Centurion Mk5 | |
|---|---|
| Land | Storbritannien |
| Roll | Type Main battle tank |
| I bruk | 1946–nuvarande |
| Byggd | 4423 |
Den Centurion var den primära brittiska huvudstridsvagnen under perioden efter andra världskriget. Den introducerades 1945 och anses allmänt vara en av de mest framgångsrika efterkrigstankdesignerna, som förblev i produktion in på 1960-talet och såg strid i frontlinjerna in på 1980-talet. Chassit anpassades också för flera andra roller, och dessa har varit i drift till denna dag.
Källkod: Centurion på Wikipedia
| Centurion Mk5 | |
|---|---|
| Fotograf | Unknow |
| Lokalisering | Unknow |
| Bilder | 91 |
| Centurion Mk.5/2 Walk Around | |
|---|---|
| Fotograf | Meindert de Vreeze |
| Lokalisering | Unknow |
| Bilder | 52 |
| Centurion Mk.5 Walk Around | |
|---|---|
| Fotograf | Vladimir Yakubov |
| Lokalisering | Ontario Regiment Museum |
| Bilder | 78 |
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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.
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New set of 52 photos of a Centurion Mk.5/2