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 Published by Australia: Back numbers are obtainab:
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Armoured \Ghicles
olfhe 1950s ctnd 1960s
Et the end of World War II the tank stood out as one ofthe
ytime wealnns in the new mobile warfare. Great effotts were
aade to developnew fanilies of atznouredvehicles, andthe
I9il)s saw the inhodaction of the fitst cttde anti'tank guided
sea1nre. Development wx to such eftect that many vehicles
in usern the l9&Osaredesigt tsofthe l9fl0soreailien
.'iorid War II proved that tanks had a major role to play on the battlefield,
in the USA some of the projects stiii under way at the end of the war
=d
,rere continued, though many others were canceiled. A considerable
:.::rount of work was done on automotive components such as engines
::id transmissions, well as on the main armament. This e{Iort was put to
as
;.:od use at the outbreak of the Korean War, and within a short time the
.SAwas able to place in production a whole range of armoured vehicles
urcluding the M41 light tank, M47/M4B medium tank and Ml03 heavy
as well as numerous self-propelled gmns, APCs and other special-
=nk,
zed vehicles, Many of these vehicles were ordered even before pro-
:3types were completed, and the result was that many of these had later
:c be rebuilt, a very expensive and time-consuming process. Since then
ihe USA has taken care to test thoroughly its armoured vehicles before
olacing them in production.
In the UK a complete family of vehicies ranging from tanks to self-
propelled guns was conceived, but many of these did not reach the
production stage and the most successfirl British tank of this period, the
Cenh:rion, can trace its development back to World War II.
France also started an AFV development programme in the immedi-
ate post-war period with the EBR armoured car and AMX-13 light tank,
both unusual designs. The latter has been exported all over the world
and remains in production to this day, as do many of its specialized
variants such as troop carriers and self-propelled gn:ns.
In the mid-1950s armoured deveiopment again started in Japan and
West Germany, with production vehicles following in the 1960s. Switzer-
In service with I srael for 20 years, the
British- deSigned C enturion was
developed at the end of World War
II, and by continuous modification
has remained effective right up to the
presentday.
land and Sweden also undertook the design and later productron c:
tanks in this period, the Swedish S{ank being one of the most rtnu.su6-
vehicles of its type.
The USSR continued to design, develop and place in production tadcs
after World War II. On a one-for-one basis these were generally hfenor
to their Westem counterparts, but they were cheap and easy to malu-
factwe, maintain and operate, all factors which have led to their expori
on a wide scale to most parts of the world.
During the I950s the first antitank gnrided missiles appeared. These
were very basic compared to the systems in use today, but they did
provide the basis on which more effective systems could be desigmed
and built, and their introduction in both vehicle- and man-portable
versions has changed the face of the battlefield, once again compelling
tank designers to place greater emphasis on armour protection,
It must also be remembered that many of the vehicles in service
today, and in some cases still in production, can trace their development
back to the mid-1950s, or in some cases even earlier.
Some of the vehicles described have now disappeared from semce
as their chassis could not be adopted to carry new weapon systerns,
while others (for example the M48 and Centurion tanks) have been
constantly updated to enable them to remain viable weapon systems for
the foreseeable fuhrre.
One of the features of Middle East wadare has been the frequency with which
captured weaponsftayebeen turned against their former owners. Heri we
see anEgwtian Centurion, captured from Israel in 1973.
 ilff+ens MainBattle Tank
=
\Alhen the Korean War broke out in
1950, the USA had no medrum tanks in
production. As an intdrim measure the
hrret of the T43 medium tank then
under development was put onto the
chassis of the M46Al tank and this en-
tered production as the M47, well over
8,000 beiaq built. The M47 has long
been phased out of US Army service
but remains in service with many
countries including Greece, Italy,
Spain, Pakistan and Portugal, to name
but a few. Design wolk on a new
medium tank, also armedwith a 90-mm
gnm, started in the early I950s under
the designation T48, and this was
ordered into production even before
the first prototypes had been com-
pleted. The first production vehicles
were completed at the Delaware'Iank
Plant, operated by the Chrysler Cor-
poration, inJuly 1952, when the widow
of General George Patton christened
M48A2 ot th.e US Army with
commander's and loader's hatch in
the open position. By late 1983 the US
Anny still had over 2,000 of these
vehicles on s/rength.
242
The M47 was one of the earlier
members of a family of armoured
vehicles stretching from the M26
Pershing tank through to the M60 of
today. The M47 saw action in Korea
before being replaced by the much-
improvedM4S Patton.
the type Patton. Wiih such a shod de-
velopment period, which was justified
by the lntemational situation at that
ttme, there were many problems with
the early M4Bs, including poor reiiabil-
ity and a very short operating range of
only 70 miles (i 13 km). The M4B was
lollowed by the M48Al, M4842 and
frnally M48A3" The last had many mod-
rficatrons as a result of problems mth
the earlier vehicies, and was powered
by a Teledyne Continental AVDS-
1790-2A diesel whLich increased the
operational ralge of the tank to some
2BB miles (463 kn).
Production of the M4B series con-
tinued untrl 1959, by which time over
1I,700 had been built. The M4B was
succeeded in production by the M60
series, which itself is a further de-
velopment of the M48. The M4B is still
used by many countries around the
world includinq Greece, Iran, Israel,
Jordan, South Korea, l,ebanon, Moroc-
co, Norway, Pakistaa, Portr:gal, Soma-
lia, Spain, Taiwan, fhailand, T\.rnisia,
Ttrkey, the USA and West Germany,
The M48, M4BA1, M48A2 and
M48A3 are all armed wrth a 90-mm
gmn, wrth a 7.62-mm (0.3-rn) machire-
gmn mounted co-axially with the main
armament and a 0.S-in (12.7-mm)
machine-gnm mounted in the comman-
der's cupola. To extend the type's
operational hfe, the M48AS was de-
veloped in the mid-I970s. This is
essentially any one of the earlier mod-
els rebuilt and fltted with a 105-mm
M6B gun (as fitted to the M60 series), a
7.62-mm (0.3-in) M60D machine-gnrn
on the turret rool a new powerpack
and many other detailed modifica-
tions. From 1975 Anniston Army Depot
converted weil over 2,000 of the older
M48 series MBTs to the M4BA5 con-
figuration, and apart from two batta-
lions in Korea these are all deployed in
the USA, The Uruted States has also
supplied many countries with kits to
enable them to convert their ensting
*.;
l
s
I
stocks of M4Bs to M4BA5 standard Tr:
West German company Wegrnar -.==
converted some 650 M4BA2 tanks :-'r:
the M48A2GA2 version for the !'r -s:
German army. These have the Bn:r
105-mm lr7A3 gnm, new arrrnun;:-:
racks, new commander's cupola- pa:-
sive night-vision equipment, We3-
mann smoke dischargers and rnoi-
ifications to the fire-control systern.
The automotive components of tf.
M4B were also used in the M88 AF",-
and the M53 and M55 self-propelia:
artillery weapons. Variants of the M4!
include the M6?, M67Al and M67.t?
flamethrower tanks (none of which a::
at present in ftont-line service) and t=
M48 AVLB which is widelyused in t-
US Army and has a scissors bridge
launched over the front of the vehicl:
The chassis is also being used for tb=
new M247 Sgt York Division Au D€-
fenee System (DIVADS), the first pr:-
ductlon examples of which shou-:
come off the production line in la:=
1983. This has a new turret armed wr:
twin 4O-mm Bofors guns and a compr=-
hensive fire-control system which w-
be able to engage low flying arcre=
and helicopters. Over 600 of these a::
expected to be procured by the LS
Army to provrde each division wr:
one battahon of DIVADS vehicles.
The M48 series has seen comba:
with the United States and Vietnamese
armies in South Vietnam, with the
Pakistani army agairst India, and wrr
the Israeii army agalnst Jordan, Egryp:
and Syria. It has now proved to be a
reliable tank, and when fitted with the
105-mm L7A3 or MOB qnrn can counter
most tanks likely to be encountered or
the battlefield today, especially wher
firing the new types of APFSDS-T
ammunitron developed by the Unitec
States, Israel and the United Kingdorn
Specification
Crew: 4
Weight: 47.17 tonnes
Engriie: continendlAvDs- 1790-2A t2-
cylinder diesel developing 750 bhp
(s60 k\ D
Dimensions: length (with gnm forward)
8,686 m (28 ft 6 in); lenqth (hull) 6.882 m
(22ft7in), width 3,63Im (Iift 11in);
heisht3.124m(10ft3in)
Performance: maximum road speed
49.Zkrn/h (30 mph); maximum range
463 m (288 miles)); fording 1,219 m (4 ft
0in); gnadient 60%; vertical obstacle
0,915m (3ft 0in); trench 2,59m (8ft
6 in)
An early production M60 tank
crosses a pontoon bridge. The M60
was virtually an upgrunned M48 with
an improved engine; itwas quickly
replaced by the M60Al , which had a
com p le te ly re des igme d turr e t.
 .USA
E M50 Ontos tank destroyer
-- -:e
early 1950s the US Marine Corps
:;-=::d a requirement for a highly
-':;:le ta:rk destroyer, and in October
-I- authorization was given for the
:r*rng of no less than five prototype
;=:---les, a.ll of which had various num-
:e= of recoilless rifles as their main
::=arnent, These were built and
:=red ald u: February 1953 approval
T-:s elven for the procurement of 24
=--,cels
of the T165 which was armed
:n-:: six 106-mm recoilless rrlles. Trials
r-:: the first of these vehicles showed
--:a: some work was required with the
:::-:ntiag, fire-control system and sus-
;e-ron. The remaining vehicles were
:dt to a slightly modified design and
i:signated the Tl65E2. Following
::"ls mth the latter vehicles, and more
*':difications, the vehicle was finally
:::epted for service with the US
l.bine Corps and in 1955 was standar-
:-:ed as the Rille, Multiple, 106-mm
Self-Propelled, M50 or, as it was nor-
-:lly called, the Ontos (Greek for The
li-ng), In August 1955 Allis Chalmers
r,r:s awarded a productron contract for
l:l vehicles, whlch were all com-
::=ted by November 1957, At a later
j=:e it was decrded to replace the ori-
;-::ai General Motors petrol engme
z:.i a Chrysler petrol engrne develop-
::q 180 hp ( 134 kW) and subsequently,
'- jue 1963, the orignnai manufacturer
xas awarded a contract to reburld 294
1.50 vehicies to the new configwation
iccwn as M50Al; at the same ttme a
-'-imber of other minor improvements
rere made to the vehicle. The M50
a-as used in South Vietnam and in the
lcminican Republic, but it has now
infSO 90-mm airborne self-propelled anti-tank gun
=
Apart from hand-held weapons, the
r.lost important anti-tank weapon used
by US arborne forces in World War II
the jeep-towed 57-mm anti-tank
"vas Ml, whichwas essentially the Brit-
gun
rsh 6-pdr made in the United States,
After the war a requirement was
issued for a highly mobile self-
propelied antitank gnrn that could be
air-dropped by parachute during the
imhal phases of airborne operations
and have a firepower similar to that of a
talk, Two prototypes ofa vehicle cal-
led the Tl0l were built by the Cadillac
Motor Car Division of the General
Motors Corporation. Further develop-
ment resulted in the improved Tl0lEl
which was eventually standardized as
the Gun, Anti-tank, Self-propelled g0-
mm M56, or more commonly the Scor-
pion. Production was undertaken by
the Cadiliac Motor Car Division be-
tween 1953 and 1959. In the US Armv
the M56 was issued only to the B2nd
and lolst Airborne Divisions, but was
replaced in the 1960s by the M55i
Sheridan Armored Reconnaissance/
Airborne Assault Vehicle. A few M56s
were supplied to Spain and Morocco,
and some were also deployed by the
US Army to Vietnam, where theywere
used mainly in the fire-support role,
The hull of the M56 was of allwelded
and riveted aluminium construction,
wrth the englne and transmission at the
front, gmn in the centre and the crew
area at the rear. The engnne was cou-
pled to a General Motors Corporation
(Allison Division) transmission with
one reverse and hvo forward ranges
which in hrrn supplied power to the
inal drives on each side, The suspen-
Armowed Vehicles of the lg50s and lg60s
been retired from service l,vlth the US
Marine Corps without a direct re-
placement, although ground- and
vehicle-mounted TOW ATGWs carry
out a similar function,
The vehicle was armed with six
M40A1C recoilless rrfles mounted on a
cotrrmon mount at the rear of the hull.
These had a traverse of 40' left and
right with an elevation of *20' and a
depression of -10o, elevation and
traverse all being manual, The top four
recoilless rrlles were fitted with a 12.7-
mm (0.5-in) MBC spottlng rifle: the
weapons were fLst lined up with the
opticai sight and the spotting rifle was
then fired, a hit on the target berng
indicated by a pulf of smoke, whereup-
on the gunner krew that the recoilless
rifle was correctly aliEmed vnth the
target. One or more of the recoilless
rifles could be fired, maximum efec-
tive rangre being about 1100m (I,200
yards) although maximum ranqe was
over 7000m (7,655 yards). The
ammunition was of the fixed type and hull rear, The engine was coupi*d to a MSA Onbs tank destoyer as used by
included HEAT (High Exploslve Anti- General Motors Corporatron (Atlt-sol the US ir'larine Corps. Note the I 2.7-
Tank) and HEP-T (High Explosive Divrsion) XT-90-2 crcis dri"e transrnu- mm spotting MGs ahove the top four
Plastic-TYacer), the latter type being sion that transmitted power to the lA6-mm recoilless rifles. Once these
loown as HESH in British service, Tot- drive sprockets at the front of the hull. had beenfired thecrewhad toleave
als of 18 rounds of 106-mm and B0 The chassis was also used :r a num= the vehicle to reload them.
rounds of spottmg ammunition were ber of expenmental vehicies Lrut none
carried, In additron an MI9I9A4 7.62- of these, including several arrnor;yedl (6ft 1tle in)
mm (0.3-in) machine-En:n was fitted to infantry carders, entered proeluctic;i Powerplant: one General Motors Cor-
the top of the mount for local protec- oI serl'lce, poration lUodei 302 petrol engnne de-
tion. veloprns laS hp (108 kW)
The driver was seated at the front of Specification Performance: maximum road speeci
the hull on the left, with the engrne to Crew: 3 48 km/h (30 mph); maximum road
hrs right and the very cramped crew Weight: 8.64 tonnes ranrge 240 km (150 miles); qadient 6f
compartment at the rear; entry to the Dimensions: lenqth 3.82 m (12 ft 63/s in); per cent; vertical obstacle 0.76m
iatter was effected via two doors in the wtdth 2.60 m (B ft 6/a in); heiqht 2" 13 m (30 in); trench 1.42 m (4 ft 8 in)
M56 90-mm self-propelled anti- tank
grun, whichwas often called the
Scorpion. This was developed
specifically for the US 82nd and I0I st
Airborne Divisions. Its main
drawback, apart from the recoil
when the 90-mm gan was fired, was
the complete lack of armour
protection for the gvn crew apart
lrom the small shield. A total of 29
rounds of fixed 90-mm ammunition
was carried for the gun, which had a
maximum effective range of about
1500 m(4920 ft).
sion was of the torsion-bar type with
four rubber-tyred road wheels, idler at
the rear and drive sprocket at the ftont;
there were no track-rehrrn rollers. The
track consisted of a steel-reinforced
endless rubber-band.
The main armament was a 90-mm
gmn M54 fittedwitha muzzle brake and
a vertical sliding breech block. The
sun had an elevation of * I5o and de-
pression of - i0', and a traverse of 30"
left and right, all manual. A total of 29
rounds of fixed ammumtion was car-
One of the protoUpes of the M56,
then desigmated the T I 0 I , shortly
after the 90-mm gun had fired,
showing the gun recoilling to the rear
and the forward part of the chassis
litting clear of the ground. The dust
often obscvred the grunner's
line of sight for the next shot.
MSG 9Gmm airborne self-propeUed anti-tank grun (continued)
::a:-*::jer a::d to the rear of the gun;
.:.].: .TPC-T, HE-T. HEAT, HEAT.T,
-=;-T $,? TP-T, HVAP-TandHVTP-
I ::.::is cculd be fired. The main
i:a.l;i:ack of the M56, which had much
:e:el irepower than the M4i light
-ra}r i's 76-mm gun, was that the
:=::-<
::"ssrs was too light and when the 90-
:-l: lun was fired the vehicle often
:-:--;eci several feet and the target was
:csgr:ed by dust from the muzzle
66e-
Ml03 heavytank
lAe $andard American heavy tank at
-:e end of World War II was the M26
?ershing, which saw action rn the clos-
:-; months of the European campaign;
-:: jre post-war period this was reclas-
as a medium tank and agarn saw
=.ed
Jombat in Korea. Development of
:eary tanks continued in the USA, a
-:rnber of prototypes being built in-
:ludrng
-,Vrth
the T29, T30, T34 and T32,
the advent of the Cold War de-
sEm work commenced on three new
:ad<s, the T41 light tank which was
s:andardized as the M4l, the T42
:redrum wLuch resulted in the M47,
a:rd the Ttli|. Trials with prototypes of
re last revealed nurnerous deficien-
cres especially in the areas of turret
and gmn control equrpment, and tn the
srghtiag system, none of which met the
specifications of the user. Trials mth
modiied vehicles designated T43El
showed that over 100 additional mod-
:ications were required, but the vehi-
cle was evenhrally standardized as the
Tad<, Combat, I\rlI Tracked, 120-mm,
Mi03. A total of 200 vehicles was buiit
by Chrysler at the Detroit Tank Plant
belween 1952 and 1954 for deploy-
ment with the ?th Army in Europe,
where it was found that the welqht and
snall range of action made the type
clifficult to employ. There were also
244
Another drawback was the com-
plete lack of armour protection for the
crew, apart from the very small shield,
The driver was seated to the left of the
grun with the gmnner to the rear; the
iatter was provided with a sight with a
magnrflcatron of x4, I or x8.
The chassis of the M56 was also used
as the basis for a number of other vehi-
cles including an armoured personnel
carrier wrth a much higher superstruc-
ture with the troop compartment at the
M I 03 heavy tank showing external
I 2.7 -mm M 2 an ti- aircraft machine-
wn on the commander's cupola. The
M 103 was designed provide long-
to
range support to the 90-mm armed
M48 tanks and to counter the Soviet
IS-3 tankswith their 122-mm gruns.
They were deployed to Europe but
were soon phased out of sewice. I n
many respects the M 103 was
essenfi'ally a sca led-up M48 tank.
constant reliability problems, and the
M103s were phased out of sewice wrth
the US fumy in the I960s, A number
were supplied to the US Marrne Corps,
and in the 1960s I53 vehrcles were
fltted wlth a type of new engdne, which
increased operational range foom 130
to 480 ]cn (80 to 300 miles); these were
desigmated Ml03A2. They have since
been phased out ofservice wtth the US
Marine Corps, and none was supplied
to any foreign countries under the
MAP. The role of the Ml03 was to pro-
vide direct assault and lonq-range
anti-tank support to the M47 and later
the M4B (a similar role to that of the
rear, BI-mm and 107-mm self-
propelled mortar carriers, a 106-mm
M40 recoilless anti-tank gnrn carrier, a
missile launcher and an antiaircraft
vehicle fitted with four 12,7-mm (0.5-in)
MZHB machine Qnrrr; none of these en-
tered production or service,
Specification
Crew: 4
Weight: 7,03 tonnes
Dimensions: length (including gun)
British Conqueror heavy tank de-
veloped at the same time),
In many respects the M103 was vir-
tually a scaled-up M4B, with the driver
at the front, turet and fighting com-
partrnent in the centre, and the engdne
and tlansmrssron at the rear, The com-
mander's cupola, which was provrded
with an extemally mounted 12.7-mm
(0,5-in) M2HB machine-gun for anti-
atrcraff defence, was in the centre of
the tufiet at the rear, while the gnrnner
and one of the loaders were seated
forward on the right with the second
loader on the left. The torsion-bar sus-
persion consrsted of seven dual rub-
-.!,.i::i.j:ri::i:i:i ..';
-air:i':ii,):t]:i:,
i :: : r:
5.841 m (19 ft 2 in); length (hull)
(14ft lltls in); width 2.577r- : l
57zin); height 2,067m (6ft 9* -
Powerplant: one Contine:-::. :
cylinder petroi engine deve-::-::
200 bhp (149 kw)
Performance: maximum road
45
-e*:
km/h (28 mph); maximun-- !:.:
range 225 lcn (140 miles); grrads-: ii
per cent; vertical obstacle 0 -:- n
(30 in); trench 1.524 m (5 ft O rnl
ber-tyred road wheels (with the c:r=
sprocket at the rear and idler ai ::-:
front) and six track-return rollers.
Main armament comprlsed a -i--
mm rifled gmn with an elevation of * - :'
and a depression of -8o, tu:::'
traverse being 360', Ammumtion r-=-:
of the separateJoading type, and a :: --
al of 38 rounds (38 projectiles and :=
same number of charges) was carr-::
The following types of ammuru:::
could be fired: AP-T, HE, HE-T, !';
WP-T and TP-T. A 7,62-mm (0,3'-
machine-gnrn was mounted co-aEl
with the main armament, and 5,2:'-
rounds of ammunition were carried :::
this; stowage was provided for l,C,-,.
rounds of 12,?-mm (0,S-in) ammunitic:-
Standard equipment included cre'r
compartment heaters, deep-fordr-;
egurpment, infantry telephone and :
fire extinguishing system.
To support the Ml03 the MSl
armoured recovery vehicle was bu-:
on the same chassis. This was fltte:
with a rear spade, winches and :
heavy-duty crane for changnng majc:
components in the field.
Specification
Crew: 5
Weight 56.7 tonnes
Dimensions: length (gun forwards,
11,32m (37tt lt/zin); length (hull.
6.98 m (22 ft 11 in); width 3.76 m (12 i
4 in); heiqht 2.88 m (9 ft 5% in)
Powerplant: one Continental AV- 1790-
58 or 7C V-12 petrol engine develop-
ing 810 hp (604 kW)
Performance: maximum road speed
34 km/h (21 mph); maximum road
range 130 icn (80 miles); giradient 6C
per cent; vertical obstacle 0.91 m
(36 in); trench 2.29 m (7 ft 6 in)
O ne of the prototypes of the
M I 03A I E I, with its tuftet traversed
to therearand thegrun Eavellockin
the open position. The M I 03, Iike the
similar British Conqueror heavy tank
of the s aune period, w as dilficult to
use operationally in West G ermany
because of its size and weight, which
also madeit dilticult to conceal.
IbnkWarfore inVietncm
, le.nam saw armour used in a variety of , w$8tF
:t..:.
:ries. buf ra rely in the classic tank- t
reisl.rs- falk action, Tanks proved well I
{ :e to clear i ungle Paths, destroY VC *+ ,t

