Centurion tank The Centurion , introduced in 1945 , was the primary British main battle tank of the post - World War II period . 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 tank began in 1943 and manufacture of the Centurion began in January 1945 , six prototypes arriving 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 used Centurions in the 1967 Six Day War , 1973 Yom Kippur War , and during the 1978 and 1982 invasions of Lebanon . Centurions modified as armoured personnel carriers were used in Gaza , the West Bank and on the Lebanese border . The Royal Jordanian Land Force used Centurions , first in 1970 to fend off a Syrian incursion within its borders during the Black September events and later in the Golan Heights in 1973 . South Africa deployed its Centurions in Angola during the South African Border War . It became one of the most widely used tank designs , equipping armies around the world , with some still in service until the 1990s . As recently as the 2006 Israel - Lebanon conflict the Israel Defense Forces employed heavily modified Centurions as armoured personnel carrier s and combat engineering vehicle s . The South African National Defence Force still employs over 200 Centurions , which were modernised in the 1980s and 2000s as the " Olifant " . Between 1946 and 1962 , 4 , 423 Centurions were produced , consisting of 13 basic marks and numerous variants . In British Army use it was replaced by the Chieftain . Development . In 1943 , the Directorate of Tank Design , under Sir Claude Gibb , C . B . E . , F . R . S . , was asked to produce a new design for a heavy cruiser tank under the General Staff designation A41 . After a series of fairly mediocre designs in the A series in the past , and bearing in mind the threat posed by the German 88 mm gun , the War Office demanded a major revision of the design requirements , specifically : increased durability and reliability , the ability to withstand a direct hit from the German 88 mm gun and providing greater protection against mines , while remaining within a maximum weight of 40 tons . A high top speed was not important , while agility was to be equal to that of the Comet . A high reverse speed was also required . The department produced a larger hull by adapting the long - travel five - wheel suspension used on the Comet with the addition of a sixth wheel , and extending the spacing between the second and third wheels . The Christie suspension , with vertical spring coils between side armour plates , was replaced by a Horstmann suspension with three horizontally sprung , externally mounted two - wheel bogie s on each side . The Horstmann design did not offer the same ride quality as the Christie system , but took up less room and was easier to maintain . In case of damage by mine s , individual suspension and wheel units could be replaced relatively easily . The hull was redesigned with welded , sloped armour and featured a partially cast turret with the highly regarded 17 pounder as the main gun and a 20 mm Polsten cannon in an independent mounting to its left . With a Rover - built Rolls - Royce Meteor engine , as used on the Comet and Cromwell , the new design would have excellent performance . Shortly after the programme commenced , it became clear that the requirement to withstand 88 mm weapons would be impossible to meet within the permitted weight . The original specification had been set so that the A41 could be carried on the existing Mark I and Mark II transport trailers , which were limited to a 40 - ton load . The War Ministry decided it would be wiser to build new trailers , rather than hamper what appeared to be a superb design . Even before prototypes of the original 40 - ton design were completed , the design of a heavier version was well under way . The new version carried armour equal to the heaviest infantry tank s , while improved suspension and engines provided cross - country performance superior to even the early cruiser tank s . Fletcher states , " But was Centurion , after all , a Universal Tank ? The answer has to be a qualified negative . " The design mockup built by AEC Ltd was viewed in May 1944 . Subsequently , 20 pilot models were ordered with various armament combinations : ten with a 17 - pdr and a 20 mm Polsten gun ( of which half had a Besa machine gun in the turret rear and half an escape door ) , five with a 17 - pdr , a forward Besa and an escape door , and