Centurion tank

Centurion Tank

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Centurion tank

The Centurion was the primary British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
main battle tank of the postwar period, and has proven itself be a successful tank design for most of the postwar decades; the Centurion's success has been mainly due to its thick armour, adaptability of its chassis to other roles, and numerous upgrades. Manufacture of the Centurion began in January 1945, and six prototypes arrived in Belgium soon after the war in Europe ended in May 1945.

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Encyclopedia

The Centurion was the primary British

United Kingdom

Korean War

British Army

The British Army is the Army branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707....
, supporting allied forces during the conflict. The Centurion

Centurion

Centurion may refer to:...
battle tank would later see service with the Australian Armored Corps in Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by People's Republic of China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east....
, where it again would provide sterling service for the allied war effort against communist forces. It would go on to be one of the most widely used tank designs, equipping armies around the world, with small numbers still in service until the 1990s. As recently as the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict

2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict

The 2006 Lebanon War, known in Lebanon as the July War and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War , was a 34-day war in Lebanon and northern Israel....
, the Israel Defense Forces

Israel Defense Forces

The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew Acronym and initialism Tzahal , are Israel's military forces, comprising the GOC Army Headquarters, Israeli Air Force and Israeli navy....
still employed heavily modified Centurions, as armoured personnel carrier

Armoured personnel carrier

Armoured personnel carriers are armoured fighting vehicles developed to transport infantry on the battlefield. They usually have only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortar ....
s and combat engineering vehicle

Combat engineering vehicle

Combat engineering vehicles are armoured vehicles built for engineering work on the battlefield or for the transportation of sappers....
s.

History

In 1943, the Department of Tank Design was asked to produce a new design for a heavy cruiser tank

Cruiser tank

General Staff

A military staff is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a Officer and subordinate military units....
designation A41. After a series of fairly marginal designs in the A series in the past, and bearing in mind the threat posed by the German 88 mm gun

88 mm gun

The 88 mm gun is a Germany anti-aircraft warfare and Anti-tank warfare artillery gun from World War II. They were widely used throughout the war, and could be found on almost every battlefield....
, the War Office

War Office

The War Office was a former department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1963, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence ....
demanded a major revision of the design requirements, specifically: increased durability, reliability, a maximum weight of 40 tons, plus the ability to withstand a direct hit from the German 88mm gun.

Tank Design responded by extending the long-travel 5-wheel suspension used on the Comet

Comet tank

The Tank, Cruiser, Comet I was a United Kingdom tank that first saw use near the end of World War II....
with the addition of a 6th wheel and an extended spacing between the 2nd and 3rd wheels. The Christie suspension

Christie suspension

The Christie suspension is a suspension system developed by Walter Christie for his tank designs. It allowed considerably longer movement than conventional leaf spring systems then in common use, which allowed his tanks to have considerably greater cross-country speed and a lower profile....
with internal vertical spring coils was replaced by a Horstmann suspension

Horstmann suspension

Horstmann suspension is a type of tank and other Caterpillar track armoured fighting vehicle Suspension devised by the United Kingdom engineer Sidney Horstmann in 1922....
with external horizontal springs. The hull was redesigned with welded sloped armour, and featured a partially cast turret mounting the highly regarded 17 pounder main gun and a 20mm Polsten

Polsten

The Polsten was a low cost Polish development of the 20 mm Oerlikon 20 mm cannon. The Polsten was designed to be simpler and much cheaper to build than the Oerlikon without reducing effectiveness....
cannon. With a Rover

Rover (car)

The Rover Company was a British automobile manufacturing company originally founded as Starley & Sutton Co. of Coventry in 1878. After developing the template for the modern bicycle with its Rover Safety Bicycle of 1885, the company moved into the automotive industry....
-built Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce Limited

Rolls-Royce Limited was a United Kingdom automobile and, from 1914, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Henry Royce and Charles Stewart Rolls on 15 March 1906 and was the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
Meteor engine, a version of the Rolls-Royce Merlin

Rolls-Royce Merlin

The Rolls-Royce Merlin was a liquid cooled 27 litre 60? V12 internal combustion engine aircraft engine which became famous in World War II. Several versions of the Merlin were built by Rolls-Royce Limited , by Ford of Britain and in the United States as the Packard V-1650....
, the new design would have excellent performance.

