Vickers Mk.1

This page is about the British medium tank Vickers Mk.1. For other versions, see Vickers MBT (Family).

Vickers Mk.1

FV4202

Vickers Mk.3

Vickers Mk.1

FV4202

Vickers Mk.3

Britain

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
8.0	8.0	8.0

Class:

Medium tank

Research:105 000

Purchase:300 000

Show in game

Description

The Vickers Battle Tank Mk.1 was a British main battle tank developed as a private project by Vickers-Armstrongs intended for export. The development began in the 1960s, using existing components or components currently under development such as the Royal Ordnance L7 105 mm 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. The first prototype was completed in 1963 and in 1964, one of the prototypes was sent to India, where a licensed copy of the Mk.1 called Vijayanta was produced, being the first indigenous Indian tank. 70 tanks were also sold to Kuwait, although these were modified for the desert environment including installation of tropical filters and one of the rear wheels being moved further back to decrease ground pressure for easier traversing over desert terrain.

Introduced in Update 1.69 "Regia Aeronautica", the Vickers Mk.1 can be utilized as a sniper vehicle due to its good gun depression and infamously fast reload of 5.0 sec on aced crew. However, the sight offers only 4.9-6.0x zoom, which hinders its long range performance. The mobility of the Vickers is average, and the turret armour is quite weak due to the flat gun mantlet and turret front. The hull however is angled at 60° offering moderate protection. The Vickers is best utilized as a second line vehicle, supporting more armoured allies in their effort to turn the tide of the battle to your side.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull80 / 30 / 20

Turret80 / 40 / 40

Crew4 people

Visibility108 %

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret roof)
• Cast homogeneous armour (Turret)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	60 mm (56°) Front glacis 80 mm (32°) Lower glacis	30 mm Top 30 + 4 mm Bottom	20 mm (4-5°) Top 19 mm (58°)	25 mm 5 mm Grills
Turret	80 mm (19°) Turret front 40-100 mm (1-73°) Gun mantlet	40-60 mm (1-17°)	40 mm (10°) 60 mm (1°) Turret ring	25 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB54 / 13 km/h

RB and SB49 / 12 km/h

Number of gears6 forward

2 back

Weight38.1 t

Engine power

AB1 160 hp

RB and SB608 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB30.4 hp/t

RB and SB16.0 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	54	13	38.1	942	1,160	24.72	30.45
Realistic	49	12		538	608	14.12	15.96

The tank has a mediocre off-road top speed of 32 km/h (20 mph) stock, yet can do -11 km/h (-7 mph) in reverse, so don't be afraid to duck back into cover. Suspension is quite strong on this tank, in AB a spaded Vickers Mk.1 can climb hills better than other vehicles. It can even tow other tanks up there if their suspension allows it.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB4 133 → 5 591

RB4 653 → 6 295

SB6 424 → 8 691

Total cost of modifications87 300

147 000

Talisman cost2 100

Crew training86 000

Experts300 000

Aces1 200

Research Aces720 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

130 / 200 / 220 %

196 / 196 / 196 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 6 100 Cost: 9 800 220 Suspension Research: 5 100 Cost: 8 200 180 Brake System Research: 5 100 Cost: 8 200 180 Filters Research: 5 700 Cost: 9 200 200 Transmission Research: 9 900 Cost: 16 000 350 Engine Research: 9 900 Cost: 16 000 350	Improved Parts Research: 4 000 Cost: 9 800 220 Improved FPE Research: 3 300 Cost: 8 200 180 Crew Replenishment Research: 5 700 Cost: 9 200 200	Horizontal Drive Research: 6 100 Cost: 9 800 220 Adjustment of Fire Research: 5 100 Cost: 8 200 180 Elevation Mechanism Research: 5 700 Cost: 9 200 200 Smoke grenade Research: 5 700 Cost: 9 200 200 Artillery Support Research: 9 900 Cost: 16 000 350

Armaments

Main armament

105 mm Royal Ordnance L7A1 cannon

Two-plane stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in two planes while moving

Ammunition44 rounds

First-order11 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

6.5 → 5.0 s

Vertical guidance-7° / 20°

105 mm Royal Ordnance L7A1					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	44	-7°/+20°	±180°	Two-plane	26.37	36.50	44.32	49.01	52.14	6.50	5.75	5.30	5.00
Realistic					16.48	19.39	23.55	26.04	27.70

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
Shot L28A1	APDS	350	347	333	317	302	287
Shell L35	HESH	127	127	127	127	127	127

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
Shot L28A1	APDS	1,478	4	-	-	-	75°	78°	80°
Shell L35	HESH	720	11.4	0.1	4	3.15	73°	77°	80°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Vickers Mk.1

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
44	43 (+1)	41 (+3)	39 (+5)	37 (+7)	12 (+32)	1 (+43)	No

Notes:

• Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
• Rack 6 is a first stage ammo rack. It totals 11 shells and gets filled first when loading up the tank.
• This rack is also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 6 - 1 - 2 - etc. until 5.
• Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1-5 into rack 6. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.

