Vickers-Carden-Loyd light amphibious tank

The Vickers-Carden-Loyd light amphibious tank (designated the A4E11 and A4E12 by the War Office),^[1] was a series of British experimental pre-World War II light tanks (resembling tankettes), which, although not taken into British service, were sold to a number of other countries which produced modified versions which were then taken into service.

Vickers-Carden-Loyd light amphibious tank
Type	Amphibious tank
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
Used by	see text
Production history
Designer	Carden-Loyd Tractors Ltd.
Manufacturer	Vickers-Armstrong
Produced	1931–1932
Specifications (A4E11, A4E12)
Mass	2.17 long tons (2.20 t)
Length	13 ft 4 in (4.06 m)
Width	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) over tracks
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Crew	2
Armour	11 mm (0.43 in)
Main armament	0.303 inch Vickers machine gun with 1,000 rounds
Engine	Meadows petrol 6-cylinder 90 bhp
Suspension	Horstmann
Operational range	100 mi (160 km)
Maximum speed	27 mph (43 km/h) on road; 3.72 mph (5.99 km/h) in water

Users

Foreign buyers included China (29 or 32 tanks),^[2] Thailand, the Dutch East Indies (two delivered in 1937)^[3] and the USSR, with the latter producing some 1200 of the T-37A tanks developed from the A4E11/12. One tank with a licence was sold to Japan.^[4] Poland was interested in Vickers-Carden-Loyd amphibious tanks in the 1930s, but negotiations failed and instead the PZInż works started the PZInż 130 project, an indigenous design inspired by the British concept.

Surviving vehicles

Vickers-Carden-Loyd Amphibious Tank in Kubinka Tank Museum

•  Russia: The only surviving tank is in the Kubinka Tank Museum.

Notes

1. "British Light Tanks". Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
2. Ledwoch, Janusz (2009), "Vickers 6-ton Mark E/F vol. II", Militaria no. 325 (in Polish), Warsaw, pp. 28–29, 34, ISBN 9788372193254
3. Mahé, Yann (June 2011). "Le Blindorama : Les Pays-Bas, 1939 - 1945". Batailles & Blindés (in French). No. 43. Caraktère. pp. 4–7. ISSN 1765-0828.
4. Tomczyk, Andrzej M. (2002). Japońska broń pancerna - Japanese armor. Vol 1. AJ Press. p. 43. ISBN 83-7237-097-4.

External links

• Amphibious Light Tanks, A4 and L1