The SST Goliath/Chimera
A 1980s project to find a purpose for the soon to be outdated Chieftain, that was to be replaced by the Challenger 1.
Which resulted in a Project (that sadly was never completed) To build a Chieftain based Tank destroyer, with a Slightly lengthened hull, the XL30 canon that would later be mounted to the Challengers 2. and 700mm of Chobham armor on the front, and 350mm on the sides. Giving the tank around 1400mm of RHA Equivalent on the frontal ark. Along with having a estimated weight of 32 tons, and a 1500hp variant of the MBT-80 engine that was detuned and mounted in the Challenger 1.
Unlike many of the other SST projects that were just basically school projects, the Chimera was a proper Development the MOD was interested in, But it just sadly never went anywhere.
Its quite the interesting thing, the idea of a Modern Tank destroyer on par with the T95/T28 in level of protection, While being ultra agile and with a fast firing and hard hitting canon? it invokes STRV-103, combined with the durability of a Challenger.
personally i think someday it would be cool if this made it into the game, I know its a paper tank and it never will, But its fun to think of the Modern STUG we nearly had.
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Did you make that in Sprocket? :) Neat little thing
a Casemate MBT
lovely idea
Give it 4000mm effective armour from the front
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🤣
It’s a cool idea, but it would have likely been very much not agile after saddling it with all that armor.
With the armor and all the estimated weight was 32 tons, Composite, especially Chobham, doesn’t weigh that much.
NOPE! that is a actual model that was made back in the day by the team to try and have a physical representation of the design.
here is a Article about the Design, it was a real thing the MOD invested some time in, But never really went anywhere due to the whole… Case mate thing. Leaving it vulnerable to being disabled if the tracks or such were broke
Except that it was a lengthened Chieftan, with more armor and the 1500 hp motor was a pipe dream, so it most likely would have fielded the L60’s 750 HP motor.
Making it decidedly not “agile” unless you pushed out the back of a C17
The whole vehicle was a “Pipe Dream” your point?
and its not like the Chieftain COULDN’T fit that engine, Hell we have a Chieftain with that engine in game
But your own source even said the likely powerplant was the 750 BHP motor, and the Brits never used that motor in any of their tanks unless I’m misremembering
I’m just saying. It’s a cool tank, and I’d love to play it. But, it most likely wouldn’t have been an “ultra agile” vehicle.
And my god, the hellfires and other missiles would love this thing.
The MBT-80 Engine was mounted in the Challenger 1, 2, and the Khalid, Just in slightly detuned forms to achieve Higher reliability.
Its the Rolls-Royce/Perkins CV12. It just was called the MBT-80 engine in that article, Because at the time in the 80s, that is what it was mounted in, the MBT-80 was a partial prototype for the Challenger 1
Yes I was speaking to the Chieftans, it was not used in any of the UK chieftain tanks.
They still fitted the engine in Chieftain’s, and KNEW it would fit.
And even then even with the 750hp engine, it would only Weigh 32 tons, it would be half the weight as the Chieftain Mk10.
I never said they didn’t. But the Brits didn’t use it, even knowing it would fit. And again, even your source, which I also posted, indicates the most likely powerplant to be the late model L60
they didn’t use it because by the Time the CV12 came about, the Cheiftain was 30 years old, and ready to be replaced, Why would you go through and upgrade the engines in all of your Last generation MBT’s just for them to be replaced? That would be like the US fitting their entire M60 fleet with M1 turbine’s Right before the M60 was pulled from service.
The Goliath above was a plan to MODERIZE the Chieftains, to find a use for them instead of just discarding them. They likely would have received the new engines as a way to balance out the heavier armor and gun at the front.
Well Britain do not have the best minds of upgrading engines with a more powerful version, cough cough CR3. You also can’t really argue with the source you provided that does say the most likely power plant was the L60.
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Well except they built the Shir and later Khalid in 79 and 81 and the chieftain served till the mid/late 90’s and they never decided it was worth the effort.
Be it because it was unreliable, or they just didn’t see the need, whatever the case may be, they never saw fit to use it in any UK Chieftan or variant.
All I’m saying is it would likely not have been an ultra agile TD.
It would tho… even with the L60, its 32 tons with 750 HP, that is only 50hp Less than the M10 booker, and it WEIGHS 8-15 tons less depending on the source for the Bookers weight.
So if that thing can be considered a agile Light tank, This thing would be quite decent agility wise, as the Chieftains already in game are quite Snappy to turn, just sluggish to accelerate, you take 30 tons off the weight? With the same engine? They would be agile.
