View source for Renault FT

{{Short description|French light tank}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox weapon
| name               = Renault FT
| image              = FT 17.jpg
| image_size         = 300
| caption            = FT with Girod turret at [[Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History|Royal Museum of the Armed Forces]], Belgium
| type               = [[Light tank]]
| is_vehicle         = yes
| service            = 1917–c. 1989
| wars               = {{plainlist |
* [[World War I]]
* [[Russian Civil War]]
* [[Estonian War of Independence]]
* [[Turkish War of Independence]]
* [[Polish-Soviet War]]
* [[Warlord Era]]
* [[Rif War]]
* [[São Paulo Revolt of 1924]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://aventurasnahistoria.uol.com.br/noticias/historia-hoje/revolta-tenentista-1924.phtml | title=TANQUES E BOMBARDEIROS EM SÃO PAULO: A REVOLTA TENENTISTA DE 1924| date=5 July 2018}}</ref>
* [[Great Syrian Revolt]]
* [[Brazilian Revolution of 1930]]
* [[Constitutionalist Revolution|Brazilian Constitutionalist War]]
* [[Chinese Civil War]]
* [[Spanish Civil War]]
* [[Winter War]]
* [[World War II]]
* [[Franco-Thai War]]
* [[Soviet–Afghan War]]
}}<!-- Production history -->
| number             = +3,000, 2,622 by France
| length             = {{convert|4.10|m|ftin|abbr=on}} or {{convert|5.00|m|ftin|abbr=on}} with tail
| width              = {{convert|1.74|m|abbr=on}}
| height             = {{convert|2.14|m|abbr=on}}
| origin             = [[French Third Republic|France]]
| used_by            = See ''[[#Operators|Operators]]''
| designer           = [[Louis Renault (industrialist)|Louis Renault]] and Rodolphe Ernst-Metzmaier
| design_date        = 1916
| manufacturer       = {{plainlist |
* [[Renault]]
* [[Berliet]]
* [[Somua]]
* [[Delaunay-Belleville]]
}}
| unit_cost          = 
| production_date    = 1917–1919
| variants           = {{plainlist |
* ''Char canon''
* ''Char mitrailleuse''
* FT 75 BS
* ''Char signal''
* FT ''modifié'' 31
* [[M1917 light tank|US M1917]]
* ''Russkiy Reno''
}}
| weight             = {{convert|6.5|t|abbr=out|lk=on}}
| crew               = 2 (commander, driver)
| armour             = {{convert|8|to|22|mm|abbr=on}}
| primary_armament   = [[Puteaux SA 18|Puteaux SA 1918]] 37 mm gun or 8 mm [[Hotchkiss M1914 machine gun|Hotchkiss machine gun]] <br /> [[Reibel machine gun]] (FT 31)
| secondary_armament = 
| engine             = Renault 4-cyl, 4.5 litre, thermo-siphon water-cooled; Gasoline ([[petrol]]) pump; Engine oil pump; Zenith preset carburettor; Magneto ignition
| engine_power       = 39 hp (29 kW) at 1500 rpm
| transmission       = sliding gear; four speeds forward, one reverse. One main clutch plus two subsidiary clutches (one for each of the two tracks) used for steering the tank.
| fuel_capacity      = 95 litres (about 8 hours)
| pw_ratio           = {{convert|5|hp/t|kW/t|abbr=on}}
| suspension         = vertical springs
| clearance          = 
| vehicle_range      = {{convert|60|km|abbr=on}}
| speed              = {{convert|7|km/h|abbr=on}}
}}

The '''Renault FT''' (frequently referred to in post-World War I literature as the '''FT-17''', '''FT17''', or similar) is a French [[light tank]] that was among the most revolutionary and influential tank designs in history. The FT was the first production [[tank]] to have its armament within a fully rotating turret.<ref group="note" >Although a rotating turret had been a feature of some earlier tank designs or prototypes, and had been incorporated in [[Armored car (military)|armoured cars]] for several years, no tank with a turret had entered service.</ref> 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. Consequently, some [[armoured warfare]] historians have called the Renault FT the world's first modern tank.{{sfn|Zaloga|1988|p=3}}

Over 3,000 Renault FT tanks were manufactured by France, most of them in 1918. After [[World War I]], FT tanks were exported in large numbers. 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]]). The Renault FT saw combat during the [[Interwar period|interwar]] conflicts around the world but was considered obsolete at the outbreak of [[World War II]].

== Development ==

The FT was designed and produced by the [[Renault|Société des Automobiles Renault]] (Renault Automobile Company).

[[File:RenaultFT-17TankInternalLayoutDiagram.jpg|thumb|left|FT Char Mitrailleuse layout (with first-pattern turret)]]
It is thought possible that [[Louis Renault (industrialist)|Louis Renault]] began working on the idea as early as 21 December 1915, after a visit from [[Jean Baptiste Eugène Estienne|Colonel J. B. E. Estienne]].{{sfn|Danjou|2009|p=6}}{{sfn|Jeudy|1997|p=36}} Estienne had drawn up plans for a tracked armoured vehicle based on the [[Holt tractor|Holt caterpillar tractor]], and with permission from [[Joseph Joffre|General Joffre]], approached Renault as a possible manufacturer. Renault declined, saying that his company was operating at full capacity producing war materiel and that he had no experience of tracked vehicles. Estienne later discovered that the [[Schneider-Creusot|Schneider company]] was working on a tracked armoured vehicle, which became France's first operational tank, the [[Schneider CA1|Schneider CA]].

At a later, chance meeting with Renault on 16 July 1916, Estienne asked him to reconsider, which he did, favourably.

[[File:Whippet-tank-verdun.gif|thumb|left|Crew locations shown with hatches open (turret reversed)]]
Louis Renault himself conceived the new tank's overall design and set its basic specifications. He imposed a 7-ton limit to the FT's projected weight. Renault was unconvinced that a sufficient [[power-to-weight ratio]] could be achieved with the production engines available at the time to give sufficient mobility to the heavy tank types requested by the military.<ref>{{cite web | title=Renault FT | website=Tank Encyclopedia | date=2014-06-10 | url=https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww1/fr/renault_ft.php | access-date=2021-10-01}}</ref> Renault's industrial designer Rodolphe Ernst-Metzmaier generated the FT's execution plans. Charles-Edmond Serre, a long-time associate of Louis Renault, organized and supervised the new tank's mass production. The FT's tracks were kept automatically under tension to prevent derailments, while a rounded tailpiece facilitated the crossing of trenches. Because the engine had been designed to function normally under any slant, very steep slopes could be negotiated by the Renault FT without loss of power. Effective internal ventilation was provided by the engine's radiator fan, which drew its air through the front crew compartment of the tank and forced it out through the rear engine's compartment.

Renault encountered some early difficulties in getting his proposal fully supported by Estienne. After the first British use of heavy tanks on 15 September 1916 during the [[Battle of the Somme]], the French military still pondered whether a large number of light tanks would be preferable to a smaller number of super-heavy tanks (the later [[Char 2C]]). On 27 November 1916, Estienne sent to the French Commander in Chief a personal memorandum proposing the immediate adoption and mass manufacture of a light tank based on the specifications of the Renault prototype. After receiving two large government orders for the FT tank, one in April 1917 and the other in June 1917, Renault was able to proceed. His design remained in competition with the super-heavy Char 2C until the end of the war.

The prototype was refined during the second half of 1917, but the Renault FT remained plagued by radiator fan belt problems throughout the war. Only 84 were produced in 1917, but 2,697 were delivered to the French army before the Armistice.

