Centurion (tank)

The FV4007 (A41) Centurion was the primary main battle tank of the British Army during the post-World War II period. Introduced in 1945, it is one of the most successful post-war tank designs, remaining in production into the 1960s, and seeing combat into the 1980s. The chassis was adapted for several other roles, and these variants have remained in service. It was a very popular tank with good armour, mobility, and a powerful main armament. Development of the Centurion began in 1943 with manufacture beginning in January 1945. Six prototypes arrived in Belgium less than a month after the war in Europe ended in May 1945. It entered combat with the British Army in the Korean War in 1950 in support of the UN forces. The Centurion later served on the Indian side in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, where it fought against US-supplied M47 and M48 Patton tanks, and it served with the Royal Australian Armoured Corps in the Vietnam War. Israel's army used Centurions in the 1967 Six-Day War, the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the 1978 South Lebanon conflict, and the 1982 Lebanon War. Centurions modified as armoured personnel carriers were used in Gaza, the West Bank and on the Lebanese border. Jordan used Centurions, first in 1970 to fend off the Syrian incursion within its borders during the Jordanian Civil War and later in the Golan Heights in 1973. South Africa deployed its Centurions in Angola during the South African Border War. The Centurion became one of the most widely used tank designs, equipping dozens of armies around the world, with some in service until the 1990s. During the 2006 Lebanon War, the Israel Defense Forces employed modified Centurions as armoured personnel carriers and combat engineering vehicles. South Africa still operates over 170 Centurions, which were modernised...