page_title: Centurion (tank)
section_title: South Africa
hierarchical_section_title: Centurion (tank) / Variants / Non-UK variants / South Africa
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Südafrikanischer Olifant-Panzer English: South African Olifant tank
context_page_description: The Centurion was the primary British army 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.
  Development of the Centurion began in 1943 with manufacture beginning in January 1945. Six prototypes arrived in Belgium less than a month after the war in Europe ended in May 1945. It first entered combat with the British Army in the Korean War in 1950, in support of the UN forces. The Centurion later served in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, where it fought against US-supplied M47 and M48 Patton tanks and it served with the Royal Australian Armoured Corps in Vietnam.
  Israel's army used Centurions in the 1967 Six-Day War, 1973 Yom Kippur War, and during 1978 South Lebanon conflict and 1982 Lebanon War. Centurions modified as armoured personnel carriers were used in Gaza, the West Bank and on the Lebanese border.
context_section_description: Olifant
  Centurion tanks redesigned and rebuilt by South Africa with the help of Israel; considered the best indigenous tank design on the African continent. The name, 'Olifant' derives from the Afrikaans word for 'elephant' - being a heavy animal and indicating the heaviest combat vehicle in the South African Army.
  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 armour 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 an LIW 105 mm GT-8 rifled gun or a 120 mm smooth bore gun.
caption: Olifant tank
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