The Carden Loyd tankette came about from an idea started, as a private project, by the British military engineer and tank strategist Major Giffard LeQuesne Martel. He built a one-man tank in his garage from various parts and showed it to the War Office in the mid 1920s. With the publicization of the idea, other companies produced their own interpretations of the idea. One of these was Carden-Loyd Tractors Ltd, of Sir John Carden and Vivian Loyd. Besides one-man vehicles they also proposed two-man vehicles which turned out to be a more effective and popular idea. Vickers-Armstrongs manufactured and marketed it worldwide.
Considered a reconnaissance vehicle and a mobile machine gun position, the Mark VI was the final stage of development of Carden Loyd series of tankettes.
The Carden Loyd tankette was the prototype for the Universal Carrier.
| Carden Loyd Tankette | |
|---|---|
| Type | Tankette |
| Place of origin |  United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| Used by | see text |
| Wars | Chaco War, French-Thai War, World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Carden-Loyd Tractors Ltd. |
| Manufacturer | Vickers-Armstrong |
| Produced | 1927-1935 |
| Number built | 450 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 1.5 tonnes |
| Length | 2.46 m |
| Width | 1.75 m |
| Height | 1.22 m |
| Crew | 2 |
| | |
| Armour | 6 - 9 mm |
| Main armament | 0.303 inch Vickers machine gun |
| Engine | Ford Model T petrol 4 cylinder 40 hp |
| Suspension | Bogie |
| Operational range | 144 km |
| Speed | 40 km/h (road) |