=== Naming ===
[[File:FT-17-Beograd.jpg|thumb|upright|FT at the [[Belgrade Military Museum]], Serbia]]

Although it has sometimes been stated that the letters FT stand for the French terms ''faible tonnage'' (low tonnage), ''faible taille'' (small size), ''franchisseur de tranchées'' (trench crosser), or ''force terrestre'' (land force),<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.collectie.legermuseum.nl/asp/page.asp?alias=strategion | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619072748/http://www.collectie.legermuseum.nl/asp/page.asp?alias=strategion | archive-date=19 June 2013 | title=CIC – verkenningstocht door de collectie }}</ref> none of these names are correct. Neither was it named the FT 17 or FT-17. The name is derived from the two-letter production code that all new Renault projects were given for internal use: the one available was 'FT'.

The prototype was at first referred to as the ''automitrailleuse à chenilles Renault FT modèle 1917''. ''Automitrailleuse à chenilles'' means "[[Armored car (military)|armoured car]] [lit: motorized machine gun] with tracks." By this stage of the war, ''automitrailleuse'' was the standard word for an armoured car, but by the time the FT was designed there were two other types of French tank in existence, and the term ''char d'assaut'' (from the French ''char'' – a cart or wagon, and ''assaut''; attack or assault), soon shortened to ''char'', had at the insistence of Colonel Estienne, already been adopted by the French and was in common use. Once orders for the vehicle had been secured it was the practice at Renault to refer to it as the "FT". The vehicle was originally intended to carry a machine-gun, and was therefore described as a ''char mitrailleur'' – ''mitrailleur'' (from ''mitraille''; grapeshot) had by this time come to mean "machine-gunner".

Many sources, predominantly English language accounts, refer to the FT as the "FT 17" or "FT-17." This term is not contemporary and appears to have arisen post World War One. In Estienne's biography,<ref>Mondet, Arlette Estienne: Le général J.B.E. Estienne, père des chars. L'Harmattan, 2010</ref> his granddaughter states, "It is also referred to as the FT 17: the number 17 was added after the war in history books, since it was always referred to at Renault as the FT." Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Malmassari (French tank officer and Doctor of History) states, "The Renault tank never carried the name FT 17 during the First World War, although the initials F.T. seem to appear in August 1917."<ref>Malmassari, P: Les chars de la Grande Guerre. Groupe Hommell, 2009.</ref> Some confusion might also have been caused by the fact that the American version of the vehicle, produced in the US under licence from Renault, was designated the M1917. When it was decided to equip the FTs with either cannon or machine-guns, the cannon version was designated ''char canon'' (cannon tank), and the latter, in accordance with French grammar, renamed ''char mitrailleuse'' (machine-gun tank).

It is frequently claimed that some of these tanks were designated FT 18. Reasons given for the claim include: it distinguished tanks produced in 1918 from those of 1917; it was applied to FTs armed with cannon as opposed to those with machine-guns; it distinguished FTs with a cast, rounded turret from those with a hexagonal one; it referred to the 18 horsepower engine; it indicated a version to which various modifications had been made.

Renault records make no distinction between 1917 and 1918 output; the decision to arm FTs with a 37mm gun was made in April 1917, before any tanks had been manufactured; because of various production difficulties and design requirements, a range of turret types were produced by several manufacturers, but they were all fitted to the basic FT body without any distinguishing reference; all FTs had the same model 18&nbsp;hp engine. The Renault manual of April 1918 is entitled ''RENAULT CHAR D'ASSAUT 18 HP'', and the illustrations are of the machine-gun version. The official designation was not changed until the 1930s when the FT was fitted with a 1931 [[Reibel machine gun]] and renamed the ''FT modifié 31''. By this time, the French Army was equipped with several other Renault models and it had become necessary to distinguish between the various types.{{sfn|Jeudy|1997|p={{page needed|date=February 2019}}}}{{sfn|Zaloga|1988|p={{page needed|date=February 2019}}}}{{sfn|Danjou|2009|p={{page needed|date=February 2019}}}}<ref>Ramspacher, Colonel E.G.; Le général Estienne. Lavauzelle, 1983.</ref><ref>Ernst-Metzmaier, Rodolphe. Quelques souvenirs.</ref>

== Production ==

=== France ===

About half of all FTs were manufactured in Renault's factory at [[Boulogne-Billancourt]] near Paris, with the remainder subcontracted to other companies. Of the original order for 3,530, Renault accounted for 1,850 (52%), [[Berliet]] 800 (23%), [[SOMUA]] (a subsidiary of [[Schneider & Cie]]) 600 (17%), and [[Delaunay-Belleville]] 280 (8%). When the order was increased to 7,820 in 1918, production was distributed in roughly the same proportion. Louis Renault agreed to waive [[royalties]] for all French manufacturers of the FT.
[[File:0 Char Renault FT - Musée de l'armée à Paris 1.JPG|thumb|right|French Renault FT in the [[Army Museum (Paris)|Army Museum]], Paris]]

=== United States ===

When the US entered the war in April 1917, its army was short of heavy [[materiel]] and had no tanks at all. Because of the wartime demands on French industry, it was decided that the quickest way to supply the American forces with sufficient armour was to manufacture the FT in the US. A requirement of 4,400 of a modified version, the [[M1917 light tank|M1917]], was decided on, with delivery expected to begin in April 1918. By June 1918, US manufacturers had failed to produce any, and delivery dates were put back until September. France therefore agreed to lend 144 FTs, enough to equip two battalions. No M1917s reached the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) until the war was over.

== Turret ==
[[File:FT-17prototype.jpg|thumb|left|First mock-up of the ''canon'' turret, mounted on the FT prototype. The gun is a wooden dummy.{{sfn|Jeudy|1997|p=78}}]]

The first turret designed for the FT was a circular, cast steel version almost identical to that of the prototype.{{sfn|Zaloga|2010|p=28}} It was designed to carry a [[Hotchkiss M1914 machine gun|Hotchkiss 8mm machine gun]]. In April 1917 Estienne decided for tactical reasons that some vehicles should be capable of carrying a small cannon. The [[Puteaux SA 18|37mm Puteaux gun]] was chosen, and attempts were made to produce a cast steel turret capable of accommodating it, but they were unsuccessful.{{sfn|Zaloga|2010|p=23}}  The first 150 FTs were for training only, and made of non-hardened steel plus the first model of turret.{{sfn|Zaloga|2010|p=21}} Meanwhile, the [[Berliet]] Company had produced a new design, a polygonal turret of riveted plate, which was simpler to produce than the early cast steel turret. It was given the name "omnibus", since it could easily be adapted to mount either the Hotchkiss machine gun or the Puteaux 37mm with its telescopic sight. This turret was fitted to production models in large numbers. In 1918 [[:fr:Ugitech#L'arrivée de la Première Guerre mondiale|''Forges et aciéries Paul Girod'']] produced a successful circular turret which was mostly cast with some rolled parts. The Girod turret was also an "omnibus" design. Girod supplied it to all the companies producing the FT, and in the later stages of the war it became more commonplace than the Berliet turret.{{sfn|Zaloga|2010|p=28}}<ref>[https://archive.org/details/german-panzers-and-allied-armour-in-yugoslavia-in-world-war-two/page/25/mode/1up?q=%22Berliet+Type%22 Berliet-turret] in ''German Panzers And Allied Armour In Yugoslavia In World War Two'', page 25.</ref> The turret sat on a circular ball-bearing race, and could easily be rotated by the gunner/commander or be locked in position with a handbrake.

