AMX30 Main Battle Tank Manual

AMX30 Main Battle Tank Manual by M.P. Robinson and Colonel Thomas Seignon explores the story of the AMX30 Char de Bataille, the standard French Main Battle Tank during the Cold War era. Initially, the French and Germans sought to develop a ‘standard European tank’ based on their experiences of the Second World War. Both nations needed a design prioritising mobility and firepower over armour protection. However, the joint collaboration did not materialise, leading to the French producing the AMX30 and the Germans creating the Leopard 1.

The AMX30 was notably lighter than its Anglo-Saxon counterparts, with a combat weight of 36 tonnes, hence its designation as AMX30. Unlike its NATO contemporaries, which were equipped with the British 105mm L7 gun, the AMX30 boasted a smoothbore 105mm main armament. It fired a single type of hollow-charge projectile, the OBUS-G, which was capable of neutralising other battle tanks at standard combat ranges.