Ed Webster profiles the Vickers Mk.1 MBT, a tank that although largely forgotten today, proved both successful and popular during the Cold War
When discussing British tanks there is no shortage of stories or vehicles to cover.
Some are more famous than others or have earned their place in the history books through prestige or infamy, battles won, a design first, or just vogue in popular media.
Then there are those that have been forgotten, overlooked, or written out of the history books due to a lack of interest or academic negligence. No British tank falls into this latter category more so than the Vickers Mk.1 Main Battle Tank (MBT).
It is a tank that saved Vickers from financial problems, if temporarily, and was the biggest export success the UK had in tank terms. It is also a vehicle that earned its stripes in combat and set world records, yet today is looked down upon as a knockoff centurion, and sadly, no surviving examples are on display in any British military museum. The Indian government’s hunt for a new main battle tank plays a significant role in this tank's story.
The origins of the Vickers Mk.1 began oddly, not with the British but with the Germans. At the height of the Cold War, with…