Shortly after the programme commenced, it became clear that the requirement to withstand 88 mm artillery would be impossible to fill with the given weight requirements. The original specification had been set so that the A41 could be carried on the existing Mark I and Mark II transport trailers, both of which were limited to a 40 ton load. The War Ministry decided it would be wiser to build new trailers than hamper what appeared to be a superb design. Even before prototypes of the original 40 ton design were completed, the design of a heavier version was well underway. The new version carried armour equal to the heaviest infantry tank

Infantry tank

The infantry tank was a concept developed by the United Kingdom and France in the years leading up to World War II. Infantry tanks were tanks designed to support the infantry in the attack....
s, and cross-country performance superior to even the early cruiser tank

Cruiser tank

The cruiser tank was a United Kingdom tank concept of the inter-war period. This concept was the driving force behind several tank designs which saw action during the World War II....
s. The A41 was the first British tank that could "do it all", leading to the new designation, universal tank.

Prototypes of the original 40 ton design, the Centurion Mark I, had 76 mm of armour in the front glacis

Glacis

Churchill tank

The Tank, Infantry, Mk IV was a heavy United Kingdom infantry tank used in the World War II, best known for its heavy armour and its use as the basis of many specialist vehicles....
which had 101 mm, but the glacis plate was highly sloped and so the effective thickness of the armour was very high - a design feature shared by other effective designs such as the German Panther tank

Panther tank

The Panther was a tank fielded by Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945. It was intended as a counter to the T-34, and to replace the Panzer IV and Panzer III, though it served along with them and the heavy tanks until the end of the war....
and Soviet T-34

T-34

The T-34 was a Soviet Union Tank classification produced from 1940 to 1958. It is widely regarded as having been the world's best tank when the Soviet Union became involved in World War II, and although its armoured fighting vehicle and armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era, it has been often credited as the war's most effective,...
. The turret was extremely well armoured at 152 mm. It was, however, extremely mobile and able to easily outperform the Comet in most tests. The uparmoured Centurion Mark II soon arrived, featuring a new 118 mm thick glacis and the sides and rear increased from 38 mm to 51 mm. Only a handful of Mk.I's had been produced when the Mk.II replaced it on the production lines. Full production began in November 1945 with an order of 800 with production lines at Leyland

Leyland, Lancashire

Leyland is a town in the South Ribble of Lancashire, England. Lying approximately six miles south of the city of Preston, Leyland has a population of around 40,000....
, the Royal Ordnance Factories

Royal Ordnance Factory

Royal Ordnance Factories was the collective name of the United Kingdom government's munitions factories in and after World War II. Until privatisation in 1987 they were the responsibility of the Ministry of Supply and later the Ministry of Defence ....
at Leeds and Woolwich

Royal Arsenal

The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, originally known as the Woolwich Warren, carried out armaments manufacture, ammunition proof test and explosives research for British armed forces....
, and Vickers

Vickers

Vickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 2004....
at Elswick

Elswick, Tyne and Wear

'Elswick' is a ward of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, in the western part of the borough, bordering the river Tyne. The name is well known in connection with the great ordnance and naval works of William George Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong, Mitchell & Co....
. The tank entered service in December 1946 with the 5th Royal Tank Regiment

5th Royal Tank Regiment

The 5th Royal Tank Regiment was an armoured regiment of the British Army until 1969. It was part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps....
.

Soon after introduction, Royal Ordnance finished work on the extremely powerful 20 pounder (84mm) tank gun. By this point the usefulness of the 20 mm Polsten had been called into question, so it was replaced with a BESA machine gun in a completely cast turret. The new Centurion Mark III also featured a fully automatic stabilization system for the gun, allowing it to fire accurately while on the move, dramatically improving battlefield performance. Production of the Mk.3 began in 1948. The Mk.3 was so much more powerful than the Mk.1 and Mk.2 that the earlier designs were removed from service as soon as new Mk.3's arrived, and converted into the Centurion ARV Mark 1 armoured recovery vehicle

Armoured recovery vehicle

An armoured recovery vehicle is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to repair battle- or mine-damaged as well as broken-down armoured vehicles during combat, or to tow them out of the danger zone for more extensive repairs....
for REME

Reme

Reme may refer to:*R?m?, Azerbaijan*Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers ...
use or upgraded to mk.3 standards. Improvements introduced with the Mk.3 included a more powerful version of the engine, a new gun sight and gun stabilizer.

