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The FV 4201 Chieftain was the Main Battle Tank of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s . It was one of the most advanced tanks of its time, having the most powerful main gun and armour of any tank in the world until the late 1970s. The Chieftan also introduced a supine (lying backwards) driver position, enabling a heavily sloped and reduced height hull. OVERVIEW The Chieftain was a development of the successful Centurion line of tanks that had emerged after the Second World War . The British had learned during the war that their tanks often lacked sufficient protection and firepower compared to those fielded by the enemy, and that this had led to high casualty levels when faced with the superior German tanks of the time. The Centurion was a capable vehicle but the Soviet Union produced the heavy T10 tank in the mid 1950s. The Conqueror Tank was developed to specifically counter it but the British needed a new design and they would be unable to build fleets of tanks the size of the Pact armies. Therefore, while Continental Europe an nations such as West Germany and France were pursuing lighter, more mobile tanks, Britain stuck with a heavier, more survivable design. Leyland who had been involved in Centurion had built their own prototypes of a new tank design in 1956 and these led to a War Office specification for a new tank. The design was accepted in the early 1960s. Chieftain was designed to be as well protected as possible and to be equipped with a powerful 120 mm rifled cannon. The heavy armour came at the price of reduced mobility which was perhaps the Chieftain's main drawback. This was chiefly due to engine power limitations. The engine selected took the multi-fuel route and as introduced gave less than the planned output. Even as the engine was refined the power fell short of the ideal. DESIGN The Chieftain design included a heavily sloped hull and turret. The driver lay semi-recumbent in the hull which helped to reduce overall height. To the left side of the turret was a large infra-red searchlight in an armoured housing. The suspension was of the Horstmann type, with large sideplates to protect the tracks. Like its Europe an competitors, the Chieftain found a large export market, most notably in the Middle East . The Chieftain proved itself capable in combat and able to be upgraded with enhancements both for overall improvement and to meet local requirements. The Chieftain tanks were continuously upgraded until the early 1990s when they were replaced by the Challenger series of tanks whose design was largely based on that of the Chieftain. The final Chieftain version used by the British Army until 1995, incorporated 'Stillbrew" Armour, The Improved Fire Control System (IFCS) and the Thermal Observation Gunnery Sight (TOGS). The first Chieftain model was introduced in 1967 , and has since been delivered to at least six countries, including Iran (where it is named the "Shir-1"), Kuwait , Oman , Jordan ("Khalid") and Iraq . The largest of the foreign sales was to Iran, which took delivery of around 1,000 before the 1979 revolution. Further planned deliveries were cancelled at that point. So the tank's main combat experience was in the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-88. SPECIFICATIONS
Armament
Mark 1 and Mark 2 models had coaxial .50 cal. ranging machine guns prior to the introduction of the laser rangefinder. Equipment
VARIANTS ; Cheiftain Mk 1 : 40 training vehicles for 1965/1966. ; Chieftain Mk 2 : First service model with 650 hp engine. ; Chieftain Mk 3 : Extra equipment fitted giving rise to several submarks. ; Chieftain Mk.5 : Final production variant, with upgrades to the powerplant and NBC protection system. ; Chieftain Mk.6-11 : Incremental upgrades to pre-Mk.5 vehicles. ; Chieftain Mk.12 : Mark 5 upgrade - addition of Improved Fire Control System (IFCS). Addition of ROMOR ("Stillbrew") spaced armor units. ; FV4205 : Bridge-laying vehicle. ; FV4204 ARV/ARRV : Armoured Recovery Vehicle, Armoured Recovery and Repair Vehicle. ; Chieftain Mineclearer : Mine-clearing development. ; Chieftain Sabre : Twin 30 mm AA turret. ; Khalid/Shir 1 : Jordanian / Iranian variant with running gear of the Challenger 1 . ; Weapon Carriers : The Chieftain chassis was modified to mount air defense weapons ("Marksman" 2 x 35 mm cannon) and a 155mm howitzer in various modifications. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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