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Welcome to another suggestion for France, in this one we’ll be having a look at a rather obscure French M47 upgrade, the M47 CN-105-F1.
This variant of the M47 tank was developed in 1967. It was an attempt to increase the firepower and accuracy of the US made M47 Patton tank by replacing the older 90mm cannon with the new 105mm CN-105-F1 cannon. This cannon was designed by EFAB the Bourges in the late 1950s, with development completing in 1962. From 1966 onwards, the cannon became the main armament of the new AMX-30 MBT. The 105mm cannon was a rifled cannon, a choice that was made to increase the accuracy of the HEAT shells. These spin-stabilized rounds were thus capable of hitting targets up to 3 km away. To accommodate the new cannon and its ammunition, the assistant driver position was removed and replaced by ammo storage. The machine gun port in front of this position was also plated up. Ammunition storage now reached 71 rounds.
This M47 upgrade was initially aimed at the domestic market. The large amount of M47s in French service had to be kept relevant for more modern conflicts. The AMX-30 started production just one year earlier in 1966, so it was assumed that an upgrade of the M47 Pattons would still be relevant while AMX-30 production ramped up. However, introduction of the AMX-30 went faster than expected, and so the upgraded M47 became obsolete for the French market. Supposedly the vehicle was still offered up for export, after all, there was a large market for M47 upgrades, but this too appears to have gathered no orders. The prototype was likely scrapped since and vanished into obscurity.
General Characteristics:
- Weight: 44.1 ton
- Crew: 4 (driver, gunner, loader, commander)
- Engine: Continental AV-1790-5B V12 (810 hp at 2800 rpm)
- Power-to-weight: 17.6 hp/ton
- Top speed: 48 km/h
- Reverse speed: -14 km/h
- Turret rotation speed: 30°/s
- Vertical guidance: -8 / 19
Armament:
- Main Gun: 105mm CN-105-F1
- Stowage: 71 rounds
- Ammunition:
- OCC 105 F1 (HEAT)
- OE 105 F1 Mle. 60 (HE)
- OFPH 105 F1 (Smoke)
- Pintle Mount: 12.7 mm M2HB
- Coaxial: 7.62 mm M1919A4
Place in-game:
The M47 Revalorisé is a fun and unique modification to the M47, and one which is perfectly suited to join the French tech tree. France already was one of the main operators of the M47, making the base model a much desired addition already, this one is even more desirable because of its uniqueness. In practice it will probably behave similar to the Italian modified M47, maintaining the positives of the chassis and combining it with improved firepower.
This addition could serve to further enhance French lineups in the 7.7 - 8.0 area, possibly as premium, event or squadron vehicle.
Sources
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JG, Jeudy. Chars De France. (pp. 228). ETAI. 1997
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Touzin, Pierre. Les Vehicules Blindes Francais 1945-1977. (pp. 262-263). Editions EPA. 1978
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RP, Hunnicutt. Patton: A History of the American Main Battle Tank Volume I. (pp. 75). Echo Points Books & Media. 2015
https://www.reddit.com/r/Warthunder/comments/zm60sq/improving_the_french_tank_part_3_105mm_mbt/
M47 Revalorise - Passed for Consideration - War Thunder - Official Forum
https://www.reddit.com/r/Warthunder/comments/8oehnt/its_been_2_years_and_3_days_since_i_posted_this/
