The Tank Factory : British Military Vehicle Development and the Chobham Establishment

278 Pages·2015·5.47 MB·English

by  Suttie

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book was compiled with inputs, encouragement and support from many
people who worked at or had associations with the establishment. Particular
mention is made of the following people for their contributions:
Ian Burch Brian Clark Alan Cooper Simon Davis Paul Fenne Thomas Forbes
Dave King Colin Newell Richard Rawlins Neil Service Neil Sparshott Derek
Talbot Julian Walker
CONTENTS
Title
Acknowledgements
Author’s Note
Abbreviations
Introduction

1 The Birth of the Tank
2 British Tank Development Following the First World War
3 Vehicle Testing in the Interwar Years
4 Rearmament
5 Tank Development in the Second World War and the Role of the DTD
6 Vehicle Testing During the Second World War
7 Chobham Common
8 Post-war Evolution of the Chertsey Establishment
9 Development of the Chertsey Site
10 Chertsey Facilities
11 Equipment, Concepts, Designs and Development
12 Survivability Research and Development at Chertsey
13 Mobility Research at Chertsey
14 Fighting and Subsystem Research at Chertsey
15 Special Devices

Appendix A: Genealogy of Chertsey
Appendix B: Lineage of Director MVEE
Appendix C: Longcross Test Track Facilities

Bibliography
Copyright
AUTHOR’S NOTE
This book has been compiled using information from a significant number of
documents and resources; the key open-source documents are listed in the
bibliography. Most importantly, I have been able to have access to a significant
number of MOD reports, and hence I include much information that has never
been published before and ensure that, as far as possible, all the information
within this book is correct. A large number of MOD reports used are still
classified and, therefore, are not listed in this book. Where open-source literature
and Internet sources have been used, information has been checked for
coherence with information from official reports. An interesting aspect of
compiling this document is to see how in these days of the World Wide Web
incorrect ‘facts’ become widely repeated and quoted on different websites until
they are assumed to be right.
Some of the best, and most interesting, inputs have been provided by ex-
members of staff who have sent me stories, facts and pictures. It was the staff
who made the Chertsey establishment the successful place it was, and so these
personal inputs are valued.

