modern military tanks designed for speed

However, it was during this short period that problems soon arose with the drive system, forcing a redesign of the entire unit to operate as a hydraulically-based system. The pilot vehicle was officially constructed throughout 1939 and in 1940 to which it was then presented in October for formal evaluation by authorities.

All told, the project was undoubtedly ambitious but its design approach lagged behind the times of contemporary tank designs. The operating crew consisted of eight personnel to include the driver, the vehicle commander, a dedicated gunner and ammunition loader and four machine gunners. Primary armament was a single QF 2-pdr field gun held in a traversing turret along with 4 x 7.7mm general purpose machine guns held in side sponsons. Suspension was unsprung and the drive was electro-mechanical in nature. Its projected speed was approximately 9 miles per hour in ideal conditions - perhaps somewhat optimistic. Power was supplied from a single Paxman brand diesel-fueled engine developing 600 horsepower.

The design, billed formally as 'Tank, Heavy, TOG 1, measured in at over 33 feet long with a 10 foot width and well over 9 feet high. The new tank system would be heavily armed and armored for the role, weighing in at 90 tons and capable of traversing long spaces of trenches. Still fearing that a potential war enveloping Europe would turn into the trench-based slogfests that were World War 1, a group of experienced British Great War engineers and specialists making up the 'Special Vehicle Development Committee' met in July of 1939 to draw up plans for a special breed of tank designed for such specific combat.

Modern military tanks designed for speed