amx elc
The AMX Engin Léger de Combat (ELC) bis is a prototype light tank built by the Atelier de Construction d'Issy-les-Moulineaux as part of the ELC project launched by the French Ministry of Defense in 1955. The purpose of the ELC project was to develop a lightly armoured, heavily armed combat vehicle that could be transported and deployed swiftly through airlift. The ELC concept was to mount strong anti-tank guns on a small but fully armoured tankette, resulting in a mobile, concealed light tank destroyer capable of hitting and destroying all types of enemy vehicles at a range of 1.5 kilometres. In the mid-1950s, two prototypes were designed on the Hotchkiss tankette hull, primarily differing in their primary armament; nevertheless, the running gear, engine, and mechanical components were essentially the same for both prototypes. However, towards the end of development in 1961, the ELC program was deemed unpromising, and work on the project was abandoned in favour of developing the AMX-13 light tank family. The AMX ELC bis is now on display as an exhibit at the Museum of Armored Vehicles in Saumur.
