Chieftain Mk 5

Chieftain Mk 5

Chieftain Mk 3

Chieftain Mk 10

Chieftain Mk 5

Chieftain Mk 3

Chieftain Mk 10

Britain

VI Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
8.7	8.7	8.7

Class:

Medium tank

Research:81 000

Purchase:450 000

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This page is about the British medium tank Chieftain Mk 5. For other uses, see Chieftain (Family).

Description

The Chieftain Mk 5 is a rank VI British medium tank with a battle rating of 8.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.69 "Regia Aeronautica". The Chieftain Mk.5 carries over its strength from the Mk.3 variant, but with a more powerful engine for improved mobility.

The fundamental average for Chieftain: its rate of shooting and its penetration. With Chieftain, there are few vehicles being able to resist the firepower, except perhaps T95 or Maus. Shoot anywhere at the enemy with L15A3 shells, it will more than likely penetrate the armour. Know where to shoot, any enemies can be taken down with the 120 mm gun. That requires good knowledge of the enemy tanks. A Chieftain player will have to know where are the shells, fuel tanks, crews.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Cast homogeneous armour (hull front, turret front half, cupola)
• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull sides, hull rear, hull roof, turret rear half, turret roof, cupola roof)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	70-127 mm (43-79°) Front glacis 76.2 mm (43-44°) Lower glacis	88-220 (8-30°) + 13 mm Front Top 50 mm (1-31°) Center Top 37 mm (30°) + 13 mm Rear Top 37 (10°) + 13 mm Bottom	37 mm (1-7°)	13-28 mm
Turret	125-250 mm (2-81°) Turret front 100-220 mm (1-53°) Gun mantlet	45-196 mm (1-65°)	45 mm (1°)	50.8 mm Front 25 mm Rear
Cupola	150 mm			25 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick while bogies are 19 mm thick.
• Armour thickness throughout the vehicle is very complex and the tank relies more on sloping thickness to enhance its effective armour.
• The metal boxes on the sides of the turret and hull are 13 mm of structural steel.
• The belly of the Chieftain Mk 5 is 15 mm thick (6°).

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	54	13	55	1178	1,450	21.42	26.36
Realistic	49	12		672	760	12.22	13.82

Armaments

Main armament

120 mm L11					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	53	-10°/+20°	±180°	Two-plane	13.4	29.6	36.0	39.8	42.4	9.7	8.6	7.9	7.5
Realistic					13.4	15.8	19.1	21.1	22.5

The cannon's reload rate is much faster than average for its calibre at its BR (7.5 seconds with an ace crew).

Ammunition

The Chieftain's 120 mm gun has access to APDS and HESH when stock, with a smoke shell as only unlockable ammunition. The L15A3 APDS shell has a very good slope modifier compared to other APDS and will penetrate essentially any vehicle at its battle rating, but has relatively weak post-penetration effects. The L31A7 HESH shell is slow and behaves similarly to other HESH shells in the game. It is a more situational round.

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 L15A3	APDS	320	315	305	294	280	270
Shell L31A7	HESH	152	152	152	152	152	152

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 L15A3	APDS	1370	7.6	N/A	N/A	N/A	75°	78°	80°
Shell L31A7	HESH	670	17.1	0.4	0.1	5,250	73°	77°	80°

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)
L34	670	17.1	20	5	25	50

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	7th rack empty	8th rack empty	9th rack empty	10th rack empty	11th rack empty	12th rack empty	13th rack empty	14th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
53	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	No

Ammo racks of the Chieftain Mk 5

Turret empty: 30 (+23)

Additional armament

12.7 mm L21A1
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	588 (3)	300	N/A	N/A

The 12.7 mm L21A1 machine gun is specifically used to determine ranging for the main gun. While the game indicates a very short clip of 3 rounds, it is in fact more accurate to say that the MG only fires small bursts of 3 rounds. It is not fired alongside the other machine guns but through the "Fire from secondary guns" option (Controls > Ground Vehicles > Weaponry).

Machine guns

7.62 mm L37A1
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Pintle	2,000 (100)	650	-10°/+50°	±120°

7.62 mm L8A1
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	6,000 (200)	600	N/A	N/A

The small caliber of the 7.62 machine gun makes them largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment.

Usage in the battles

In long-range fight:
The gun is very precise with all the shooting amelioration. Do not forget to protect the frame, it is fragile. The turret armour protects the tank well. Invest in camouflage plants, one or two seconds lost by the aiming enemy is time gained to eliminate the threat.

