Charioteer tank destroyer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charioteer | |
---|---|
Charioteer tank destroyer. |
|
Type | Tank destroyer |
Place of origin | United Kingdom |
Service history | |
In service | - |
Used by | British Army |
Wars | Operation Litani |
Production history | |
Manufacturer | Robinson and Kershaw Ltd, Cheshire |
Number built | 442[1] |
Specifications | |
|
|
Primary armament |
Ordnance QF 20 pounder |
Suspension | Improved Christie |
The Charioteer tank was a British tank destroyer, designed in the 1950s from the Cromwell tank.
Contents |
[edit] Development
In the early 1950s, in an attempt to give extra firepower to the units of the Royal Armoured Corps, some Cromwell tanks received an 20 pounder gun (the same as the Centurion) in a new turret. The resulting vehicle was designated as the FV 4101 Charioteer tank destroyer. About 200 units were converted by Robinson and Kershaw Ltd in Cheshire. In practice the Charioteer was used by British Territorial Army units only and during mid and late 1950s most of the vehicles were sold to Austria, Finland and Jordan.
[edit] Operators
- Austria - Austria purchased 56 vehicles in 1956.
- Finland - Finland bought 38 "Charioteer Mk VII Model B" by 1960 and they remained in use until 1979. The tanks were stored until 2007 when they were auctioned out.
- Jordan - Jordan equipped two squadrons (24 vehicles) of their 3rd Tank Regiment in 1954. Some of the Jordanian Charioteers were sold to Lebanon.
- Lebanon - Several of the Lebanese vehicles were used by the PLO against Israeli forces in Southern Lebanon during the 1978 South Lebanon conflict.
- United Kingdom
[edit] References
[edit] See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
|