The Centurion came out of a requirement, issued in September of 1942, for an all purpose tank. The experience gained in the desert during 1941-42 the tank that would be the first British tank not required to meet British rail limitations. The tank would be designated A41 and feature a 17pdr main gun, cross country performance equal to the Comet (road speed wasn't considered important), a sloped glacis proof against the German 88mm, and a Horstmann suspension as the Christie was unable to deal with the projected weight.

Twenty pilot models were ordered, five had the 77mm in place of the l7pdr, with the secondary armament of a Polston 20mm cannon or a Besa machine gun. At the end of World War Two, six Centurions were sent to Germany, but arrived after Hostilities ended.

The Centurion II was the first production model with increased armor and the 17pdr in a redesigned turret.

The Centurion first saw action in Korea; where, it outclassed all other tanks. It has since scene action in the Middle East, in the Indo-Pakistani war, Lebanon, and Vietnam.

Production ended in 1962 with over 2500 of the 4423 units being exported. Although it was replaced by the Chieftain in British service during the late 1960's, the Centurion serves on with armies all over Europe, Africa, and the Middle East in various forms.

The all welded steel hull is divided into the drivers compartment in the front, a fighting compartment center, and the engine compartment rear. The turret is cast with the roof welded in place.

The driver is located in the hull front, with the other three crewman in the turret. The loader is to the left, the commander to the right, and the gunner in front of the commander.

As originally built, the Centurion had a Meteor engine and a Merritt Brown transmission. It did not had IR vision equipment, an NBC system, nor was it amphibious.

Short range lead to the fuel capacity being increased, as well as, a monowheel fuel trailer being introduced. The main gun was increased to the 20pdr (83.4mm), and finally the 105mm. Night vision, engine upgrades, and ballistic computers are among the many changes and additions made over the years.

The current model is the Mark 13 with 105mm L7 gun capable of maintaining a firing rate of eight rounds per minute. Coaxial armament consists of a 7.62mm machine gun.

Many models and upgrades have been produced over the years. The primary models are as follows:

Mk 1 Armed with l7pdr, only 20 built.
Mk 2 First production version, armed with l7pdr.
Mk 3 Introduced 20pdr gun.
Mk 4 Was to be armed with 95mm Howitzer, none built.
Mk5 Armed with 20pdr.
Mk 5/1 Uparmored Mk 5, the glacis is increased from 76mm to 118mm.
Mk 5/2 Upgunned with 105mm.
Mk 6 Upgunned with 105mm and increased fuel storage.
Mk 6/1 A Mk 6 with IR vision equipment and additional turret stowage.
Mk 7 A Leyland produced variant with 20pdr and 61 rounds of ammo.
Mk 7/1 A Mk 7 uparmored.
Mk 7/2 A Mk 7 with 105mm gun. 
Mk 8 Converted from Mk 7s, with a resilient gun mantlet, contrarotating cupola, and umbrella type commander's hatch.
Mk 8/1 A Mk8 uparmored.
Mk 8/2 A Mk8 with 105mm gun.
Mk 9 A Mk7 uparmored and upgunned with 105nun.
Mk 9/1 Mk9 with IR equipment, and turret rear stowage.
Mk 9/2 Mk 9 with ranging MG.
Mk 10 Mk 8 uparmored,.and upgunned to 105mm and with 70 rounds main gun ammo.
Mk10/1 A Mk 10 with IR equipment.
Mk10/2 A Mk 10 with ranging mg.
Mk 11 A Mk 6 with ranging mg, IR equipment, and turret rear stowage.
Mk 12 A Mk 9 with ranging mg, IR equipment, and turret rear stowage.
Mk 13 A Mk 10 with ranging mg and IR equipment.

Vickers offers a retro fit engine with a Rolls Royce or General Motors V12 diesel. Either Engine offers increased range and maneuverability.

Hi-tech fire control, stabilization, and passive night vision are offered by several manufacturers.

In the late 1960's Israel started upgrading their Centurions with TeledyneContinental engines and Allison automatic transmissions. This required the hulls to be lengthened and new, raised engine decks.

The most amazing thing about the Centurion is that it was on the drawing board about the same time as the M4A3E8 Sherman and the T34/85. Fifty years later the Centurion soldiers on; while, the Sherman and T34 (not to mention the Tiger, T-44, M-46, M-47, M103, etc., etc...) are museum pieces.

Specifications	Mk5	Mk13
Crew	4	4
Weight	55.8 tons	57 tons
Road Speed	21.6mph	21.6mph
Range	64 miles	119 miles
Main Gun	83.5mm	105mm
Coaxial MG	7.62mm	7.62mm
AA MG	7.62mm	7.62mm
Ranging MG	--	12.7mm
Smoke Dischargers	12	12
Main Gun Ammo	65	64
7.62 Ammo	4250	4750
12.7 Ammo	--	600
Turret Elevation and Traverse	electric (manual backup)	electric (manual backup)
Rate of Traverse	13.8°/second	13.8°/second
Gun Elev./Depres.	+20°/-10°	+20°/-10°
Gun Stabilizer Vertical	yes	yes
Gun Stabilizer Horizontal	yes	yes
Armor
Hull Glacis	76mm	118mm
Hull Nose	76mm	76mm
Hull Sides Front	51mm	51mm
Hull Sides Rear	38mm	38mm
Hull Floor	17mm	17mm
Turret Front	152mm	152mm
Turret Sides/Rear	76mm	76mm