Valiant tank

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Tank, Infantry, Valiant (A38)
Tank, Infantry, Valiant (A38)
General characteristics
Crew	4
Length	17 ft 7 in, 5.4
Width	9 ft 3 in, 2.8
Height	7 ft, 2.1
Weight	27 t
Armour and armament
Armour	114 mm
Main armament	QF 6 pdr (57 mm)
Secondary armament	2 x 7.92 mm Besa MG
Mobility
Power plant	GMC diesel 210 hp (157 kW)
Suspension	Individual sprung bogie
Road speed	12
Power/weight
Range	80 miles

The Tank, Infantry, Valiant (A38) was a British tank design of the Second World War, based upon the Valentine tank but only reached the prototype stage.

[edit] History

It was intended as an improvement on the Valentine using as many elements of the original. The design, A38, was first suggested by Vickers in 1943 but the pilot (built by Ruston & Hornsby) was not ready until the middle of 1944 and the design was dropped as the end of the war approached.

The major changes from the Valentine were a larger turret that could take the OQF 75 mm gun, as used on the Churchill and Cromwell, and thicker armour. The prototype was fitted with the 6 pounder (57 mm) gun. The project was cancelled. The Valiant II, equipped with a Meteorite engine (a half size Meteor engine) and improved transmission was suggested but nothing came of it.

The Valiant can be seen at the Bovington Tank Museum.

[edit] See also