An aggressive way to play:
The best clients are the German "Leopards" and all the Russian series "T-xx". Shoot it on front frame, where the shells are, for an assured popcorn effect. Don’t hesitate to try this on IS-3/4 or T-26/28/29, only shell place change (front side or turret rear).

Other tanks could be easily knocked out with fuel tank or disabled in aiming crew member. Don't forget that reload time is the vehicle's best friend.

Be wary of the Chieftain's width, often the weak points are exposed when trying to turn the Chieftain.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	Horizontal Drive
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism	Smoke grenade	NVD
IV	Transmission	Engine		L34	Laser rangefinder	Artillery Support

The first upgrades to head for is Parts and FPE for increased survivability. Once these two are unlocked, everything is good, but get the rangefinder for enhanced RB or SB gameplay.

• Spare parts.
• Extinguishers FPE.
• Horizontal drive.
• Adjustment shooting.
• Elevation mechanism.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Turret armour strong enough to bounce APDS, HEATFS and even some APDSFS shells
• Upper frontal plate is heavily sloped, providing adequate protection against same tier rounds
• Excellent reload time for a 120 mm (7.5s - 9.5s)
• Access to 320 mm penetrating APDS shells and HESH shells immediately
• 10 degrees of gun depression
• Has access to a dual plane stabilizer
• Includes an additional range finding .50 calibre machine gun that can be separately bound
• Unlike other British tanks, it has a respectable reverse speed
• Much faster and easier to handle than the Mk 3 model
• Very effective in a hull down position
• Excels in maps with a lot of open ground where it can go hull down effectively

Cons:

• Weak hull armour overall
• APFSDS can go through this tank easily
• The design of the tank only allows for a limited playstyle
• Does not like fighting in small maps
• Lower frontal plate is very poorly armoured and has an ammo rack behind it
• Very weak side and rear armour
• Ammo rack everywhere but can be mitigated by carrying only 24 rounds
• Small ammo variety (APDS or HESH only) means that it struggles with modern composite armour
• APDS deals minimal, punctual damage
• Slowest of all MBTs

History

Concept

The idea of a "universal tank" began in Britain in 1944 when Montgomery and other influential people began advocating for a more standardized tank to replace the cruiser and infantry tank classes used on the field. Efforts did not start until after World War II under the General Staff designation A45, with development starting just as the new cruiser tank Centurion started to enter military service. The A45 was cancelled in 1948 after development troubles and its inability to be used as a "universal" platform. Ironically, the Centurion proved to be a better "universal tank" platform than the A45.

Development

The Centurion tank series was very successful in British and its allies' service, but the development of new Soviet armour such as the IS-3 and T-54/55 caused the British tank arms race to take another leap forward. Development on the Centurion's successor began in 1951 under the name Medium Gun Tank No. 2. The project's priority was gun and armour, but with mobility to be equal to the Centurion's and weight of fewer than 45 tons. The weight limit caused a program known as the Concept Study Programme to commence in order to find ways to keep the tank under that weight limit yet meet all the armour and firepower specifications. One of the concepts that came out was the usage of bagged charges, which was already in use on naval ships but was a new concept for tank ammunition. Thus, a gun using the bagged charge propellant system began development in 1954, along with a new specification by General Staff that the Medium Gun Tank No.2, now known as FV4201, uses a conventional four crew tank with a turret and a better gun and armour than the Centurion. Though the Conqueror heavy tank was one such response to the firepower requirement, limited production cut that to only 200 units built.

The biggest bump to the firepower of the FV4201 was the recommendation of a 120 mm calibre tank cannon. Though the Conqueror used a 120 mm, the new one would incorporate more innovative features such as the bagged charges. Other design features added was the usage of a Rolls-Royce V8 engine, an auxiliary engine, an automatic gearbox, and a reclining seat for the driver. The reclining seat was a very new feature in tank design as it reduced the vehicle's hull height and thus gave it a lower profile. Leyland Motors was assigned to be the main designer for the tank despite their commitment to the Centurion production lines. The manufacturing process of the tank was decided to be cast rather than welded. In 1957, several specifications added to the FV4201 impeded its attempt to fit in the specifications. A bigger turret was designed and it mounted IR equipment for night fighting. Troops requested more frontal and turret side armour, which along with the turret change caused an increase in the tank's overall weight. A controversial decision was also made in 1957 by NATO that tanks should have multi-fuel engines. The FV4201 installed a new engine conforming to these standards in 1958, a German engine derived from a Junkers Jumo aviation engine. This extended development time since the engine compartment had to be redesigned to fit the engine, raising the total tank weight to 50 tons. The engine, designated the L60, was received with a mixed reception by the Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) and other users due to its novel features. Britain stayed as the only user of a multi-fuel engine in the Cold War as many other nations found the concept impractical and abandoned it.

