Australian - AC3 SENTINEL Tank - Thunderbolt (25pdr gun)

The AC3 Thunderbolt was an Australian development of the AC1 Sentinel, designed to provide substantially greater firepower for the Australian Army during the Second World War. Developed in 1942–43, the AC3 replaced the Sentinel’s 2-pounder with the powerful 25-pounder (87.6mm) gun-howitzer, requiring a redesigned turret and internal layout to accommodate the much larger weapon. The Thunderbolt demonstrated that Australia could develop a heavily armed cruiser tank using its own growing wartime industry, but changing strategic circumstances and the increasing availability of imported Allied tanks brought the programme to an end. Only one completed AC3 prototype was produced, making the Thunderbolt one of the rarest and most distinctive Australian tank designs of WWII.

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