Vickers MBT Mk. 1

The Vickers Battle Tank Mk.1 was a British main battle tank developed as a private project by Vickers-Armstrong intended for export. The development began in the 1960s, using existing components or components currently under development such as the Royal Ordnance L7 105mm gun, Leyland L60 multi-fuel engine, and FCS and transmission from the Chieftain main battle tank. In 1961, an agreement was made with India to help the country develop and produce a tank, as well as help with setting up the factory to assemble it. The Vickers Mk.1 was made to be a cheap yet effective tank appealing to the less developed countries of Africa or the Middle East. Over the course of its life, many variants were developed, including the Mk.2 and Mk.3. Later, Vickers Valiant(Mk.4) in 1977 and finally Mk.7 MBT. Currently, Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania are the foremost operators.