The 20 pounder gun was used only for a short time before the Royal Ordnance Factories introduced the now famous 105 mm L7 gun

Royal Ordnance L7

The Royal Ordnance L7 is the basic model of United Kingdom most successful tank gun. The L7 was a 105 mm L/52 rifled design intended for use in armoured fighting vehicles....
. All later variants of the Centurion, from Mark 5/2 on, used the L7. A total of 24 variants and sub-variants were produced.

The design work for the Mk7 was completed in 1953 with production beginning shortly afterwards..

The Centurion was used as the basis for a range of specialist equipment, including engineering variants with a 165 mm demolition gun (AVRE-Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers). It is one of the longest serving designs of all time, serving as a battle tank for the British

British Army

Australian Army

Korean War

Vietnam War

Avre

Avre may refer to:*Avre , a river in northwestern France, tributary of the Eure*Avre , a river in northern France, tributary of the Somme*Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers, a military vehicle of the British Army...
during Operation Desert Storm in January-February 1991.

Between 1946 and 1962, approximately 4,423 Centurions were produced, consisting of thirteen basic marks of the Centurion tank.

Korean war
Korean War

The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korea and South Korea regimes, with major hostilities lasting from June 25, 1950 until the armistice signed on July 27, 1953....

On 14 November 1950, the British Army's 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars

8th King's Royal Irish Hussars

The 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army in the British Army, first raised in 1693. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars in 1958....
, equipped with three squadrons of Centurion

Centurion

Centurion may refer to:...
Mark 3 tanks landed in Pusan

Busan

Busan Metropolitan City, also known as Pusan is the largest seaport city in South Korea. Busan has a population of 3.65 million and is South Korea's second largest metropolis, after Seoul....
. Operating in sub-zero temperatures, the 8th Hussars learnt the rigours of winter warfare, where their tanks had to be parked upon straw to prevent the steel tracks from freezing to the ground, and engines had to be started every half hour, with each gear being engaged in turn, to prevent them from being frozen into place. During the Battle of the Imjin River

Battle of the Imjin River

The Battle of the Imjin River took place 22 April – 25 April 1951 during the Korean War. People?s Republic of China Communism forces attacked UN positions on the lower Imjin River in an attempt to achieve a breakthrough and recapture the South Korea capital Seoul....
Centurions won lasting fame when their tanks covered the withdrawal of the 29th Brigade, losing 5 tanks in the process. Centurions were also involved in the second Battle of the Hook

Battle of the Hook

The third Battle of the Hook was a battle of the Korean War that took place between a United Nations force, consisting mostly of United Kingdom troops, supported on their flanks by United States and Turkey artillery units against a predominantly China force....
where they played a significant role in repelling Chinese attacks. In a tribute to the 8th Hussars, General John O'Daniel

John W. O'Daniel

John W. "Iron Mike" O'Daniel was a United States Army general, best known for commanding the 3rd Infantry Division in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and Southern France during World War II....
, commanding the US 1st Corps, stated: "...In their Centurions, the 8th Hussars have evolved a new type of tank warfare. They taught us that anywhere a tank can go is tank country-even the tops of mountains."

Vietnam War

In 1967, the Royal Australian Armoured Corps

Royal Australian Armoured Corps

The Royal Australian Armoured Corps is the overall umbrella grouping of Regular Army and Army Reserve regiments equipped with armoured vehicles in the Australian Army....
' (RAAC) 1st Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) Squadron transitioned to "A" Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment in Vietnam

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina Wars, the Vietnam Conflict, or often in Vietnam the American War occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from 1959 to April 30, 1975....
. Although they successfully conducted combat operations in their areas of operation(s) (AO's), reports from the field stated that their light armor (M-113 ACAVs) were unable to force their way through dense jungle thus limiting their offensive actions against enemy forces. Consequently, the Australian government, under a considerable amount of criticism from Parliament made the decision to send a Squadron of Australian Centurion

Centurion

Centurion may refer to:...
tanks to South Vietnam.

