The book describes the vehicle development activities carried out at the
Military Vehicles Research and Development Establishment on Chobham
Common from the end of World War II through to its close in 2004. For
most of this period it was the design authority for all British Military
vehicles and hence was responsible for the design and development of
all Cold War Main Battle Tanks from Centurion through to the Challenger
Main, and many other wheeled and tracked armoured vehicles.
Through much of World War II British tanks and armoured vehicles were outmatched by the German tanks they encountered. This led to the British Army placing much emphasis during the Cold War on ensuring that the same situation would not arise again should it face mass attacks by Soviet armoured forces. The task of developing the Main Battle Tanks and supporting armoured vehicles to out-range and quickly destroy the Soviet threat fell to the scientists and engineers at the Fighting Vehicle Research and Development Establishment on Chobham Common near to Chertsey. This book tells the story of British cold war armour development from the perspective of that establishment and the drive to respond from the ever-developing threat and the need to maintain freedom of movement on the potentially nuclear battlefield.
The development of the major world leading armoured platforms that served the British Army of The Rhine is described, along with the many other novel and advanced design schemes and concepts that were considered but in most cases never left the drawing board. The vehicles developed at the Chertsey site were never used for their intended purpose on the plains of North-west Germany, but have proved their worth in British operations in places like Korea, Bosnia, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in the hands of other users around the world.
By:
William Suttie
Imprint: Osprey
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 242mm,
Width: 190mm,
Spine: 25mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781472855268
ISBN 10: 1472855264
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 10 January 2023
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Part 1: Main Battle Tank Development Centurion FV215 Conqueror Countering The Soviet Tank Threat FV4201 Chieftain Chieftain Variants Novel Concept Studies UK/German Future Main Battle Tank MBT80 and the 4030 Programme Challenger 1 Challenger 1 Variants Challenger 2 Future Concept Studies Part 2 Medium and Light Tracked AFV Development Light Tanks and Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance Tracked 93 Carriers and Armoured Personal Carriers Warrior AFV of the 80s Stage 1 Other Light and Medium Tracks Concept Studies Part 3: Wheeled Afv Concepts and Development Saladin and Saracen Ferret and Fox Part 4. Other Vehicles Associated with Chertsey 1 Ton Armoured 4x4 Humber FV180 Combat Engineer Tractor SP70: 155mm Self Propelled Howitzer Annex A: List of FV Numbers Annex B: Centurion Data Mark 3 Data Marks 7,8, 9 And 10 Data Annex C. Chieftain Data Annex D: Challenger 1 Data Annex E: CVR(T) Data FV101 Scorpion/FV107 Scimitar FV103 Spartan FV104 Samaritan FV106 Samson Annex F: FV430 Series Data FV432 FV433 Abbot FV434 Annex G: Warrior Data FV510: Warrior Section Vehicle FV512 Warrior Repair Variant Annex H: Saladin Data Annex J: Saracen Data Annex J: Ferret Data FV701(J) Ferret Scout Car Liaison Mark 1 FV712 Ferret Mark 5 Annex K: FV721 Fox Data
William Suttie has worked for the UK MOD for over 25 years in the field of military vehicle and equipment research and development, currently as part of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. During this period areas of work and expertise have included NBC detection and protection, signature management, engineer vehicle concepts, minefield detection, combat identification, platform survivability and vehicle subsystem technology. He completed a 4 year tour as the scientific advisor to Director Land Equipment in the Defence Equipment and Support Agency and was recently seconded for 10 months to support Capability Director Combat within Army HQ. He has an Honours degree in Automotive Engineering and a Masters Degree in Military Vehicle Technology.
Reviews for Chobham Armour: Cold War British Armoured Vehicle Development
By its nature, the book is fairly technical, but explained clearly and with fine supporting photos and diagrams. Of particular interest to wargamers will be the tables giving 'hit' and 'kill' probabilities for NATO and Soviet anti-tank weaponry against main battle tanks, based on official systems that reflected target size, armour, ranges, etc, with some comparisons that may surprise you. A quality publication. -- Chris Jarvis * Miniature Wargames * The author has spent around 45 years working in the field of military vehicle/equipment research and development and that experience shines through in this book. -- Robin Buckland * Military Model Scene * An excellant resource for those interested in Cold War British Armour -- Duncan Evans * The Armourer Magazine * As one would expect the book is lavishly illustrated, with photographs of those vehicles that were actually constructed and plans for most of those that weren't. Well written and lavishly illustrated, this is an excellent guide to the mainly successful military vehicles designed at Chobham. -- John Rickard * Historyofwar.org *