== Service history ==

=== World War I ===

[[File:American troops going forward to the battle line in the Forest of Argonne. France, September 26, 1918. - NARA - 530748.jpg|thumb|right|US Army operating FTs on the Western Front, 1918]]
The Renault FT was widely used by French forces in 1918 and by the [[American Expeditionary Forces]] (AEF) on the Western Front in the closing stages of [[World War I]].

Its battlefield debut occurred on 31 May 1918, east of the [[Forest of Retz]], east of [[Chaudun]], between [[Ploisy]] and Chazelles, during the [[Third Battle of the Aisne]]. This engagement, with 30 tanks, successfully broke up a German advance, but in the absence of infantry support, the vehicles later withdrew.{{sfn|Gale|2013|p=138}}{{sfn|Jeudy|1997|p=38}}<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Les chars de la Grande Guerre |issue=3|last=Malmassari|first=Paul|date=December 2009  |magazine=14–18 Magazine Hors Série |language=fr|page=38}}</ref> From then on, gradually increasing numbers of FTs were deployed, together with smaller numbers of the older [[Schneider CA1]] and [[Saint-Chamond (tank)|Saint-Chamond]] tanks.{{sfn|Zaloga|2010|p=39}} As the war had become a war of movement during mid-1918, during the [[Hundred Days Offensive]], the lighter FTs were often transported on heavy trucks and special trailers rather than by rail on flat cars.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} Estienne had initially proposed to overwhelm the enemy defences using a "swarm" of light tanks, a tactic that was eventually successfully implemented.{{sfn|Zaloga|2010|pp=26–27}} Beginning in late 1917, the [[Allies of World War I|Entente allies]] were attempting to outproduce the [[Central Powers]] in all respects, including artillery, tanks, and chemical weapons. Consequently, a goal was set of manufacturing 12,260 FT tanks (7,820 in France and 4,440 in the United States) before the end of 1919.{{sfn|Zaloga|2010|pp=27, 38}} It played a leading role in the offensives of 1918, when it received the popular name "Victory Tank".

The [[British Army]] used 24 FTs for command and liaison duties, usually with the gun removed.{{sfn|Forty|Livesey|2006|p=133}}

Italy received 3 FTs in June 1918, but they did not see action and no other tanks were received until the end of the war.{{sfn|Zaloga|2010|p=40}}

=== Interwar period ===
After the end of World War I, Renault FTs were exported to many countries, including Belgium, Brazil, [[Czechoslovakia]], Estonia, Finland, Iran, Japan, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and Yugoslavia. Renault FT tanks were used by most nations having armoured forces, generally as their prominent tank type.

They were used in anti-Soviet conflicts such as the [[Russian Civil War]] and [[Polish-Soviet War]]. On 5 February 1920, Estonia purchased nine vehicles from France.<ref>http://www.raamatukoi.ee/cgi-bin/raamat?79813<br />Estonian Armoured Machines. Tiit Noormets & Mati Õun. Tammiskilp 1999. Page 66</ref>{{verify source|date=February 2019}}

[[File:IJA tank in Manchuria.jpg|thumb|Japanese FT-Ko tank in Manchuria, 1932]]
French tanks deployed in [[Vladivostok]] were given to the Chinese [[Fengtian Army]] of [[Zhang Zuolin]] in 1919. 14 more Renaults were bought in 1924 and 1925. These tanks saw action to protect the border from the Soviets in the 1920s and against the [[Warlord Era|warlord]] [[Wu Peifu]] in 1926. After the [[Japanese invasion of Manchuria]], nearly all were handed over to the [[Manchukuo Imperial Army]].{{sfn|Zaloga|1988|p=40}}

Renault tanks were also used in colonial conflicts, for instance crushing a revolt in [[Italian Libya]] in 1919.{{sfn|Cappellano|Battistelli|2012|p=10}} The French Army sent a company of FT tanks to [[State of Syria (1925–1930)|Syria]] during the [[Great Druze Revolt]].{{sfn|Zaloga|1988|p=40}} In Brazil, the FT tanks were used by the [[First Brazilian Republic|Old Republic]] to crush various revolts between 1924 and 1927 and by [[Vargas Era|Vargas forces]] against the [[Constitutionalist Revolution]].<ref name="B&B47"/><ref name="ufjf.edu.br"/>

During the [[Rif War]], after the [[Battle of Annual]], the Spanish Army ordered 10 FT armed with Hotchkiss machine guns and 1 ''char TSF'' to supplement a first Renault bought in 1919. These tanks formed a company deployed from 1921. After a first failure, they proved to be very effective and six more were delivered in 1925.<ref name="B&B63"/> The Spanish FT were the first tanks in history to take part in an [[Amphibious warfare|amphibious assault]], the [[Alhucemas landing]]. The French Army deployed two battalions of FT during the war, including one company of tanks with Kégresse tracks.{{sfn|Zaloga|1988|p=39}} After the end of the war, the French tanks remained in North Africa to finish the [[French conquest of Morocco|"pacification" of Morocco]] in the [[Atlas Mountains]].{{sfn|Zaloga|1988|p=40}} When the [[Spanish Civil War]] broke, half of the Renault crews remained loyal to the [[Second Spanish Republic|Spanish Republic]] while the others joined the [[Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War)|rebels]]. France later sent 32 FTs to the Republicans;<ref name="B&B63"/> the number of FTs [[Polish arms sales to Republican Spain|sold to the Republicans by Poland]] is unclear; estimates vary between 16 and 94.

=== World War II and after ===

Renault FT tanks were also fielded in limited numbers during [[World War II]], in Poland, Finland, France, Romania and the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]], although they were already obsolete.{{sfn|Zaloga|1988|pp=42–43}} In May 1940, the French Army still had seven front-line battalions, each equipped with 63 FTs, one under-strength battalion as well as three independent companies, each with 10, for a total organic strength of 504.<ref name="GBM74">{{cite magazine|title=Nos chars en 1940 : Pourquoi, combien|first=François|last=Vauvilier|magazine=Histoire de Guerre, Blindés et Matériels|language=fr|date=November 2006|issue=74|pages=40–75|publisher=Histoire & Collections}}</ref> 105 more were in service in the colonies of Morocco and Algeria and 58 in [[French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon|French Levant]], Madagascar and [[French Indochina|Indochina]].{{sfn|Zaloga|2010|pp=40–42}} Some FT tanks had also been buried within the ground and encased in concrete to supplement the [[Maginot Line]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Fortress France : the Maginot Line and French defenses in World War II|last=Kaufmann, J. E.|date=2007|publisher=Stackpole Books|isbn=9780811733953|oclc=973635332|page=81}}</ref>

[[File:Renault FT der Wehrmacht in Serbien.jpg|thumbnail|Captured FT tanks in German service in Serbia (World War II)]]

The fact that several units used the Renault FT gave rise to the popular myth that the French had no modern equipment at all; actually, they had as many modern tanks as the Germans; however, the majority had one-man turrets and were less efficient than German tanks such as the [[Panzer III]] and [[Panzer IV|IV.]]<ref>J P Harris & F N Toase, ''Armoured Warfare'', Basford 1990, p. 62</ref> The French suffered from strategic and tactical weaknesses rather than from equipment deficiencies, although many of the French tanks were also markedly slow (unlike the German tanks of the time).{{sfn|Zaloga|2010|p=35}} When the best French units were cut off by the German drive to the English Channel, around 390 FTs, previously used for training or stored in depots, joined the 184 to 192 FTs in service with internal security units.<ref name="Histomag88">{{cite magazine|title=Les chars FT dans la défense du territoire français|url=https://www.39-45.org/histomag/hm88.pdf|first=Alain|last=Adam|issn= 2267-0785|issue=88|date=July 2014|language=fr|magazine=Histomag 39–45|pages=41–53}}</ref> The [[Wehrmacht]] captured 1,704 FTs.<ref name="Histomag88"/> They used about 100 for airfield defence and about 650 for patrolling occupied Europe.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} Some were used by the Germans in 1944 for street-fighting in Paris, but by this time they were hopelessly out of date.

