Vickers Mk.7

Vickers Mk.7

VFM5

Vickers Mk.7

VFM5

Britain

VII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
10.7	10.7	10.7

Class:

Medium tank

Research:300 000

Purchase:830 000

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Description

The Vickers Mk.7 is a rank VII British medium tank with a battle rating of 10.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.93 "Shark Attack".

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	35 mm (53-82°) Upper glacis 40 mm (51°) Lower glacis 30 mm (82°) Driver's hatch	10 mm + 10 mm (5°) Top - Front 20 mm + 10 mm (5°) Top - Rear 35 mm Bottom - Front 20 mm Bottom - Centre & rear 5 mm Side Skirts 20 mm (39°) Bottom - Belly	20 mm (12°) Upper plate 20 mm (17°) Centre plate 20 mm (50°) Lower glacis	30-35 mm (8°) Front 20 mm (0-8°) Centre and rear 5 mm Radiator vents
Turret	20 mm (3-53°) Turret front 30-35 mm (54-75°) Gun mantlet	20mm (6°) Turret side	20 mm (0°) Turret rear	40 mm (0-12°) 20 mm Loader hatch
Cupola	20 mm (cylindrical)			20+20 mm Outer ring 20 mm Dome

Notes:

• Suspension wheels, tracks and torsion bars are 20 mm thick.
• A 20 mm plate reinforces the hull sides' top area.
• A 8 mm plate separates the crew compartment from the engine compartment.
• Additionally to the outer armour, composite armour is present:

Composite armour	Front	Sides
Hull	Front glacis 90 - 350 mm Kinetic 243 - 600 mm Chemical	N/A
Turret	Turret cheeks 350 - 500 mm Kinetic 350 - 650 mm Chemical Gun mantlet (Centre) 250 - 300 mm Kinetic 300 - 600 mm Chemical	Side armour 150 mm Kinetic 315 mm Chemical

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	81	37	54.6	2,032	2,862	37.22	52.42
Realistic	73	33		1,327	1,500	24.3	27.47

Armaments

Main armament

The Mk. 7 uses the same 120 mm L11A5 rifled gun as the Challenger Mk.3. Shell loadout is identical and works well for mid-Cold War era tanks such as the Type 90, Leopard 2A4, T-64B/T-72A/T-80B, etc., but may struggle when fighting more modern vehicles such as the Leopard 2A5, T-80U, Leclerc, etc.

120 mm L11A5					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	50	-10°/+20°	±180°	Two-plane	29.5	40.8	49.6	54.8	58.4	7.80	6.90	6.36	6.00
Realistic					18.4	21.7	26.4	29.1	31.0

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 L23	APFSDS	410	408	405	400	390	380
Shell L31A7	HESH	152	152	152	152	152	152
Shot L23A1	APFSDS	396	394	387	376	367	357

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
Shot L23	APFSDS	1,535	3.89	N/A	N/A	N/A	76°	77°	80°
Shell L31A7	HESH	670	17.1	0.05	0.1	6,560	73°	77°	80°
Shot L23A1	APFSDS	1,535	3.89	N/A	N/A	N/A	78°	80°	81°

Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Screen radius (m)	Screen deploy time (s)	Screen hold time (s)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
L34	670	17.1	20	5	25	50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Vickers Mk.7

File:AmmoRacksVickersMk7Pt2.png

Ammo racks of the Vickers Mk. 7. Additional charges not visible in first image.

Full ammo	Ammo type	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
50	Projectiles Propellants	47 (+3) 47 (+3)	15 (+35) 18 (+32)	10 (+40) 15 (+35)	7 (+43) 9 (+41)	1 (+49) 4 (+46)	N/A 1 (+49)	No

Notes:

• Due to British two stage ammunition, projectiles are marked with numbers (1, 2, etc.), and propellants are marked with numbers preceded by C (C1, C2, etc.).
• In the case of projectiles racks 1 and 4 and propellants racks C3 and C6, the first half are taken out first, and the second half at a later time, and are therefore referred to as two racks.

Machine guns

7.62 mm L8A2
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	2,000 (200)	600	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

The Vickers Mk.7 is a main battle tank, and thus a tank that should be on the frontlines being the first line of attack. It is considered one of, if not the best, armoured MBTs at the battle rating. This is due to its composition; a Leopard 2A4 hull which offers protection against all CE threats except 9M133 Kornet and is able to stop APFSDS rounds with <400 mm penetration, and a custom British turret similar to the Challenger 2 which offers protection against all CE threats except 9M133 Kornet and APFSDS rounds with <405 mm penetration. Thanks to this, the Vickers Mk.7 can be used in a variety of engagements at both short and long ranges with high chances of survivability.

In urban combat:

Close quarters combat is one of the most risky engagements in the game, but thanks to the superb armour of the Vickers Mk.7, it is able to have multiple engagement modes when in CQC.

Battering Ram:

Vickers Mk.7 can be used as the tank who will push through the enemy line due to its armour. Be aware of how the chassis is poked between corners as the hull is only armoured in the frontal plate. Any shot fired at the track's sprocket can be fatal as there is no armour to stop the incoming shell. When fighting in an uptier, avoid being the battering ram as all 10.3-10.7 vehicles can punch through any part of the frontal armour (including turret) and destroy the tank in a couple of shots. Be aware of facing enemy tanks like the Leopard 2A6 and Leclerc S2 which have extremely powerful APFSDS rounds that will go through the Vickers Mk.7's armour like hot knife through butter. When in a downtier, you are able to be the battering ram as only a couple vehicles at the battlerating will be able to pierce through your armour (tanks like the Type 16, T-62M-1 and Type 74 will be able to punch through your armour between 8.7 and 9.7, be aware as they penetrate between 405 mm and 450 mm of armour with APFSDS). Try to stick with people behind you so friendlies can assist you if needed, sometimes who can pull you with a winch could save both's life.

