Centurion Mk5 vol2 - Rondlopen

Centurion Mk5
Land	Uk
Role	Type Main battle tank
In gebruik	1946-heden
Gebouwd	4423

De Centurion was de belangrijkste Britse hoofdslagtank van de periode na de Tweede Wereldoorlog. Geïntroduceerd in 1945, wordt het algemeen beschouwd als een van de meest succesvolle naoorlogse tankontwerpen, die in productie bleef tot in de jaren 1960 en gevechten in de frontlinies zag in de jaren 1980. Het chassis werd ook aangepast voor verschillende andere rollen en deze zijn tot op de dag van vandaag in dienst gebleven.

Bron: Centurion op Wikipedia

Centurion Mk5
Fotograaf	Onbewust
Lokalisatie	Onbewust
Foto 's	91

Centurion Mk5 01

Centurion Mk5 02

Centurion Mk5 03

Centurion Mk5 04

Centurion Mk5 05

Centurion Mk5 06

Centurion Mk5 07

Centurion Mk5 08

Centurion Mk5 09

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Centurion Mk.5/2 Walk Around
Fotograaf	Meindert van Vreeze
Lokalisatie	Onbewust
Foto 's	52

Centurion Mk.5-2

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Centurion Mk.5 Walk Around
Fotograaf	Vladimir Yakubov
Lokalisatie	Ontario Regiment Museum
Foto 's	78

Centurion Mk.5 vol4

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The **Centurion Mk 5** was the fourth major production mark of the highly successful British Centurion series, widely regarded as one of the first true **Main Battle Tanks (MBT)** of the post-World War II era. It represented an incremental but important refinement of the earlier, combat-proven Centurion Mk 3.

General Characteristics

**Role:** Medium Tank / Main Battle Tank.
**Crew:** 4 (Commander, Gunner, Loader, Driver).
**Main Armament:** The tank retained the highly effective **Ordnance QF 20-pdr (84 mm) rifled gun**. This gun offered excellent anti-tank performance for its time.
**Engine:** Powered by the reliable **Rolls-Royce Meteor V12 petrol engine**, providing about 650 hp, which was based on the Merlin aircraft engine.
**Mobility:** It was a heavy vehicle for a medium tank (around 51 tons) and was not particularly fast (max road speed around 35 km/h), but its excellent Horstmann suspension provided good off-road performance for its weight.

Key Upgrades of the Mk 5

The Mk 5 incorporated several key changes over the preceding Mk 3, primarily focused on simplifying the design for mass production and updating secondary armament:

**Secondary Armament Change:** The main distinction was the replacement of the British 7.92 mm Besa machine guns with the American **.30 caliber (7.62 mm) Browning machine guns** (coaxial and commander’s cupola mounts), reflecting NATO standardization.
**Turret Changes:** The turret rear escape door, present on earlier marks, was deleted. The turret roof was also slightly reshaped, and the small 2-inch smoke/fragmentation mortar was often removed.
**Stowage and Tracks:** An extra external stowage bin was often added to the glacis plate, and a new guide roller was added to the track run, minor detail changes for improved operation and maintenance.

The Mk 5/1 Sub-Variant

A later and notable modification was the **Centurion Mk 5/1 (FV 4011)**, sometimes known as the “up-armored” Mk 5. This version featured a bolted-on or welded **extra armor plate** applied to the lower glacis (frontal hull), which provided increased protection against shaped-charge rounds and heavy anti-tank fire. This variant saw active service with the Royal Australian Armoured Corps (RAAC) during the Vietnam War.