Although the Spanish government originally sought to procure the German
Leopard 1, the lower-cost AMX-30, which could be manufactured in Spain,
was ultimately awarded the contract. The first 19 tanks were acquired
from France in 1970, while another 180 were assembled in Spain by Santa
Bárbara Sistemas for the Spanish Army between 1974 and 1983. The tank
was to supplement Spain's fleet of American M47 and M48 Patton tanks,
reducing the army's reliance on American equipment. It was Spain's first
mass-produced tank, leading to the development of the Lince tank project
in 1985 and the Leopard 2E in late 2003. In the late 1980s, 150 of the
AMX-30E tanks were modernized to improve the vehicle's automotive
characteristics; another 149 received only upgraded transmissions. Part
of the fleet was replaced in the late 1990s by the German Leopard 2A4,
and the rest by Centauro wheeled anti-tank vehicles in the early 21st
century.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMX-30E>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1462:
Forces led by Vlad III Dracula of Wallachia attacked an Ottoman
camp at night in an attempt to assassinate Mehmed II.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Night_Attack>
1775:
American Revolutionary War: British forces took Bunker Hill
outside of Boston, Massachusetts.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bunker_Hill>
1900:
Boxer Rebellion: Allied naval forces captured the Taku Forts
after a brief but bloody battle.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dagu_Forts_(1900)>
1985:
On board Space Shuttle Discovery, Sultan bin Salman Al Saud
became the first Arab, the first Muslim, and the first astronaut of
royal blood to fly in outer space.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultan_bin_Salman_Al_Saud>
1991:
The Parliament of South Africa repealed the Population
Registration Act, which required that each inhabitant of South Africa be
classified and registered by race as part of the system of apartheid.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_Registration_Act,_1950>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
postilion:
A rider mounted on the near, leading horse pulling a carriage who guides
the team.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/postilion>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Coercion never produces harmony. How harmonious are people who
are being forced to act against their will? Most likely, those who are
coerced will resent those who benefit from the coercion. This sets group
against group; it doesn't bring them together.
--Harry Browne
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Harry_Browne>
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