the entire tower is rotated, for vertical guidance, the upper part of the tower with the gun relative to the lower part is raised.

Such a design of the tower has its advantages - the tower part has a smaller volume relative to the standard tower parts, since with vertical hovering it is not necessary to use part of the internal volume and the instrument can be provided with a simple automatic loader. French designers often used drum loader in pre-war projects of tank technology, and here they went along the path studied. Although this machine is more like a shop, by analogy with small weaponsAfter all, after the shells are used up in the drum, the tank must be stopped and the drum must be reloaded manually. However, it is the drum automatic loader that gives the tank a high rate of fire. On the oscillating tower part, one thing can be said - only the French designers were able to bring the idea of ​​the swinging tower part to life. American designers also tried to build oscillating towers and install them on tanks (for example Т57 / 58), however they did not reach the embodiment in metal.



The medium tank Batignolles-Chatillon Char 25 t received an 90 mm gun, which provided the projectile speed of 930 m / s. The French tank did not receive additional weapons. The dimensions of the car were more than compact, the length is slightly more than 5.5 meters, the width of 3 meters, the height is less than 2.5 meters. The weight of the French tank at the same time did not reach 25 000 kilogram. The speed characteristics of the Batignolles-Chatillon Char 25 t are quite high - the maximum speed of movement up to 65 km / h.

The crew of the tank - four people:
- tank commander, location - tower part;
- gunner, location - tower part;
- driver-mechanic, location - department of management;
- radio operator, location - department of management.

The fate of the project
The project of the medium tank from the company Batignolles-Chatillon lost in the competition to the tank AMX 30, which became the main battle tank for the French armed forces. Among the main reasons for which "Batignolles-Chatillon Char 25 t" could not win the place of the main battle tank, the following can be identified:
- the unreliability of the suspension;
- the need for constant maintenance of the undercarriage after any use of the tank;
- loss of interest of the French to the tower part of the oscillating type;
- the impossibility of creating a tower of gas-permeable performance. At that time, the beginning of the Cold War, when there was a risk of the use of chemical and even nuclear weapons, this possibility was very much in demand in the armed forces.

Designers "Batignolles-Chatillon" built only two samples (prototype) of the new medium tank, some principles of the creation of the tank and its technology used by French designers in the further development of another tank technology.



Key Features:
- full combat weight - 25 000 kilogram;
- length - 5.67 meter;
- width - 3.16 meters;
- height 2.37 meter;
- armament - 90 mm gun;
- additional armament: at the competition of the main combat French tank, on the prototype a machine gun of caliber 7.5 mm was installed;
- travel speed - up to 65 km / h;
- crew - 4 person.


Information sources:
http://pocomaxagulo.com/index.php/2011-02-19-20-45-24/4-2011-02-12-17-48-17/232--batignolles-chatillon-char-25t
http://topwar.ru/11778-istoriya-francuzskih-tankov-legendy-i-zabytye-proekty.html
http://www.chars-francais.net/new/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=711&Itemid=36
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17 comments
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  1. +3
    24 July 2012 08: 40
    An entertaining unit, but somehow it is ... miserable outwardly.
    1. +4
      24 July 2012 10: 52
      understudy,
      This is because it is of original design (such as the Swedish Strv 103), the machine is quite interesting. If not for the concept of the mass use of weapons of mass destruction in hostilities, it could very well become a weapon.
      At least, as a reconnaissance tank, it would have completely fit, and, if necessary, brought a rustle with such a gun with a rate of fire.
      Well, or an airmobile tank for quick deployment operations, to support infantry operations.
  2. 755962
    +1
    24 July 2012 08: 53
    So I remembered the tanks on Wargaming.net ...
    1. Podojdi
      +2
      24 July 2012 10: 05
      He bends everyone and everything there, if his hands are straight. )
      1. 0
        24 July 2012 10: 34
        aaa fucking batmobiles especially a pack.
      2. +3
        24 July 2012 10: 54
        Podojdi,
        If your hands are straight, then you can bend everyone around.
        1. Podojdi
          +1
          26 July 2012 14: 14
          1 on 1 in the French no one will cope. The drum stuck and drove off.
          1. Mikemike
            0
            3 September 2014 08: 52
            and then a blank with a hash landmine from FV215b 183 flies from the bushes ...
  3. amph1cyon
    +4
    24 July 2012 10: 32
    The French made rather interesting tanks, experimented so to speak. But as for me, our tanks were much better, and indeed. Based on the fighting qualities, maybe he was better than ours, but I understood from the article is very moody.
    1. +1
      24 July 2012 17: 15
      This sample does not pull on average. The projectile resistance of a composite tower is very doubtful. It turned out as if the reproduction of the lightweight AMX-13 in a heavier weight category. Yes, and a very small capacity loader. (The AMX-13 had 2 drums of 6 shots each). The prospect of installing a more powerful gun is also in doubt.
  4. Brother Sarych
    +3
    24 July 2012 13: 16
    The French tried to build more than interesting tanks! In 25 tons, build more than a serious gun, small dimensions. high speed is a high class of engineering work ...
    1. +4
      24 July 2012 14: 34
      and then they saw Is-3 and T-54 and they became completely sad.
      1. +2
        26 July 2012 14: 06
        leon-iv,
        :) Yeah, our turtles made diapers fly. :)
  5. +5
    24 July 2012 14: 22
    The line smiled:
    France, which has always sought to be one of the first in resolving such issues, but has been hit hard by German occupation,
    It is in what place she suffered greatly from the German occupation? Did the Germans eat all the French croissants?
    1. +5
      24 July 2012 17: 10
      We drank all the champagne and ate foie gras
    2. djerel
      +1
      24 July 2012 20: 28
      the French military-industrial complex was affected primarily and of course people
      1. +3
        25 July 2012 14: 26
        The military-industrial complex of France during the war conscientiously plowed for Germany. It's nonsense about people. People suffered in the USSR. My grandmother was in captivity from 43rd to 45th a, in a neighboring village people were herded into a barn and burned. And the fact that France, spreading her legs, lay under Hitler, just saved those people who, in your words, "suffered".
  6. Denzel13
    0
    24 July 2012 21: 25
    Regarding French engineering, I always remember that in 2001 I bought myself an Audi. So, around 2003, my dashboard caught a specific "glitch". Upon arrival at the service and debriefing, they explained to me that I have a French panel with their own elementary part and this is practically not treated. As an option, they offered to change it to German (which happened), respectively, the problem also disappeared.
    I often remember the complaints of the French military about "strange" refusals of electronics in the "leclerc". What is it for?

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