five with a QF 77 mm gun and a driver - operated hull machine gun . Prototypes of the original 40 - ton design , the Centurion Mark I , had 76 mm of armour in the front glacis , which was thinner than that on the then current infantry tanks ( the Churchill ) , which had 101 mm . However , the glacis plate was highly sloped , and so the effective thickness of the armour was very high — a design feature shared by other effective designs , such as the German Panther tank and Soviet T - 34 . The turret was well armoured at 152 mm . The tank was also highly mobile , and easily outperformed the Comet in most tests . The uparmoured Centurion Mark II soon arrived ; it had a new 118 mm - thick glacis and the side and rear armour had been increased from 38 mm to 51 mm . Only a handful of Mk I Centurions had been produced when the Mk II replaced it on the production lines . Full production began in November 1945 with an order for 800 on production lines at Leyland Motors , Lancashire the Royal Ordnance Factories at Leeds and Woolwich , and Vickers at Elswick . The tank entered service in December 1946 with the 5th Royal Tank Regiment . Soon after the Centurion ' s introduction , Royal Ordnance finished work on the Ordnance QF 20 pounder ( 84 mm ) tank gun . By this point , the usefulness of the 20 mm Polsten had been called into question , it being unnecessarily large for use against troops , so it was replaced with a Besa machine gun in a completely cast turret . The new Centurion Mark III also featured a fully automatic stabilisation system for the gun , allowing it to fire accurately while on the move , dramatically improving battlefield performance . Production of the Mk 3 began in 1948 . The Mk 3 was so much more powerful than the Mk 1 and Mk 2 , that the earlier designs were removed from service as soon as new Mk 3s arrived , and the older tanks were then either converted into the Centurion Armoured Recovery Vehicle ( ARV ) Mark 1 for use by the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers or upgraded to Mk 3 standards . Improvements introduced with the Mk 3 included a more powerful version of the engine and a new gunsight and gun stabiliser . The 20 pounder gun was used only for a short time before the Royal Ordnance Factories introduced the 105 mm L7 gun . All later variants of the Centurion , from Mark 5 / 2 on , used the L7 . Design work for the Mk 7 was completed in 1953 , with production beginning soon afterwards . The Centurion was used as the basis for a range of specialist equipment , including combat engineering variants with a 165 mm demolition gun Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers ( AVRE ) . It is one of the longest - serving designs of all time , serving as a battle tank for the British and Australian armies from the Korean War ( 1950 – 1953 ) to the Vietnam War ( 1961 – 1972 ) , and as an AVRE during the Gulf War in January – February 1991 . Service history . Korean War . On 14 November 1950 , the British Army ' s 8th King ' s Royal Irish Hussars , equipped with three squadrons of Centurion Mk 3 tanks , landed in Pusan . Operating in sub - zero temperatures , the 8th Hussars learnt the rigours of winter warfare : their tanks had to be parked on straw to prevent the steel tracks from freezing to the ground , with engines having to be started every half hour , with each gear being engaged in turn to prevent them from being frozen into place . During the Battle of the Imjin River , Centurions won lasting fame when their tanks covered the withdrawal of the 29th Brigade , with the loss of five tanks , most later recovered and repaired . In 1953 , Centurions of the 1st Royal Tank Regiment were also involved in the second Battle of the Hook where they played a significant role in repelling Chinese attacks . In a tribute to the 8th Hussars , General John O ' Daniel , commanding the US 1st Corps , stated : " . . . In their Centurions , the 8th Hussars have evolved a new type of tank warfare . They taught us that anywhere a tank can go , is tank country : " even the tops of mountains " . " Vietnam War . In 1967 , the Royal Australian Armoured Corps ' ( RAAC ) , 1st Armoured Personnel Carrier ( APC ) Squadron transferred to " A " Squadron , 3rd Cavalry Regiment Vietnam . Although they successfully conducted combat operations in their areas of operations , reports from the field stated that their light - armour ( M - 113 ACAVs ) were unable to