The 84mm gunned Australian Centurions of "C" Squadron, 1st Armoured Regiment (equivalent to a US Army battalion) landed in the Republic of South Vietnam on 24 February 1968. Aside from the US 90mm (medium) Gun Tank M48A3 Patton

Patton

Patton may refer to:*George S. Patton , U.S. general during World War II*Patton , a 1970 film about the general*Patton, Indiana*Patton, Missouri...
, M24 Chaffee

M24 Chaffee

The Light Tank M24 was an United States Tank classification#Light tank used during World War II and in postwar conflicts including the Korean War....
and 76mm (light) Gun Tank M41 Walker Bulldog

M41 Walker Bulldog

The M41 Walker Bulldog was an USA light tank developed to replace the M24 Chaffee. It was named for General Walton Walker who died in a jeep accident in Korea....
light tank, the Australian Centurions were the only other different type of tank used by the allied forces in the Vietnam War. After the battles at firebases Coral and Balmoral in May 1968, a third Centurion troop was formed, which included two tankdozers. By September of 1968, 'C' squadron (equivalent to a US Army company/troop) was brought to full strength of four troops; each troop (equivalent to a US Army platoon) containing four Centurion tanks. By 1969, 'B' Squadron, 3rd Cavalry; 'A' Squadron, 1st Armoured Regiment; 'B' Squadron, 1st Armoured Regiment; and 'C' Squadron, 1st Armoured Regiment, had all made rotations through South Vietnam. Originally deployed as 26 Centurion tanks, after 3 1/2 years of combat operations, 58 Centurions had served in country; at a cost of 42 battle damaged tanks, six of which were damaged beyond repair, and two Centurion tank crewmen had been killed in action.

Nuclear Tests

Mk 3 Centurion Type K ,British Army

British Army

The British Army is the Army branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707....
number 06 BA 16, later devolved under Contract Demand 2843 to the Australian Army

Australian Army

The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force....
, who gave it registration number 169041, was involved in a nuclear blast test at Emu Plains in Australia in 1953.

It was placed about 500 meters from the device being detonated and left with the engine running. Upon return to the tank for subsequent examination it was found to have been pushed away from the blast point by about 2 meters and that its engine had only stopped working because it had run out of fuel. Antennas were missing, lights and periscopes were heavily sand blasted and the cloth mantlet cover was heavily carbonised but the tank was able to be driven away from the site. Had the tank been manned, it is unlikely that the crew would have survived due to the shock wave

Shock wave

A shock wave is a type of propagating disturbance. Like an ordinary wave, it carries energy and can propagate through a medium or in some cases in the absence of a material medium, through a field such as the electromagnetic field....
created by an atomic blast.

169041, subsequently nicknamed The Atomic Tank, was later used in the Vietnam War

Vietnam War

Robertson Barracks

For the Robertson Barracks, Norfolk, England see RAF Swanton MorleyRobertson Barracks is a major Australian Army base located in the outer Darwin, Northern Territory suburb of Knuckey Lagoon, Northern Territory....
in Palmerston, Northern Territory

Palmerston, Northern Territory

Palmerston is a satellite city of Darwin, Northern Territory, the capital and largest city in Australia's Northern Territory. Palmerston is situated near Darwin Harbour and has a population of 27,185 people which makes up 12% or the territory's population and making it the second largest city in the Northern Territory....
. Although other tanks were subjected to nuclear tests, 169041 is the only tank known to have withstood atomic tests and subsequently gone on for another 23 years of service, including 15 months on operational deployment in a war zone.

Variants

UK variants

FV 3802: Self-propelled 25-pdr

Ordnance QF 25 pounder

The Ordnance QF 25 pounder , or more simply, 25-pounder or 25-pdr, was introduced into service just before World War II, during which it served as the major United Kingdom field gun/howitzer....
artillery prototype based on Centurion - engine at rear as in gun tank - no production FV 3805: Self-propelled 5.5in

BL 5.5 inch Medium Gun

The British_ordnance_terms#BL 5.5 inch Field Gun was a United Kingdom artillery gun introduced during the middle of the Second World War....
artillery prototype, again based on Centurion - engine at front - no production FV 4004 Conway: "FV 4004 Self-propelled gun, 120mm, L1 gun, Mk 3" prototype based on Centurion 3 with a larger calibre 120mm L1 gun. To be an interim design until Conqueror tank

Conqueror tank

The FV 214 Conqueror, also known as "Tank, Heavy Gun No 1 120 mm Conqueror" was a United Kingdom Main Battle Tank of the post-war era, sometimes classified as a heavy tank....
entered service. One built FV 4005: experimental 180mm gun with concentric recoil and auto-loader mounted on Centurion - 183mm version also built, with hand loading and conventional recoil. Known as FV 4005 Stage 1: gun in limited traverse open mount and FV 4005 Stage 2: gun in enclosed mount. FV 4007 Centurion Mk 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8/1, 8/2: FV 4011 Centurion Mk 5: FV 4012 Centurion Mk 7/1, 7/2: FV 4015 Centurion Mk 9: FV 4017 Centurion Mk 10:

