Centurion Mk5

Centurion Mk5
Country	UK
Role	Main battle tank
In service	1946–present

The Centurion was the primary British main battle tank of the post-Second World War period. Introduced in 1945, it is widely considered to be one of the most successful post-war tank designs, remaining in production into the 1960s, and seeing combat in the front lines into the 1980s. The chassis was also adapted for several other roles, and these have remained in service to this day.

Source: Char Centurion on Wikipedia

Centurion Mk5
Photographer	Unknow
Localisation	Unknow
Photos	71

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Spécifications techniques
Équipage	4 hommes (commandant, tireur, chargeur, conducteur)
Longueur	7,82 m
Largeur	4,30 m
Hauteur	3,01 m

Centurion Mk.5 Walk Around
Photographer	Daryl Nightingale
Localisation	Unknow
Photos	91

The Blueprint for Modern Warfare

The Centurion Mk 5 is arguably the most successful British tank ever built. Arriving just after WWII, it abandoned the old British doctrine of separate “Cruiser” and “Infantry” tanks in favor of a single Universal Tank. The Mk 5 was the definitive early Cold War version, featuring improved Browning machine guns and upgraded armor. It was the tank that proved British engineering could dominate the battlefield, famously holding the line in Korea and later forming the armored backbone of dozens of nations worldwide for over half a century.

Attribute	Technical Specification (Centurion Mk 5)
Role	Main Battle Tank (MBT)
Crew	4 (Commander, Gunner, Loader, Driver)
Main Armament	Ordnance QF 20-pounder (84 mm)
Secondary Armament	2 × 7.62 mm Browning machine guns
Armor	Up to 118 mm (Glacis) / 152 mm (Turret Front)
Engine	Rolls-Royce Meteor V12 petrol (650 hp)
Maximum Speed	35 km/h (22 mph) on road
Operational Weight	Approx. 51 tonnes

Design Engineering: The Meteor and the 20-Pounder

The 20-Pounder Gun: Before the world-famous L7 105mm existed, the 20-pounder was the king of the hill. It was the first tank gun to utilize APDS (Armor-Piercing Discarding Sabot) ammunition, allowing it to punch through the thickest Soviet armor of the era with incredible accuracy.
The Meteor Engine: The Centurion was powered by a non-supercharged version of the legendary Rolls-Royce Merlin aero-engine. While it made the tank somewhat slow, it provided massive torque and legendary reliability.
Horstmann Suspension: Instead of internal torsion bars, the Centurion used external Horstmann bogies. This made the tank slightly wider but left more room inside the hull for ammunition and fuel, and it was much easier to repair in the field if hit by a mine.
The “Coaxial” Switch: The Mk 5 marked the transition where British tanks swapped their standard Besa machine guns for the American Browning .30 caliber, standardized for better logistics with NATO allies.

Operational History: The “Atomic Tank” and Beyond

The Atomic Survivor: In 1953, an Australian Centurion (Type Mk 3/5) was placed just 460 meters from the epicenter of a 9-kiloton nuclear blast. The tank was sandblasted and pushed back 5 feet, but after some minor repairs, it was driven away. It served for another 23 years, including combat in Vietnam.
Vietnam Jungle Fighter: Australian Centurion Mk 5s were legendary in Vietnam. While the US relied on the M48 Patton, the Australians found the Centurion’s 20-pounder canister rounds and superior armor made it a “jungle fortress” that VC RPGs struggled to defeat.
The “Sho’t” Kal: Israel heavily modified their Mk 5s, renaming them “Sho’t.” During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, a handful of Israeli Centurions famously held off hundreds of Syrian T-55s and T-62s in the “Valley of Tears,” proving the tank’s hull-down defensive superiority.
Boiling Vessel (BV): No British Centurion was complete without the “BV”—an electric kettle that allowed the crew to make tea or heat rations without leaving the safety of the armor. It has been a standard feature on every British tank since.