[[Vichy France]] used Renault FTs against Allied invasion forces during [[Operation Torch]] in Morocco and Algeria. The French tanks were no match for the newly arrived American [[M4 Sherman]] and [[M3 Stuart]] tanks.<ref>Atkinson, Rick. An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942–1943.</ref> The last combat of the French Army FTs was during the [[Japanese invasion of French Indochina]], when a section defended the [[Imperial City, Huế|Hue fortress]].{{sfn|Zaloga|1988|p=41}}

The last known use was in the 1980s during the [[Soviet–Afghan War]], when some FTs were used as pillboxes or roadblocks.{{sfn|Zaloga|2010|p=44}}

In 2003, derelict former Afghan military Renault FTs were found by US occupation forces in Afghanistan.

=== Derivatives ===
[[File:Monument to First Soviet Tank.jpg|thumb|Monument to the first Soviet tank in [[Nizhny Novgorod]], a copy of "Russkiy Reno"]]

The FT was the ancestor of a long line of French tanks: the FT Kégresse, the NC1, the NC2, the [[Char D1]], and the [[Char D2]]. The Italians produced the [[Fiat 3000|FIAT 3000]], a moderately close copy of the FT, as their standard tank.

The Soviet [[Red Army]] captured 14 burnt-out Renaults from [[White movement|White Russian]] forces and rebuilt them at the [[Krasnoye Sormovo Factory]] in 1920. Nearly 15 exact copies, called "Russkiy Reno", were produced in 1920–1922, but they were never used in battle because of many technical problems. In 1928–1931, the first completely Soviet-designed tank was the [[T-18 tank|T-18]], a derivative of the Renault with sprung suspension.
{{Clear}}

=== Operators ===
<gallery mode="packed">
Tanque Renault F-17 español Rif.jpg|Spanish FT tank in Morocco, 1922
Renault FT-17 in ROC.jpg|Chinese FT tanks
Tankai Renault-FT-17.jpg|Lithuanian FT tanks in 1925
Francouzské tanky Renault vz. 17 čs. armády.gif|Czechoslovak FT tank in 1928
</gallery>

* {{flag|Kingdom of Afghanistan}} (some tanks, four discovered by US forces in 2003)<ref name="B&B48">{{cite magazine|language=fr|title=Le Blindorama: Afghanistan, 1919 – 2003|magazine=Batailles & Blindés|issue=48|date=April 2012|publisher=Caraktère|issn=1765-0828|first=Xavier|last=Tracol|pages=4–5}}</ref>
* {{flag|Belgium}} (54 tanks bought in 1919, used until 1934 in a tank regiment and then used by the [[Gendarmerie (Belgium)|Gendarmerie]] before being scrapped in 1938){{sfn|Zaloga|1988|pp=37–38}}
* {{flag|Brazil}} (12 ''Carros de assalto'', six with 37mm gun, five with 7mm Hotchkiss MGs and one TSF, bought in 1921, later joined by approximatively 28 others, in active service until 1938 and in training service until 1942)<ref name="B&B47">{{cite magazine|language=fr|title=Le Blindorama: Brésil, 1921 – 1945|magazine=Batailles & Blindés|issue=47|date=February 2012|publisher=Caraktère|issn=1765-0828|first=Xavier|last=Tracol|pages=6–9}}</ref><ref name="ufjf.edu.br"/>{{sfn|Zaloga|1988|p=38}}
* {{flag|Republic of China (1912–1949)|1912|name=Republic of China}} (~20 FTs, used by the [[Fengtian clique]] and then by the [[Northeastern Army]]){{sfn|Zaloga|1988|p=40}}
* {{flag|Independent State of Croatia}} (12 former Yugoslav tanks used by the [[Ustaše Militia]] and 12 others by the [[Croatian Home Guard (World War II)|Army]] against the partisans)<ref>{{cite book|title=Tanks of Hitler's Eastern Allies 1941–45|series=New Vanguard 199|publisher=Osprey Publishing|first=Steven J.|last= Zaloga|date=20 April 2013|isbn=9781780960203|page=42}}</ref><ref name="B&B42">{{cite magazine|language=fr|title=Le Blindorama : La Croatie, 1941 – 1945|magazine=Batailles & Blindés|issue=42|date=April 2011|publisher=Caraktère|issn=1765-0828|first=Yann|last=Mahé|pages=4–7}}</ref>
* {{flag|Czechoslovakia}} (seven tanks, bought in 1921–1923 and used until 1933)<ref name="B&B58">{{cite magazine|language=fr|title=Le Blindorama : La Tchécoslovaquie, 1923 – 1945|magazine=Batailles & Blindés|issue=58|date=December 2013|publisher=Caraktère|issn=1765-0828|first=Yann|last=Mahé|pages=4–7}}</ref>
* {{flag|Estonia}} (four FTs with gun and eight FT with machine guns, bought in 1924 and used until 1940){{sfn|Zaloga|1988|p=37}}<ref>{{cite journal|title=The military situation in the Baltic States|first=Edgars|last=Andersons|year=2001|issue=6|volume=2001|journal=Baltic Defence Review|url=http://www.bdcol.ee/files/docs/bdreview/10bdr601_backup.pdf|pages=113–153|access-date=11 February 2019|archive-date=24 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190124041412/http://www.bdcol.ee/files/docs/bdreview/10bdr601_backup.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{flag|Finland}} (34 tanks, used 1919–1942)<ref name="B&B46">{{cite magazine|language=fr|title=Le Blindorama : Le Finlande, 1939 – 1945|magazine=Batailles & Blindés|issue=46|date=December 2011|publisher=Caraktère|issn=1765-0828|first=Alexandre|last=Thers|pages=4–9}}</ref>