A41 [20mm]: Centurion prototype with coaxial Polsten cannon A41 [Besa]: Centurion prototype with coaxial BESA MG - later fitted with experimental CDL

Canal Defence Light

Canal Defence Light was a British "secret weapon" of the Second World War.It was based upon the use of a powerful carbon-arc searchlight to dazzle and confuse enemy troops....
FV 4202 40 ton Centurion: Used to develop various concepts subsequently used in Chieftain

Centurion [Low Profile]: Variant with Teledyne Low-profile Turret Centurion [MMWR Target]: Cobbled together radar target tank. Centurion Marksman: Fitted with Marksman air defence turret Centurion Ark aka FV 4016: Assault Gap Crossing Equipment Centurion ARV Mk I: Armoured Recovery vehicle Centurion ARV Mk II: Armoured Recovery Vehicle with superstructure Centurion AVLB: Dutch armored vehicle laying bridge Centurion AVRE 105: Combat Engineer Version armed with 105mm gun Centurion AVRE 165: Combat Engineer Version armed with 165mm gun Centurion BARV: Beach Armoured Recovery Vehicle Centurion Bridgelayer aka FV 4002: Class 80 bridgelayer

Centurion Mk 1: 17pdr armed version Centurion Mk 2: Fully cast turret Centurion Mk 3: Fitted with 20pdr, 2 stowage positions for track links on glacis Centurion Mk 4: Projected close-support version with 95mm CS howitzer Centurion Mk 5: Browning machine guns fitted to coaxial and commander's cupola

Cupola

File:Faneuil Hall Boston Massachusetts.JPGIn architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like structure, on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
mounts, stowage bin on glacis Centurion Mk 5/1 aka FV 4011: Increased glacis

Glacis

A glacis in military engineering is an artificial slope of earth used in late European Bastion_fortress so constructed as to keep any potential assailant under the fire of the defenders until the last possible moment....
armour Centurion Mk 5/2: Upgunned to 105mm Centurion Mk 6: Upgunned and uparmoured Mk 5 Centurion Mk 6/1: Mk 6 fitted with IR equipment Centurion Mk 6/2: Mk 6/1 fitted with ranging gun Centurion Mk 7 aka FV 4007: Revised engine decks Centurion Mk 7/1 aka FV 4012: Uparmoured Mk 7 Centurion Mk 7/2: Upgunned Mk 7 Centurion Mk 8: Resilient mantlet

Gun mantlet

A gun mantlet on an armoured fighting vehicle is an vehicle armour plate or shield attached to the vehicle's main gun or machine gun, protecting the opening through which the weapon barrel projects from the hull or gun turret armour and, in many cases, ensuring the vulnerable warhead of a loaded Shell does not protrude past the vehicle's a...
and new commanders cupola Centurion Mk 8/1: Uparmoured Mk 8 Centurion Mk 8/2: Upgunned Mk 8 Centurion Mk 9 aka FV 4015: Upgunned and uparmoured Mk 7 Centurion Mk 9/1: Mk 9 with IR equipment Centurion Mk 9/2: Mk 9 with ranging gun fitted Centurion Mk 10 aka FV 4017: Upgunned and uparmoured Mk 8 Centurion Mk 10/1: Mk 10 with IR equipment Centurion Mk 10/2: Mk 10 with ranging gun fitted Centurion Mk 11: Mk 6 fitted with IR equipment and ranging gun Centurion Mk 12: Mk 9 fitted with IR equipment and ranging gun Centurion Mk 13: Mk 10 fitted with IR equipment and ranging gun

FV 4010 aka Heavy Tank Destroyer G.W. Carrier: Malkara

Malkara missile

The Malkara missile was one of the earliest anti-tank guided missiles . It was jointly developed by Australia and the United Kingdom between 1951 and 1954, and was in service from 1958 until gradually replaced by the Swingfire missile in the late 1960s....
Anti Tank Guided Missile launcher vehicle

UK specialist variants

FV 4003 Centurion Mk 5 AVRE 165: (1963) - AVRE (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers) vehicle with 165 mm demolition gun and a hydraulically-operated

Hydraulics

Hydraulics is a topic of science and engineering dealing with the mechanical properties of liquids. Hydraulics is part of the more general discipline of fluid power....
dozer blade or a mine plough. Can carry a fascine

