Centurion Main Battle Tank

In 1943, the British Army initiated the development of the Centurion Main Battle Tank, demanding a new cruiser tank with a minimum of a 17-pounder gun. They sought a swift, heavily armored vehicle capable of excelling in off-road conditions.

Prototypes of the A-41 tank were constructed and dispatched to Germany in 1945, but the conflict concluded before they could be deployed in battle.

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Initially, the Centurion, the newly named tank, showed little to no advancement over existing medium tanks. It was, however, comparable to the Nazi German Panzerkampfwagen V Panther, which had been in service for two years prior.

The Centurion Main Battle Tank had a weight of 42.5 tons, while the Panther Model D weighed 43 tons. It featured a 17-pounder 76.5mm gun with a muzzle velocity of 2,950 feet per second, whereas the Panther D was armed with a 75mm gun boasting a muzzle velocity of 3,070 feet per second.

Powered by a 600-horsepower Rolls Royce Merlin Meteor V-12 engine, the Centurion contrasted with the Panther D, which utilized a 642-horsepower V-12 Maybach engine.

Even the subsequent Centurion model appeared to pale in comparison to the Panther. The Centurion Mark (Mk) 3, distinct from earlier World War I Marks or World War II Matildas, was outfitted with an 83.4mm, or 20-pounder, gun.

The upgraded Panther, which had its design finalized but never produced, was intended to feature the 88mm gun used on the Tiger II. Both guns had muzzle velocities nearing 3,340 feet per second.

Despite this, the Centurion 3 Main Battle Tank stood out as the most heavily armed tank in its class during the early postwar period. Interestingly, neither its design nor its gun design contributed to this distinction.

The Centurion 3 utilized a revolutionary ammunition type: a narrow, finned, solid steel spike encased in a lightweight metal jacket to match the bore's diameter. Known as an armor-piercing, discarding sabot (APDS) round, it was fired from the 20-pounder gun at 4,800 feet per second, capable of penetrating double the armor thickness compared to the 88mm gun.

The Centurion 3 Main Battle Tank achieved both commercial and military success, being adopted by nations such as Australia, Canada, India, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, and others.

The Centurion holds the unique distinction of being the first tank to face itself in combat. Countries like Egypt, Iraq, and Israel acquired Centurions and deployed them against each other during the 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli conflicts. The United States also procured Centurions, supplying them to Denmark and the Netherlands through the Military Aid Program.

For further details on the Centurion Main Battle Tank's specifications, proceed to the next page.

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Centurion Main Battle Tank Equipment

The Centurion Main Battle Tank models 5, 6, 7, and 8 were progressively enhanced with additional armor and upgraded with the 105mm L7 series of guns.

The ultimate iteration, the Centurion 13, featured the 105mm L7A2 gun, identical to those used on the West German Leopard 1, the Israeli Merkava, the American M-48A5, M-60, and M1 Abrams, the Japanese Type 74, and the Swedish Strv 103B Main Battle Tanks.

The Centurion Main Battle Tank's hull was structured into three standard sections: the driver's area at the front, the combat zone in the middle.

Positioned at the rear, the engine compartment was isolated from the other sections by a fire-resistant barrier. The engine and transmission powered the rear sprockets.

A Horstmann-type suspension system was implemented, featuring three units per side, each supporting two road wheels on concentric springs. Six return rollers were used, though they were largely concealed on later models due to skirt armor designed to shield against high-explosive antitank rounds.

The commander and gunner were positioned on the turret's right side, while the loader was on the left. The commander's cupola could rotate 360 degrees independently of the turret.

The gunner's position featured a periscope sight with targeting mechanisms connected to the commander's station. The loader's area included dual hatch covers and a periscope.

Later models were outfitted with infrared searchlights and driving lights. The turret front boasted a maximum armor thickness of 6 inches, while the hull glacis plate had 4.6 inches.

The L7A2 main gun had an effective range of 1,968 yards with armor-piercing, discarding sabot rounds and 4,374 yards with high-explosive squash head rounds. Skilled crews could achieve a firing rate of up to eight rounds per minute.

The main gun was aimed using a .50-caliber machine gun mounted coaxially, which fired tracer rounds in three-round bursts up to 1,968 yards. The gunner observed the tracers through a periscope gun sight and adjusted the range using a drum device linked to the main gun.

Two 7.62mm NATO machine guns were included, one positioned on the commander's cupola and the other mounted coaxially to the left of the main gun for engaging unarmored vehicles and enemy troops. Later Centurion variants featured 12 smoke dischargers, with six installed on each side of the turret.

The 13 Centurion models were produced by four manufacturers: Leyland Motors, the Royal Ordnance Factory at Leeds, the Royal Ordnance Factory at Woolwich, and Vickers, Ltd.

Five additional vehicles derived from the Centurion were also constructed. These comprised two Centurion Mk 5 Bridgelayers, the Centurion Mk 2 and Mk 5 Armored Recovery Vehicles, and the Centurion Beach Armored Recovery Vehicle.

While the Centurion was phased out of British Army service, it remained a formidable asset in the military inventories of Denmark, Israel, Jordan, the Netherlands, South Africa, Somalia, Sweden, and Switzerland.

For details on Centurion Main Battle Tank specifications, refer to our concluding section.

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Centurion Main Battle Tank Specifications

The Centurion Main Battle Tank was the most heavily armed tank in its class during the early postwar era. It saw successful use by the British and was also exported to numerous other nations. Below are the specifications for the Centurion Main Battle Tank.

Date of service: 1945

Country: Great Britain

Type: Main Battle Tank

Dimensions: Length, 7.82 m (25.7 ft); width, 3.39 m (11.1 ft); height, 3 m (9.87 ft)

Combat weight: 51,820 kg (57.1 tons)

Armament: One 105mm L7A2 main gun; two 7.62mm NATO machine guns; one .50-caliber ranging machine gun

Crew: 4

Speed: 34 km/h (21.5 mph)

Range: 190 km (118 mi)

Obstacle/grade performance: 0.9 m (3.0 ft)

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