force their way through dense jungle limiting their offensive actions against enemy forces . The Australian government , under criticism from Parliament , decided to send a squadron of Australian Centurion tanks to South Vietnam . The 20 - pdr armed Australian Centurions of ' C ' Squadron , 1st Armoured Regiment landed in the Republic of Vietnam ( South Vietnam ) on 24 February 1968 , and were headquartered at Nui Dat in III Corps ( MR3 ) . Colonel Donald Dunstan , later to be governor of South Australia , was the Deputy Task Force Commander of the Australian Forces in South Vietnam Col . Dunstan had quite possibly been the last Australian to use tanks and infantry in a combined arms operation during World War II , during the Bougainville campaign . And , for the first time since World War II , Dunstan would be commanding Australia ' s tanks and infantry in combat . When he temporarily took over command during Brigadier Ronald Hughes ' absence , he directed that the Centurions be brought up from Nui Dat to reinforce the firebases at Coral and Balmoral , believing that they were a strong element that were not being used . Besides adding a great deal of firepower , Dunstan stated , he " . . . couldn ' t see any reason why they ( Centurions ) shouldn ' t be there . . . " His foresight enabled the 1st Australian Task Force ( 1 ATF ) to inflict approximately 267 enemy casualties during the six - week - long Battle of Coral – Balmoral , as well as capturing 11 prisoners , 36 crew - served weapons , 112 small arms , and other miscellaneous enemy weapons . After the battles at firebase s " Coral " and " Balmoral " , in which the 1 ATF defeated the 141st and 165th NVA Infantry Regiments in May 1968 ; a third Centurion troop , which included two tankdozers , was formed . By September 1968 , ' C ' Squadron was brought to its full strength of four troops , each equipped with four Centurion tanks . By 1969 , ' B ' Squadron , 3rd Cavalry ; ' A ' Squadron , 1st Armoured Regiment ; ' B ' Squadron , 1st Armoured Regiment ; and ' C ' Squadron , 1st Armoured Regiment , had all made rotations through South Vietnam . Originally deployed as 26 Centurion tanks , after three and a half years of combat operations , 58 Centurions had served in country ; 42 had suffered battle damage with six beyond repair and two crewmen had been killed in action . The Centurion crews , after operating for a few weeks in country , soon learned to remove the protective armoured side skirts from both sides of the tank , to prevent the vegetation and mud from building up between the track and the mudguards . Each Centurion in Vietnam normally carried a basic load of 62 rounds of 20 pounder shells , 4 , 000 rounds of . 50 cal and 9 , 000 rounds of . 30 cal machine gun ammunition for the tank commander ' s machine gun as well as the two coaxial machine guns . They were equipped with petrol engines , which necessitated the use of an extra externally mounted fuel tank , which was attached to the vehicle ' s rear . India vs Pakistan . In 1965 the bulk of India ' s tank fleet were older M4 Sherman tanks ; besides them India also had Centurion Tank Mk . 7 , with the 105mm Royal gun , and also AMX - 13 , PT - 76 , and M3 Stuart light tanks . The Centurion Mk . 7 at that time one of the most modern western tanks . The offensive of Pakistan ' s 1st Armoured Division was blunted at the Battle of Assal Uttar on September 10 . Six Pakistani armoured regiments were opposed by three Indian armoured regiments . One of these regiments , 3 Cavalry , fielded 45 Centurion tanks . The Centurion , with its 105 mm gun and heavy armour , proved to be more than a match to M - 48 Pattons . On the other side , when Pakistani Army commanders made good use of M48 Pattons , they proved to be quite capable of destroying Centurion tanks , as witnessed in the Sialkot sector . In 1971 in the Sialkot area two Pakistani tank regiments confronted the Indian First Armored Corps , which had Centurion tanks . This was the largest tank battle of the war , both sides suffered considerable casualties . Middle East . Israel ' s formerly British Centurions , first delivered in the late 1950s , were renamed " Sho ' t " ( " scourge " or " whip " ) by the Israelis and heavily upgraded following their purchase . When the Six - day War broke out in 1967 , the Israel Defense Forces ( IDF ) had 293 Centurion tanks that were ready for combat out of a total of 385 tanks . During the war , Israel captured 30 of Jordan ' s 44 Centurion tanks . The Israeli version of the Centurion earned its legendary status during the Battle of " The Valley of Tears " on the Golan Heights in the 1973 Yom Kippur War . Fewer than 100 Centurion tanks of the 7th Armoured Brigade defeated the advance of some 500 Syrian T - 55 s and T - 62 s . The Sho ' t became emblematic of Israeli armour ' s prowess . The original Centurions had 20 pounder main guns , but these were quickly up - gunned to the British 105 mm L7 . The vehicles went through a number of both major and minor modifications , culminating in the Sho ' t with Blazer reactive armour package seen in the 1982 invasion of Lebanon , and were retired during the 1990s . The biggest modifications were the upgrade of the engine , sights , and Blazer packages . The engine was changed to a more efficient diesel design , fire control modernized , armour thickened , and an improved ammunition layout allowing more rounds to be carried . An improved fire extinguishing system , better electrical system and brakes , and an increased fuel capacity complete the modifications . The Sh ' ot can be distinguished from the Centurion by its raised rear deck , to accommodate the bigger engine . They have American radios and either have the original 7 . 62 mm calibre MG on the commander ' s cupola or have it replaced by a 12 . 7 mm calibre HMG . Many different variants were bought by Israel over the years from many different countries . Many components of these would find their way into the Merkava . 1991 Gulf War . In the 1991 Gulf War , 12 FV4003 Centurion Mk5 AVREs were deployed with 32 Armoured Engineer Regiment as part of British operations during the war . Three were lost in training in two separate incidents involving vehicle fires and detonation of munitions . One AVRE was destroyed on 5 February 1991 and two were destroyed in a second incident the next day . Four minor injuries were sustained . Jordan . Fifty Centurion were purchased between 1954 and 1956 and by 1967 about 90 Centurion tanks were in service . Jordanian Army used its Centurion Tanks in Six Day War . In 1967 the 10th Independent Tank Regiment was equipped with 44 Centurion Mk . V tanks armed with 20pdr guns , but was initially deployed on East Bank . Later the unit was moved urgently to the Hebron area , in West Bank , in order to link with the supposed Egyptian advance . Some Centurion tanks were destroyed and about 30 captured by Israeli Army . Israelis entering Hebron captured twenty - five Jordanian Centurion tanks . The Royal Guards Brigade had one regiment equipped also with Centurions . After the 1967 war , the army was rearmed and more centurion tanks were purchased . In 1970 40th Armoured Brigade , the Jordanian elite armoured formation , was reequipped with Centurions . The Royal Jordanian Land Force used Centurions in 1970 to fend off a Syrian incursion during the Black September events . The reinforced Syrian 5th division , with up to 300 T - 55s , encountered Jordanian units consisting of the 25th Infantry and elements of the 40th Armoured brigade around ar - Ramtha . The 5th Division ' s attack was repelled with heavy losses on 22 September mostly through the efforts of the Royal Jordanian Air Force In 1972 Centurion tanks were reequipped with 105mm guns . During the Yom Kippur war Jordanian 40th Armoured Brigade was deployed to Golan front to support Syrian troops and show King Hussein concern for Arab solidarity . 40th Armored Brigade moved northward towards Sheikh Meskin but its counterattack was uncoordinated and largely ineffective as Israeli were in prepared defensive positions . Centurions of the Jordanian Army were refitted with diesel engine in place of the original Meteor petrol engine . These upgraded vehicles were called the Tariq . They were also fitted with a Belgian SABCA fire - control system which incorporated a laser range - finder , turret drive and stabilisation system and hydropneumatic suspension . The last of 293 conversions to the Tariq standard was completed in 1985 . South Africa . The Centurion tank was in use by the South Africans since 1957 – at first , 250 Mk 2 and Mk 3 Centurions bought directly from the UK , but later , South Africa bought Mk 5 Centurions from India and Jordan . Starting in 1970 , the UN imposed ever - more - restrictive arms embargoes on South Africa , due to its apartheid practices and human