Carro Armato M Celere Sahariano (M16/43) | |
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Type | Medium tank |
Place of origin | Italy |
Service history | |
Used by | Kingdom of Italy |
Production history | |
Designer | Ansaldo |
Produced | 1943 |
No. built | 1 (complete spring 1942) |
Specifications | |
Mass | 16 tonnes |
Length | 5.8 m (19 ft) |
Width | 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) |
Height | 2.0 m (6 ft 7 in) |
Crew | 4 |
Armour | 30 mm (1.2 in) front, 25 mm (0.98 in) sides |
Main armament | 1 × 47 mm 47/40 L40 then Cannone da 75/34 |
Secondary armament | 2 × 8 mm Breda 38 machine guns |
Engine | SPA gasoline 275 hp (205 kW) |
Power/weight | 17.19 hp (12.82 kW)/tonne |
Suspension | Torsion bar[1] |
Operational range | 300 km (190 mi) |
Maximum speed | 55 km/h (34 mph) |
The Carro Armato M Celere Sahariano (Italian for "Saharian Fast Medium Tank") or M16/43 was a prototype medium tank developed by the Kingdom of Italy during World War II to match the speed and firepower of contemporary British cruiser tanks encountered by Italian forces during the Western Desert Campaign.[citation needed] The project was cancelled following the expulsion of Axis forces from North Africa in May 1943. Had it entered service, the tank's designation would likely have been M16/43: "M" for Medio, "16" representing the vehicle's weight in metric tons and "43" being the planned year of introduction.[2]