* {{flag|France}}
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Philippe Pétain, Chief of State of Vichy France.svg}} [[Vichy France]] Captured tanks given by [[Nazi Germany]].
* {{flag|German Empire}} (captured)
* {{flag|Nazi Germany}} (captured)
* {{flag|Iran}} (some tanks received from France in 1924, actual delivery disputed){{sfn|Zaloga|1988|p=39}}<ref name="B&B74">{{cite magazine|language=fr|title=Le Blindorama : Iran, 1936 – 1945|magazine=Batailles & Blindés|issue=74|date=August 2016|publisher=Caraktère|issn=1765-0828|first=Yann|last=Mahé|pages=4–5}}</ref>
* {{flag|Japan}} (13 tanks, some used alongside [[Char D1#Renault NC|Renault NC1]]s in Manchuria in 1932)<ref name="B&B51">{{cite magazine|language=fr|title=Le Blindorama : Le Japon, 1932 – 1945|magazine=Batailles & Blindés|issue=51|date=October 2012|publisher=Caraktère|issn=1765-0828|first=Alexandre|last=Thers|pages=4–9}}</ref>
* {{flag|Italy}} (seven FTs in 1919 and many more [[Fiat 3000]]s){{sfn|Cappellano|Battistelli|2012|p=5}}
* {{flag|Lithuania}} (12 FTs with [[Maxim gun|Maxim machine guns]], bought in 1923){{sfn|Zaloga|1988|p=37}}
* {{flag|Manchukuo}} (ex-Chinese tanks from 1931, with some Japanese or French tanks later supplied){{sfn|Zaloga|1988|pp=40–41}}
* {{flag|Netherlands}} (one FT with [[Schwarzlose machine gun]], used for trials)<ref name="B&B43">{{cite magazine|language=fr|title=Le Blindorama : Les Pays-Bas, 1939 – 1945|magazine=Batailles & Blindés|issue=43|date=June 2011|publisher=Caraktère|issn=1765-0828|first=Yann|last=Mahé|pages=4–7}}</ref>
* {{flag|Commonwealth of the Philippines}} (one ex-American tank,{{clarify|reason=Was it a Renault FT or a M1917 tank ?|date=February 2019}} used 1936–1940)<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Cavalry and Armor in the Philippines|first=Restituto L.|last= Aguilar |url=http://mechdiv.net.ph/page4.html|website=mechdiv.net.ph|access-date = 6 February 2019}}</ref>
* {{flag|Poland|1928}}
* {{flag|Kingdom of Romania}} (74–76 Renault FTs, including 40 tanks with 37mm guns, bought in 1919, used by the ''Regiment 1 Care de Lupta'' and during WW2 by an internal security battalion){{sfn|Zaloga|1988|p=38}}<ref name="B&B19">{{cite magazine|language=fr|title=La force blindée roumaine pendant l'entre-deux-guerres (1919–1941)|magazine=Batailles & Blindés|issue=19|date=April 2007|publisher= Caraktère|issn=1953-0544|first=Mathieu|last=Boisdron|pages=62–69}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Russia}} [[White movement|Russian White movement]]
* {{flag|Soviet Union}}
* {{flag|Spain|1785}} (18 FTs delivered from France between 1919 and 1925 and 48 others delivered from France and Poland to the [[Second Spanish Republic|Spanish Republic]])<ref name="B&B63">{{cite magazine|language=fr|title=Le Blindorama : L'Espagne, 1936 – 1945|magazine=Batailles & Blindés|issue=63|date=October 2014|publisher=Caraktère|issn=1765-0828|first=Yann|last=Mahé|pages=4–9}}</ref>
* {{flag|Sweden}} (one tank bought for trials in 1923)<ref name="B&B44">{{cite magazine|language=fr|title=Le Blindorama : La Suède, 1935 – 1945|magazine=Batailles & Blindés|issue=44|date=August 2011|publisher=Caraktère|issn=1765-0828|first=Yann|last=Mahé|pages=4–7}}</ref>
* {{flag|Switzerland}} (two tanks bought in 1921 and three others in 1939 for training the infantry to the tanks)<ref name="B&B52">{{cite magazine|language=fr|title=Le Blindorama : La Suisse, 1936 – 1945|magazine=Batailles & Blindés|issue=52|date=December 2012|publisher=Caraktère|issn=1765-0828|first=Yann|last=Mahé|pages=6–9}}</ref>
* {{flag|Turkey}} (one company of Renault FT, received from France in 1921 or 1928){{sfn|Zaloga|1988|pp=36–37}}<ref name="B&B41">{{cite magazine|language=fr|title=Le Blindorama : La Turquie, 1935 – 1945|magazine=Batailles & Blindés|issue=41|date=February 2011|publisher=Caraktère|issn=1765-0828|first=Yann|last=Mahé|pages=4–7}}</ref>
* {{flag|United Kingdom}}{{sfn|Forty|Livesey|2006|p=133}} (24 on loan in 1918, for command and reconnaissance. Returned after War.)<ref name="B&B48"/>
* {{flag|United States}}
* {{flag|Kingdom of Yugoslavia}}{{sfn|Zaloga|1988|p=37}}<ref name="B&B53">{{cite magazine|language=fr|title=Le Blindorama : La Yougoslavie, 1930 – 1945|magazine=Batailles & Blindés|issue=53|date=February 2013|publisher=Caraktère|issn=1765-0828|first=Alexandre|last=Thers|pages=4–7}}</ref>

