Louis Renault himself conceived the new tank's overall design and set its basic specifications. The speed with which the project then progressed to the mock-up stage has led to the theory that Renault had been working on the idea for some time.Ĭrew locations shown with hatches open (turret reversed) Estienne later discovered that the Schneider company, were working on a tracked armoured vehicle, which became France's first operational tank, the Schneider CA.Īt a later, chance meeting with Renault on 16 July 1916, Estienne asked him to reconsider, which he did. Renault declined, saying that his company was operating at full capacity producing war materiel and that he had no experience of tracked vehicles. Estienne had drawn up plans for a tracked armoured vehicle based on the Holt caterpillar tractor, and, with permission from General Joffre, approached Renault as a possible manufacturer. It is thought possible that Louis Renault began working on the idea as early as 21 December 1915, after a visit from Colonel J. The FT was designed and produced by the Société des Automobiles Renault (Renault Automobile Company), one of France's major manufacturers of motor vehicles then and now.įT Char Mitrailleuse layout (with first-pattern turret) The Renault FT saw combat during the interwar conflicts around the world, but was considered obsolete at the outbreak of World War II. Copies and derivative designs were manufactured in the United States ( M1917 light tank), in Italy ( Fiat 3000) and in the Soviet Union ( T-18 tank).
After World War I, FT tanks were exported in large numbers. Over 3,000 Renault FT tanks were manufactured by French industry, most of them in 1918. Consequently, some armoured warfare historians have called the Renault FT the world's first modern tank. The Renault FT's configuration (crew compartment at the front, engine compartment at the back, and main armament in a revolving turret) became and remains the standard tank layout. The FT was the first production tank to have its armament within a fully rotating turret. The Renault FT (frequently referred to in post-World War I literature as the FT-17, FT17, or similar) was a French light tank that was among the most revolutionary and influential tank designs in history.
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