Additional armament

12.7 mm L21A1 machine gun

Ammunition600 rounds

Belt capacity3 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

0.6 → 0.5 s

Fire rate300 shots/min

The 12.7 mm L21A1 machine gun is specifically used to determine ranging for the main gun. While the game indicates a very short clip of 3 rounds, it is in fact more accurate to say that the MG only fires small bursts of 3 rounds. It is not fired alongside the other machine guns but through the "Fire from secondary guns" option (Controls > Ground Vehicles > Weaponry).

12.7 mm L21A1
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	600 (3)	300	N/A	N/A

Machine guns

7.62 mm L3A1 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition3 000 rounds

Belt capacity250 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate500 shots/min

7.62 mm L3A1
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	3,000 (250)	500	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

Although it can be done with its excellent reload speed of 5-7 seconds (crew skill depending), mixing ranks with the enemy is ill advised: instead take upon a sniping role. Your gun has only two types of ammo, both stock so research is not required for enhanced destruction. That being said, the APDS is a potent weapon that has 302 mm of pen at 100 m, falling to 252 mm at 2,500 m: all ranges can be targeted, with enemies moving towards more manoeuvrability over armour in the high ranks. However, the rounds lack spalling potential, so the damage inflicted on a tank interior must be in the APDS direct path past the penetration. If you aim for the turret weak spots, the barrel or breech will be your most common hits, incurring 20-30 precious seconds of repair time. If for any reason you're forced to engage while exposed, attempt to disable the enemy's gun or gunner first, before utilizing the excellent reload time to finish the target off.

The HESH shell is a very different story. While this odd round has its uses, it's somewhat limited in effectiveness against many targets. HESH, which stands for High Explosive Squash Head, relies on this so called 'squash head' spreading as much as possible, creating a spalling effect within the targeted vehicle. This means that it's not particularly effective against thick armour; and it should rather be used against lightly-armoured targets or targets which rely on highly angled armour for survivability. Generally, Vickers tankers will learn to prefer their APDS round for most engagements, only resorting to HESH against select targets.

Some enemies that can be rough to deal with:

• The Lorraine 40t will bounce more shots than you care to admit, or your hits will do minor damage. Just out the nature of the reserved play style this tank likes, any fast tanks will be a problem due to their ability to close the gap as you attempt to reach your favourite position. Engine and transmission upgrades will lessen this, in time.
• All Soviet tanks are difficult to deal with, yet learning their weak spots will lead you to victory.
• German tanks are a problem due to their accuracy and fast reload times, however the cheeks of their turrets, especially the Tiger II, are prime targets for eagle-eyed gunners.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Stock APDS shell has very high penetration values
• APDS shell has a high muzzle velocity, offering a flat trajectory
• HESH ammunition is effective against lightly armoured vehicles
• Has a 12.7 mm L21A1 machine gun designed for range finding (same trajectory as HESH)
• Fast reload speed
• Above average reverse speed compared to some British tanks
• Excellent manoeuvrability, even over rough terrain

Cons:

• Poor armour, even lower ranked guns are quite a threat
• Depression of only -7° which is below average for British tanks
• Lack of ammunition choices, with access to APDS and HESH only
• APDS causes minimal post-penetration damage, meaning that destroying some vehicles can be a challenge
• Many SPAA vehicles can penetrate your sides or back
• The L21A1 machine gun has a very low fire rate (5 rounds/second) and only shoots low-penetration incendiary rounds

History

The Vickers-Armstrongs Company designed the Vickers Mk.1 in the sixties as a cheap and efficient variant of the Chieftain, ready to be exported. In 1961, India purchased the license for development, and Vickers-Armstrongs helped to set up the factory. 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.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Vickers Mk.1 from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #240 - Metal Beasts section at 00:28 discusses the Vickers Mk.1.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the vehicles;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.

Vickers-Armstrongs Limited
Ships
Tribal-class	HMS Eskimo · HMCS Haida
Invincible-class	HMS Invincible*
Kongō-class	IJN Kongo**
Tanks
Light Tanks	VFM5*** · Vickers Mk.11***
Light Tank Mk VI	Light AA Mk I
Light Tank Mk VII	Tetrarch I
Light Tank Mk VIII	Alecto I
Tank, Infantry, Valentine	Valentine I · Valentine IX · Valentine XI · Archer
Vickers MBT	Vickers Mk.1 · Vickers Mk.3 · Vickers Mk.7***
Heavy Tanks	Independent****
Export	▂МК-IX "Valentine" · Vickers Mk.E****
See also	Vickers-Armstrongs Aircraft Limited
	*Previously Armstrong Whitworth
	**Built for Japan
	***Vickers Defence Systems
	****Previously Vickers Limited