Both versions, regardless of the engine they used, managed to achieve a top speed of 64 km/h on roads, even in reverse, making the MBT/KPz-70 faster than both the Leopard 1 and M60. Namely, the MBT-70 uses a 1,470 horsepower air-cooled Continental V-12 diesel engine, whilst the German KPz-70 uses a 1,500 horsepower Daimler Benz power plant.
Key elements like the armour layout, cannon and equipment stay the same on both versions, whilst the only real difference lies in the powerplant that the vehicles used. Whilst both versions of the tank are very similar to each other, nigh identical when it comes to visual appearance, they do possess a few minor differences that distinguish them from one another.
War Thunder’s update 1.71, will introduce both versions of the project to the respective research trees of the American (MBT-70) and German (KPz-70) ground forces, as a rank VI vehicle. Spiraling development costs and design disagreements eventually lead to the Germans backing out of the project in 1969 to continue work on one of their own designs, before the Americans also abandoned the project a couple years later in 1971, leaving a total of 14 prototypes built. Considered to be way ahead of its time, the designers often faced challenges that neither the German or American side of the team was able to effectively address, making the vehicle quickly exceed both weight limitations as well as budget restrictions. However, whilst the MBT/KPz-70 did come equipped with some of the most high-tech equipment of its time, the vehicle did also come with its own set of unique problems. The KPz-70 MBT received an innovative design like no other tank before it, in addition to being equipped with some of the latest military equipment of the time, such as hydropneumatic suspension, an autoloading system and laser rangefinding, just to name a few. Nevertheless, the result of the combined effort of engineers from both sides was first put to the test in the mid ‘60s, after the first prototypes were manufactured. By the time the disagreements were settled, the project has already suffered from several delays, which in addition to other things, inflated the project’s budget early on in its development life. Right from the start, development was plagued by disagreements between the numerous design team members, due to the differing engineering practices of the two sides. Thus, work on the joint project, designated MBT-70 in the US and KPz-70 in West Germany, began in 1964. The new cannon presented a serious issue for the respective primary fighting vehicles of the two nations - the Leopard 1 and M60.
The cause for this, was the introduction of the powerful Soviet 115mm smoothbore cannon, mounted on the T-62. In the early 1960s, West Germany and the United States began work on a joint project to create a standardized new MBT design that would meet specific requirements set by both nations.