Tankette
From Free net encyclopedia
A tankette was a type of small armoured fighting vehicle resembling a tank, intended for infantry support or reconnaissance. Tankettes were designed and built by several nations between about 1930 and 1935, and saw some combat in the Second World War. The concept was abandoned due to limited usefulness and vulnerability to antitank weapons, and the role of tankettes was largely taken over by armoured cars.
Most tankettes were manned by a crew of two, although one-man prototypes existed. They usually had no turret (and often this is seen as defining for the concept), or just a very simple one that was traversed by hand. They were armed with one or two machine guns, or rarely with a 20mm gun or grenade launcher.
The "classic" design was the British Carden-Loyd Mk.IV Tankette — many others were modelled after it. The French Armoured Reconnaissance type of the 1930s (Automitrailleuses de Reconnaissance) was essentially a tankette in form, but specifically intended for reconnaissance. Japan was among the most prolific users of tankettes, producing a number of designs useful for jungle warfare.
Some examples of tankettes:
- British: Carden-Loyd Mk.IV Tankette
- Italian: CV-33 and CV-35
- Japanese: Type 94 TK (had a rotating turret)
- Polish: TK-3 and TKS
- Soviet: T-27 - based on Carden Loyd