DISCONTINUED V72035 BRITISH HEAVY TANK FV 215B (120)

The FV215 was a prototype British tank destroyer from the post-war period. The drive was to be provided by a single Rolls-Royce engine Meteor M120 with 810 hp. The mock-up of the vehicle was created in the mid-1950s, but the car never entered mass production. The armament was to consist of a single 183mm L4 QF tank gun and two 7.62mm and 12.7mm machine guns. In the 1950s, the British Army command was afraid of a confrontation with heavy Soviet tanks that were to replace the IS-2 and IS-3 vehicles. To this end, they decided to create a vehicle that would be armed with a powerful 183mm cannon and armor up to 254mm at the front of the turret! The FV215 was supposed to be the implementation of this vision. In order to shorten the research and development time, it was decided to adapt the chassis of the Conqueror tank, which entered the line in 1955, for new purposes. However, as early as 1957, the entire program was discontinued. The main reasons are the large mass of the new vehicle (65 tons), which, with the use of a relatively weak engine, would have a negative impact on the vehicle's maneuverability, but also the intensive development of anti-tank guided missiles, which, thanks to the cumulative warheads, were able to penetrate the steel armor of the series of vehicles equally effective what a powerful FV215 cannon.