;ir-kers orp rovide convoy escort, but - c.l.

suffeied damagefrommines and
=any
5 s ;:e tsupp lied RPG -7 anti- tank
::-ssiles.

-' -:-;
World War Ii Vretnam was occupied by
-:-=
-apanese, and on their surrender the
.:::-:i moved back in again, so beginning a
:. :: :ampaign which flna1ly resulted in the
::r .:-.-e U'attte at Dien Bien Phu, where the
::::-:h were defeated in 1954. In Indo-China
made conslderable and often suc-
-= lrench
-=.s:c..] use of armour, especially half{racks,
l"'*l Chaffee light tanks and various armoured
- :-: :ibious vehicies. Following the withdraw-
. ::-irench units from Vietnam the country was
were widely used to escort these convoys and T-54 tank of the Viet Cong with inlantrymen
:-:-: nto hvo, North Vietnam and South Viet- aboard, in front of Independence Palace in S aigon
:,:i:- were then fairly easy targets for Viet Cong in May 1975. There were many engageme4ts
l.rrth Vietnam reiied on the USSR and Chlna equipped with the Soviet-supplied RPG-7 anti- between S outh Vietnamese M48 tanks and N or th
.:: -:s sufply of AFVs, receiving substanti-a-l tank crrenade-launcher, This weapon launches Vietnamese Soviet- supplied T'54/ T - 5 5 s and
. ::::ers-of Tlpe 59 T-54 T-55 and T-34/85 a PG-i anti-tank rocket fltted with a HEAT war- Clrrnese-suppfi ed TYpe 5 9 s.
-=:-<s TVpe 62-and Type 63 light tanks; the head capable of penetratrng some 320 mm
I
: lo amphibious light tank (well suited for use (i2.6 in) ilf armour, For this reason many M48s
It is often forgotten that the Austraiian ar::--;
:.',':etnam); BTR-40, BTR-50, BTR-60, BTR-152 were flited with sandbags and spare track hnks
to their hulls and turrets in the pious hope of played a major rote in Vietnam, and one squai-
-.1 Tlpe 531 armoured personnel carriers,
-seif-propelled
.'=cG artiliery weapons such detonating the HEAT warhead away from the ronof the lst Armoured Regiment, Royal A'*'-
.. re SU-100 anO SU-8S; and the ZSU-23-4 and main armour of the tank, Additional machine- tralian Armoured Corps, was deployed ic -:-:
-'l-57-2 seif-propelled anti-aircraft gn:ns, with guns were often mounted on the turret roof to country to support Australian infantry, Ths.;-.
-:-: iatter staying mainly north of the border. irovide close protection as the cupola- was equipped wlth the British Centurion :a::<
S:uth Vretnam was initially equipped with mounted 0.5-in (12,7-mm) machine-giun was armed with the 20-pounder gn:n and suppor.e j
: .: vehtcles such as M3 half-tracks' M24 Chal found to be unwieidy when operating in a by the Centurion Mk 2 ARV (armoured recc-''-
::: light tanks and M8 and M20 Greyhound dense jungle environment. ery vehicle) and Centurion Mk 5 bridgelale:
-::noured cars, but with increasing American It was not until i969 that the Americans first From all accounts the Centurlon gave a gc:d
used their M48A3s in the tank-killing role: in account of itself, although it was never usei ::
-:-',-olvement more modern equipment was engage enemy tanks. Its superior armour pr: -
s:pplied in large numbers, including the M41 that year they successfully destroyed tryg_Pt
76 amphibious iight tanks with 90-mm HEAT tection over the Amerlcan M48 enabled li ::
-.ghi and M48 medium tanks; the Ml13 s-eries
rounds. In addition to the basic M48A3 the US withstand far better the effect of RPG-7 HEi-l
-:!C and its countless variants; the 155-mm projectiles,
],i109 l75-mm Mi0? and 203-mm M110 self- fumy used the M48 scissors brrdgeiayer in
:lopelled artillery weapons; and the 20-mm Vietnam, while the US Marrne Corps also used Towards the end of the war North Vie:-
:.:lO: anO 40-mrir M42- self-propelled antr- the M67 series flamethrower tank which is also namese armoured units were operating -:.
gnm systems, based on the M48 tank. The M67 is fltted with a South Vietnam in some numbers, and in 1972 a
=:craft flame gnrn which projects fire to a range of South Vietnamese tank regiment equppq?
Americantroops arrive between 100 and 200 yards (90 and I80 m), and with the M48A3 successfully engaged PT-i:
In July 1965 the first American armoured carries sufficient fuel for some 60 seconds of and T-54 tanks, destroying several of these
:nits iveie deployed to South Vietnamwith the operation, It was normal to flre short bursts without losing any tanks to enemy tank fire.
arrival of a US Marine Corps tank battaiion rather than one contlnuous burst. To operate
equ:pped with the 90-mm gn:nned M48A3' and with the M48 tank the M88 recovery vehicle
n'the following year the first US Army tank was also deployed to Vietnam in some num- US Army M48 tanks inVietnam. Firing canisler
battali.on arrived wlth similar vehicles' Initially bers, and this pioved invaluabie in recovering rounds in the infantry support role, the tanks
']re tanks were used to defend vital bases such disabled and damaged vehicles' proved deadly to camouflaged VC positions.
as airfields, but they were soon being used to
clear traiis through ihe jungle. When fitted with
a dozer blade at the front of the hull they
proved to be very successful in this role' A
tonstant danger tb tanks operating in South
Vietnam was the threat of mines, or unex-
ploded aircraft bombs rigged as mines While
iew tanks were in fact totally destroyed by
mines, lengthy repairs often had to be carried
out on the vehicle and considerable effort was
often required to get the damaged tank back to
the main base for repair.
Tanks were also widely used for destroying
Viet Cong bunkerswlth their 90-mm gnrns firing
hlgh explosive or canister rounds- with deadly
eflect; the heavy weiqht of the tanks also made
many of the tunnels cave in, trapping the Viet
Cond inside. The helicopter was used..on a
masiive scale in Vietnam butmany supplies of
fuel, ammunition, water and other essential
ffi
'tg,:"t
supplies had to be transported on roads that
w6re open to Viet Cong observation Tanks
F'", k.'
ilr
,
:.'gl a ' ,