Fascine

A fascine is a rough bundle of brushwood used for strengthening an earthen structure, or making a path across uneven or wet terrain. Typical uses are protecting the banks of streams from erosion, covering marshy ground and so on....
bundle or a roll of metal Class 60 Trackway; and tow the Giant Viper

Giant Viper

The Giant Viper is a trailer-mounted, vehicle-pulled, Land mine-clearance system, designed to be deployed in areas containing mines. It was developed for the British Army in the 1950s....
mine-clearance equipment or a trailer for another fascine. This variant had a five man crew. The vehicle was used in the Gulf War

Gulf War

"Persian Gulf War" and "First Gulf War" redirect here. For other uses, see Persian Gulf War .The Persian Gulf War was a United Nations-authorized military conflict between Iraq and a Coalition of Gulf War from 34 nations commissioned with expelling Iraqi forces from Kuwait after Iraq's Invasion of Kuwait of Kuwait in August 1990....
/Operation Desert Storm (1991). Centurion Mk 12 AVRE 105: - Ex-Forward Artillery Observer vehicles converted to AVRE role. FV 4019 Centurion Mk 5 Bulldozer: (1961) - Centurion Mk V with a dozer blade identical to that of the Centurion AVRE. One such tank was usually given to every Centurion-equipped squadron. FV 4016 Centurion ARK: (1963) - Armoured Ramp Carrier. Can span a gap of up to 75 feet, can bear up to 80 tons. FV 4002 Centurion Mk 5 Bridgelayer: (1963) - Mk 5 chassis with a No 5 Tank Bridge. The bridge can be launched in less than two minutes, can span a gap of 45 feet and can bear up to 80 tons. FV 4013 Centurion ARV Mk 1: (1952) - Based on Mk 1 / Mk 2 hull. Turret replaced by a superstructure housing a winch driven by a 72 hp Bedford QL truck engine. About 180 units were built, some of them were used in the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korea and South Korea regimes, with major hostilities lasting from June 25, 1950 until the armistice signed on July 27, 1953....
. After 1959 were used as training vehicles only. FV 4006 Centurion ARV Mk 2: (1956) - Mk 1 / Mk 2 / Mk 3 hull with turret replaced by a superstructure housing a winch. The winch is powered by an auxiliary engine and is capable of pulling of up to 90 tons using a system of blocks. Armed with single .30 inch machine gun on the commander's cupola. FV 4018 Centurion BARV

BARV

The Beach Armoured Recovery Vehicle is a United Kingdom military support vehicle used for amphibious warfare.There have been three different BARVs in British service since their first introduction during World War II....
(1963): Beach armoured recovery vehicle. The last Centurion variant to be used by the British Army. As of 2003, one vehicle was still in use by the Royal Marines

Royal Marines

The Royal Marines are the marine and amphibious warfare infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service....
. Now being replaced by the Hippo based on Leopard 1 chassis.

Non-UK variants

Olifant: Centurion tanks modernised by South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
, considered the best indigenous tank design on the African continent.

Semel (1974): 810 hp fuel-injected petrol engine, three-speed semi-automatic transmission.
Olifant Mk 1 (1978): 750 hp diesel engine, semi-automatic transmission.
Olifant Mk 1A (1985): Retains the fire control system of the original Centurion, but has a hand-held laser rangefinder for the commander and image-intensifier for the gunner.
Olifant Mk 1B (1991): Torsion bar suspension, lengthened hull, additional armor on the glacis plate and turret, V-12 950 hp diesel engine, computerised fire control system, laser rangefinder.
Olifant Mk 2: redesigned turret, new fire control system. Can mount LIW 105 mm GT-8 rifled gun or 120 mm smooth bore gun.

Sho't

Sho't is the Israeli designation of the 105 mm L7 gunned Centurion tank, which entered Israeli service in 1970....
: An Israel

Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
i designation of the Centurion.

