France Renault FT 17 Ordnance classification - Light Tank

Tweet The Renault FT 17 was designed in 1916, manufactured by Renault based on the existing fully tracked Light Tank and was in use from 1917 to 1935. General Details Specifications Operational Date(s) 1917 - 1935 Ordnance classification Light Tank Quantity Produced 1177 Weight 6.5 tonne Crew 2 M.G's small 1 M.G's large(>10mm) n/a Length 4.08 mtr Width 1.74 mtr Height 2.15 mtr Engine Details/Performance Max Road Speed 5 mph Max Cross Country Speed 3 mph Range Road 35 miles Range Cross Country 14 miles Fuel Type Petrol Fuel Capacity unknown Horse Power 35 hp Power/Weight 5 hp/tonne General Information The Renault FT 17 was designed in 1916, manufactured by Renault based on the existing fully tracked Light Tank and was in use from 1917 to 1935. The vehicle was powered by Renault '4 Cylinder 35hp' petrol powerplant producing 35 HP which could drive the vehicle on roads at up to 5 mph with a range of about 35 miles before refuelling. Its cross country performance was poor providing a max speed of about 3 mph and a range of about 14 miles. It was armed with 1 light machine gun , a Mle 1914. A small number of early models were produced with a moulded steel turret, but this was difficult to make so the later models were provided with an eight sided rivetted turret. Armour Details Turret Front 16mm @ 13° (16mm) Side 16mm @ 15° (17mm) Rear 16mm @ 15° (17mm) Top 8mm @ 65° (9mm) Superstructure Front 16mm @ 70° (47mm) Side 16mm @ 0° (16mm) Rear 16mm @ 0° (16mm) Top 6mm @ 67° (7mm) Hull Front 16mm @ 29° (18mm) Side 16mm @ 0° (16mm) Rear 16mm @ 0° (16mm) Top 6mm @ 67° (7mm) Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°) Effective Armour - Maximum 47 mm - Minimum 7 mm Weapon Details Mle 1914 (Machine Gun) History Originally designed for the Infantry in World War 1 the Hotchkiss was installed in early tanks from 1915. Manufacturer Hotchkiss Manufactured 1900 - 1924 Calibre 8mm Length L/96 Rate of Fire 500 rpm Number of Rounds  2000     Ammunition Details Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content 8×50mmR Lebel (BALL Standard Small Arms) 8mm 0.012Kg 730M/Sec Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.17 Penetration(mm@30°) 2 Penetration(mm@0°) 3 Hit Probability(%) 98

Hit probability is based on a static 2 x 2.4 metre panel at 0 degrees(vertical) at the range specified.

The data that has been used to create these records has come from Wikipedia, The Lone Sentry, The Bundes Archive and numerous books and websites that have provided the detailed information that has not been available anywhere else. The information we use to calculate the penetration tables, flight times and the hit probability comes from the Gun Calibre, the Shell Mass(Kg) and the muzzle velocity, plus range reductions to allow for gravity and wind resistance. This calculation originally came from a pre-war Krupp calculation which has been modified, and seems to fit the actual test results.

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