I i-'j *
.",.:-
EIZ -'-
ffi Congueror heavY tank
:- - 91{ au'.rcrtzatlon vJas glven to com-
:-s:-:e 'je 445 tank prolect as the re-
:-i:enert for the A43 Black Prince,
,';:-:::self was based on the Churchrll
-:j::iil: suppofi tank, The A45 was in-
::::reci ic work $nth the A41 Centurion
:-x a:d share a number of common
3l::=c11ve components, ln i946 it was
:e::ced to clevelop a whole new
:--:s cf amoured vehicles including
':-: FI/ZOO Universal Tank family, and
:cdition to the F1/201 basic gmn tank
-:-
: :::irer of specialized vehicles were
:::ccsed includinq an AVRE, mine-
:-:l:rng vehicle of the flai1 tYPe,
b::dgelayer, ARV, assault Personnel
:=ler, and a number of sPecialized
','::rcles for the Royal Artil1ery' The
l.'2'if series was based on the A45 but
::ai a longer hull, and the first Pro-
:::,,pe was completed in 1948, It was
a.r'i lsalized that many of the prop-
:sei variants were not feasible: the
::.dcelayer, for example, would be
-:: large-for the standard LCT A decr-
s,:it was therefore taken to continue
:e','elopment of the Centurion as a
::::l< and as the basis for a comPlete
:=r::ily of specia.lized vehicles, This
!::ved to be a wtse decision, and the
lenturion family became the most
.:ccessful tank of the post-war period,
::=arning in service to ths day.
There was, however, a requlrement
::: a heaw gun tank, the tV2l4, and
-:e FV2O I was used as the basrs fbr this
'.:h,Lcle. To provide some experlence
'r,rth a tank of this size a chassis was
::ed with the complete turret rrf the
Centwion Mk 3 tank and calied the
IV22l Medium Gun Tank Caernawon.
Just under 200 FV214 Conqueror
:anks were built between 1955 and
-958, the maiority of these being de-
plcyed to the British Army of the Rhine
-.yhere they were issued to some of the
armoured regrments on the irasis of a
:oop of three vehicles or one Con-
queror per Centurion -squadron. The
ffi benturionMainBattle Tank
The Centurion was developed durlngt
World War II as a crutser tank under
rhe designation .4,41, the first pro-
iotlpes beinef completed early in 1945
ard armed with the l7-Pounder gnrn,
The A41 was subsequentlY renamed
the Centurion and entered production
shortly after the end of the war. By the
trme productron was completed in
1962, some 4,423 examples had heen
completed at four plants, namely the
Royal Ordnance Factories at Leeds
a:rd Woolwich (early vehicles only),
Leyland Motors at Leyland and Vick-
ers at Elswick, The Cenhrrion Mk I and
Mk 2 were armed with the l7-Pounder
(76,2-mm qmn), and the Centurion Mk 3
wrth the 20-pounder (83,4-mm) gn:n, A
total of 13 basic marks of Centurion
were fielded, many of these havinq no
less than three submarks. For exam-
ple, the Centurion Mk l0 was a Mk 8
with more armour and a 105-mm L7
sun, the Centurion Mk I0/2 was Mk 10
wrth ranging machine-gnrn. All though
its Brrtrsh army life the Centurlon had
the standard Rolls-Royce Meteor pet-
rol engrine which was a development
oi the Merlin aeio engdne, The Centu-
rion was replaced as a qun tank in the
Bdtish army by the Chieftaln, but the
last Centurions, usecl as observation
post vehicles by the Royal Artillery,
were not phased out of service until
246
C on queror heavY tank cle arlY
shoiing its 1 20-mm gun that tired
separaie loading ammunition, and
the commander's cuPola, which was
atso fittedwith arangefinder and a
7. 6 2 -mm Q.3 - in) anti- aircraf t MG.
only advantage of the Conqueror over
the'Centurion with the 20-pdr gnln was
the former's tmproved armorrr protec-
tion and longer range of its main arma-
ment. Its major disadvantaqes were
that rt was too large, too healry and
diffrcult to maintain. The Conquerors
were all withdrawn in the mid-1960s
with the arrival of the Cenhrrion with
the 105-mm gun, and most enCed uP on
ranges as Ltard targets, althnugh one or
two have been presewed.
in all there were over 30 Projected
rnodels on tire FV200 chassi,s, but the
EJn oniy rnodel to see servlce apart from
tire Conquercr tank was th-e FV2I9
ARVMk 1. Oneof themoreinteresiing
projects was the fv215b hear,ry-self-
propelled anti-tank gun u;hrch had the
engine moved fon'riarcl to enable a
limitecllraverse turret ia-rmed with a
IBO-mm gun) to be mounted at the
rear.
The layout of the Conqueror was
conventional, rvith the dr1-,'er at the
front on the right ar:d ammunition to his
left; turrel a::d fighting compartment in
the centre; and engine and transmis-
sion al ihe rear. The commander was
plovided vilth his own cupola in the
centre of the tufiet at the rear, with the
T he C onquer or w as Broduced to
provide long-range tire support to
the C entur ion, but w as phased ou t of
service in the 1960s.
very recently.
Many countries placed orders for
the Centurion, and early in l9B3 gnrn
Centurions were still in sewlce with
Denmark, Israel, Jordan, the Nether-
lands, Somalia, South Africa, Sweden
and Swrtzerland. Many of these coun-
tries have rebuilt the vehicle to extend
its life well rnto the 1990s. For example
Israel has replaced the petrol enefne
by a Teledyne Continental AVDS-
1790-2A diesel coupled to an Allison
CD-850-6 automatic transmission, this
giving the tank a maximum sPeed of
27 mph (43, knr/h) and a crutsing range
tvirice that of the Mk 5 hull on which the
conversion is based, The Israell
Centurions, which when rebuilt are re-
designated Upgrraded Centurion, all
have the 105-mm gn-rn and carry addi-
tional ammunition.
There have been manY sPeciallzed
versions of the Cenlurion, includinq a
vartety of self-propelled weapons m-
cludrng the zS-pounder. 5,5-in and IB0-
mm guns, and a l20-mm tank des-
troyer. Versions that remain in sertrce
inciude the Centurion Mk 2 ARV fitted
wrth large spades at the hull rear and a
winch with a capacity of 3l tonnes,
which with snatch blocks can be in-
creased to 90 tonnes, The Centurion/
AVRE (Assault Vehicle RoYal En-
grineers) is used only by the British
gnrnner forward to the right and the
loader to the left. Main armament com-
pnsed a 120-mm rifled grun wlth an
elevation of + i5' and a depression of
-7" in a turret capable of traversing
through 360'. A weapon stabilization
system was installed, this being similar
to that of the Centurion. A total of 35
rounds of APDS or HESH ammunition
was carried, this belng of the separate-
loading type. An unusuai featwe of the
Conqueror was the cartridqJe case
electron system: this ejected the spent
brass cartrrdqe case out through a trap
door on the right side of the turret, A
7,62-mm (0.3-in) machine-gun was
mounted co-axial with the matn arma-
ment, and a similar machine-gn:n was
army and is fitted with a turret-
mounted 165-mm demolition gmn for
the destruction of battlefield fortifica-
tlons and a dozer blade at the front of
the hu1l. It can also carry a fascine
(1arge bundle of wood) which can be
dropped into anti-tank ditches to en-
able following vehicles to cross, as
well as tow a trarler carrying the ROF
Giant Viper mine-clearance equip-
ment, The Centurion BARV (Beach
Armoured Recovery Vehicle) is
another specialized version unique to
the British army, and thts is used to
recover drsabled vehicles on an inva-
sion beach, as well as to push landing
craft off the beach, The BARV was suc-
cessfully r-rsed during the Brltish land-
ings at San Carlos Water in the Falk-
iands, Other versions include the
Centurion AVI,B (armowed vehicle-
launched bridge) and target tanks,
while the Israelis have fitted a number
of vehrcles with speciai dozer blades
and roller-type mine-cleartng equrp-
ment,
The reason why the Centurion has
been such a successful design js that it
has been able to accept more armour
and a larger gun (from the l?-pounder
to the 2O-pounder and finally to the
famous 105-mm LZ gnin) as the threat
and technology have changed. Al1
models have been fitted vnth a gun
mounted on the commanders :-:::
for anti-aircraft defence,
Specification
Ctew:4
Weight: 65 tonnes
Dimensions: length (qun fc:,r--'
11.58 m (38 ft O in); lenqth (hu.Il - -- :
(25ft 4in); width 3,99m (13: - -
height 3,35 m (il
ft 0 in)
Powerplant: one l2-cylinder pe::. = -
gine developing 810 bhP (604 ki,-
Performance: maximum road s!e+:
34km/h (2l.3mph); maximui: ::=-
range 155 lcn (95 miles); g'rade:-. :1.
per centi verttcal obstacle : -- -
(36 in); trench 3.35 m (11 ft 0 Ln)
stabilization system which keeps t=
gun on the targetwhenthe tank is mc';-
rng across country, and many counrie-=
today are now installingt advanced fu:-
contiol svstems which include a lase:
rangefiniler, The Cenhlion has see:
combat with the Brittsh army ln Korea
wrth the Australian army in Vietna.i::
wrth the Indian army agarnst Pakista:-
and with the armies of Israel, ESYP:
and Jordan in the Middle East T:
many people, the Centurion has bee:-
the most successfi:I tank design in the
history of armoured warfare
Specification
Crew'.4
Weight: 51,82 tonnes
Enaine: Rolls-Rovce Meteor Mk IVB
V-I2 perrol d6veloping 650 bhP
(485 kW)
Dimensions: lenerth (with gn:n forward)
9,854 m (32 ft 4 in); Iensth (hull) 7,823 rn
(25 ft B in); nndth 3.39 m (l I ft I /z in)
height (wrthout AA MG) 3 009 m (9 ft
I0%in)
Performance: maxtmum road sPeed
34.6 kmih (21,5 mPh); ranse 190 krn
(tlB miles); gradient 6070; vertical
obstacle 0,914m (3ft 0rn); trench
3,352m(llftOin)
Centurions
in Acfion
\eretheir pe few mai or weapon-systems still in front-line sewice almost 40 years
94 introduction,-yetthecenturion,
*er
:arce, the Israeli army, first saw battle in the last days oI the Thirdileich.
-:e }:r:urion tank arrived just too late to take
:- any major operation before the end of
:,-.:-
l'' ::-j War II in Europe. A few did take part in
*l :linor nfantry support operations, allow-
-i--e
ssme valuable tactical evaluation experi-
:-:€ :c be gaured, The Centurion had to wait
:;:: ive years belore going into real action.
-:e Centurton first saw combat in Korea, On
-l l'.:-;ember 1950 three squadrons of the
i-:-3:s Royal lrish Hussars landed their Centu-
:-::- I,k 3s at Pusanaspartof the United Nations
:;sfgnsg to the invasion of South Korea by
l'::-ir Korea, Once ashore the Centurioni
::-eC aslngle squadron (equippedwith Com-
=: :rixs)that was to act as the regiment's recon-
:-:-ssance unit, and this force then became the
-:::ured component of the British 29th Inde-
:e:dent Brigade, the main British contribution
:: :e Unrted Nations'effort. The main problem
.;:: ::e tankies' was that once ashore there was
,::::ious little for them to do, On odd occasions
-r:=e tank-versus-tank scraps did take place
--i some results were achieved, but in the
is not a country suitable for
=a:n Korea
-=oured warfare, The bulk of the country is
:,::r-rpied by bleak mountains and the coastal
:-=.:ts are small and built-up, so there is little
space for any large tank manoeuvres. Conse-
;:ent1y the Centurions were largely restricted
::- ,ocal support of infantry operations, Very
::en thrs meant little more than advancing as
:e infantry advanced. Even these limitedbp-
=:aiions
grew infrequent once winter and
::nch warfare set in during late 1951 and there
activewith thatmostexperienciaGip
was even less call for tanks. Centurions of the RoyalAustralian Atmourd
In such circumstances the Centurions were Corps armedwith 20-pdrguns inSouth l/jetnafit rn
often reduced to no more than mobile artillery the 1960s.In the background is a Centurjon Mk Z
pieces. Their 20-pdr gmns sometimes joined iir ARV, while overhead is a RAAF lroquois
artillery barrages, but it was really a waste of helicopter.
their potential. They did have theii successes, the Six-Day War proved a modei c: :t:.,'r
however, one of them spectacular to an ex- armoured forces should be handled v,.he:: : :-
treme when on one shoot a 20-pdr shell hit a ted against an enemy superior rn nr-rrebe:s- _-_
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 as it swept lowover the campaign against Egrypt the Israel: ::=;
a valley, right into the path of the shellsl used three main armoured task forces e;::-
But for much of the time the Centurions could ped mainly wrth Centurrons and pat.c:--s' :
do little. In December IgSl the Sth Royal Irish lvith a few much-modified Shermans ir :"-:--:
Dragoon Guards replaced the 8th KRIH and a These task forces advanced rapidly aga:::_1
year later the lst Royal Tank Regiment arrived numerically superior Egyptian forces ar::.ga
to take over from them, Not long after that the mainly with a mix of T-34 tanks and Si:-,-'_
armistice talks started and the fighting stop- self-propelled assault gmns. Fortunately rc:
pe!. The talks are still in progress to this day. Israeli tank columns many of the Egq,p:- ==
The first troops to use Centurions on a realiy armoured vehicles were dug in as hedjen:,;
large scale in true armoured conflict were thi> strongpoints, which completely negatei :e:
Israelis during the 1967 Middle East War, Bv mobility, and the Israelis were able to s,';eel
1967 the Israeli army had developed immense- past them to penetrate the Egryptian rear -:-
Iy- in sophistication and numbers from the days meant that the task forces were able to rea::i
of the 1948 War of Independence They hdd the important Giddi and Mitla Passes and se-
gnadually accumulated Centurions from anum- them off, The Centurions then prognessed
::
ber ofsources and through a diversity ofroutes, the Suez Canai. It was all over in six days
and their introduction to the Israeli army was tock only a small part in -re
- Centurions
far from smooth. The troops failed at flrst to fighting in the north against the Syiian forces
realize the amount of maintenance and care There the armoured forces wer'e opera::-;
that the fire-control and other systems deman- mainly in the Golan Heiqhts and the sr:rrour:c-
ded. Gradually they tamed the complexitles of ing uplands, There was little opportunity for :e
the beast, for by I967 the Centwion had gained
a more powerful engine and the 105-mm LTA1
Israeli tankers abandon their knocked-out
Centurion tank. These tanks are taken off the
gmn was m use. battletield as quickly as possible, so that they can
It was just as weli that this was the case, for be repaired and returned to service

