The Museum has received an intriguing donation of a RO2004 Light tank concept model.
Much of the collecting at The Tank Museum is ‘passive’, where items are freely offered by individuals or organisations, and it always turns up new and interesting artefacts. In this case, we were alerted by David Mansfield that the Royal Ordnance’s RO2004 Light Tank concept model was available and that he would like to kindly gift it to the Museum.
The model is another example of AFV designs that have gone beyond the drawing board/CAD stage into actual 3D designs but before the prototype vehicle stage. It had been scratch-built to scale by a professional model maker using an ABS type plasticard and then mounted onto a wooden base. It’s painted in NATO green, and the tracks are black plastic. Dimensionally the hull measures approximately 630mm length, 280mm in width, and 270mm in height. To aid transportation to presentations and trade shows the gun can be removed.
The Museum has acquired a number of examples of manufacturer models over the years; including two TRACER (Tactical Reconnaissance Armoured Combat Equipment Requirement) models and a trio of MBT models; Concepts A, B, and C. From a construction viewpoint, the concept models tend to have less production detail on them as they are really demonstrating the key features of the design. A second type of manufacturer model, more detailed and based on the production vehicle, is usually built at a later stage and on a smaller scale for presentations and gifts.
The interesting thing about acquiring models like this is that it allows us to not only talk about the model itself but also to examine the rationale behind more obscure designs like the RO2000 Series Lightweight Family of Vehicles.
Conceived in the mid-1980s, the RO2000 Series of Family of Lightweight Vehicles needs to be understood as part of a last-ditch attempt by Royal Ordnance, Barnbow, Leeds, to garner overseas sales at a time when the threat of privatisation by the Thatcher government was very real. ROs intellectual property rights were sold off to its competitor Vickers PLC in October 1986, and RO was incorporated into Vickers the following March.
The idea for a Royal Ordnance series of lightweight AFVs appeared to have grown from an Egyptian request for a self-propelled howitzer, which was simple, robust, and easy to build as the Egyptians wanted to manufacture it themselves. With this in mind, Royal Ordnance turned to the possibility of using the same steel hull, running gear, torsion bar suspension, single-pin track and V8 turbo charged engine in a series of variants in the 13 – 24 tonnes bracket.
In a one-page ATDU brief on a presentation in 1986, the attending Major was rather sceptical of the ROs statement ‘that using outdated technology would lower costs, be more reliable, and maintenance free’ feeling that their reasoning was ‘not particularly detailed or convincing.’ The Major also mentioned that RO was amenable to tailoring the vehicles to the British Army’s needs, including the requirement for a CVR(T) replacement and flotation screens for all the vehicles.
Further information about the RO2000 concept comes from original copies of the sales literature, which describes all four lightweight vehicles: the R2001 Self-propelled Artillery, the R02002 armoured personnel carrier, the RO2003 armoured mortar, and RO2004 light tank. Focussing on the 3-man light tank, it was to feature a lower recoil version of the Royal Ordnance’s own ‘legendary’ L7 105mm rifled gun, which reduced trunnion pull, allowing it to be fitted on a lighter-weight vehicle without impeding its ‘accuracy or firepower’. The design also included thermal imaging and image intensifier optics, a bustle mounted autoloader with state-of-the-art gun control and computerised fire control systems. Stowage 30 round ‘minimum’. Secondary armament was to be provided by a co-axial Hughes chain gun. Armour was provided by Royal Ordnance’s own ‘dynamic armour system’, the model and drawings suggesting some box armour containing explosive reactive armour. The 21.5 tonne vehicle was to be powered by a Perkins TV8-640 320-HP 8-cylinder turbo charged diesel, with a 6-speed automatic gearbox. Future updates were to include hydropneumatic suspension.
Viewed in this light, the addition of the RO2004 Light Tank concept model to the Museum’s collection provides a link to the Royal Ordnance’s thinking at a difficult time in their existence. Privatisation and its eventual sell off to Vickers meant that concepts like these would not go beyond the model/sales brochure stage, and it is as important to track the unsuccessful designs as it is those that are successful.
The South West Model Show returns to the Museum on 14-15 September and model fans can be inspired for their next project surrounded by real tanks.
Discover everything you need to know about scale modelling with traders, live workshops and demonstrations, and enter the model making competition!
