ENGINEERs at Vickers, Britain's leading tank manufacturers, are working on plans to replace today's lumbe- ring diesel-driven vehicles with silent, electrically powered tanks made of plastic that would use stealth techno- logy to evade enemy radar in the battlefield.

With detachable suits of armour made from layers of reinforced plastic, they will be easier to transport by air to battle zones, more manoeuverable and faster on the ground