== Variants ==
<gallery mode="packed">
RenaultTSF.jpg|Renault FT TSF
P003069 Renault FT mod 31 n°66187 near Lisieux, June 1940.jpg|''FT modifié 31'' destroyed near [[Lisieux]] (Normandy) in June 1940
Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1973-035-12, Jugoslawien, zerstörter jugosl. Panzer.jpg|A Yugoslavian M26/27 tank destroyed in the 1941 [[invasion of Yugoslavia]]
</gallery>

*''Char canon'': an FT with a [[Puteaux SA 18|37&nbsp;mm Puteaux SA18]] short-barreled gun: about 3/5 of tanks ordered, about 1/3 of tanks actually produced
*''Char mitrailleuse'': an FT with an 8&nbsp;mm [[Hotchkiss M1914 machine gun]]: about 2/5 of tanks ordered, about 3/5 of tanks produced
*FT 75 BS: a [[self propelled gun]] with a short barreled ''Blockhaus [[Schneider-Creusot|Schneider]]'' 75mm gun:{{sfn|Zaloga|2010|p=23}} 40 were produced.{{sfn|Zaloga|2014|p=5}}
*Char signal or TSF: a command tank with a radio. "TSF" stands for ''télégraphie sans fil'' ("wireless"). No armament, three-men crew, 300 ordered,{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} 100 produced.{{sfn|Zaloga|2014|p=5}}
*FT ''modifié'' 31: upgraded tanks with 7.5&nbsp;mm [[Reibel machine gun]]. After trials from 1929 to 1931, this modification was made in 1933–1934 on 1000 ''chars mitrailleurs'' still in French stocks. This version was sometimes referred to as the "FT 31", though this was not the official name.{{sfn|Zaloga|2014|p=5}}
* FT ''désarmé'' : French ''char canon'' whose 37mm gun has been removed in the 1930s to arm modern tanks, and used for various purposes:
** ''Pont Bourguignon sur char FT'': FT without turret carrying a light bridge, from an idea of General Louis Ferdinand Bourguignon.<ref name="GBM113">{{cite magazine|title=Les ponts Bourguignon (sur char Renault FT), 1939–1940|trans-title=The Bourguignon bridges (Renault FT char), 1939–1940|first=Louis|last=Capdeboscq|magazine=Histoire de Guerre, Blindés et Matériels|language=fr|date=July 2015|issue=113|pages= 44–52|publisher=Histoire & Collections}}</ref>
** some were rearmed with an [[FM 24/29]] light machine gun<ref name="Histomag88"/>
*FT-''Ko'': Thirteen modified units imported by the [[Imperial Japanese Army]] in 1919, armed with either the [[Puteaux SA 18|37mm SA18]] cannon or machine guns; used in combat in the [[Manchurian Incident]] and subsequently for training<ref>{{cite web|url=https://takihomepage.web.fc2.com/FT.html |title=Taki's Imperial Japanese Army |publisher=  |access-date=2011-02-04}}</ref>
*[[Six Ton Tank M1917|M1917]]: US-built copy. 950 built, 374 of which were gun tanks and fifty of which were radio tanks. During World War II the Canadian Army purchased 236 redundant M1917s for training purposes.
*''Russkiy Reno'': the "Russian Renault", the first Soviet tank, produced at [[Krasnoye Sormovo Factory No. 112|Krasnoye Sormovo]]. A close copy. 17 units were produced. Also known as "Tank M" or "KS tank".{{sfn|Zaloga|1988|p=35}}
*Renault FT CWS: the Renault FT CWS or ''Zelazny'' ("iron") tanks were built in Poland for use as training vehicles only (Polish combat tanks were French manufactured). These tanks used spare French engines and components. The hulls and turrets were manufactured to French specifications in all other respects. Around 27 CWS FT tanks were built. CWS is the abbreviation for ''Centralne Warsztaty Samochodowe'' (translated as "Central Workshops for Motor vehicles" or "Central Truck Workshop"), a plant in Warsaw which performed maintenance and depot level repair.<ref>{{cite web |author=NW36 |url=http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/pol/PolandFT17.htm |title=Poland's FT17 |publisher=Mailer.fsu.edu |date=12 March 2003 |access-date=2013-01-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121029162414/http://mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/tanks/pol/PolandFT17.htm |archive-date=29 October 2012 }}</ref><ref>Jan Tarczynski, Pojazdy w Wojsku Polskim: 1918–1939 (Polish Army vehicles), Oficyna Wydawnicza "Ajaks", 1995</ref>
*Renault M24/25: Also known as the Kégresse-Hinstin, these tanks were equipped with rubber Kégresse tracks and upgraded with detachable rollers on the front and rear for trench crossing. Saw action in the [[Rif War]] where it was found that it took too long to replace tracks when they came off so did not stay in service for long.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bingham |first=James |author-link= |date=1973 |title=AFV Weapons Number 59: French Infantry Tanks: Part II |url= |location=Windsor, Berkshire |publisher=Profile Publications |page=1 |isbn=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://tanknutdave.com/the-french-renault-ft-kegresse-hinstin-m2425-tank/ | title=The French Renault FT Kegresse-Hinstin M24/25 Tank }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://wwiitanks.co.uk/FORM-Tank_Data.php?I=645 | title=France Renault FT Kegresse-Hinstin M24/25 }}</ref>
*Renault M26/27: a development of the FT with a different suspension and [[Kégresse track|Kégresse]] rubber tracks; a number were used in Yugoslavia and five in Poland.<ref>Janusz Magnuski (in Polish): ''Czołgi Renault w Wojsku Polskim: Część I: Renault FT'' (''Renault tanks in the Polish Army: Part I'') in: Nowa Technika Wojskowa Nr. 8/97</ref>
*[[Fiat 3000|FIAT 3000]]: an Italian derivation.
*[[T-18 tank|T-18]]: A Soviet derivation with sprung suspension and Fiat engines.{{sfn|Zaloga|1988|p=35}}
* Polish gas tank: A Polish modification built in the ''Wojskowy Instytut Gazowy'' ("Military Gas Institute") and tested on the [[Rembertów]] proving ground on 5 July 1926. Instead of a turret, the tank had twin gas cylinders. It was designed to create smoke screens, but could also be used for chemical attacks. Only one was produced.
* Renault FT AC: A December 1939 plan to convert France's obsolete FTs into [[tank destroyer]]s. The tank never left the drawing board. It was designed to have a [[47 mm APX anti-tank gun|47mm APX anti-tank gun]] instead of the turret.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Guerre, Blindé et Matériel|first=François|last= Vauvillier|title=Le Testament du père des chars|trans-title=The Testament of the Father of Tanks|date=August 2017|pages=33–35}}</ref>

== Surviving vehicles ==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Char Renault FT17 at the Invalides.jpg|Char Renault FT at the [[Musée de l'Armée]]
File:Bovington 179 FT-17 1.jpg|FT at [[The Tank Museum|Bovington Tank Museum]]
File:BrazilianFT-17-FView.JPG|A Brazilian army FT received in 1921
File:Renault FT-17 w Muzeum Wojska Polskiego.jpg|Renault FT in [[Polish Army Museum]]
File:Renault FT17 National Military Museum Bucharest.JPG|[[Romanian armored fighting vehicle production during World War II|Romanian-used]] FT at the [[National Military Museum, Romania|National Military Museum]], [[Bucharest]]
File:Renault FT-17 at Overloon War Museum.jpg|German-captured FT at the [[Overloon War Museum]], [[Overloon]]
File:Renault FT-17 NM-USA.jpg|Renault FT-17, nicknamed "The Five of Hearts," at the [[National Museum of the United States Army]]
</gallery>
[[file:Renault FT in Parola tank museum Finland.jpg|thumb|Renault FT in [[Parola Tank Museum]] procured by Finland in 1919. In service until 1942]]
[[File:Renault FT Saumur .webm|thumb|right|Renault FT running at the [[Musée des Blindés]]]]
Approximately 41 FTs,<ref name="the.shadock.free.fr">{{cite web |title=Surviving Renault FT Tanks |url=http://the.shadock.free.fr/Surviving_FT-17.pdf |access-date=2 July 2022}}</ref> two ''Russkiy Reno''s, and three FT TSF survive in various museums around the world. Twenty [[M1917 light tank|M1917s]] also survive.<ref>{{cite web |title=Surviving Six Ton Tanks M1917 |url=http://the.shadock.free.fr/Surviving_6ton_M1917.pdf |access-date=2 July 2022}}</ref>

