The Lince was a Spanish main battle tank development program during the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was intended to replace the Spanish Army's M47 and M48 Patton tanks which it received through a military assistance program between 1954 and 1975. The Lince was also intended to complement the AMX-30E tanks manufactured for the Army during the 1970s. Focusing on mobility and firepower, the Lince program put secondary priority on protection and aimed for a tank lighter and faster than its competitors. The vehicle's size was also restricted by the Spanish railroad and highway network. To achieve a sufficient level of firepower and protection, given the size requirements, the Lince was to use Rheinmetall's 120 mm L/44 tank-gun and German composite armor from the Leopard 2A4. The Spanish government decided to upgrade its AMX-30Es in the late 1980s, which distracted attention from the program. The Lince was eventually canceled in 1990 when Spain adopted a large number of North American M60 Patton tanks retired from Europe in accordance with the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lince_%28tank%29

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1768:

Taksin the Great was crowned king of the newly established Thonburi Kingdom in the new capital at Thonburi, present-day Thailand. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taksin

1908:

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake and subsequent tsunami struck Messina, Italy, killing over 100,000. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1908_Messina_earthquake

1918:

Irishwoman Constance Markiewicz became the first woman Member of Parliament elected to the British House of Commons. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constance_Markiewicz

1943:

World War II: After eight days of brutal house-to-house fighting, the 1st Canadian Infantry Division captured the Italian town of Ortona. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ortona

2009:

A suicide bomber killed 43 in Karachi, Pakistan, during a procession on the Day of Ashura, the holiest of days for followers of Shia Islam. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Karachi_bombing

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

fiddle (v): 1. To play aimlessly. 2. To adjust in order to cover a basic flaw or fraud etc. 3. To play the violin http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fiddle

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

At terrestrial temperatures matter has complex properties which are likely to prove most difficult to unravel; but it is reasonable to hope that in the not too distant future we shall be competent to understand so simple a thing as a star. --Arthur Stanley Eddington http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arthur_Stanley_Eddington