Editing MBT-70 (section)

{{Short description|American-West German main battle tank}}
{{Infobox weapon
| name               = MBT-70
| image              = File:Kampfpanzer 70 (DPM).jpg
| image_size         = 300
| caption            = MBT-70 (KpfPz-70)
| origin             = United States<br /> [[West Germany]]
| service            = 
| type               = [[Main battle tank]]
| is_vehicle         = yes
| used_by            = 
| wars               = 
| designer           = 
| manufacturer       = 
| unit_cost          = 
| number             = 14 (prototypes and pilots)
| variants           = 
| weight             = {{convert|50.4|t}}<ref name="PzMuseumMunster">{{cite sign|title=MBT (MBT 70) "prototype"|type=Sign in the Panzermuseum Munster|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panzermuseum_Munster_2010_0729.JPG|access-date=2010-11-19|via=Wikimedia Commons}}</ref>
| length             = {{convert|9.1|m|ftin}}
| width              = {{convert|3.51|m|ftin}}
| height             = {{convert|1.99|to|2.59|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| primary_armament   = 152&nbsp;mm XM150E5
| secondary_armament = [[Rheinmetall Rh 202|20&nbsp;mm Rh-202 autocannon]]{{sfn|Hunnicutt|1990|p=133}}<br /> 7.62&nbsp;mm [[M73 machine gun|M73]] or [[MG 3 machine gun|MG 3]] machine gun (coaxial){{sfn|Hunnicutt|1990|p=133}}
| armour             = [[Spaced armour]] <br /> Two layers spaced with 127mm, the inner a softer steel that also served as a spall liner (46mm), and the outer of harder cold-rolled steel (34mm){{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}.
| engine_power       = {{convert|1470|hp}} (MBT-70) <br /> {{convert|1500|hp}} (KPz-70)
| transmission       = Renk HSWL354/2
| fuel_capacity      = 1,300 litres (343 gallons)
| pw_ratio           = 29.2 hp/t (MBT-70) <br /> 29.8 hp/t (KPz-70)
| speed              = {{convert|45|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}
| suspension         = Hydropneumatic
| clearance          = 
| vehicle_range      = 644 km (400 miles)
| crew               = 3
}}

The '''MBT-70''' (German: {{lang|de|'''KPz 70'''}} or {{lang|de|'''KpfPz 70'''}}) was an American–[[West German]] cancelled joint project to develop a new [[main battle tank]] during the 1960s.

The MBT-70 was developed by the United States and West Germany in the context of the [[Cold War]], intended to counter the new generation of tanks developed by the [[Soviet Union]] for the [[Warsaw Pact]]. The new tank was to be equipped with a number of advanced features such as newly developed "kneeling" [[hydropneumatic suspension]] and housing the entire crew in the large [[gun turret|turret]], and was armed with a 152mm XM150 gun/launcher, which could use both conventional ammunition and the [[Shillelagh missile|MGM-51 Shillelagh missile]] for long range combat.<ref name="DerSpiegel">{{cite news |url=http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-45464941.html |title=Licht vom Mond |access-date=2010-11-08 |work=[[Der Spiegel]] |date=2 November 1969 |language=de |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022112816/http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-45464941.html |archive-date=2012-10-22 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The program faced significant challenges from the start, including poor communication and coordination between the American and West German teams working on the project. The [[U.S. Army]] and the German [[Bundeswehr]] had different requirements which were not aligned and were not resolved before the project was too far advanced to be changed.

By the late 1960s, the development of the MBT-70 was well over budget, leading West Germany to withdraw from the project in 1969. The United States continued development of the MBT-70 (spun off as the XM803) until 1971 when the program was finally cancelled, with funds and technology from the MBT-70 project redirected to the development of the [[M1 Abrams]]. West Germany independently developed the [[Leopard 2]] as its new main battle tank.