Sho't Meteor: Centurion Mk.5 tanks with the original Meteor engine purchased in 1959.
Sho't Kal Alef/Bet/Gimel/Dalet: Modernised Centurion tanks with 105mm gun from 1963, a new powerpack (the Continental AVDS-1790-2A diesel engine
Diesel engine

A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine which operates using the diesel cycle . Diesel engines have the highest thermal efficiency compared to any internal combustion or external combustion engine....
and the Allison CD850-6 transmission
Transmission (mechanics)

Using the principle of mechanical advantage, transmissions provide a speed-torque conversion from a higher speed motor to a slower but more forceful output or vice-versa....
). Entered service in 1970; by 1974 all Israeli Centurions were upgraded to Sho't Kal (Mk.13 armour) and had a pintle mounted .50 cal HMG. Subvariants indicate upgrades received by Sho't Kal tanks during their operational life, including a new turret rotating mechanism, a new gun stabilizer, a new fire-control system
Fire-control system

A fire-control system is a computer, often mechanical, which is designed to assist a weapon system in hitting its target. It performs the same task as a human gunner firing a weapon, but attempts to do so faster and more accurately....
and preparations for the installation of the Blazer ERA
Reactive armour

Reactive armour is a type of vehicle armour that reacts in some way to the impact of a weapon to reduce the damage done to the vehicle being protected....
.

Nagmashot / Nagmachon

Nagmachon

Nagmachon is a heavily armoured armoured personnel carrier fielded by the Israel Defence Forces. The Nagmachon evolved from the NagmaSho't APC, which in turn was based on Centurion Sho't hulls from the 1970s and 1980s....
/ Nakpadon

Nakpadon

Nakpadon or Nikpadon is an Israeli combat engineering/Armoured recovery vehicle and based on the Nagmachon.External links...
: Israeli heavy armoured personnel carrier

Armoured personnel carrier

Chassis

A chassis consists of a Frame that supports an inanimate object, analogous to an animal's skeleton, for example in a motor vehicle or a firearm....
. Puma

IDF Puma

The Puma is a heavily armored Combat engineering vehicle and armored personnel carrier used by the Israeli Engineering Corps of the Israeli Defence Forces....
: Israeli combat engineering vehicle

Combat engineering vehicle

Combat engineering vehicles are armoured vehicles built for engineering work on the battlefield or for the transportation of sappers....
on Centurion tank chassis. Eshel ha-Yarden: a quadruple tubular launcher for 290 mm ground-to-ground rockets mounted on Centurion tank chassis. The project was cancelled after a single prototype was built. Both this vehicle and an earlier version based on Sherman chassis

Postwar Sherman tanks

Postwar Sherman tanks saw extensive use around the world after WWII. This article catalogues foreign postwar use and conversions of Sherman tanks and variants based on the Sherman chassis....
are often referred to as MAR-290. Tempest: Operated by Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country microstate located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies 137 kilometres north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands....
, modernised with Israeli assistance, similar to Israeli variant, with diesel engine and new main gun, and possibly reactive armour. "Tempest" is the English translation of "Sho't". Stridsvagn 81: Swedish Army

Swedish Army

The Swedish Army is the army branch of the Swedish Armed Forces, the military of Sweden....
designation for its 240 Mk 3 Centurions (20 pdr gun) with Swedish radios, etc. Stridsvagn 101: Swedish Army designation for its 110 Mk 10 Centurions (105 mm gun) with Swedish radios, etc. Stridsvagn 101R: Swedish Army designation for Stridsvagn 101 upgraded in early 1980s with laser range finder, etc. Stridsvagn 102: Swedish Army designation for Stridsvagn 81 upgunned in early 1960s to 105 mm. Stridsvagn 102R: Swedish Army designation for Stridsvagn 102 upgraded in early 1980s with laser range finder, etc. Stridsvagn 104: Swedish Army designation for 80 Stridsvagn 102 modernised in early 1980s with laser range finder and diesel engine, etc. (along the same lines as the Israeli Shot Kal). Stridsvagn 105: Swedish Army designation for Stridsvagn 102R upgraded with new suspension, etc. Prototype only. Stridsvagn 106: Swedish Army designation for Stridsvagn 101R upgraded with new suspension, etc. Not built. Bärgningsbandvagn 81: Swedish Army designation for Centurion ARV.

Operators

Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
(replaced by Leopard 1, which are being replaced by M1A1 Abrams) Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west....
(fixed in bunkers) Canada

Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
(replaced by Leopard C1. Many of the tanks were sold to Israel who promptly converted from them to diesel. Some are still in use as variants.) Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries....
(replaced by Leopard 1; and Leopard 1 is being replaced by Leopard 2

Leopard 2

The Leopard 2 is a Germany main battle tank developed by Krauss-Maffei in the early 1970s and first entering service in 1979. The Leopard 2 replaced the earlier Leopard MBT as the main battle tank of the German Army....
.) Egypt

Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
Replaced by T-55s, T-62s, M60A3s and M1A1s. ref