rights violations . This forced South Africa to develop its own arms industry ( with surreptitious help from Israel , France and the United States ) and this included upgrading the Centurion tanks . Until the 1980s or so , South Africa ' s enemies had nothing to compare to the tanks that the South Africans were fielding at any particular time . The South Africans improved and upgraded their tanks throughout the Border War in Namibia and Angola . The first upgrades made to the Centurions were simple , and primarily for test purposes . In 1972 , the Centurion was fitted with a V - 12 fuel - injected petrol engine developing 810 hp coupled to a new three - speed ( two forward and one reverse ) automatic transmission . This project was called the Skokiaan , but only eight conversions were made . This was followed by the Semel project in 1974 , which involved fitting the eight Skokiaan vehicles and some unconverted Centurions with a modified engine and some other improvements and these were called the Centurion Mk 5A or Semel . A total of 35 of these vehicles was produced and some were used in the then - Southwest Africa . The South Africans undertook a much more ambitious upgrade program in 1976 , producing the Olifant ( later the Olifant Mk 1 after further - upgraded versions were built ) . The Olifant Mk 1 entered service with the South African Armoured Corps in 1978 . The Olifant program benefited greatly from the Israelis ' Sho ' t program ( the Israeli rebuild of the Centurion ) . Olifant Mk1 had an upgraded engine , better suspension , turret drive , and night vision equipment . The commander had a hand held laser rangefinder . The Olifant Mk 1 later received a major upgrade as the Mk 1A entered production in 1983 and entered service in 1985 . This was because it was discovered that the Olifant Mk 1 and its 20 - pounder main gun could not match the T - 55 available to armed forces in Angola . Production stopped in the mid - 1980s . Nonetheless , despite the numbers produced and the fact that the Mk 1A was meant to be an interim solution for use until the advent of the Mk 1B version . In the Mk 1A , the main gun was replaced with the 105mm L - 7 rifled gun and eight smoke grenade dischargers were installed on either side of the turret . A new engine was also installed and the armour was upgraded . The laser range - finder was incorporated into the gunner ' s sight , and the night vision equipment was upgraded . The Mk 1B was a new production vehicle , rather than an up - grade of existing Centurions or Olifants . Development of the Mk 1B started in 1983 and it entered production in 1991 . The tank carries 68 rounds of ammunition for its 105 mm L7 rifled main gun , which is fitted with a thermal sleeve . The tank is also fitted with a co - axial 7 . 62 mm general purpose machine gun and a 7 . 62 mm anti - aircraft machine gun . The driver ' s station is equipped with a day and night sight and the gunner ' s station is fitted with day and night sights and an integrated laser rangefinder . Because of the high number of mines deployed in neighbouring African countries , its belly armour was doubled and new side skirts added . The glacis plate and nose of the hull have been upgraded with the addition of passive armour and the turret has been fitted with stand - off armour . The vehicle can generate a smoke screen by injecting fuel on the engine ' s hot exhaust and a fire suppression system was added to the crew fighting compartment . A computerised fire control system was added and a searchlight over the main gun . In October 2003 , Alvis OMC was awarded a contract for the upgrade of a number of Olifant Mk 1B MBTs . It included upgrades in the power pack , fire control and training systems . Up to the end of 1987 , South Africa was involved in a full intervention in the Angolan Civil War , and Olifant tanks were sent into combat , participating with success against Angolan forces near the Lomba River . On 1 September , tank combat occurred . Olifants ran across Angolan T - 55 s and T - 34 / 85 s , destroying some of them . At Cuito Cuanavale , Olifants and Ratel infantry fighting vehicles fought T - 55s and T - 34 / 85s , claiming that the only losses to the Olifants came from mine s . The Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces claimed that , during the same battle , the 50th Cuban Division T - 62 s halted South African tanks at the Chambingi River . The Mk 