Centurion of the Israeli armoured corps with I 05'
mm grun and extensive external stowage on turret'
The Centurion has been in sewice with Israel for
some20years.
:Ipe of combat that took place in the Sinal and
:nost of it was direct infantry support carried
3u: by small AMX-13s and Shermans, The
-rhole campaign against Syrian forces lasted
:nly27 hours.
On the Jordanian front Centurion activity was
jmited to company level in conjunction with
iormations of modified Shermans, but although
,isefiI numbers of Centurions were on the
stengrth of the Jordanian army, they seem to
have been iittle used in the short operation that
-ed to the Israelis'capture ofJerusalem, aprize
fiat had evaded them in the War of Independ-
ence 16 years before.
Israeli fighting skills
The stunning successes of the Six-Day War
',vere not won by the weapons alone, although
-:e Centurlons proved themselves to be excel-
ient battle tanks, They were able to pick off
'Jreir enemies at ranges of well over 2000 m
(2 185 yards), and they proved well able to
absorb both battle damage and the ravages of
lcng high-speed journeys across desert ter-
ra:n, But it was not just this alone that gave the
lsraelis their successes: it was in reality a com-
brration of higth-speed manoeuvres, close co-
cperation with other arms, and a high degree of
:arrung of all concerned, When these attri-
butes were combined with the seemingly natu-
ral talent for the type of fighting concerned
foom Israelis drawn from all the nattons of
Eruope and elsewhere, the results are more
understandable. What is not so understand-
able was that the personnel concerned were
largely reservists who had moved directly
tom their homes and places ofwork into battie.
These reservists had undergone a great deal of
lraining, but training rs no substitute for the real
thing and the reservists got that in the Sinat.
How they managed so well is still a bit of a
military mystery, but the Israelis proved they
have a flair for armoured warfare, and in the
Centurlon it seemed they had the perfect vehi-
cle to carry out their intentions.
With the Six-Day War over the Israelis set-
tled once more to training, wrth the whole of the
Srnai to train in, The Centurions were gradually
modernized with new radios, new fire-control
systems, and all the Centurions in the Israeli
'
248
army were equrpped with the L7 l05-mm gnm,
A project to replace their
engdnes with new
and more powerful diesel engrres with a re-
duced fuel consumption also began. By this
time the Centurions were betng supplemented
with larger numbers of Pattons of various marks
and even T-54s and T-55s captured from Syria
and Egrypt,
In 1973 came the conflict now generally
known as the Yom Kippur War. This time the
Israelis were caught napping as large Egryptian
forces crossed the Suez Canal and the Syrian
army swept down from the Golan heights. In
the Sinai a series of desperate counterattacks,
often using Centurtons, were thrown against
the Egryptian hordes, but the Israelis soon en-
countered the Soviet AT-3 'Saqger' wire-
gmided mrssiles that the Egryptians carriedwith
them and the Centurions suffered accordingly,
These costly counterattacks soon grew in
cohesion and striklng power as more troops
and tanks joined the battle, Once the main
Egyptian impetus had been spent the Israelis
qained the ascendancy and even managed to
cross the Suez Canal before the fighting
ceased.
Farther north the battle against the Syrians
was even more remarkable, There the Syrians
had carried out a full-scale set-piece armoured
attack against weak and unprepared Israeli
units, Thousands of Syrian T-54s and T-55s
moved forward in a great phalanx against the
Israeli posittons where only a lew tanks, includ-
ing Centurions, waited for them, It was to turn
out as another David and Goliath result: wlth no
room in which to fall back the israelis had to
stand their ground, With artillery and air strike
support they moved from point to point, con-
stantly firing at therr massed opponents who
seemed largely unable to operate lndepen-
dently once the attack was under way. Single
Centurrons were able to pick off their oppo-
nents one by one until the areas in front ofthe
israeii lines resembled tank graveyards, The
Israelis suffered heavily, not only in tanks but in
men, but they held on long enough for the
reserves to come into action and carry on the
fisht
When the shattered Syrian remnants fell
back across the Golan Heielhts the israelis fol-
lowed. It had been a desperate slog. When the
fiqhting stopped the Israelis had gained the
upper hand on both the main fronts, Large
amounts of captured material were in their
hands and they were at the gates of Cairo and
Damascus, But once again victory haci :-::
brought peace and the years follomng iSl:
were years of guerrilla operations and corr:el-
strokes. The Centurion units were often :-
volved in these counter-strokes which culnii:-
ated in the largest of them all the advance ::
Beirut that took place in June 1982.
When the Lebanese operation got uni::
way the Centurion was still an important Israe-
tank, but no longer the only one. it had bee:
supplemented by numbers oi the new israe-'-
designed Merkava, designed around mani' ::
the better points of the Centurion with oper-
ational innovations shown to be necessary c-;
the string of campaigns since 1967. The Cen-:-
rion had an innovation too in the form of srrr."
plates suspended all over the hull and lurre:
These plates were the israeli answer to i:
AT-3 'Sagger' and its many cousins. These
plates contain a speciai explosive detona:el
by the missile strike, and are intended to 'biar
out' the destructive jet of armour-piercn;
gases formed by the missile's warhead. Hc
successfui this innovation has proved to be s ";
still uncertain as few missiies have been fuec
against tanks in the Lebanon, Other innovatiors
fitted to the Centwions include anti-tank mne
rollers and ploughs, and a dozer blade, The
Israeli Centurions can also tow ferrles ani
bridcring equipment. The Centwion is stl1l a
front-line weapon in the Israeli army and is sbL-
being modified to suit local requirements.
Farther east, on the Indian sub-continent, the
Centwion has been involved in all of the India-
Pakistan conflicts on the side of the Indian
army, Accounts of these conllicts vary accord-
ing to which side is relating the story, but ii
would seem that in the tank-versus{ank battles
that did take place the Centurion proved to be
an able opponent.
AgainsttheVietCong
Even farther east, in Vietnam, the Centunon
went to war with the Australian contingent that
added its weight to the American and South
Vietnamese forces fighting the North Viet-
namese, The Australian army has only one
armoured formation, the Ist Armoured Regn-
ment, Royal Australian Armoured Corps, and
various squadrons from this regiment served in
Vietnam at different times. -They took with them
not only their Centurions but their Centwion
armoured recovery vehicles (ARVs) and their
Centurion bridgelayers. In Vietnam there was
little enough in the line of armoured warfare to
perform and their activities were largely con-
fined to local support and escort operations,
with their main gnrns being flred only infre-
quently.
The Centurion is still an intermittent active
service in South West Africa, The South African
Defence Forces have a number of Centuriors
which they have updated to take locally-
produced 105-mm gruns and new en9lines and
transmissions. These modified vehicles are
known as Olifants (Elephants) and on occasion
provide support for the deep-penetration op-
erations against SWAPO gnrerrillas in Angola,
So the Centurion has seen its shares ofaction,
especially in the Middle East. It has always
proved itseif to bg a sound and sturdy vehicle
capable of taking all manner of punishment, not
only from the enemy but from long hard use
over difficult terrain. internally it is roomy and
weil-equipped as tanks go, and there is still the
potential for the Centurion to endure maly
luture campaigns, The Centurion will be
around for a long while to come.
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-
: : enturion AVRE (Assault Vehicle Royal
: Ahove: Centurion MkS a.rmoii:.!jrt bi i(rciria t/Fi: iti Ii,:Jarr.y:1sr:neff flenturionwith 105-mm gur. ii i:-.- -
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;. ee the British army in tt avdling ar:l';,' . ii'.! ,. i.ir t'fu$sun:ir*e.. pf ]SS2.Iilatetheextra 12.7-r,:: .' : '
::::: blade and a 165-mm demalitiongun. requireci, k e bndge is swv;',,,. r {;c,: f * ;,: I 05..rnm g u:'r, anC the r e d a ir recoEl i :. :.-
l8A riegrees a.nd laid in posiri+:t .i.fulr {.tir l:Jl": iil!'r*i r"€dr"
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Armoured Vehicles of the lg50s and 1960s

An upgrraded Centurion serving with the I sraeli

army in Lepanon, 1982. The twowhite rings on the
grunindicatethatthis is a tankof thesecond
company of the third battalion (indicated by the V'
on the side)of atankbrigade.The fankisalso
armed with two 7.62-mm (0.3-in) machine-gruns
and a 1 2 .7-mm heavy machine-gwn, to provide the
maximum of tire in the close-range, anti-personnel
role which predominates in city fighting.

