In 1963 the United States and Germany made an agreement to create a new main battle tank that both countries would produce, and that would be ready for production by 1970: this was the MBT-70 program. While the program was in fact terminated in 1970 for a variety of reasons, it nonetheless pioneered concepts and technologies that were incorporated into the Leopard 2 and M1 Abram’s tanks.
The MBT-70 prototypes were armed with a long-barrelled version of the Shillelagh gun/missile system used on the M551 Sheridan light tank and the M60A2.
Secondary armament comprised a remotely controlled 20mm Rheinmetall RH202 auto-cannon that was retracted and stowed in an armoured housing when not in use, plus a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun.
The vehicle also had an unusual crew arrangement: the gunner was in the right front of the turret, forward of the commander; the driver was in a counter-rotating capsule in the left front of the turret; and the tank commander had controls that could also be used to drive the tank if necessary.
The MBT-70 had spaced armor, and also had provisions for installing radiation shielding.
It was powered by a 1,500hp diesel engine, and had an adjustable hydropneumatic suspension that could vary the hull's ground clearance from as little as 5.5 inches to 29 inches, and it could operate in water up to 18 feet deep.
This copy is currently housed at the German army military museum in Koblenz
