AMX 30 DFC, French Stealth tank

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caid’s suggestion #89

I would like to suggest a pretty awesome tank for France, the AMX 30 Demonstrateur Furtif Chenillé

NmiEoc7.png

the AMX 30 DFC is a technology demonstrator based on the AMX 30B2 incorporating stealth technology. the tank was recovered by a radar-absorbing material over the normal steel and cold air was pumped between the armor and this material to reduce the IR signature. In this fashion, only a few parts would still be visible in the thermal imager. this allows the tank to be hard to spot in the game in the high-ranking battles where many advanced tanks have this feature to see the tank thermal image which easily stands out from the environment. this tank would have a highly reduced image. As far I know, only the top of the engine deck, track, and barrel’s end would be visible. and maybe the glass of the sign. making it barely noticeable in the natural environment. The tank would be hard to spot in the thermal image when in the forest, between buildings and all the obstacles, the enemy players would need to visually recognize his shape amounts the objects in the terrain. outside the thermal image, the tank can always be spotted in the old-fashioned way, simply by spotting it with your eyes. The tank is not physically invisible.

the AMX 30 DFC was tested in 1990. at that time, the EPC program was reaching its end and the Leclerc MBT was almost ready to be produced and replace the fleet of AMX 30. knowing the AMX 30B2 had been obsolete, France had tested and developed serial potential upgrades to modernize the army. the Leclerc would take years to completely replace the AMX 30, but there was still a possibility to keep them in service as 2nd line tank such as the reserve or potentially for special units. the AMX 30C2 was created in this occasion as well as the AMX 30 DFC. Only the political situation drastically changed with the collapse of the USSR making the need for costly advanced upgrades a bit of a waste of money. the AMX 30 DFC was abandoned soon after it was revealed.

Firepower
the tank retains the classic 105mm CN-105-F1. this gun is the main gun used on the AMX 30 series is a potent MBT gun with a fairly large selection of ammunition. As in 1990, all of them were in service, it would be normal to have access to all of them (or at least the best of them). outside the choice of ammunition, the tank does not have much improvement over the regular AMX 30. it retains the same gun elevation and depression, the same 20mm autocannon, and the same turret rotation speed. it also has the same absence of a stabilizer.

Mobility
the tank does not have any issues with mobility. the French AMX 30 is a very nimble and mobile MBT. but the DFC is starting to be a bit heavy which reduces the mobility fairly. while the top speed is not affected, it will be the acceleration that is going to be a bit slower. the tank also has the same mobility forward and backward. the 680 hp engine provides a pretty nice power for the weight.

Protection
the tank remains identical beneath the radar absorption layer as the AMX 30B2. this means the protection will remain similar against kinetic projectiles. the layer of radar-absorbing material does not offer a lot of additional protection. the key to his survivability is the fact the tank is almost invisible to the thermal and radar. the material has been radar absorbing, there is not much chance the radar see it. and as there is cold air continuously pumped in the space between the layer of armour, the tank will not be visible in the thermal either. that means the only way to spot it would be by line-of-sight and the optical view. physically the tank is not invisible to the eyes. A player will be capable of spotting it without thermal just like any tank. the crew is identical to the AMX 30 and the tank keeps 4 grenade launchers on the front of the turret to provide smoke cover.

Source

7 Likes

I never knew how badly I needed this tank until now.

9 Likes

+1, funky tank
Can we have AMX-56 Leclerc at home?
AMX-56 Leclerc at home:

5 Likes

Honestly the only place I see for this tank is at 8.7 with only the ofl f1. It could be a good sniper with the ability of being harder to spot at long distances. Also it’s quite unique but at the same time we already have the amx 30 b2 and brenus at 8.7 so it could be a perfect candidate for the long awaited french squadron?

maybe, but i would like to see the OLF G2 at least

1 Like

Screams low effort event vehicle. Careful what you ask for.

1 Like

Ok maybe but it should not be above 9.0 since it’s already a pain to play the amx 30 b2 without a stabilizer.

2 Likes

PS1 AMX-30 is fun.
+1

1 Like

Why does it look adorable?

because it was design by sci-fi fanboys

6 Likes

These guys almost look ready to head to LV-426.

2 Likes

the guy on the left seems way too happy to have the big gun, and the one next to him looks like he is in a “kill me” mindset. the one on the far right seems to be a member of the Borg collective
this lovely crew is ready to raid some donjon.
sniper, support, breached, leader. all is cover

1 Like

I love how it looks like some bad movie prop lmao

4 Likes

it does vaguely look like an Abrams. it could be a bad movie prop to reassemble an abrams.

but it was fully functional. and while I do not have the primary source, the stealth was probably working. at least for the thermal.

i found some useful pictures of the OFL 105 G2. it allows a decently accurate pixel count on which I can base the estimation of the dimension


for the OFL 105 G2 (Vo 1,525 m/sec)

total length = 655 mm
penetrator length = 610 mm
Frustum length = 65 mm
projectile caliber = 20 mm

penetration = 408 mm
perforation = 562 mm

for the OFL 105 G3 (same dimension as the G2 but with Vo 1,490 m/sec)

penetration = 395 mm
perforation = 547 mm

this decently aligns with the reported performance from Giat

some reported the OFL 105 G2 was introduced to the French army in 1993 but the round was available in 1987. that means the AMX 30 DFC could have those rounds. the OFL 105 G3 is the same projectile as the OFL 105 G2 but with a weaker propelling charge (probably to reduce the cost)

1 Like

Using an image online, here is an example of what this stealth technology would look like on the thermal

the tank is not invisible. it’s just much harder to see. if the enemy player seeks to spot the bright white tank in his thermal and relies too much on it, it would be easy to miss, especially in longer distances or in the forest.

1 Like