Centurion tanks

Centurion tank

The Centurion tank was designed and developed towards the end of the Second World War to combat the newer German Tiger and Panther heavy tanks. The Centurion became the standard battle tank for British and Commonwealth armies during the post-1945 period.

The Australian Army purchased its first Centurion tanks in 1950. However, with the start of the Korean War, the tanks were sent to a British regiment and the first Centurions did not arrive in Australia until February 1952.

Centurions went to Vietnam in 1968, where their firepower and offensive capability were great assets for the Australian Task Force. The tanks remained in Vietnam until 1971.

The Australian Army purchased 127 Centurions from the United Kingdom, including four bridge-layers. The tanks remained in service until 1977.


Specifications

Centurion

Armament: 20 pdr gun, a .50-calibre machine-gun and two .30-calibre Browning machine-guns

Armour: 152 mm

Crew: 4

Power plant: Rolls Royce Meteor V12 liquid-cooled petrol engine

Speed (max): 34 kp/h

Length: 7.6 m

Height: 3.01 m

Width: 3.39 m

Weight: 52 t


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