A7 medium tank
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The A7 Medium Tank[a] , (or Medium Tank A7), was a British experimental medium tank design of the period between the two World Wars.
The A7, known as the "14-tonner" was intended as a cheaper design to previous tanks, including the A6 Medium Tank, by not using separate machine gun turrets.[1]
They were designed under the Chief Superintendent of Design at the Royal Ordnance Factory, Woolwich who built three prototypes. A7E1 and A7E2 were complete by end of 1929. They differed in the gearbox used; E1 had a 4-speed gearbox as used on the Medium Mk III the E2 a Wilson planetary gearbox. Both used epicyclic steering. In 1934 work was started on A7E3 which was required to be a "fast" tank and needed a more powerful powerplant.[1] The A7 never went into production as all prototypes proved mechanically unreliable. The turret design, altered to take a 2-pounder (40mm) gun was carried forward onto the A9 (Cruiser Mk I) and A10 (Cruiser Mk II) specification tanks, the E3 engine design was used for the Matilda II infantry tank.[1]
| Type | Engine | Gearbox | Suspension | Speed | Weight (tons) | Armament |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A7E1 (1929-1931) | Armstrong Siddeley 120 hp V8 petrol air cooled | 4-speed Armstrong Siddeley | compensated leaf springs | 40 kph theoretical
(24 kph during trials) |
14 | One QF 3-pounder gun and two .303in Vickers machine guns |
| A7E2 (1929-1931) | Armstrong Siddeley 120 hp V8 petrol air cooled | Wilson hydraulic planetary | single bogies with vertical volute coil springs | 40 kph
(24 kph during trials) |
16.8 | One 3pdr gun and two .303in Vickers machine guns |
| A7E3 (1934-1937) | Associated Equipment Company 280 hp Twin 6-cylinder CI (diesel) 7.74 L
actual 252 hp[1] |
Wilson hydraulic planetary | helical coil spring on single wheel trailing bogies | 39 kph on roads and 26 kph off-road theoretical | 18.2 | One 3pdr QF gun and two .303in Vickers machine guns |
See also[edit]
- Medium Mark III - another British medium tank under development at the same time
Notes[edit]
- ^ the A7 was the British General Staff number identifying the specification
References[edit]
- Rickard, J (22 February 2012). "Medium Tank A7". historyofwar.org.
- "The First Cruiser". Tank Archives. 5 January 2019.
- White, B. T. (1963). British Tanks 1915–1945. London: Ian Allan. OCLC 799775831.
- Duncan, N.W. (1973), Mediums Marks I-III, AFV Profile No. 12, Windsor: Profile Publications
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