/d*d€dd/.
z,c l
ffi ti"t"rrMainBattle Tank
Vlckers' Elswick facility built many of
the 4,423 Centurion MBTs bullt by
1961, but the company realized that for
many countries Centurion's successor,
the Chreftain, would be too hearry and
too expensive. At about the same time
the Indian army issued a regutrement
for a new MBT, and in 196l the Vickers
proposal was accepted, This was
based on the company s private-
venture design which had become
known as the Vickers Main Battle Tank
(VMBT). This used the proven 105-mm
L7 series gnrn as well as some of the
components of the Chieftain MBT,
wluch was then about to enter produc-
tion at both Royal Ordnance Factory
Leeds and Vickers Elswick facility, in-
cluding the 12.7-mm (0,5-in) ranging
machine-9pn, Leyland L60 engine,
TNl2 transmission, atxiliary engine,
brakes and steering. The first two pro-
totypes were completed in 1963 and
by the following year a production ltne
had been establtshed in India, the first
tank being completed in 1965 from
components supplied by Vickers, But
as time went on India produced more
and more of the tank and by 1982 some
1,200 had been built, with production cally-operated smoke dischargers is Recovery Vehicle (VARV) rs provided Vickers Mk I MBT with tunet
continuing. In 1968 Kuwait ordered 70 mounted on each side of the turret, The wrth a front mounted dozerlstabilizing traversed to the right firing its 105
Vickers Mk I MBTs which were deli- Nigerian vehicles are fitted with the blade and a winch wrth a maximum mmLT rifled tankgun during a
vered betvveen 1970 and 1972. Marconi Radar SFCS-600 (Simplifted capacity of 25 tonnes which can be demonstration at the Royal
Vickers continued development of Fire Control System) which gives a increased to 65 tonnes if required. Armoured Corps gunnery range at
the tank with tts own funds, the first high probabrlrty of a flrst-round hit, Some vehicles have a hydraulic crane Lulwor th. The M k I is in sewice with
stage berng the replacement ofthe L60 This system is now betng fitted to some to enable them to change powerpacks Kuwait and India andr also
engnne by a Detroit Diesel, followed of the Indian lvlk I MBTs, The comman- (engine and transmission) in the field, manufactured in the latter counlry
by a new all-cast twret re'rth a welded der has a Pilkincrton PE Condor day/ under the name of the Vii ayanta; over
bustle which could be fitted with diffe- night sight which enables him to lay I 200 have been built there.
rent types of fire-controi system, In and flre the main armament, As usual a
1977 Kenya ordered 38 Vickers Mk lll whole range of optlonal equipment Llterature stowage
7.62-mm (0.3-in) magazine
17 105-mm ammunition
2siound bin
MBTs pins three ARVs; these were de- can be fitted to the Vickers Mark IIl stowage 18 Anti{as equipment bln
hvered by 1980, and a second order MBT, includinqr various radio installa- 13 Hand-grenadestowage T9 Drivefsseat
was placed in 1978 for a further 38 tions, passive night-vision equlpment, 14 Slewing ring 20 Sprayunitwaterbottle
15 7.62-mm(0.3-in)and 21 Fireextinguisher
MBTs plus four ARVs, a1l these betng fire extingruishinq system, a 0,S-in 12.7-mm {0.5-in) 22 Slghtstowage
delivered by late 1982. (i2,7-mm) M2 HB machine-gun to re- ammunitlon feed tray 23 Storagebin
In1981 Niqeria ordered 36 MBTs place the standard 7,62-mm (0,3-1n) co- 16 105-mm ammunitlon 24 '12.7-rm (0.5-in) ranging
6-round bin machine-gun
plr:s srx ARVs and five AVLBs. These axral machine-gun, deep fording kit, 25 7.62-mm (0.3-in) machine-
are being built at Vickers Defence full air filtration and pressurization, gun
Systems' new Armstronq Works, heater and so on.
whuch were opened late in 1982. The The Vickers Armoured Brtdqre-
famous old Elswick works, which pro- laying Vehicle (VABV) is fltted with a
duced armoured fighting vehlcles and bridse 44ft (13.41 m) long, which is
artillery pleces for some 100 years, has launched hydraulically over the front
now been closed down and de- of the vehrcle, The Vickers Armowed
molished,
The Mk III is also armed with the 3 Gunners periscope sight
105-mm L7 mounted in a turret which 4 Gunner'sseat
5 Loader'speriscope
can be traversed through 360" and pro- 6 Commander'sseat
vrdes the gun with elevation of +20" 7 Commander's cupola
and depresslon - 10", A 7,62-mm (0.3- 8 First'aid box
9 Map board
rn) machine-gmn rs mounted co-axially 10 Accesstoengineand
wrth the main armament, and a similar transmission
weapon is mounted on the comman-
der's cupola, The latter can be aimed
and flred from within the twret and be
elevated to +90'. A bank of six electri-

Vickers Mk I Main Battle

Tank cutaway drawing key
1 OF 105-mm high-velocily
gun
2 Smokedischaraers
Vickers Mk III Main Battle Tank (continued)
The hull of the Vickers Mk IIl MBT can
also be fltted with the Vickers Ship-
butlding and Engineering Limited tur-
ret armed wrth a i55-mm howitzer
whlch can fire an HE round to a maxi-
mum range of 26,250 yards (24000 m),
3r to 32,800 yards (30000m) with a
:ocket-assisted projectile (RAP).
Specification
Crew:4
Weight: 38,7 tonnes
Enqdne: I2-cylinder diesel developing
-20 hp (537 kW)
Dimensions: length (with qun forward)
9,ft I3/q in (9,788 m); lenqrth (huli) 24 ft
37s in (7,56I m); width I0fl 43/qin
Armoured Vehicles of the 1950s and lg60s
(3, 168 m); heisht (overall) i0 ft 2 in
(3 099 m)
Performance: maximum road speed
3lmph (50km/h); range 375 miles
(600 lan); grradient 60%; vertical obsta-
cle 3ft 0in (0.914m)t trench Bft Oin
(2,438 m)
Vickers M k I I I MBT of the Kenyan
army, who took de livery of 7 6
vehicles plus seven armoured
recovery vehicles between I 979 and
I 982, I t is now in production for
Nigeria, who have also ordered the
ARV plus the bridgelayer tank.The
Mk I is powered by the Detroit Diesel
engine.

ffi ftornet Malkaratank destroyer

lhe Hornet Malkara weapon system Hornet Malkara tank destroyer in the
developed in the 1950s to give the
ri-as travelling configuration, with the
Pcyai Armoured Corps a long-range Iauncher and its two missiles in
capability. At one time it was retracted position at hull rear. This
=it-tank
:: have replaced the Conqueror heavy w as used by the P arachu te S qu adron,
but in end only
the it was issued to Royal Armoured Corps to
=nk
:ie Parachute Squadron, Royal give airborne troops a
irmowed Corps, which used it until it long range anti-tank
n:s replaced in the 1970s by the Fer- capability;itwas
:et Mk 5, which has four British Aeros- replacedby theFerret
;ace Dynamics Swingrfire wire-gnrided Mk 5 with the Swingfire
iTGWs, The Parachute Squadron, missile system. For
ii.C, consisted of a Squadron HQ; economicreasons the
--:ree guided-weapon troops each ParachuteSquadron,
-rrth a Ferret scout car, irur Hornet RoyalArmouredCorps
h{alkara launcher vehicles, a resupply hasnowbeen
;ebicle and a REME resupply vehicle; disbanded.
: reconnaissance troop with six Fer-
:ets; a missile resupply troop; an ad- tem and would deliver a knock-out nutes after landing. Although it was vndIh2.22m (7 ft3y2 in); heisht 2,34 m
troop; and an REME blow to any tank in service at that time, never used il angrer, many of the fea- (7ft8in)
=rnistration
=ttachment. rnciuding the Soviet IS and T-10 sefies tures of the mrssile system, such as the Powerplant: one Rolls-Royce B60 Mk
The Hornet Malkara essentially con- of heavy tank, The missile was about joystick control and very useful sepa- 5A O-cyllnder petrol engine develop-
ssted of a modified Humber ltonne 1,98 m (6 ft 6 in) long, 20.32 cm (8 in) in rated sight capability, were later used inq 120 bhp (89 kW)
'4x4) armoured truck chassis with a diameter and 0,79 m (Zfl 7V+in) in in the British Aerospace Swingfire Performance: maximum road speed
lauacher arm mounted at the rear of span. There were four forward wings ATGW system, which is today the stan- 64 km/h (40 mph); maximum road
::e hull for two Malkara wire-guided (two for yaw and two for pitch, the for- dard long-rangre ATGW of the British range 402 km (250 miles); gradient 60
:xti-tank missiles. For travelling the mer each being fitted with a flare for army; at present this is manned by the per cent; trench not applicable
iatter were lowered to the rear of the trackiag) and fow stabilizing flns, The Royal Artillery, although it could soon
:-,rll but when the vehicle was de- two-stage solid-fuel booster/sustainer be transferred to the Royal Armoured
;loyed for action these were rarsed rocket motor was mounted at the rear Corps, Hornet Malkara tank destroyer with
acove the roof of the vehicle to fire with the bobbin and associated wre in missiles in ready-toJaunch position,
:l'er the cab. the centre of the missile. Specification and showing the opticalsightin the
fhe missile itself was developed in The Hornet Malkara was designed Crew: 3 'roof of the vehicle. The missile
could
-\rstralia by the Government Aucraft specificially for paradropping, and Weight: 5,8 tonnes ako be launched away from the
iactories, the Aeronautical Research couid be ready for action about l0 mi Dimensions: lengrth 5,05 m (16 ft 7 in); vehicle-
-nboratories and the Weapons Re-
search Establishment of the Australian
}{unstry of Suppiy, with the Royal Air-
:aft Estabhshment in England assist-
-:9, The co-ordinating desigm author-
:T in England was the British Aircraft
3:rporation, later British Aerospace.
The operator was seated in the cab
:fthe vehicle on the left, and he con-
:olled the missile by a joystick which
:amrnitted electrical sigmals along a
rire unreeled from the missile sight,
3e operator obsewed the missile via
:. roof-mounted periscope sight wrth a
nagmification of x 10, and to assist him
: keeping track of the mjssile the lat-
:er was fitted with flares. In addition
:e missile, which took 28 seconds to
:each its maximum range of 4000 m
"1.375
yards), could be launched up to
S m (90 yards) away from the vehicle
-,';'rth the aid of a separation sight and
:ontroller. In addition to the hvo mis-
sles in the ready-to{aunch position, a
:rrther tvyo missiles were carried; it
:rok about hvo minutes to reload.
At Iaunch the missile weighed just
:ver 9l kg (200 lb), of which 27kg
i50 lb) comprised the HEAT warhead,
irhich even today remains the largest
ryarhead ever fitted to an ATGW sys-

oEc
 USSR

ASU-57 airborne
self-propelled anti-tank grun
The ASU-57 (ASU being the Soviet de-
signation for airborne assault gnm and
57 for the calibre of the grun) was de-
veloped in the 1950s specrfrcally for
use by the Souet airborne divisions
and was seen in public for the first time
during a parade held in Red Square,
Moscow, during 1957, The gmn is a de-
velopment of the World WN II ZIS-2
M1943 anti-tank gun while its engine is
from the Pobeda civilian car, and the
vehicle may well be related to the
OSU-76 self-propelled gnrn which was
only developed to the prototype staEle,
The hull of the ASU-57 is of welded
aluminium construction with a uniform
thrckness of only 6 mm (0.24 in), which
makes it very vulnerable, The engine
rs at the front on the riqht with the cool-
ing system on the left and transmission
at the very front. The opentopPed
crew compartment is at the rear with
the driver and loader on the right, and
the commander, who also acts as the
gunner, on the left, Forward ofthe driv-
er and commander is an armoured flaP
which contains two vision blocks;
when the vehicle is not tn the combat
area this flap can be folded forwards to
qive improved vision, The toP of the
ASU-57 can be covered by a tarpaulin
cover, and an unditching beam is often
carried at the rear, this latter being a
common feature on Soviet armoured
vehicles, The torsion-bar suspension
consists of four single rubber-tyred
road wheels with the ddve sprocket at
the front and fourth road wheel acting
as the idler, and hvo track-return rol-
lers. The ASU-57 can ford to a depth of
0,7 m (28 in) but has no NBC sYstem,
The vehicle is arrned wtth a Ch-51 or
Ch-51M rifled gnrn offset slightly from
the vehicle's centreline, The Ch-SI
was the first model lo enter service
ASU-57 airborne self-propelled anti'
tank gan, armed with a 57 -mm CH'
5 1 M gun with a double baffle mu z zle
brake. For many years this was the
main sdlf-propelled anti-tank gan of
the Soviet airborne dt'vrsionsbuf ias
now been replaced by the ASll-85,
which has a bigger gvn and much
improved armour protection.
Each Soviet airborne division has ASU-S7s could be carrted internally on
and has a long barrei with a multt- three rifle regiments, and each of individual pallets, Such pallets were
slotted muzzle brake, This was fol- these had one battalion each with provided rvrth parachutes and a retro-
lowed by the Ch-51M, which has a three sx-gn-rn batteries with ASU-S7s, rocket system to soften the impact on
shorter barrel with a double-baffle giving the division a total of 54 such landrng,
muzzle brake. Both weaPons have a weapons, In the USSR the ASU-57 is
vertical slidinq breech-block and now used only for training ais it has Specification
hydro-sprrng recoil system, and fire been replaced in front line use by the ASU-57 (with CH-5]M grun)
the following types of fixed ammuni- .ASU-85, which not only has a more Crew: 3
tion: HE fraqrmentation (muzzle velcc- powerful En:n but also much rmproved Weight: 3,35 tonnes
ity 695m/2,280f1 per second), AP-T armour protection, It is interesting to Dimensions: lenqth (including gnrn)
(muzzle velocity 9B0m/3,215ft per note that the ASU-57 was developed at 4.995m (16ft 42/s in); lenqth (hu11)
second and capable of Penetrating rougrhly the same time asthe American 3.48 m (11 ft 5 rn); width 2,086 m (6 ft
85 mm/3.35 in of armour at 0'at a ranele M56 self-propelled anti-tank gmn wlth i0 in): heisht L 18 m (3 ft I07z in)
of i000 m/1,095 yards), and HVAP its 90-mm gmn. Powerplant: one M-20E 4-cylinder pet-
(capable of penetrating 100 mm/ When originally introduced, the roi engine developing 55 hp (4I kW)
3,94 in of armour at 0" at a similar ASU-57 was packed in a special con- Performance: maximum road speed
range), A total of30 rounds ofammuni- tainer and tvuo of these were carried 45 km/h (28 mph); maximum road
tion rs carried, and it is estimated that a under a T\rpolev T\r-4 heavy bomber, range 250 lcn (155 miles); gradient 60
well trained crew can fue a maximum one under each wing, On the Antonov per cent; vertical obstacle 0,5m
of l0 rounds a mtnute, The gnrn has An-12 rntroduced in the late 1950s, nryo (20 in); trench 1,4 m (4 ft 7 in)
manual elevatton and traverse, the for-
mer being from -5'to +12', and the
latter B'Ieft and 8'right, The vehrcle is
often used to carry four ParatrooPs,
and a 7.62-mm (0,3-in) machine-gmn is
carried, This can be dismounted for
use in the gnound role,
A,SU-57 advances across the snow
while hthe background an 85-mm
auxiliary propelled anti-tank gan is
positioned. Note the unditching
beam carried on the left side of the
hullof theA,SU-57, and the driver's
head in an exposedposifion.