As the FV4201 finalized its prototype stages, General Staff sent a revised specification for it. The tank was to have the firepower of the Conqueror with the mobility of the Centurion, an armour that maximizes the protection-weight ratio, a weight limit at 45 ton with a top speed of 26 mph and an operating range of 300 miles. The first wooden prototype was made in March 1959, with full prototypes ordered in June 1959 for troop trials. Vickers-Armstrong and Royal Ordnance Factory shared the manufacturing process and the first prototypes were built in January 1960. The first two prototype FV4201 was trialled in Germany alongside their new Leopard 1. The greatest issue with the FV4201 was the engine, which caused many failures due to vibration, a result of the flawed multi-fuel concept. Trials were delayed due to lack of parts to fix broken pieces and redesigns were requested to fix problems. After a lengthy trial period in 1962, the FV4201, now named the Chieftain, was sent to the operational unit in Germany for service and combat trials. The Chieftain was finally accepted for service in 1st May 1963, despite the many faults in the design. The first deliveries of the improved and redesigned Chieftains began in mid-1965. These were the Chieftain Mk.1's, which further revealed problems with the horsepower that the Mk.2 was designed and sent in April 1966. The Chieftain Mk 3 rolled out of the production lines in September 1969, it now weighed 53 tons and the L60 engine was producing 650 hp, still underpowered for the weight. Engine failures were still frequent and left the Chieftain with a sour note until the Mk.5 variant fixed these pressing issues with a new engine and NBC protection. The Mk.5 would be the main variant of the Chieftain in British service. During its production life from 1965 to 1985, a total of 2,265 Chieftains would be built by Britain, with about 1,000 used by the British Army.

Service

The first British units to receive the Chieftains was the 1st and 5th Royal Tank Regiments back during the trials. The Chieftain, despite its initial engine flaws, proved to be combat-proof and could be upgraded to fit new requirements. Some of these upgrades were the addition of composite add-on armour to fight off new anti-tank technology such as the HEAT rounds. The Chieftain earned the title "most formidable tank in the world" during the 1960's Cold War period and also redefined the specifications of a "main battle tank". Its success is due to its novel main gun and heavily sloped armour, as well as satisfactory mobility and speeds able to compete with the Leopard 1. The Chieftain stayed in use by the British Army On the Rhine on the German border with the Warsaw Pact, which caused the Soviets to in turn station their best tanks such as their T-64's against the Chieftains. The British retained the Chieftains all the way until 1995 when it was replaced by the Challenger I.

The Chieftain was also successful in the export market, primarily in the Middle East to the hands of Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, and Oman. Another user of the Chieftain was Israel, with Britain initially agreeing to help set up production for locally produced Chieftains. Two Chieftains were sent for trials among the Israeli Defense Force in 1967. After two years of trials and deliberation for the acquirement of the Chieftains, Britain ultimately refused to offer the Israelis the Chieftain for political reasons. The Israeli trials benefit Britain with data on desert combat with the Chieftain, however, and the refusal did jump start Israel's tank program that would become the Merkava.

Despite that, sales to the Middle East soared, with Iran being the major buyer of the Chieftains with at least 887 of mostly the MK3 and MK5 variants sent to them before their revolution in 1979. The Chieftain saw prolonged combat in the Middle East in the Iran-Iraq War, including Operation Nasr which was the largest tank vs. tank battle of the war where the Iranian Chieftains and M60A1 Pattons fought against the Iraqi T-62s. After that war, the Chieftain in Kuwait then saw combat fighting the Iraqis during their invasion in 1990. Kuwait eventually replaced their Chieftains with the Yugoslavian M-84 tanks, which are a variant of the Soviet T-72s.

The Chieftain is still in service Iran, Jordan, and Oman in varying numbers, about 100 in Iran, 350 in Jordan, and 27 in Oman. The Chieftains underwent local upgrades to keep them up to date against a modern threat, which resulted in the Iran Mobarez Chieftain upgrade.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Chieftain Mk 5 from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

Chieftain Mk 5 Tank Review - NUSensei

Chieftain Mk 5 Tank Review - Napalmratte

Tank Chats #34: Chieftain - The Tank Museum

See also

Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

• Chieftain (Family)

Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

• T-62

External links

• [Wikipedia] Chieftain (tank)
• [Tanks Encyclopedia] FV4201 Chieftain
• [Military Factory] Chieftain MBT