AEC MATADOR AND 5.5" GUN

The AEC Matador is a British military truck and artillery tractor from World War II and the Cold War. The production of this vehicle started in 1938 and lasted until the beginning of the 1950s. More than 10,000 copies of this successful vehicle were produced in its course. The length of the vehicle was about 6.3 meters, with a width of about 2.4 meters and a height of up to 2.9 meters. The curb weight of the vehicle was 7.75 tons. The drive was provided by a single 95 HP AEC engine. The maximum speed was up to 48 km / h. The Matador vehicle was developed by the company Associated Equipment Company Limited (AEC for short) for the purposes of the British Armed Forces. In order to shorten the research and development work, many components already used in trucks produced for the civil market were used in the design of the new vehicle. During World War II The AEC Matador was used primarily as an artillery tractor for towing, among others: 25-pounder howitzers or 5.5-inch (140 mm) guns and 3.7-inch (94 mm) anti-aircraft guns. Based on the presented vehicle, the AEC Dorchester vehicle was also created, used primarily as a command vehicle. Interestingly, in the course of the fighting in North Africa, a wheeled tank destroyer named Deacon was developed on the AEC Matador chassis. The lion's share of the AEC Matador vehicles produced went to the British Army, but several hundred were also used by the RAF.