ffi ['jroheavytank
During World War II the USSR de-
veloped a series ofheavy tanks includ-
rng the 1S-3 and IS-4 (alternatively JS-3
and JS-4) which were armed with a
potent l22-mm gnrn firinq separate-
loading ammunition and were Pro-
vided with excellent armoured protec-
tion. Post-war thts basic type saw ser-
vice in the Middle East with Egrypt, and
some captured by Israel in the 1967
war were then rised for static defence
on the Suez Canai aqainst their former
owners,
In the immedlate post-war Period
the USSR continued the development
ofheavy tanks as did the United States
(the M103) and the United Kingdom
(the Conqueror), and amongr fudher
prototypes burlt were the IS-5, 15-6,
IS-7, IS-8 and IS-9. The last was
accepted for sewice as the T-10, an
improved later model being cailed the
T-10M. It is believed that at least 2,500
production tanks were built before
production was completed in the late
1950s. The T-10 was never exported,
ald none remains in front{ine servtce
today. But as the USSR never scrapsits
tarks, the T-10s are held in resewe for
possible rue in any future conflict. The
marn role of the T-10 was to provide
long-range fire support for the T-54/
T-55 tanks armed with 100-mm gmns'
and also perhaps to act as the spear-
head of an armoured thrust through
T- 1 0 heavy tank showing I 2.7-mm
DShKM anti-aircraft machine-gun on
the commander's cupola. This tank
has now been phased out offront-
line service, although it is retained in
reserve and would doubtless be
issuedrh time of war, as would older
fanks sucfi as lfi e R- 34/ I 5.
areas with a high degree of anti-tank
defences, where the T-10's heavY
armour protection would have proved
most useful,
The hull of the T-I0 is of rolled steel
armour: the front is 230mm (9.06in)
thick, the sides and upper front are
I20mm(4.72 in) thick, andthe remain-
der of the hull varies ftom 20 mm to
B0 mm (0.79 to 3.15 in) thick. The turet
is all cast: the turret mantlet ts 250 mm
(9.B4in) thick, the sides are l00mm
(3,94in) thick and the rear is 25mm
(1 in) thick, The driver is seated at the
tont of the hull and the other three
crew members in the tr:rret, with the
commander and gn:nner on the left and
the loader on the right, The enQrine and
transmission are at the rear ofthe hu]1.
Mainarmament consistsof a 122-mm
erun that rs provided with a double-
baffle muzzle brake and a bore
evacuator to remove fumes from the
barrel, It fires separate-loading
ammunition (projectile and charge) of
the following types: APC-T which will
penetrate 185 mm (7.28 ia) of armour at
1000 m (1,095 yards), HEAT which will
penetrate460 mm(I8, I in)of armourat
a similar range, and HE fragrmentation
which is used against troops in the
open and other soft battlefield targets,
SeparateJoading ammunition had to
be used as otherwise the compiete
round would have been too heavY and
difficult for handling in the cramped
confines of the turret. A total of 30
rounds (30 projectiles and the same
number of charqes) is carried, A 12.7-
mm (0.5-in) DShKM machine-gnrn is
mounted co-axial with the main arma-
ment, and a similar weapon is mounted
on the ioader's cupola for antr-aircraft
defence.
The T-10 was succeeded by the T-
10M, which has the following recogniz-
able alteratlons: the 12,7-mm (0,5-in)
DShKM machine-gnrns have been re-
placed by the more powerful 14.S-mm
(0,57-in) KPV series, which is used in a
number of other Soviet AFVs including
the BRDM-2 (4x4) reconnaissance
vehicle and the BTR-60P8 (8xB) APC;
the 122-mm gnrn has a multi-bafile muz-
zle brake in place ofthe double-baffle
muzzle brake; the main armament is
stabilized in both horizontal and vertic-
al planes; infra-red nighlvision equtp-
ment has been installed, as has an
overpres$ue NBC sYstem; and finallY

254
T- I 0 heavy tank (continued)

a large sheet-metal stowage box is ins 700 hp (522kW)

offen mounted externally at the twret
rear, There are no known variants of
*te T-10 healry tank, although several
',ranants of the earlier IS-3 remain in
service to this day.
Specification
Crew: 4
Weight: 50 tonnes
Dirnensions: length (including gun)
3.875m (321t 43/+in); length (hull)
1 04 m (23 ft I in); width 3.566 m (11 ft
3'lz in); heisht 2.25 m (7 fi 4Ve in)
Powerplant: one V-12 diesel develop-
Performance: maximum road speed
42km/h (26 mph); maximum road
range 250 lcn (155 miles); gradient 62
per cent; vertical obstacle 0,9m
(3572 in); trench 3,0 m (9 ft I0 in)
T- 1 0M heavy tank, which had its I 2.7-
mm m achine-guns replaced hy I 4.5 -
mm KPVs, and has a multi-baffle
muzzle brake for the I 22-mm grun,
infra-red night vision equipment for
the commander, grunner and drtver,
and an overpressure system.

E ['js+MainBattteTank
ln 1946 the USSR designed a new
::rediwil tank called the T-44, and this
;';as produced in small numbers be-
neen 1945 and 1949 although it was
:ct cqnsidered to be a satisfactory de-
=gn,
lri 1946 prototypes of a new de-
srgm, the T-54, were completed and
-l1s type entered productlon several
-iears later. The T-54 and its variants
:;',-ere
buitt in larger numbers than any
:iher Russian tank to appear after
World War II, and by the time produc-
:cn of the improved T-55 was com-
:ieted in l9BO- I it ls estrmated that well
:ver 50,000 vehicies had been burit,
Ihe series was also built rn Czechoslo-
;al.ca and Poland for both the home
3jrd export markets, while the Chinese
produced an alrnost identical version
iesigmated Tlpe 59, Further develop-
:nent of the T-54 and T-55 resulted in
-:e T-62.
The T-54 has an all-welded hull di-
'.lded into three compartments (driv-
.rs at the front, fighting in the centre,
:nd engine and transmission at rear).
The driver is seated at the front of the
:ull on the Ieft and steers the tank with
:onventional sticks, An unusual feature
:f the T-54 is that it has a 7,62-mm (0.3-
r) machine-gmn fixed rn the centre of
Jle glacis plate to ire forwards, this
being fired when the driver presses a
button on his right steering lever, The
:ommander and gn:nner are seated on
--he left of the turret, with the loader on
te right, The turret is a casting with
-jre top welded into position, One of the
major weaknesses of the T-54 serles
ras been its engnne and transmission,
;vlnch have proved very unreliable in
sen'1ce.
The main armament consists of a
100-mm gnrn, whrch was developed
trom a naval weapon of the same
ca]ibre and also used rn a modfied
iorm in the SU-100 tank destroyer de-
veloped ln World War IL A well-
The T-54 tankwas developed in the
late 1 940s and has probably been
produced in greater numbers than
any other Soviet tankin the post-war
period. It has also been produced in
C hina, Poland and C zechoslovakia
and has seen combat in countless
canpaigns since Wor ld War I I,
especially in the Middle East, where
it has been used by the Arab states
againstlsrael.
trained crew can fire about four rounds
per minute, and the types of ammunt-
tion that can be fired includes AP-T,
APC-T, HE, HE-FRAG, HEAT-FS and
HVAPDS-T. The last was introduced
some time after the T-54 entered pro-
duction and will penetrate well over
200 mm (7,9 in) of armour at a range of
1000m (1,095 yards). A total of 34
rounds of 100-mm ammunition ts car-
ried, a poor quantity when compared
with contemporary Western tanks,
One of the major drawbacks of the T-
54 family is that the main armament can
only be depressed to -4', which
makes firingr from a hill or reverse
slope almost impossible, A 7.62-mm
(0,3 in) SGMT is mounted co-axtally
with the 100-mm qun, and a similar
weapon is mounted in the bow. A 12.7-
mm (0.S-in) DShKM anti-aircraft
machine-gnrn is mounted on the load-
er's hatch. The tank does not have
smoke dischargers as 1t can lay its own
smoke screen by injecting diesel fuel
into the exhaust pipe on the left side of
Soviet T-54 series tanks lined up in a
street in Pragrue during the unrest in
C zechoslov akia in I 9 6 8, The white
stripes have been a common
marking on Soviet vehicleswhen
inv ading other countries.
the hull just above the track,
The basic T-54 was improved as the
years went by, The T-544 included
stabilzation of the 100-mm gun in the
vertical plane, The T-548 was the irst
production model to incorporate infra-
red night-visron equipment, subse-
quently retrofitted to earlier vehicles,
and its armament was stabilized in
both the horizontal and vertical olanes,
The T-54C was not fitted with'an AA
MG, although such a weapon was refit-
ted at a later date, The T-55 succeeded
the T-54 in production in the late 1950s
and has nurnerous tmprovements in-
cludrng more ammunition stowage,
new 7,62-mm (0.3-in) machine-grr-rns,
and improved NBC protection, There
have been countless versions of the
T-54 family, including a flamethrower
tank, armowed recovery vehrcles (in-
cluding Russian, Polish and Czech ver-
stons), bridgelayers (built by East Ger-
many, Czechoslovakia and the USSR),
dozer tanks, a combat engrineer vehi-
cle fitted wrth an hydrau[c crane and
Soviet T-54 with tuftet traversed to
the rear, and the loader manning the
1 2.7 -mm DS hKM anti- aircraft
machine-gan. The tank can also lay
its own smokescreen by injecting
diesel fuel into the exhaust outlet.
front-mounted dozer blade, and mine-
clearinq vehicles fitted with roliers,
ploughs and rocket-assisted devices,
to name but a few, In recent years the
T-54/T-55 series has been fitted with
rmproved fire-control systems, tnclud-
ing an externally mounted laser
rangrefinder,
The T-5#T-55 series has seen ex-
tensive combat in the Middle East,
North Africa, Angola and the Far East.
On a one-for-one basis Western tanks
of the same period, such as the British
Centurion and American M48, have
proved more than a match for the T-54/
T-55, especially dwing the.fightlng be-
tween Israel and Egrypt and Syria.
Specification
Crew: 4
Weight: 36 tonnes
Engrine: V-12 diesel developing 520 hp
(3BB kW)
Dimensions: lenetth (with gun forward)
9 m (29 ft 67s in); lenqth (hull) 6.45 m
(21 ft 2 in); wrdth 3.27 m (I0 ft B3l+ in);
helght (turret rooD 2.4 m (7 ft 10'lz in)
Performance: maximum,,toad speed
48 km/h (30 mph); maxrmum range
400 lan (249 miles); fordincr 1,4 m (4 ft
7in); Crradient 60%; vertical obstacle
0.8 m (2 tI TYzrn), trench 2,7 m (B ft
I)r/c:-r:l)
Arnroured Worfare in the
ffiiddleEcrsf 1948-67
Together with the aeroplane, the tank has become the dominant symbol otwarfare
in the Middle East. Israel, often faced with seemingly overwhelming opposition, has
had to evolve an armoured force equal to any threat. As a result of this military
prowess, Israel has become the dominant force in the area. However, during the
earlyyears of the state of Israel things werevery different.
The War of Independence, which Israel had to good in parades this new Arab strength was Israeli MS I Sherman, with a modified turret armed
iqht from the very moment that the state of somewhat superficial. The Arabs lacked the with a French 105-mm grun and 7.62-mm co-axial
and I 2.7 -mm anti- aircraft machine-guns. The
israel was prociaimed, was fought mainiy with- technical background to maintain and use their
searchlight is mounted above the mantletfor
:ut the benefit of armour. Some tanks and other new weapons and, as time was to show, this target illumination at night.
armour were indeed involved, but this lnvolve- factor was one which enabled the Israelis to
nent was very limited. The Syrians were maintain thelr edge over the Arabs.
equipped with small numbers of old French The Israelis had few friends at that time. expertise of the Israelis, the Arab armies relied
,anki such as the Renault R-35, but these dated During the early 1950s they had to obtain tanks on tactical doctrines that emphasized the static
irom before 1940 and were little suited to the and other vehicles from whatever sources they and defensive, whrch was to prove to be exact-
nobile warfare that was prevaient in 1948 and could find, That often meant scrapyards, and ly what the Israelis wanted,
1949 The newly-formed Israeli army did gnaduaily the Israelis assembled a small nuc- That proof came during what is now known
cbtain a small number of Comet tanks thatwere Ieus of M4 Sherman tanks of various marks, as the Suez Campaign of 1956. Operating in
stolen or purchased from defecting British sol- some armed with old types of gmn, But it was a concert with the French and British fbrces, the
iers, but the mobile warfare that tookplace all start. The new state attracted immigrants many Israelis moved forward into the Sinai Desert
-round the borders of the new state was pri- ofwhom had technical experience and some of and the Gaza Strip. Using a combinatton of
:rarily the task of Jeep-carried infantry armed whom even had experience of armoured war- paratroop actions, air strrkes and constant
'.'rith little more than small arms, These Jeep fare. Using the small nucleus that soon grew to movement the Israelis soon isolated the Egyp-
'rnrts acted as independent mobile columns, about 50 M4s, the Israelis were able to form tian forces in the Gaza Strip and moved forward
cacked up in some cases by hastily-converted new tank unlts backed by numbers of old rapidly lnto Sinai proper, To a large extent the
armoured cars produced by adding steel plate American half-tracks that gradually replaced Egyptian armoured units were rendered impo-
:c truck and bus chassis, the leeps as personnel carriers. tent by an imposed doctrine of 'hedgehog' de-
The mobrle columns produced results totally fensive positions into which the T-34/85s were
cut of proportion to their numbers. Using deep-
Doctrinaire disadvant age laagered. Inside these positions they were
penetratron tactics, these mobile columns pro- The equipment brealcthrough came for the largely dug-in to act as armoured pillboxes.
gressively struck deep into the rear areas of Israelis in 1954 when the French delivered to This was not purely imposed doctrine as the
:ner.r Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian foes and Israel I00 new AMX-13 light tanks armed with Egyptian tank crews were at that time suited
',';rought havoc, high-velocity 75-mm (2 95-in) guns. Some of the for little else. They suffered under an autocratic
By the end of 1949 the Israeli state was estab- new guns were tmmedrately switched to M4 command structure that had little flexibility and
.:shed and its foes routed, at least for the mo- Sherman turrets and so by the start of the 1956 allowed few movements to be made without
nent, Israel had to arm itself flrr the renewed campaign the Israeii army had three armoured deliberation and delay. Few of the Egyptian
rostllitres that all thinkrng lsraelis knew would brigades formed from AMX- 13s, various forms
come, Syria and Egypt gradually fell under the of M4 and some 200 half-tracks, Their oppo- Israel obtained its M48 tanks from West Gemany
-:rJluence ol the Soviet Unron and began to nents had the formrdable Soviet T-34/85, but not and the United States. Most of these now have the
:ecerve numbers of modern Soviet tanks, What all the Arab armour v',as modernt the Syrians 105-mm grun in place of the 90-mm gan and a diesel
:.rey did not receive was the education that still had numbers of old World War II German engine. They are equivalent to the American
.,',,ent
with such weapons, so while it looked PzKpfw IVs, Lacking as they drd the technical M4845.