This book contains a large number of pictures never before published. Many
come from MOD reports and are used with permission, but others have been sent
by ex-members of staff, or are pictures from my own collection. Some of the
pictures are of poor quality, having been taken from electronic scanned copies of
old documents, but these have been included because they are of specific
interest.
The resulting document is likely to have many omissions and despite the
checks may have some errors. Any additional information or corrections are
always welcome.
I am grateful to the Ministry of Defence, and the Defence Science and
Technology Laboratory in particular, for permission to publish this document
and to use information and pictures from MOD sources.
ABBREVIATIONS
ACAVP Advanced Composite Armoured Vehicle Programme
AD Assistant Director
AEV Armoured Engineer Vehicle
ALPS Advanced Land Platform System
APC Armoured Personnel Carrier
APDS Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot
APFSDS Armour Piercing Fin Stabilised Discarding Sabot
ARRV Armoured Repair and Recovery Vehicle
ARV Armoured Recovery Vehicle
ASC Army Service Corps
ASPAT Air-portable Self Propelled Anti-Tank
AT Anti-Tank
ATDT Automatic Target Detection and Tracking
ATSA Army Technical Support Agency
AVLB Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridge
AVR Armoured Vehicle Reconnaissance
AVRE Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers
BAC British Aircraft Corporation
BAOR British Army Of the Rhine
BARV Beach Armoured Recovery Vehicle
BTID Battlefield Target Identification Device
BEF British Expeditionary Force
CAC Climatic and Altitude Chamber
CER Controller Establishments and Research
CET Combat Engineer Tractor
CHIP Chieftain/Challenger Improvement Programme
CIA Chief Inspector of Artillery
CR1 Challenger 1
CRARRV Challenger Armoured Repair and Recovery Vehicle
CTDP Component Technology Demonstrator Programme
CVCC Complete Vehicle Climatic Chamber
CVR(T) Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked)
CVR(W) Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Wheeled)
DD Duplex Drive (Swimming Tank system)
DD Deputy Director
DD(M) Design Department (Mechanical)
DD(V) Design Department (Vehicles)
DERA Defence Evaluation and Research Agency
DFWES Direct Fire Weapon Effects Simulator
DIT Driver In Turret
DLO Defence Logistics Organisation
DO Drawing Office
DO Drawing Office
DOE Department Of the Environment
DRA Defence Research Agency
DRIFT Driving Remotely In Following Truck
DSEi Defence Systems and Equipment International
Dstl Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
DTD Department of Tank Design
DTD&E Department of Tank Design and Experimentation
ECU Engine Control Unit
EMC Electromagnetic Compatibility
EM gun Electromagnetic gun
EOD Explosive Ordnance Disposal
ETL Engineering Test Laboratories
FCR Fire Control Rig
FCTP Fire Control Technical Programme
FLAV Future Light Armoured Vehicle
FMBT Future Main Battle Tank
FRES Future Rapid Effects System
FV Fighting Vehicle
FVDD Fighting Vehicles Design Department
FVPE Fighting Vehicles Proving Establishment
FVRDE Fighting Vehicles Research and Development Establishment
GS General Service
HE High Explosive
HEAT High Explosive Anti-Tank
HESH High Explosive Squash Head
hp Horsepower
HQ Headquarters
IDCE Integrated Driving Control Experiment
IED Improvised Explosive Device
IFCS Improved Fire Control System
IFV Infantry Fighting Vehicle
KE Kinetic Energy
kW Kilowatt
LCS Landing Craft Ship
LCT Landing Craft Tank
LP Liquid Propellant
MAID Mobile Autonomous Intelligent Device
MARDI Mobile Advanced Robotics Defence Initiative
MBT Main Battle Tank
MEE Mechanical Experimental Establishment
MEXE Military Engineering Experimental Establishment
MCV80 Mechanised Combat Vehicle 80
MGB Medium Girder Bridge
MGO Master General of the Ordnance
MICV Mechanised Infantry Combat Vehicle
MLRS Multi-Launch Rocket System
MMP Mean Maximum Pressure
MOD Ministry of Defence
MT Motor Transport
MVEE Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment
MVEE Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment
MWEE Mechanised Warfare Experimental Establishment
MWSD Mechanical Warfare Supply Department
NBC Nuclear Biological Chemical
NEC Network Enabled Capability
NGP Nominal Ground Pressure
ODP Operational Demonstrator Programme
OF Ordnance Factory
PANTILI Panoramic Thermal Imager Laser Integrated
PE Procurement Executive
PERME Propellants Explosives and Rocket Motors Establishment
POL Petrol Oils and Lubricants
PPP Public Private Partnership
PSA Property Services Agency
R&D Research and Development
RA Royal Artillery
RAC Royal Armoured Corps
RAF Royal Air Force
RARDE Royal Armaments Research and Development Establishment
RASC Royal Army Service Corps
RE Royal Engineers
REME Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
RMG Ranging Machine Gun
RNAS Royal Naval Air Service
ROF Royal Ordnance Factory
ROVA Road Vehicle Autonomous
RSRE Royal Signals and Radar Establishment
RTC Royal Transport Corps
RUDA Reduced Update Driving Aid
SAE Special Armour Establishment
SC Shaped Charge
SCAR Signature Classification And Reduction
SID Signature Integration Demonstrator
SITV Sprung Idler Test Vehicle
SP Self Propelled
SP70 Self Propelled Gun 70 – Joint UK-German project
SPAT Self Propelled Anti-Tank
SRV Suspension Research Vehicle
STAMPLAR Sight, Thermal, Armoured, Periscope, Laser Ranging
STT School of Tank Technology
SVDC Special Vehicle Development Committee
TD&E Trials Design and Experimentation
TDU Trials and Development Unit
TED Tom Elliott Detector
TICM Thermal Imager Common Module
TOG ‘The Old Gang’
TOGS Thermal Observation and Gunnery Sight
TS Dept Tank Supply Department
TVA Test Vehicle Aluminium
URV Unmanned Research Vehicle
VE Vehicle Engineering
VE Vehicle Engineering
VSI Vehicle Systems Integration
WASAD Wide Area Surveillance and Aided Detection
WSD Weapon System Demonstrator
WVEE Wheeled Vehicles Experimental Establishment