Soviets ‘have acquired British tank secret’

Press, 11 August 1977, Page 8

Soviets ‘have acquired British tank secret’

NZPA London American intelligence sources say that Soviet agents have smuggled samples of top secret armour plate for battle tanks into the Soviet Union from West Germany, the “Daily Express” has reported.

The British newspaper said the Soviets were believed already to be producing the armour plate, which was developed by British scientists, in sufficient amounts to test their own anti-tank guns and missilies against it. The armour plate is called Chobham armour because it

was developed at the British Government’s Fighting Vehicles Establishment at Chobham near London, the report said. Its development cost British taxpayers £6 million, said the “Express” writer, Chapman Pincher. He added: “The secrets of the armour, which is of revolutionary design, were passed to the West Germans several years ago because Britain planned to build a new tank in partnership with them. But the deal fell! through.” Secrets of the armour plate also were given to the United States, Pincher added. Pentagon chiefs, who

were given secrets under a general defence agreement and intend to use them, regard the leakage as a major setback, he said.

But Pincher said that British officials were so used to the smuggling of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation secrets from West to East Germany that they were not surprised. He quoted the officials as claiming that while the Soviets might be able to massproduce the armour in two or three years it would take them longer to produce ammunition capable of penetrating it.