256
 Armoured Vehicles of the 19S0s and ig60s
:ank crews had the expertise to operate their
charges without supervision or even to main-
:ain their vehicles. Consequently the initiative
soon passed to the Israeiis, who swept past the
iefended positions, captured the essential
passes through the western Sinai and rapidly
:oved south to capture the port of Sharm-el-
Sheik on the Red Sea. To the north Israeli tanks
',',-ere on the banks of the Suez Canal but then
re French and British forces were forced by
:ternational reaction to halt their campaign.
lle Israeiis were also involved in the resultant
:ease-fire but by then their campaign was
:'rer, The battered and confused Egyptian
:edgehogs were forced into submission by
:eing starved of stores and food, and their
precious T-34/85s fell into Israeli hands,
The Syrians and the Jordanians made few
:cntrrbutions
-.raelis to the Suez campaign, but the
captured several PzKpfw IVs that had Soviet-suppliedT-54 ablaze. Fire is still the fittedwith afiresuppressrbn systemfor crew and
:een dug in as plllboxes. greatest tear of a tank crew; new tanks are now engine compartments.
Under the terms of the rmposed cease-fire
:e Israelis had to retreat from all their hard-
,','on gains, but what they had gaine_d froln
lhe
:ampaign was a new confidence in their ability
:: conduct armoured warfare. The Suez cam-
:a:gn in the Sinai had not been all headlqng
:ivances: here and there the Egyptians had
-::empted to put up some form of armoured
-3ht, but the israelis had then demonstrated a
::ctrcai skiil that enabled them to out-gn:n and
: l-manoueuvre their opponents. They re-
'. :aled
a nationai talent for armoured warfare at
.': levels from tank grunnery to brigade tactics
::,at was to place them in the forefront of
::moued thought for the future.
longtermbalance
The Suez campaign also brought the Israeli
::ate into the Amerlcan sphere of influence.
-:::er 1956 the United States began to provide
-sraei wrth new weapons that ranged from yet
:cre half-tracks to modern M48 Patton tanks.
I,lore tanks came from the United Kingdom, in
:e form of a large purchase of Centurion tanks Above:M51 Shermanwas based on theM4AI
',',-hich remaln the backbone of the Israeli Below: A graveyard of capturedT-54 tanks
chassis with HVSS suspensrbn. /n addition to the somewhere in Egypl.,Some of liese were rebuilt
r:moured brigades up to the present day. Air- new MS I gun it has numerous other modifications by the Israelis, with a new power pack and
:laft and artillery also started to flow to Israel, including a Cummrns dr'esel m odified suspension standard 105-mm M68 gan, as fitted to their M48,
: rt as their strength increased so did that of the and a new French SAMM grun contro! system. MGA, Centurion and Merkava tanks.
-::abs. The Soviet Union balanced the Israeli
:crease in strength and even exceeded it.
S,iria and Egypt received floods of arms of all
-cnds and this time Sovtet advrsers came with
re weapons to show the Arabs how to use
:rem, Vast trainrng schemes at all levels
:rowed the Arab armies not only how to main-
:arn armoured forces but also how to use them
-n masse. Within a few years the Eg.yptians
=nd Syrians were once again carrying out
:crder raids and sheliing Israeli territory. At
:rmes these raids grew into miniature
armoured conflicts with the Israells usually get-
:ing the upper hand and learmng all the time
row to use thelr forces to the best advantage.
The raids gradualiy increased rn strength
and regularity as the Palestine Liberation
Crganization (PI:O) guerrillas became in-
:reasingly involved. Things got to such a pitch
,hat in the end the Israelis came to consider
pre-emptive action. It came in June 1967,
The 1967 campaign became known as the
Srx-Day War. It started with a rapid series of
pre-emptive air strikes by the Israeli air force
cn Egyptian and Syrian air bases to knock out
rhe bulk of Arab air power and render its bases
unfit for operations. Whiie Israeli naval units
bombarded the coastai strip three Israeli
armoured formations of one or hvo armoured

cca
::-;aies each struck deep into Sinai. These
The Six-DaU TankWar
::-gacies advanced against several Egyptian Although assisted by pre-emptive and continuous air
:-s,:-3rl,s that had been fortif,ed in Soviet style. strikes, Israel's tank crews had nonefheless the awesome
-: '.';- ihe function of these positions to delay task of fighting on three fronts against theenormous
::-; Israeli advance untrl the new Egyptian combined might of many Arab armies. Using courage, skill,
=:-:-::red divisions couid come forward. They improvisation andguts, they turned and routedtheir
-.:rerrshad such a chance,
:-:',-er however, for the
rnoved with such speed that they were enemies and enacted one of the most spectacularvictories
-c-= :o laii on their unprepared foes before ever seen in the history of tankwarfare.
-,:-.1-',iiere fir1ly ready, Some fightlng did take
:.-:e around the fortified zones but the main
=::-oured conflict took place around Rafah
s:'.,1 the Gaza Strip, which resulted in an
-.::eir of
victory alter a desperate flve-hour fight,
-:'s Israeli success bottled up the buik of the "€'.,.;
e4-. *
:lptian forces in the Gaza Strip for later neut- -!*J;:'d ;r:i:i.
'-,6i:yi:. j
::-';atron by a specially-formed infantry/tank .id.'d! -'
: H.
----^i^ -i..?.

i rurther flqht at Um Katef opened up Sinai to

:: israeli advances, Tank units moved west
-:-i south, supported by the Israeli air force
',';:-.ch trapped advancing Egyptian columns tn
:: Giddl Pass, where they were annihrlated.
-ie advances chopped up the Egyptian forces { An lsrael Sl'erman liqhts its wdy up lo rhe
,: such an extent that whole units fell apart and I Goldn pldredu dga rsidug-ir Syr,a'i T.34 **
e
:.ei to move west through the desert; many tan ks.
::',:sands died of starvation or thirst on their €-,.tt':e:,.::
','.'a;r. Once again Israeli tanks stood on the Seuz
lanal.
Jordan joins in
This time Jordan became tnvolved in the
:ampaign and the excellent Jordanian
-moured unlts proved to be a tough nut to
:rack, But a combination of audacious tactlcs,
Jood Qn:nnery and combined operations with
re Israeli air force resulted in the Israelis en-
,:ring Jerusalem for the first time since 1949. To
:re north the battle in the Golan Heights was
nainly an infantry one with armoured units,
nainly the older M4 Shermans, in support. The
Sl.rians did attempt some massed attacks using
T-34l85s, but they were repulsed by a com-
cnation of tank tactics and air support. The
S1'rian infantry gradually won its way across the
reights that dominate the whole of northern
Israel, the culminatlon of the Syrians' figtht
ceing the takinq oi Mount Hermon by a com-
4.
bured armour/infantry force, Soon after that the '€.'.'-
Syrrans drsintegrated and whole units fled to- jnF.-'j=. i J:ir
'vards Damascus wlth Israeli tanks and half-
-racks in pursuit.
In both Sinai and the Golan Heights the pile
cl war booty that fell to the Israeiis was enor-
nor.rs, Larqe numbers of T-54l55 tanks were
mmediately taken into Israeli use and this time
tre territorial gains were kept. The whole of '+ -+ :'
Shai became a vast Israell training ground and ''S, .- ''a;,
base while the Goian Heights were fortified _
against further incursions. But the Israeli nation jF.3 - +s

-,vasto learn that rts Sx-Day War, despite its

remarkable achievernents, could not bring
peace. The cease-fire sponsored by the United
Nations left the Syrians, Egyptians and the
whole Arab world as implacable as ever. The
Sovlet Union soon replaced all the lost
weapons and equipment, and the guerrtllas
continued their raids as fervently as before,
All the same, the Six-Day War was a remark-
able victory for the Israelis, Once aqain they
had demonstrated therr tactical supremacy
and flair for armoured warfare. They had laken
on the whole of the Arab world and won. They
won more territory, a huge plle of weapons and
the respect of the world. At the time they did
not realize they had not won the rnost essential
prize of all, and that was peace. That realization
was to come in 1973 with the Yom Kippur War.

258
 Armoured Vehicles of the 1950s and 1960s
lf lsraeli Sherman tanks have suf[ered heavy
4 casualtiesiptlictedbyJordanral Pdltons
positioned in olive groves. When the lsraeli
force retreats to regroup, the Pattons break
coverand follow, a running battle ensues
and a nar'rowvictoryfor lsrael results.

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- .5';:::; .,'&;le'

