Engineering:Centurion ARV Mk II

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Centurion ARV Mk II
Centurion ARV II Tank.jpg
Centurion ARV Mk II
Typearmoured recovery vehicle
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
In service1946–present (derivatives still in service)
Production history
Unit cost£35,000 (1950), £38,000 (1952)[1]
Specifications
Mass51 long tons (52 t)
LengthHull: 25 ft (7.6 m)
Overall: 32 ft (9.8 m) with 20pdr
Width11 feet 1 inch (3.38 m) with side plates
Height9 feet 10.5 inches (3.01 m)
Crew4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)

Armour76 mm
Main
armament
7.5×55mm Swiss tank gun
Secondary
armament
8 cm fog dispenser 51
EngineRolls-Royce Meteor; 5-speed Merrit-Brown Z51R Mk. F gearbox
650 hp (480 kW)
Power/weight13 hp (9.2 kW) / tonne
SuspensionHorstmann suspension
Ground clearance1 ft 8 in (50.8 cm)
Operational
range
50 miles (80 km) Mk 2/Mk 3[2]
Speed22 mph (35 km/h)

The Centurion ARV Mk II, was a British armoured recovery vehicle based on the Centurion main battle tank.

History

The Centurion Mk II ARV consisted of a basic tank hull with a box-like superstructure in place of the turret. This accommodated the winch and a separate winch engine, a 160 hp Rolls-Royce B80. The winch engine powered a generator providing electric power to the winch. The cable emerged from the back of the winch housing and a rear mounted spade gave stability whilst winching. The vehicle was used by Australia, India, Israel, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland as well as the United Kingdom.

The first prototype of the Centurion Mk II ARV was developed by the Fighting Vehicles Research and Development Establishment as the ARV FV 4006 and completed in 1952–53. After user trials, the first production vehicles were completed by Vickers at Elswick in 1956–57. Some Mk 2's used the hulls of former gun tanks or tugs but most were newly built as ARVs.

From 1956 to 1960, the Swiss army bought 30 Entpannungspanzer 56 Centurion. These were used until 1991 with the numbers M + 78601 to M + 78630. In 1988 the first ten vehicles were scrapped. In 1991, 19 vehicles were sold to Sweden and a vehicle (M + 78613) was retained for the army's collection. The Entpannungspanzer 56 Centurion sold to Sweden were painted with the camouflage of the Swedish army and were equipped with minor modifications to the radio, fog dispensers, lighting, etc. In 2011, the second vehicle of the first series with the former number M + 78602 was taken back from Sweden and has since been exhibited in the Swiss Military Museum Full.

In addition to the main engine, a Rover Meteor mark IVB1 (V12, 27-litre capacity, 650 hp), the Entpannungspanzer 56 Centurion has an auxiliary engine (Morris USHNM A41 Mk 2/1: 4 cylinders, 918 cm³, 16 hp) and a winch motor (Rolls-Royce B80 Mk. 2: 8 cylinder in line 5600 cm³, 136 hp). With a fuel tank of 1045 litres, its fuel consumption of 700 litres per 100 kilometres (0.40 mpg‑imp) on the road and 1,100 litres per 100 kilometres (0.26 mpg‑imp) off-road was very high, which affected efficiency and range.

References

  1. Emrys, Hughes. "Mr". millbanksystems. http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1952/mar/10/centurion-tank-cost. Retrieved 21 May 2016. 
  2. Simon Dunstan, "Centurion Universal Tank 1943–2003", Osprey Publishing, 2003, p. 5, 14.
  • Urs Heller: Die Panzer der Schweizer Armee von 1920 bis 2008.
  • Reglement 65.708 Entpannungspanzer 1956 (Entp Pz 56), Betrieb und Einsatz
  • Schweizerisches Militärmuseum Full
  • http://www.armyvehicles.dk/centurionarv.htm

External links