The Black Prince infantry tank is a special variant of the Matilda II infantry tank, replacing the original turret with the A27 turret, with a 57 mm/L36.5 QF 6-pound Mk.III tank gun with the Rackham clutch and Wilson 6-speed planetary preformler gearbox. The original order was 60, but due to the complexity of the turret installation, only one prototype was produced in 1941 and was not commissioned. In addition, larger turrets, new guns and ammunition will be weighted by 20%, that is, 3-5 tons, and travel, maximum speed and passability will be affected. This vehicle is sometimes mistakenly referred to as the Matilda because of its turret like the Cromwell Cruiser. Cromwell.
The appearance of the vehicle is similar to that of the Matilda A27 infantry tank, but the former is manned, while the "Black Prince" is remotely controlled by A12E2 radio, and was originally intended to be used as a meat shield for the attacking force, with thicker armor to attract enemy anti-tank fire to expose enemy anti-tank gun positions, and can also carry out the task of destroying fortifications. The production of new turrets was ordered, but some hulls were already produced, which were shipped to Australia to install standard turrets. Compared to the original hull, these tanks have raised bumps around the seat ring.
The picture shows the Matilda A27, manned, and the appearance of the "Black Prince" is basically the same
performance:
Weight: 26 tons
Length: 6 meters
Width: 2.6 meters
Height: 2.46 m
Crew (original): 4 (driver, gunner, loader, conductor)
Armor: 20-78 mm
weapons:
57 mm / L36.5 QF 6-pound Mk.III gun (64 rounds);
7.92 mm Besa machine gun (2925 rounds of machine gun ammunition)
Power: 2 x 6-cylinder Leyland diesel engines with an output of 180 hp
Transmission: Wilson 6-speed planetary preselector gearbox
Suspension: coil springs
Clutch: Rackham clutch
Travel: 257 km
Maximum road speed: 26 km/h
Maximum off-road speed: 14 km/h
Image from the web