2 is an up - armoured and fire control equipment turret which can be fitted with a 120 mm smoothbore cannon on the Mk 1B chassis . Sweden . At the end of World War II , it was clear that the mix of tanks in service with the Swedish Armed Forces was not just obsolete but also presented a large logistical problem . Kungliga Arméförvaltningens Tygavdelning ( KAFT , the weapons bureau of the army administrative service ) conducted a study that concluded that the most cost - effective alternative would be to purchase the newly developed Centurion Mk 3 , which , while quite modern , was judged to also have upgrade potential for future requirements . A request of purchase was sent to Great Britain , but the reply was that no deliveries could be made before the needs of the British army had been satisfied , which was deemed to take between five and fifteen years . Thus , in 1951 , the vehicle bureau of KAFT was set to develop a Swedish alternative project , E M I L . Parallel with this , negotiations were initiated with France about buying the AMX - 13 . The British stance altered in early December 1952 , due to the economic necessity of increasing exports to earn scarce foreign currency . Britain offered to sell the desired Centurions immediately . Minister of defence Torsten Nilsson arbitrarily placed an order of 80 Mk III around new year 1952 / 1953 , with the first delivery in April 1953 . A few years later , Sweden ordered a batch of 160 Centurion Mk V , followed by a third batch on 110 Centurion Mk X around 1960 . The Centurions formed the backbone of the Swedish armoured brigades for several decades . The Mk III ' s and the Mk V ' s were upgraded with a 105mm gun in the 1960s . Between 1983 – 1987 , the Centurions had a midlife renovation and modification ( REMO ) done , which included among other things night vision equipment , targeting systems , laser range finders , improved gun stabilisation , thermal sleeves on the barrel and exhaust pipes and reactive armour developed by the Swedish FFV Ordnance . The Swedish army gradually phased out its Centurions during the 1990s as a consequence of its extensive reorganization after the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union . They were replaced by the Leopard 2 . Nuclear tests . An Australian Army Mk 3 Centurion Type K , Army Registration Number 169041 , was involved in a small nuclear test at Emu Field in Australia in 1953 as part of Operation Totem 1 . Built as number 39 / 190 at the Royal Ordnance Factory , Barnbow in 1951 it was assigned the British Army number 06 BA 16 and supplied to the Australian Commonwealth Government under Contract 2843 in 1952 . It was placed less than from the 9 . 1 kt blast with its turret facing the epicentre , left with the engine running and a full ammunition load . Examination after detonation found that it had been pushed away from the blast point by about , pushed slightly left and that its engine had stopped working , only because it had run out of fuel . Antennae were missing , lights and periscopes were heavily sandblasted , the cloth mantlet cover was incinerated , and the armoured side plates had been blown off and carried up to from the tank . Remarkably , though , the tank could still be driven from the site . Had it been manned , the crew would probably have been killed by the shock wave . 169041 , subsequently nicknamed " The Atomic Tank " , was used in the Vietnam War . In May 1969 , during a firefight , 169041 ( call sign 24C ) was hit by a rocket - propelled grenade ( RPG ) . The turret crew were all wounded by shrapnel as the RPG entered the lower left side of the fighting compartment , travelled diagonally across the floor and lodged in the rear right corner . Trooper Carter was evacuated , while the others remained on duty and the tank remained battleworthy . " The Atomic Tank " is now located at Robertson Barracks in Palmerston , Northern Territory . Although other tanks were subjected to nuclear tests , 169041 is the only one known to have withstood atomic tests and to go on for another 23 years of service , including 15 months on operational deployment in a war zone . Variants . Non - UK variants . Sweden . The designations follows the pattern of main gun calibre in centimetres followed by the order number . Hence the strv 81 is read as the first tank with an 8 cm gun , while the strv 101 is the first tank with a 10 cm gun that was accepted into service .