Bastion defence:

Due to the high survivability, the Vickers Mk.7 is able to hold defensive positions (cap points, strategic locations, etc) quite well, as well as repelling and counter-attacking any aggressor with ease. Due to its powerful engine and transmission, it is able to move forward, fire, and move backwards in quick succession.

*Note: the Vickers Mk.7 most prominent weak spot in the turret is the mantlet, always be on the lookout to hide it as much as possible or by wobbling your turret a little so enemies have a smaller chance to hit the mantlet.

In rural combat:

Due to the longer ranges compared to the urban combat, the Vickers Mk.7 is able to use multiple techniques and combat roles to fulfil the player's preference.

Sniper:

Thanks to the high velocity stock ammunition, the Vickers Mk.7 is able play as a sniper in long range maps. This, with the addition of the laser rangefinder and thermal imaging sights, makes the Vickers Mk.7 a fearful sniper as only certain tanks will be able to pierce your turret past 500 m. Be aware as, despite having a strong hull, always try to get in hulldown position in order to hide the frontal weakspots of your tank (lower frontal plate, turret ring). At longer ranges, enemies will take more time in order to hit and damage the Vickers Mk.7 if hulldown.

Flanking:

As much as crazy it sounds, the Vickers Mk.7 has an impressive speed of 75 km/h even with all the armour. Thanks to this, the Vickers Mk.7 is able to move around and push behind enemy lines and retreat or move to wherever is needed. Thanks to the stabilizer, it is able to fire on the move if needed for a quick "Hit 'n' Run" tactic. It has a slow reload rate (7.8 seconds stock) which can cause issues when engaging targets in a fast manner. Use smoke if needed to retreat and relocate.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	Horizontal Drive
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire	NVD
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism	L34	Smoke grenade
IV	Transmission	Engine		Artillery Support	Shot L23A1	Laser rangefinder

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Hard-hitting main gun
• Excellent mobility
• Superb armour compared to tanks at the battle rating, fearful when in downtier
• High penetration stock APFSDS shell (410 mm at 100 m at 0°)
• Powerful main gunner sights (4.0x - 12.0x FOV: 18-6)
• Two-piece ammunition (charges and warheads are placed in two different places, making the bustle safe to be fired at without the risk of ammo detonation)

Cons:

• Large profile
• Weak mantlet and lower frontal plate
• Slow turret rotation speed
• No blowout panels as on Leopard 2A4
• Ammo propellants are located in the hull ammo rack, meaning it is impossible to empty the hull ammo rack without considerably reducing the amount of ammo carried

History

In the mid 1980s, Vickers Defence Systems developed a new MBT as a private venture to find a successor to the Challenger back in following official specifications. The Vickers Mk.7 is a further development of the earlier Vickers Mk.4 Valiant main battle tank. The tank was very similar to the Mk.4, using the same "Valiant" or universal turret that the Mk.4 used, but being built with a Leopard 2 chassis, along with an MTU engine supplied by Krauss-Maffei. The tank was never adopted into service by the British Army, but its design was used as a base for the Challenger 2 MBT. The Vickers Mk.7 tank was actively offered for export, however it also received no production orders from other countries. Therefore only one Vickers Mk.7 prototype has been built.

Despite its naming, the tank has no relation to the Mk.1 Vickers MBT sitting at rank V.

Devblog

Following the failure of the previous Mk. 4 Valiant project, Vickers continued work on their design, confident in its success. As a result, Vickers developed the Mk.7 tank in the late 1980s on the basis of the previous Mk.4, hoping that it could be seen as a potential replacement for the Challenger 1. The new Mk.7 featured the existing turret of the Mk.4, though fitted to a Leopard 2 chassis.

Contrary to expectations, the British armed forces didn't procure the Mk.7, and so, the focus shifted towards the export market, similarly as was the case with the Mk.4 Valiant. Vickers developed an improved version of the vehicle, capable of mounting a variety of different 120mm cannons, in an effort to attract foreign interest. However, the high cost of the Vickers Mk.7 achieved only the contrary, with potential foreign interest being lost to other, more economical designs on the market.

Additionally, by the end of the 1980s, Germany imposed a ban on military equipment sales to countries in unstable regions, mainly those in the Middle East. Vickers, using the German-built Leopard 2 chassis, was therefore prevented from making sales to the most promising potential buyer of the Mk.7 - the United Arab Emirates.

Due to the high production costs resulting in low foreign interest in the vehicle, as well as dependency on outside factors, further development of the Vickers Mk.7 was officially halted, with only a single prototype being built for testing. However, although the Vickers Mk.7 itself became, in the end, another failed project, much of the experiences gained during its development found use in the creation of the far more successful Challenger 2.

Media

The Shooting Range #175 - Metal Beasts section at 00:38 discusses the Vickers Mk.7.

See also

• Vickers MBT — The early little brother of the Mk.7.
• Challenger Mk.2 / Challenger Mk.3 — The predecessors.
• Challenger 2 — The production model.

External links

• [Devblog] Vickers Mk.7: The Steel Centaur