Europe:
* [[Musée des Blindés]], Saumur, France. The museum owns three FTs, with two in running order. The inoperable one came from Afghanistan, and is in a static display. Two other tanks from Afghanistan were given to the [[General George Patton Museum of Leadership|Patton Museum of Cavalry & Armor]] at [[Fort Knox, Kentucky]].<ref name="defendamericamil">{{cite news | url = http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/feb2003/a022703b.html | title = Rare French Tank Being Taken to U.S| work = DefendAmerica News | author = Staff Sgt. Bhatti / 11th Public Affairs Detachment | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080527062514/http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/feb2003/a022703b.html | archive-date = 27 May 2008 }}</ref> Another one was given to Poland, where it has been renovated and is in running order. The Musée des Blindés also owns an FT TSF.
* Musée de la Grande Guerre, Meaux, Seine-et-Marne, France. One FT ''canon''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.museedelagrandeguerre.eu/en/visit-the-museum/must-sees-in-the-museum/marne-1918.html|title=Marne 1918}}</ref>
* [[Musee de l'Armee]], Paris, France. One FT
* [[Glade of the Armistice]], near Compiègne, France. One FT
* [[Bovington Tank Museum]], United Kingdom. One FT, an unarmoured training model prototype built in 1917.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tankmuseum.org/ixbin/indexplus?_IXSS_=_IXMENU_%3dVehicles%26_IXACTION_%3dSUMMARY%26%253atext%3d%2522The%2bTank%2bStory%2522%2bin%2bmus_current_location_Section%2bindex%2bmus_text_location%26_IXMAXHITS_%3d12%26_IXSESSION_%3dDm6YoubAxB9%26%2524%2bwith%2bmus_catalogue%3d%252e%26_IXFPFX_%3dtemplates%252ffull%252ftvod%252ft%26%253amus_administration_name%3dVEH&_IXFIRST_=16&_IXSPFX_=templates/full/tvod/t&_IXMAXHITS_=1&submit-button=summary&_IXSESSION_=Dm6YoubAxB9&_IXMENU_=top |title=Museum record entry |publisher=Tankmuseum.org |access-date=2011-02-04 |archive-date=17 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717120923/http://www.tankmuseum.org/ixbin/indexplus?_IXSS_=_IXMENU_%3DVehicles&_IXACTION_=SUMMARY&%3Atext=%22The+Tank+Story%22+in+mus_current_location_Section+index+mus_text_location&_IXMAXHITS_=12&_IXSESSION_=Dm6YoubAxB9&%24+with+mus_catalogue=.&_IXFPFX_=templates%2Ffull%2Ftvod%2Ft&%3Amus_administration_name=VEH&_IXFIRST_=16&_IXSPFX_=templates%2Ffull%2Ftvod%2Ft&_IXMAXHITS_=1&submit-button=summary&_IXSESSION_=Dm6YoubAxB9&_IXMENU_=top |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* The Weald Foundation, U.K., has an FT and a TSF. Both restorations finished 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wealdfoundation.org/Projects|title = Projects &#124; Tank Restoration &#124; Tank Restoration UK}}</ref>
* [[Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and of Military History|Royal Military Museum]], Belgium. One FT is on permanent display.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.klm-mra.be/klm-new/engels/main01.php?id=menu_links/pantsers |title=Royal Museum of the Army and of Military History, Brussels&nbsp;– Belgium |publisher=Klm-mra.be |access-date=2010-09-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717054049/http://www.klm-mra.be/klm-new/engels/main01.php?id=menu_links%2Fpantsers |archive-date=17 July 2011 }}</ref>
* [[National Military Museum, Romania|National Military Museum]], Bucharest, Romania. An FT is on permanent outdoor display.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.forumeerstewereldoorlog.nl/viewtopic.php?t=12659&sid=4ad03e327f754f56fcd9574d18922bf6 |title=Forum Eerste Wereldoorlog :: Bekijk onderwerp&nbsp;– French Tanks surviving the war |publisher=Forumeerstewereldoorlog.nl |access-date=2010-09-09 |archive-date=24 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724153515/http://www.forumeerstewereldoorlog.nl/viewtopic.php?t=12659&sid=4ad03e327f754f56fcd9574d18922bf6 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Military Museum (Belgrade)]], Belgrade, Serbia. An FT is on permanent outdoor display.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.muzej.mod.gov.rs/muzej/galerija.html |script-title=sr:Војни музеј |language=sr |trans-title=Military Museum |location=Belgrade |access-date=2010-03-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110918123423/http://www.muzej.mod.gov.rs/muzej/galerija.html |archive-date=18 September 2011 |title= }}</ref>
* [[Parola Tank Museum]], Parola, Finland. An FT is on display in the tank hall.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.panssarimuseo.fi |title=Panssarimuseo – Pansarmuseet, Parola – The Armour Museum, Finland – Das Panzer Museum, Finland |publisher=Panssarimuseo.fi |access-date=2013-03-11}}</ref>
* Musée de l'armée Suisse, Burgdorf, Switzerland. An FT is displayed as the first tank of the Swiss Army, adopted in 1922.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.armeemuseum.ch/index.php?id=88&L=2 |title=Musée de l'armée Suisse}}</ref>
* Museo de Medios Acorazados, El Goloso (Spain). An FT model 1917 under repair.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ejercito.mde.es/materiales/otros/museo-carros.html |title=Carro ligero Renault FT modelo 1917 |website=Museo de Medios Acorazados El Goloso |publisher=Ministerio de Defensa |access-date=21 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140806033533/http://www.ejercito.mde.es/materiales/otros/museo-carros.html |archive-date=6 August 2014 }}</ref>
* Rogaland Krigshistoriske Museum, Stavanger, Norway<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.krigshistorisk-museum.no/index.php/no/kjoretoy/1945/renault-ft-17c |title=Under restoration |access-date=21 April 2015 |archive-date=21 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921013158/http://www.krigshistorisk-museum.no/index.php/no/kjoretoy/1945/renault-ft-17c |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Polish Army Museum]], [[Warsaw]], Poland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.msz.gov.pl/pl/p/msz_pl/aktualnosci/wiadomosci/zabytkowy_czolg_trafi_z_afganistanu_do_polski_1|title=Zabytkowy czołg trafi z Afganistanu do Polski|author=Marcin Bosacki|date=2012-10-20|publisher=MSZ}}</ref> Acquired from Afghanistan in 2012, renovated to running order.
* [[Overloon War Museum]], [[Overloon]], Netherlands has a Renault FT bearing German markings. This vehicle was captured in France and subsequently used by the German army to patrol and guard the [[Volkel]] airbase during [[World War II]].
* Two full-scale, working replicas of Renault FTs were built from scratch by an enthusiast, the late Robert Tirczakowski<ref>{{cite web | url=https://dobroni.pl/artykul/robert-tirczakowski-1967-2012/567109#google_vignette | title=Robert Tirczakowski 1967–2012 | date=18 June 2012 }}</ref> for [[Jerzy Hoffman]]'s 2011 film ''[[Battle of Warsaw 1920]]''.
* [[Tellevik Coastal Fort]], Norway. One FT.
* [[Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung Koblenz]], Germany. One FT.
* [[Fort de Seclin|Fort De Seclin]], Near Lille, France. One FT.
* [[Ministère Des Armées]], Paris, France. One FT.
* MM Park, La Wantzenau, France. Two FT restoration projects.
* [[Fondation Automobile Marius Berliet]], Le Montellier, France. One FT.
* [[General Military Academy]], Zaragoza, Spain. One FT.
* [[Infantry Academy]], Toledo, Spain. One FT.
* [[Fort Hackenberg|Ouvrage Hackenberg Maginot Line Fortress]], Veckring, France. One FT TSF.
* [[Ouvrage Molvange|Fort Du Zeiterholz]], Entrange, France. One FT TSF.
* [[Patriot Park]], Kubinka, Russia. One FT and one Russkiy Reno.
Asia:

North America:
* [[U.S. Army Armor and Cavalry Collection]], [[Fort Benning]], Georgia in the United States. In 2003, two FT tanks, one would have mounted a 37mm cannon and the other an 8mm mg, were discovered in Kabul by Major Robert Redding. With permission from the Afghan government, the two tanks were transferred to the United States, where one of them, a machine gun tank, was restored and originally put on display in the [[General George Patton Museum of Leadership|Patton Museum of Cavalry & Armor]], until the Armor Branch collection was transferred to Fort Benning. This FT is currently on display in the Armor Gallery of the NIM. The Armor Collection currently is restoring the other FT, 37mm gun tank. A previous FT at Fort Knox was transferred to US Army Heritage & Education Center at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ahec/exhibits/SoldierExperience.cfm |title=Soldier Experience Gallery |access-date=1 November 2016 |archive-date=26 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161026031038/http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ahec/exhibits/SoldierExperience.cfm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Louisiana State Military Museum at [[Jackson Barracks]] in New Orleans, Louisiana. An FT was inundated by floodwaters of [[Hurricane Katrina]] in 2005. It was restored by the Museum of the American G.I. and has been returned to display.
* [[National World War I Museum]], located at [[Liberty Memorial]], Kansas City, Missouri. An FT, damaged by German artillery.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theworldwar.org/s/110/new/index.aspx?sid=110&gid=1&pgid=1044 |title=National World War I Museum – Permanent Exhibits |publisher=Theworldwar.org |access-date=2010-09-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723034004/http://www.theworldwar.org/s/110/new/index.aspx?sid=110&gid=1&pgid=1044 |archive-date=23 July 2010 }}</ref>
* An FT is on static display at the US Army Heritage and Education Center at [[Carlisle Barracks]], Pennsylvania.
* The Museum of the American G.I. in College Station, Texas has a completely original, fully functional, fully operational FT with functional 37mm main gun.  The tank saw service during the war and exhibits minor battle damage on some track segments.
* [[National Museum of the United States Army]], Virginia, USA. One FT-17 nicknamed "The Five of Hearts."<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Five of Hearts - Renault FT-17 Light Tank |url=https://history.army.mil/museums/artifacts/0005_renaultFT17.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607035808/https://history.army.mil/museums/artifacts/0005_renaultFT17.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 June 2020 |access-date=9 September 2024 |website=U.S. Army Center of Military History}}</ref> 
* [[Fort Gregg-Adams]], Virginia, USA. One FT with 6-Ton M1917 turret.