Egyptian Army

The Egyptian Army is the largest service branch within the Military of Egypt. It is estimated to number around 340,000, plus around 375,000 reservists for a total of 655-715,000....
India

India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
Retired Iraq

Iraq

Iraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros Mountains, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
Retired Israel

Israel

Nagmachon

Nakpadon

Nakpadon or Nikpadon is an Israeli combat engineering/Armoured recovery vehicle and based on the Nagmachon.External links...
ARVs or Puma CEVs

IDF Puma

The Puma is a heavily armored Combat engineering vehicle and armored personnel carrier used by the Israeli Engineering Corps of the Israeli Defence Forces....
. Jordan

Jordan

Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern part of the Syrian Desert down to the Gulf of Aqaba....
Retired Kuwait

Kuwait

The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab emirate on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed by Saudi Arabia to the south and Iraq to the north and west....
Retired Lebanon

Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic , is a country in Western Asia, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea....
The Netherlands (replaced by Leopard 1) New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
Retired without replacement. Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country microstate located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies 137 kilometres north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands....
(63 Centurion Mk3 and Mk7s bought from India in 1975 and more from Israel in 1993-4, all upgraded to Israeli standard with new main guns and diesel engines) Somaliland

Somaliland

Somaliland is an autonomous region, which is part of the Somalia located in the Horn of Africa. The Republic of Somaliland considers itself to be the successor state of the former British Somaliland protectorate....
(originally supplied to Somalia) South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and it is connected to Denmark by the ?resund Bridge in the south....
(Replaced by Stridsvagn 122) Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
(replaced by Leopard 2

Leopard 2

United Kingdom

Combat history

Korean War
Korean War

The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korea and South Korea regimes, with major hostilities lasting from June 25, 1950 until the armistice signed on July 27, 1953....
- United Kingdom
Suez Crisis
Suez Crisis

The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, was a military attack on Egypt by United Kingdom, France, and Israel beginning on 29 October 1956....
- United Kingdom
War of 1965
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between India and Pakistan....
- India
Six Day War - Israel, Jordan
The Troubles
The Troubles

The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland and Continental Europe....
- United Kingdom
Liberation of Bangladesh/War of 1971
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a major military conflict between India and Pakistan. The war is closely associated with the Bangladesh Liberation War ....
- India
Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War

The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to October 26, 1973 by a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria against Israel....
- Israel, Jordan
Vietnam War
Vietnam War

The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina Wars, the Vietnam Conflict, or often in Vietnam the American War occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from 1959 to April 30, 1975....
- Australia
Angolan Civil War
Angolan Civil War

The Angolan Civil War began in Angola after the end of the Angolan War of Independence from Portugal in 1975. The war ultimately evolved into a prominent Cold War conflict, featuring two warring Angolan factions, the Communist MPLA, which was supported by the Soviet Union, and the anti-Communist UNITA, which gained support from the United Sta...
- South Africa
Operation Motorman
Operation Motorman

Operation Motorman was an operation carried out by British Army forces in Northern Ireland during The Troubles. The operation started at 4:00am 31 July 1972 to retake the No-go areas established in Belfast and Derry in the aftermath of Operation Demetrius the previous year....
- United Kingdom, 165mm AVREs with dozer blades were used to destroy barricades set up by the IRA in Northern Ireland, the 165mm demolition guns were pointed to the rear and covered up
Falklands War
Falklands War

The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict/Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands....
- United Kingdom, single Centurion BARV
Gulf War
Gulf War

"Persian Gulf War" and "First Gulf War" redirect here. For other uses, see Persian Gulf War .The Persian Gulf War was a United Nations-authorized military conflict between Iraq and a Coalition of Gulf War from 34 nations commissioned with expelling Iraqi forces from Kuwait after Iraq's Invasion of Kuwait of Kuwait in August 1990....
/Operation Desert Storm - United Kingdom as Centurion AVRE's

Bibliography

External links

Home of an example of a Mark III Centurion Tank
has 2 Centurion tanks in its collection.

Centurion tank

History

Korean warKorean WarThe Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korea and South Korea regimes, with major hostilities lasting from June 25, 1950 until the armistice signed on July 27, 1953....

Vietnam War

Nuclear Tests

Variants

UK variants

UK specialist variants

Non-UK variants

Operators

Combat history

Bibliography

External links

Korean war
Korean War

The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korea and South Korea regimes, with major hostilities lasting from June 25, 1950 until the armistice signed on July 27, 1953....