Centurion Action X
| This page is about the British medium tank Centurion Action X. For other versions, see Centurion (Family). |
Contents
Description
The Centurion Action X is a premium rank IV British medium tank with a battle rating of 7.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.93 "Shark Attack".
General info
Survivability and armour
Armour type:
- Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, turret roof, cupola roof)
- Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, cupola sides and center)
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 76.2 mm (57°) Front glacis 76.2 mm (45°) Lower glacis |
50.8 mm (12°) + 6 mm | 38 mm (7°) Upper plate 20 mm (62°) Lower glacis |
29 mm (8°) Front 30 mm Engine deck |
| Turret | 89-198 mm (1-67°) Turret front | 89-98 mm 76 mm (43-49°) Side glacis |
89 mm (10-18°) | 76 mm (20°) Front glacis 29 mm |
| Cupola | 152 mm | 152 mm Front half 90 mm Rear half |
90 mm | 29 mm Outer ring 29 mm (spherical) Centre |
Notes:
- Suspension wheels, tracks and bogies are 20 mm thick.
- The belly is 17 mm thick.
- An internal structural plate of 17 mm thickness separates the forward ammo rack from the driver as seen in X-ray mode.
- Another internal 17 mm structural plate with large openings separates the driver compartment from the crew compartment.
- The steel boxes and the mudguards are 4 mm thick.
Mobility
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 39 | 14 | 50.8 | 1,007 | 1,240 | 19.82 | 24.41 |
| Realistic | 35 | 13 | 575 | 650 | 11.32 | 12.8 | |
Modifications and economy
2 × 130 / 200 / 220 % 2 × 190 / 190 / 190 % | Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Main armament
| 84 mm 20pdr OQF Mk.I | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 63 | -10°/+20° | ±180° | Two-plane | 17.1 | 23.7 | 28.8 | 31.8 | 33.9 | 8.19 | 7.25 | 6.68 | 6.30 |
| Realistic | 10.7 | 12.6 | 15.3 | 16.9 | 18.0 | ||||||||
Ammunition
The ammunition available to the Centurion Action X offers a wide range of projectiles to engage most types of targets:
- Shot Mk.1: APCBC; an armour-piercing capped shell with ballistic cap that has a good penetration power but a rather average post-penetration damage effect. Make sure to target modules and crew positions to maximize the damage inflicted.
- Shot Mk.3: APDS; an armour-piercing discarding sabot shot that has a very high penetration power but a poor post-penetration damage effect. Make sure to target modules and crew positions to maximize the damage inflicted.
- Shell Mk.1: HE; a shell useful for destroying open and lightly armoured vehicles but travels at a low speed.
- 20pdr Shell SS Mk.1: Smoke; useful to blind enemy vehicles that are too remote for you to disable so that you can progress towards objectives. However, it is a very slow shell.
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
| Shot Mk.1 | APCBC | 232 | 229 | 216 | 201 | 187 | 173 |
| Shot Mk.3 | APDS | 285 | 283 | 262 | 239 | 218 | 198 |
| Shell Mk.1 | HE | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Shell details | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile Mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | ||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | |||||||
| Shot Mk.1 | APCBC | 1,000 | 9.1 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 48° | 63° | 71° |
| Shot Mk.3 | APDS | 1,430 | 3.2 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 75° | 78° | 80° |
| Shell Mk.1 | HE | 600 | 7.5 | 0 | 0.1 | 1,130 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
| Smoke shell characteristics | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile Mass (kg) |
Screen radius (m) |
Screen deploy time (s) |
Screen hold time (s) |
Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
| 20pdr Shell SS Mk.1 | 250 | 9.3 | 13 | 5 | 20 | 50 |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | 61 (+2) | 59 (+4) | 57 (+6) | 54 (+9) | 52 (+11) | 49 (+14) |
| 7th rack empty |
8th rack empty |
9th rack empty |
10th rack empty |
11th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|
| 46 (+17) | 38 (+25) | 13 (+50) | 6 (+57) | 1 (+62) | No |
Notes:
- Shells are modeled individually and disappear from the rack after having been loaded in the breech.
- Racks 10 and 11 are first stage ammo racks. They total 12 shells and get filled first when loading up the tank.
- These 2 racks are also emptied first when firing: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 10 - 11 - 1 - 2 - etc. until 9.
- Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1-9 into racks 11 then 10. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.
Optics
| Centurion Action X Optics | ||
|---|---|---|
| Default magnification | Maximum magnification | |
| Main Gun optics | X4.9 | X6.0 |
| Comparable optics | Strv 104 | |
Machine guns
| 7.62 mm L3A1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Coaxial | 3,750 (250) | 500 | -10°/+5° | N/A |
The small calibre of the L3A1 machine gun makes it largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. It still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help or to mow down minor obstacles blocking your line of sight.
Usage in battles
At first glance, the Centurion Action X does not bring a significant change in playstyle. Compared to equivalent-rank vehicles, battle usage can be straightforward. But there are some meaningful lessons for future medium tanks that excel at support roles down the rank, namely the Chieftains.
One way to master this tank's capabilities is to minimize its weaknesses. Knowing the limited maximum speed, the commanders often should resort to long-distance gunnery. This long-range shooting is, in fact, very healthy for the Centurion X. The firepower is more than sufficient to cause damage in most ranges; thus, sniping is where most mainstream British medium tanks will excel.
The shoot-and-scoot tactic benefits the Centurion Action X. It will protect the vehicle from prolonged exposure as the lower turret is poorly armoured to withstand serious firepower. One way to stay alive is never to expose your lower half of the turret.