South America:
* [[Museu Militar Conde de Linhares]] in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. One FT.
* Museu Eduardo André Matarazzo, [[Bebedouro]], Brazil. One FT is on permanent display<ref name="the.shadock.free.fr"/><ref name="ufjf.edu.br">{{cite web | url=http://www.ecsbdefesa.com.br/defesa/fts/FT-17BR.pdf | title=Renault FT-17 In Brazilian Army 1921–1942 | publisher=Federal University of Juiz de Fora | access-date=13 July 2015 | author=Bastos, Carlos Stephani | archive-date=16 June 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150616034353/http://www.ecsbdefesa.com.br/defesa/fts/FT-17BR.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[1st Region Regional Maintenance Military Park]], Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. One FT.
* [[Museu Histórico Do Exército E Forte De Copacabana]], Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. One FT.
* [[Centro De Instrução De Blindados]], Santa Maria, Brazil. One FT.
* [[Academia Militar das Agulhas Negras|Academia Militar Das Agulhas Negras]], Resende, Brazil. One FT.
* [[2nd Regiment Guard Cavalry]], Pirassununga, Brazil. One FT.
* [[Museum Eduardo André Matarazzo]], Bebedouro, Brazil. One FT.

Australia:
*[[Australian War Memorial]], [[Canberra]]. One FT at the Treloar storage and conservation annexe in [[Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory]]<ref name="australia">{{cite web | url=http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RELAWM05039.001 | title=Renault FT Light Tank | publisher=Australian War Memorial}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[G-numbers]], part of former US cataloging system for military vehicles
* [[Tanks of France]]

== Notes==

{{Reflist|group=note}}
{{Notelist}}

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book|title=Italian Light Tanks 1919–45|series=New Vanguard 191|first1=Filippo |last1=Cappellano|first2= Pier Paolo |last2=Battistelli|year=2012|publisher= Osprey Publishing Ltd|location= London|isbn=9781849087773}}
* {{cite book|title=Renault FT|series=Trackstory 10|first=Pascal|last=Danjou|publisher=Editions du Barbotin|date=2009|language=fr|isbn=978-2952098878}}
* {{cite book |first1=George |last1=Forty |first2=Jack |last2=Livesey |title=The World Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armoured Fighting Vehicles|location=London |publisher=Anness Publishing Ltd |year=2006 |isbn=978-0754833512}}
* {{cite book|first=Tim|last=Gale |title=The French Army's Tank Force and Armoured Warfare in the Great War: the Artillerie Spéciale |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781138247208 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jOC_CwAAQBAJ|year=2013 |series=Routledge Studies in First World War History }}
* {{cite book|title=Chars de France|last=Jeudy|first=Jean-Gabriel|isbn=9782726883693|publisher=ETAI|year=1997|language=fr}}
* {{cite book|last=Zaloga|first= Steven J.|year=1988|title=The Renault FT Light Tank|publisher= Osprey Publishing Ltd|location= London|isbn= 9780850458527|series=Vanguard 46}}
* {{cite book|last=Zaloga|first= Steven J.|year=2010|title=French Tanks of World War 1|publisher= Osprey Publishing Ltd|location=  London|isbn=978-1-84603-513-5|series=New Vanguard 173}}
* {{cite book|last=Zaloga|first= Steven J.|year=2014|title=French Tanks of World War II (1): Infantry and Battle Tanks|publisher= Osprey Publishing Ltd|location=  London|series=New Vanguard 209|isbn=9781782003892}}
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* Ayres, Leonard P. (1919), ''The War with Germany. A Statistical Summary'', Washington, Government Printing Office. p.&nbsp;80 (Tanks)
* Crowell, Benedict (1919) ''America's Munitions 1917–1918'', Chapter 8 : ''Tanks'', Washington Government Printing Office.
* Dingli, Laurent ( 2000 ), ''Louis Renault '', Grandes Biographies, Flammarion. {{ISBN|978-2-0806-7946-8}}
* Estienne Mondet, Arlette, ( 2010 ),'' Le general J.B.E. Estienne . Pere des Chars '', L'Harmattan, Paris, {{ISBN|978-2-296-13179-8}}
* Gougaud, Alain, (1987) ''L'Aube de la Gloire: Les auto mitrailleuses et les chars francais pendant la Grande Guerre, Histoire technique et militaire'', Societe Ocebur (Guides Muller), {{ISBN|2-904255-02-8}}.
* Hatry, Gilbert, ( 1978 ), '' Renault Usine de Guerre '', Eds. Lafourcade, Paris, {{ISBN|2-902667-01-9}}-. A full chapter is dedicated to the industrial production history of the Renault FT
* Jurkiewiecz, Bruno, (2008) ''Les Chars Francais au Combat 1917–1918'', (over 150 illustrations) ECPAD/YSEC, BP 405 27405 Louviers Cedex France. A compatible DVD of period films demonstrating the French WW I tanks, including the Renault FT, is attached to this book.
* Malmassari, Paul (2009) ''Les Chars de la Grande Guerre''. "14–18 Le Magazine de la Grande Guerre" . {{ISSN|1627-6612}}
* Ortholan, Henri, ( 2008 ),'' La Guerre des Chars''. Bernard Giovangeli Editeur, Paris, {{ISBN|978-2-909034-99-7}}
* Perre, J. (1940) ''Batailles et Combats des Chars Francais: La bataille defensive Avril-Juillet 1918''. Second Tome. Charles Lavauzelle & Cie.
* ''Renault Char d'Assaut 18 HP, Notice descriptive et Reglement de Manoeuvre et d'Entretien''( Avril 1918 ). A.Omeyer, 26 Boulevard Beaumarchais, Paris 11eme. 68 pages and 15 plates. This is the original Renault factory complete user's manual for the "FT tank". It can be consulted on line at "scribd.com" (World Digital Library)
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons|Renault FT-17}}

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110927070005/http://www.chars-francais.net/new/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=688&Itemid=36 Chars-francais.net] {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://www.fronta.cz/dotaz/tanky-ft-v-armade-csr FT tanks in Czechoslovak Army]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr1vJWjRQ5Y Char Léger Renault FT Modèle 1917 (video)]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjTCRj89Jis Replica Renault FT Tank (video)]
* [https://www.karaya.one/albums/index.php?/category/37 Walkaround Renault FT swiss army]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QMtyl8aycI FT-17 – The WW1 Tank Used Until the 1980s]

{{WWI tanks|style=wide}}
{{WWI British AFVs}}
{{WWI French AFVs}}
{{WWIIFrenchAFVs}}
{{WWIIJapaneseAFVs}}
{{WWIIRomanianAFVs}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Renault FT}}
[[Category:History of the tank]]
[[Category:Light tanks of France]]
[[Category:Light tanks of the interwar period]]
[[Category:Military vehicles introduced in the 1910s]]
[[Category:Renault vehicles|FT]]
[[Category:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1917]]
[[Category:World War I light tanks]]
[[Category:World War I tanks of France]]
[[Category:World War II light tanks]]
[[Category:World War II tanks of France]]