6 lsraeliCenturionsadvancethrouoh lhe
rO lsmai'ra Pass, wh;ch is slronglyd6fended
by duq-in T-54 tanks. The Centurions with
their heavier armour move forward in the
centre, while lsraeli Pattons, which are
lighter and more manoeuvrable over soft
sand. rush around the rear of the defenders.
tRo
fE
Tie
Eifu heaw armo'red car
Panhard EBR (Enqin Blinde de
?.ecomarssance, or armoured recon-
r3-:ssarce vehicle) has the djstinction
:i being probably the oldest desigm of
araoured car still in service in the
rcrld today, Its oriqdns can be traced
:: -337, when Panhard and Levassor of
Pa-ris $aned desigm work on a new
armowed car that would have superior
.ross-country mobility to the 4x4
a:moured cars then in use lvlth the
French army, The flrst prototype was
empleted in 1939 and was armed with
a 25-mm cannon and a co-axial 7.5-mm
il 295-tn) machine-gnrn, Its most un-
::sual feah:re was that of its eight road
irheels, the four centre ones (hvo on
cach side) were fitted wrth steel rims
j:r improved traction. For road use
-.ese were raised clear of the ground
by a hydro-pneumatic unit operated
cy' the driver, and iowered again when
;rossrng country, The PrototYPe was
iaken to North Aftica when World War
Il broke out, and its eventual fate is
udcnown,
Aier the end of the war the French
armv rssued a requirement for a new
hearn/ armoured car and, after a num-
ber of proposals from French com-
panies had been shrdied, Panhard and
Levassor was awarded a contract for
a-n Bx8 vehicle while Hotchkiss was
awarded a contract for a 6x6 vehicle.
Each company built two prototypes for
evaluation by the French armY, and
tie Panhard and Levassor vehicle was
subsequently selected for service as
the EBR. The first production vehicles
rvere completed in 1950, Production
'.vas completed in 1960 after some
SWITZERLAND
Pz 68 Main Battle Tank
Lrke many other countries after the
end of World War iI, Switzeriand
hnned to the UK to meet its mmediate
needs for a MBT and ordered some
200 Centurions, a further 100 being
obtained from South Africa. The
Federal Construction Works at Thun,
which had already desigmed and built
prototypes of the NK I 75-mm self-
propelled anti-tank gun and the NK II
75-mm assault gnrn, completedthe pro-
totype of a Swiss desigmed MBT in
1958, This was armed with a 90-mm
qr and called the KW 30; a second
6rototype was completed in 1959. Be-
tween 1960 and 1961 10 Pre-
production tanks were built under the
desigmation Pz 58; these were armed
with the British 20-pounder gnrn asthen
hstalled in the Cenh:rion. In 1961 an
order was placed for 150 production
vehicles armed with the 105-mm L7
gmn. Under the designation Pz 6l these
were delivered to the Swiss army be-
nveen 1965 and 1966,
The Pz 61 was followed in produc-
tion by the Pz 68, which had a number
of modifications including the replace-
ment of the co-axial 20-mm cannon by
a 7,5-mm (0,295-in) machine-gnrn; other
alteratiors include a gnrn stabilization
system, wider tracks and increased
lenoth of track in contact with the
qroind, A total of 170 Pz 68s was built
betvveen I97l and i974; these were
followed by 50 Pz 68 Mk 2 (delivered in
P z 68MBT of the Swiss armY showing
the thermal sleeve fitted to the 105-
mm L7 gun. Switzerland is now to
make rte German Leopard 2 under
licence.
260
Since J 950 tlre Pa nhard EBR ( 8 x 8 )
lras been llre sfa nd ard heavY
armoured car of the French armn,
although its design dates back to
betore World W ar I I. An unusual
feature of the vehicJer's ftalifs centre
road wheels, which have steel rims,
are norm ally raised when travelling
on roads and lowered only when
going across country, so improving,
groind traction in mud and soft soils.
1,200 vehicles had been built, In addi-
tion to the French armY, the tYPe was
also exported to Mauritania, Morocco
and Tuiusia. An armoured personnel
carrier version, the EBR VIT, was also
developed by Panhard on the same
chassis, and a i'ew of these were ex-
ported to Porhrgal where theY have
been used mainly for internal secudty
use, Today the EBR remains in service
with the French army, although it is
slowly being replaced bY the much
more sophisticated and exPensive
AMX-IORC (6x6) armoured vehicle
which is also amphrbious. it is ex-
pected that the EBR will not f,nally be
phased out of sewice until 1987, some
50 years after it was first designed
ihe driver is seated at the front, with
commander and gnrnner in the centre
of the vehrcte, the engine in the floor
and the second driver at the rear, The
EBR is fitted with an FL-ll oscillating
turet armed with a 90-mm snrn, 7.5-
mm (0.295-in) co-axial machine-gnrn
and hvo banks oftwo electrically oper-
197D, 110 Pz 68 Mk 3 (delivered in
t97B/79) and flnally 60 Pz 68 Mk 4
which were delivered between I9Bl
and 1982.
The lavout ofthe Pz 68 is convention-
al, vurth tire driver at the ftont, tunet in
the centre, and engine and transmis-
sion at the rear. The turret is of cast
steel construction with the commander
and gn:nner on the right and the loader
on the left. Unlike many tanks, in the Pz
68 the loader operates the anti-aircraft
machine-gun, so allowing the tank
commander to carry out hls Proper
role of commanding the tank. The main
armament consists of a 105-mm gnrn
with an elevation of +2Io and a de-
pression of - 10"; there is a 7 S-mm
(O.zgS-in) co-axial machine-gnrn and a
similar anti-aircraft machine-gun.
Three smoke dischargers are
mounted on each side ofthe turret and
ated smoke-discharqers. In an oscillat-
ing twret the gun is fixed in the upper
part of the turret which pivots on the
Iower part of the h:rret, The 90-mm gnrn
fires the following types of fixed
ammunition: HEAT (muzzle velocity
640 m/2,100 ft per second), high explo-
sive (muzzie velocity 635 m/2,085 ft per
second), smoke (muzzle velocity
750 rnl2,460 ft per second) and canister
for close defence. A total of 43 rounds
of 90-mm and 2,000 rounds of 7,5-mm
(0.295-in) ammunition ls carried,
Another unusual featwe of the EBR is
that the ddvers at the front and rear are
each provided with a fixed 7,5-mm
(0. 295-in) machine-gmn firing forwards,
although in peace time this is rarely
fitted. As with many armoured vehi-
cles deveioped in the 1950s, the EBR is
not fitted with an NBC system and has
no infta-red night-vision equipment,
Some vehicies were fitted with the
FL-10 h:rret of the AMX-13 Iight tank
armed with a 75-mm grun fed by two
revolver type maqazines, each holding
more recently most vehicles have
been fitted with two Bofors Lyran laun-
chers on the tufiet roof to provide
target illumination at night.
Using the chassis ofthe Pz 68 several
vanants have been developed includ-
ing the Enpannungspanzer 68 ARV,
the Brtickenpanzer 68 armoured
bridgelayer and a target tank, Pro-
totypes of an anti-aircraft tank (armed
with tvvin 35-mm cannon) and a 155-
mm self-propelled gnrn were built, but
these were not placed in production.
The ARV is fitted with a stabilizer/doz-
er blade at the ftont of the hull, an
A-frame which can lift 15 tonnes and an
hydrauiic winch with a capacity of 25
tonnes increasable to 75 tonnes with
the aid of snatch blocks.
The Pz 61 and Pz 68 have not been
among the more successful of post-war
designs, and in i979 a report stated
six rounds of ammunition. These
allowed 12 rounds to be fired very
quickly, after whrch the magazines had
to be reloaded manually from outside
the vehicie. The main drawback of this
combination was that the weight of the
vehicle went up to over l5 tonnes,
while overall height also increased
and so facilitated detection in the field.
Specification
Crew: 4
Weight: 13,5 tonnes
Dimensions: length (gun forwards)
6. 15m (20ft 2in); width 2,42m (?fi
lltlqin); height 2.32m (7ft?Ysin)
Powerplant: one Panhard I2-cylinder
petrol engine developing 200 hP
(149 kw)
Performance: maximum road sPeed
105 km/h (65 mph); maximum range
650 km (404 miles); grradient 60 Per
cent; vertical obstacle 0.4m (153/a in);
trench 2.0m (6ft 7in)
that there were some 50 faults rn the Pz
68; some of these were guite serious,
including short track life, gun not
staying on the target and cracking fuel
tanks,
Specification
Crew: 4
Weight: 39.7 tonnes
Engine: MTU B-cylinder diesel de-
veloping 660 hp (492 kMD
Dimensions: length (with gun forward)
9.49 m (31 ft I7s in); lensrth (hull) 6.98 m
(22 ft I I in); wdth 3. 14 m (10 ft 37s in);
heisht (including AA MG) 2.BB m (9 ft
SVzin)
Performance: maximum road speed
55 km/h (34 mph); maximum range,
road 350 lan (217 miles); fording 1' 1 m
(3 ft ZYs in); gradient 60%; verticai
obstacle I m (3 ft 3ys in); trench 2.6 m
(B ft 67e in)
Armed Forces of the World

RAFstrikecommond

Airborne defence As a second line of defence, No. 1 1 Group oper- Flying trom F"M Lossiemouth on maritime strtke
,refensive forces, administered by No. 11 Group ates six flights of Bloodhound SAMs on England's duties, the Buccaneer S.Mk ZBs of No. 208 Sqn,
'-:'n its headquarters at Stanmore, are also on the east coast, and two RAF Regiment units of short- along with those of No. I 2 Sqn, will IIy until
:-'eshold of a far-reaching programme of enhance- range Rapiers for point defence of Scottish air replaced by Tornados rh J 990.
-ert which will see the BAe Lightning and part of bases. Recently, 90 of the BAe Hawk T.Mk 1s used No. 29 Sqn's Phantoms usually opente trom RAF
-,-: VlcDonnell Douglas Phantom force replaced by forweapons training have been fitted with provision ConingsbyonUK air defence, butafter the
-,.-rado F.Mk 2s. Developed as a long+ange inter- for a paid of Sidewinders, allowing them to act as a Falklands con{lict of 1982 they moved to Stan@.
:::tor specifically for RAF needs, this variant of the back-up interceptor force. The squadronis nowNo.23 Sqn.
-:'^ado is equipped with Al.Mk 24 Foxhunter radpr,
':-' Sky Flash and two Sidewinder AAMs, plus a
l---m Mauser cannon.
-re RAF will take delivery of the first of 165
-:-'aCo F.Mk.2s in 1985, their first task being to
-:: 3:e two squadrons of Lightnings. Four Phantom
--:s ,,nrill be retained for as long as their airframe
::-. t on permits after the Tornado F.Mk 2 becom-
:s :cerational, although two of them are expected
:: :e the squadrons in RAF Germany, which are not
s:reduled to receive Tornado F.Mk 2s. When 15
:x-LS Varine Corps F-4J Phantoms are delivered,
^a',':_ been ordered in late 1982 to replace an air
re'ence squadron on the Falklands, six Phantom
siuadrons will be assigned to UK air defence pend-
-g Tornado F Mk 2 deliveries.
Equally as important as the Tornado is the BAe
\ mrodAEW.Mk3, 1l of whicharebeingconverted
,vith bulbous radomes at the nose and tail for air-
corne early warning, replacing the veteran BAe (HS)
Shackleton AEW.Mk 2. Operating farfrom base, the
\imrod AEW.Mk 3 will act as an advance radar and
control station. plotting low-level intruders such as
Soviet Sukhoi 'Fencer' attack aircraft and Tupolev
'Backfire bombers, and directing Tornado F.Mk 2s
on to their quarry.

RAF S/urilce Command's Nimrod MR.Mk 2s operate
from Kinloss and St Mawgan, with one of their
Eyes over.the sea
r Augmenting the Royal Navy in its role of defend-
: ingthe UK'swater, No.'l8Group,with its headquar-
ters at Northwood, Middlesex, operates Strike
.; Commandls maritime patrol assets, in the form of
r ', four squadrons of Nimrods. Almost all of these air-
craft have now been converted to Nimrod MR.Mk 2
standard with advanced sensor systems for detect.
ing potentially hostile ships and submarines, their
Falklands exploits having provided them with addi-
tional weaponry such as self-defence Sidewinders
and Harpoon anti-ship missiles.
The more normal weapon against surface targets,
however, is the BAe Buccaneer S.Mk 28 and its
'
Martel missile. Two squadrons assigned to this role
will shortly receive the more potent Sea Eagle and
improved avionics to keep them in the front line until
the end of this decade.
Other forces in No. 18 Group include detach-
ments of Westland Sea King and Westland Wessex
helicopters for search and rescue (SAR), and two
BAe (BAC) Canberra squadrons. The latter provide
target facilities to all three services, additionally
functioning in the visual maritime reconnaissance
role in time of war.
Outside this threegroup structure, there were
until recently only a handf ul of aircraft operating with
Strike Command abroad: a Wessex squadron in
both Cyprus and Hong Kong, and a flight of Harriers
and Pumas in Belize, Central America. ln the after-
math of the Falklands war, the need to garrison the
islands has resulted in expansion of the RAF's over-
seas presence for the first time in many years, and
Port Stanley is now host to Phantoms, Harriers,
Chinooks and Sea Kings.
The events which brought these aircraft to the
South Atlantic were an unambiguous demonstra-
tion of Strike Command's primary duty: swift and
effective reaction to forces threatening the UK, its
interests and its friends. The considerable improve-
major maritime patrol duties being protection of ments in potential now at hand will ensure that this
the North Sea oilfields . capability is maintained up to the end of the century.

l{o. 11 Group {HO: Stanmore, Middlesex) No. 18 Group {HO: Northwood, Middlesex)
No. 5 Lishtning F.Mk 6 Binbrook air defence No.12 Buccaneer S.Mk 2B Lossiemouth maritime strikd"
No. I Nimrod AEW.Mk 3 Waddington airborne early warning No. 22 Wessex HC.Mk 2 Finningley, SAR
No.11 Lightning F.Mk 6 Binbrook air defence Chivenor,
No. 25 Bloodhound 2 SAM Barkston Heath air defence Leuchars, -kJ
Wyton Valley,
Wattisham Leconfield,
No. 29 Phantom FGR.Mk 2 Coningsby air defence Manston
No. 43 Phantom FG.Mk 1 Leuchars air defence No. 42 Nimrod MR.Mk liMR.Mk 2 St Mawgan maritime patrQl"*.,
No. 56 Phantom FGR.Mk 2 Wattisham air defence No. 1 00 Canberra B.Mk 2/PR.Mk 7/ Wyton target facilities-
No. 85 Bloodhound 2 SAM West Raynham air defence E.Mk 15,TT.Mk 18
North Coates No.120 Nimrod MR.Mk 2 Kinloss maritime patrol
Bawdsey No. 201 Nimrod MR.Mk 2 Kinloss maritime patrol
No. 111 .Phantom FG.Mk 1 Leuchars air defence No. 202 Sea King HAR.Mk 3 Finningley, SAR
No.228 OCU Phantom FGR.Mk 2 Coningsby crew conversion Boulmer,
LTF Lightning F.Mk 3/T.Mk 5/ Binbfook pilot conversion Brawdy.
F,MK 6 Lossiemouth.
LAF Lightning F.Mk 3/T.Mk 5i Binbrook reserve pool Stanley (Falkland
F.MK 6 lslands)
No. 1 TWU Hawk T.Mk 1 Brawdy weapons training No. 206 Nimrod MR.Mk 2 Kinloss maritime patrol
Hunter F.Mk 6AJf .Mk7l (comprises Nos 79 No. 208 Buccaneer S.Mk 28 Lossiemouth maritime strike
FGA.MK 9 and 234 Squadrons) No. 360 Canbera T.Mk 17 Wyton target facilities
No. 2 TWU Hawk T.Mk 1 Chivenor weapons training No. 231 OCU Canberra B.Mk 2/T.Mk 4 Wyton crew conversion
(comprises Nos 63 No, 236 OCU Nimrod MR.Mk 2 St Mawgan crew conversion
and 151 Squadrons) No. 237 OCU Buccaneer S.Mk 28 Honington crew conversion
Planned additions Hunter T.Mk 74
F-4J Phantom airborne early warning No. 1 PRU Canberra PR.Mk 9 Wyton photo-survey
air defence SARTS Wessex HC.Mk 2 , Valley crew conversion

Abbrwiations Direst-reporting units

ATF Andover Training Flight TOEU Tornado Operational Evaluation No. 23 Phantom FGR.Mk 2 Stanley, Fl air defence
ChinDet ChinookDetachment Unit No. 28 Wessex HC.Mk 2 Sek Kong, support and SAR
HarDet HarrierDetachment TTTE Trinational Tornado Training Hong Kong
LAF Lightning Augmentation Flight Establishment No. 84 Wessex'HC.Mk 2 Akrotiri, Cyprus UN support and SAR
LTF Lightning Training Flight TWCU Tornado Weapons ConVersion No. '1417 Flt Harrier GR.Mk 3 Belize City, Belize close support
OCU Operational Conversion Unit Unit ChinDet Chinook HC.Mk 1 Stanley, Fl tactical transport
PRU Photo Reconnaissance Unit TWU Tactical Weapons Unit HarDet Hanier GR.Mk 3 Stanley, Fl close support
SARTS SAR Training Squadron TOEU Tornado GR.Mk i Boscombe Down operational evaluaiion

iv
-.. . iiij .