An early game planning of the map positioning will allow the Centurion Action X to strike lethally without being immediately obliterated. However, players should keep in mind another forte of most British MBTs down the line; this is the flexibility of the gun elevation. Therefore slopes, cliffs and trenches on maps such as Ash river, Carpathians or Fulda, should be used to multiply the damage the Centurion can cause.
The sniper or support role can provide the best results in the long run, as most tanks at its rank will often struggle to fire effectively when on the move or at long ranges. Meanwhile, the Centurion Action X will quickly get in and out of cover thanks to the gun stabilizer, firing whenever enemy targets are spotted.
New players may learn the best way to help your team win the game is by being in the rear supporting the offensive of the most aggressive tanks. Not only covering the fronts but also on the lookout for light flankers.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Powerful and high penetrating 20 pdr gun, available with an APDS choice
- Very quick reload time, down to 6.3 seconds per round when in full crew and ace experience
- Has good gun depression and with gun stabilizer like other Centurion
- Slopped upper turret armour, up to 240+ mm thick in some areas
Cons:
- With only 39 (AB), 35 (RB and SB) km/h top speed, its mobility is mediocre when compared to some contemporary mediums
- Ammo rack in the front like other Centurions
- Small internal compartment (only 4 crew members), easy to knock out with one hit
- Although APDS provides high penetration even in long distances, it provides little post-penetration damage
- Lower turret armour is not reliable sometimes, very thin armour
- No explosive filler on any AP shells
History
Devblog
Development of the Centurion Action X began in the early 1950s. The aim of the project was to improve the Centurion's ballistic protection by fitting the vehicle with the recently developed 'mantletless' turret design. The turret was fitted on a Centurion Mk.7 hull and featured thick, heavily sloped surfaces which further increased its effectiveness.
Furthermore, the vehicle was tested with both the QF 20-pdr as well as the 105 mm L7 cannon. In the end however, only a couple prototypes were built and tested in addition to a few turrets being used separately for ballistic trials. The Centurion Action X never passed the testing stage and was thus also not ordered into production. However, the experience gained during its development, specifically regarding the use of the mantletless turret, was later incorporated into subsequent tank designs such as the FV4202 and the well-known Chieftain main battle tank.
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
- Vehicles equipped with the same chassis
External links
| Department of Tank Design | |
|---|---|
| Medium Tanks | |
| Sherman Firefly | Sherman Firefly · Sherman IC "Trzyniec" |
| MBTs | |
| Centurion | Centurion Mk 1 · Centurion Mk.2 · Centurion Mk 3 · Centurion Action X · Centurion Mk.5 AVRE · Centurion Mk 10 |
| Challenger* | Challenger Mk.2 · Challenger Mk.3 · Challenger DS |
| Tank Destroyers | |
| Achilles | Achilles · Achilles (65 Rg.) |
| Centurion-based | Conway · FV4005 |
| Export | |
| Sherman Firefly | Sherman Ic · ▄Sherman Vc |
| Centurion | Centurion Mk.5/1 · Strv 81 · Strv 81 (RB 52) · ▄Strv 81 (RB 52) · Strv 101 · Strv 104** · Strv 105** · Sho't |
| See also | US Ordnance Department · Israeli Ordnance Corps · Vickers-Armstrongs Limited |
| *By successor, the Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment | |
| **Swedish modernizations incorporating innovations from the Israeli Sho't Kals. | |
| Britain medium tanks | |
|---|---|
| Valentine | Valentine I · Valentine IX · Valentine XI |
| Cromwell | Cromwell I · Cromwell V · Cromwell V (RP-3) |
| Cromwell derivatives | Challenger · Avenger · Comet I · Comet I "Iron Duke IV" · Charioteer Mk VII |
| Centurion | Centurion Mk 1 · Centurion Mk.2 · Centurion Mk 3 · Centurion Mk.5 AVRE · Centurion Mk 10 · Centurion Action X · FV4202 |
| Vickers MBT | Vickers Mk.1 · Vickers Mk.3 · Vickers Mk.7 |
| Chieftain | Chieftain Mk 3 · Chieftain Mk 5 · Chieftain Mk 10 |
| Challenger 1 | Challenger Mk.2 · Challenger Mk.3 · Challenger DS |
| Challenger 2 | Challenger 2 · Challenger 2 (2F) · Challenger 2 TES · Challenger 2 OES · Challenger 2E · Challenger 2 Black Night |
| Challenger 3 | Challenger 3 TD |
| Australia | A.C.I · A.C.IV · Centurion Mk.5/1 |
| South Africa | Olifant Mk.1A · Olifant Mk.2 · TTD |
| India | Vijayanta · Bhishma TWMP |
| Israel | ▄Sho't Kal Dalet |
| Jordan | Khalid |
| Sweden | ▄Strv 81 (RB 52) |
| USA | Grant I · Sherman II · Sherman Firefly · Sherman IC "Trzyniec" |
| Britain premium ground vehicles | |
|---|---|
| Light tanks | A13 Mk I (3rd R.T.R.) · A13 Mk II 1939 · AEC Mk II · Crusader "The Saint" · Rooikat 105 |
| Medium tanks | A.C.I · Grant I · Cromwell V (RP-3) · Sherman IC "Trzyniec" · A.C.IV · Comet I "Iron Duke IV" |
| Centurion Mk.2 · ▄Strv 81 (RB 52) · Centurion Mk.5 AVRE · Centurion Mk.5/1 · ▄Sho't Kal Dalet · Centurion Action X | |
| Vijayanta · Khalid · Challenger DS · Challenger 2 OES | |
| Heavy tanks | Independent · Matilda Hedgehog · Excelsior · TOG II · Churchill Crocodile · Black Prince |
| Tank destroyers | Alecto I · Achilles (65 Rg.) · QF 3.7 Ram |
