Difference between pages "P40" and "Chieftain Mk 10"

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{{Specs-Card|code=it_p_40}}
+
{{Specs-Card|code=uk_chieftain_mk_10}}
 
{{About
 
{{About
−
|about=Italian medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
+
| about = British medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
−
|other
+
| usage = other uses
−
|usage-1 = other uses
+
| link = Chieftain (Family)
−
|link-1 = P40 (Disambiguation)
 
−
|usage-2 = the premium version
 
−
|link-2 = P40 "G.C. Leoncello"
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
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[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
 
[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
 
{{Break}}
 
{{Break}}
−
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.85 "Supersonic"]].
+
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.71 "New E.R.A."]].
 +
 
 +
The Chieftain Mk 10 is the first vehicle available in the British main research tree with APFSDS available for research, significantly improving the vehicle's gun performance once unlocked.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
<!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' -->
−
'''Armour type:'''
+
The Chieftain Mk.10 sports identical hull armour to the earlier variants, however the turret is augmented with Stillbrew composite armour, providing near-complete frontal protection when in hull-down positioning, with the exceptions of the small area around the gun breech and a small section of visible turret ring. The Chieftain's Stillbrew package offers extremely effective protection against most kinetic rounds, with only rounds available on vehicles such as the T-80B and Type 90 able to penetrate it.
 +
 
 +
The vehicle's hull armour should be considered essentially non-existent relative to the weaponry it faces; in most cases a hull shot will result in penetration.
 +
 
 +
'''Armour types:'''
  
−
* Rolled homogeneous armour
+
* Stillbrew composite armour (turret front, turret ring)
−
* Structural steel
+
* Cast homogeneous armour (hull front, turret)
 +
* Rolled homogeneous armour (hull sides, hull rear, hull roof, turret roof)
 +
* Aluminium (side skirts)
  
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
|-
 
|-
−
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
+
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 +
|-
 +
| Hull || 70-127 mm (40-79°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 76.2 mm (40-45°) ''Lower glacis'' <br> 200* mm (0-45°) ''Turret ring'' || 88-220 (8-30°) + 13 mm ''Front Top'' <br> 50 mm (1-31°) ''Center Top'' <br> 37 mm (30°) + 13 mm ''Rear Top'' <br> 37 (10°) + 13 mm ''Bottom'' || 37 mm (1-7°) || 13-28 mm
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Hull || 50 mm (45°), 30 mm (78°), 45 mm (45°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 50 mm (38°) ''Lower glacis'' <br> 74 mm (45°) ''Driver's hatch'' || 45 mm (35°) ''Top'' <br> 40 mm ''Bottom'' || 40 mm ''Fighting compartment rear'' <br> 40 mm (10-40°) || 45 mm ''Front'' <br> 15 mm ''Rear''
+
| Turret || 125-250 + 80-150* mm (2-81°) Turret front 100-220 mm (1-53°) Gun mantlet || 45-196 mm (1-65°) || 45 mm (1°) || 50.8 mm ''Front'' <br> 25 mm ''Rear''
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Turret || 50 mm (20°) ''Turret front'' <br> 48 + 48 mm (1-78°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 45 mm (25-26°) || 45 mm ''Top'' <br> 23 + 50 + 45 mm ''Turret bustle'' || 20 mm
+
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
 +
|-
 +
| Cupola || 150 mm || 25 mm
 +
|-
 +
! Composite armour* !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 +
|-
 +
| Hull || '''Turret ring:'''<br> 200 mm ''Kinetic'' <br> 200 mm ''Chemical'' || N/A || N/A || N/A
 +
|-
 +
| Turret || '''Turret front:'''<br>450 mm ''Kinetic'' <br> 500 mm ''Chemical''<br> || N/A || N/A || N/A
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
 
'''Notes:'''
 
'''Notes:'''
  
−
* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick, bogies are 10 mm thick, and tracks are 20 mm thick.
+
* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
−
* 4 mm side skirts line up parts of the bottom side hull.
+
* Belly armour is 16 mm of RHA.
−
* Belly armour is 14 mm thick.
+
* Stillbrew armour at turret ring is pure 200 mm CHA.
−
 
+
* Stillbrew armour on turret front is composed of (80 to 150 mm CHA) + (60 mm rubber) + (150 to 250 mm CHA).
−
Its protection is enough for most medium-ranged engagements but is able to be easily penetrated by most guns at close range. The front plate is a 50 mm plate sloped at 45° allowing for 65-67 mm of total protection, and the drivers hatch on the left side is 76 mm also sloped at 45° allowing for nearly 100 mm of protection. Most shots to the upper glacis won't penetrate thanks to the radical sloping angle of the plate offering 95 mm of armour, but it is possible for it to deflect a shot into the UFP. The gun mantlet is very well protected, with two rounded plates, which each offer roughly 50 mm of protection, stacked on top of each other allowing for a total of 100 mm. Be wary that the turret is a very vulnerable spot due to the nearly flat plate that only has 50 mm of armour.
 
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
 
<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
  
−
{{tankMobility|abMinHp=511|rbMinHp=292}}
+
{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 1178|rbMinHp= 672}}
  
−
Mobility is below average for the rank but is faster than some common tanks like the early Sherman's and Chi-Nu. However, almost every other tank in the rank will easily outrun the {{PAGENAME}} (Such as the early T-34's, [[Cromwell (Family)|Cromwell's]], [[Pz.III M|Pz.III]] and the [[Pz.IV F2]]). The tank's offroad speed is quite good, able to reach 43 kmh / 27 mph on dirt and get to that speed quite quickly. The hull traverse is also very good and the tank is very responsive while in motion, allowing for a very mobile playstyle.
+
The {{PAGENAME}}'s mobility is extremely sub-par, particularly when considering the vehicles it will face regularly - such as the [[Leopard A1A1]] or the [[AMX-30 Super]]. While the vehicle is ''technically'' capable of a maximum of 48 km/h in RB/SB, the lacklustre power and the {{PAGENAME}}'s significant weight result in this speed being essentially unattainable except in on-road downhills.
 +
 
 +
As such, {{PAGENAME}} players should not rely on their mobility for anything; rather they should make their way to positions with good visibility and attempt to maintain ranged engagements only, relying on their turret armour.
  
 
== Armaments ==
 
== Armaments ==
 
=== Main armament ===
 
=== Main armament ===
 
<!-- ''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.'' -->
−
{{main|Ansaldo 75 L/34 (75 mm)}}
+
{{main|Ordnance BL Tk. L11 (120 mm)}}
  
−
The P40 is armed with a Ansaldo 75 L/34, able to carry a total of 63 shells. combining a decent reload with flexible munitions. The P40 has access to a 75 mm APHE round with 79 mm of penetration and a HEAT round with 100 mm of penetration. It is worth noting, either ammunition is usable, but a mix is preferable. Most enemies will easily fall prey to the APHE round, but T-34s, M4 Shermans, and KV-1s, are all enemies that require heavier hitting rounds, like the HEAT round. Note turret rotation is mediocre, and traversing the hull is necessary during close range engagements. The average round velocity will make longer-range combat difficult and the penetration drop off of the APHE round becomes quite noticeable.
+
The L11 120mm Rifled Cannon is reasonably competitive at the Chieftain's rank, although it does suffer from a somewhat mediocre reload time. The weapon is extremely accurate, particularly once utilising the L23 APFSDS round, and performs admirably in ranged engagements. The weapon's default APDS and HESH rounds can be used to good effect against most targets, given careful aim and target selection.
  
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 
|-
 
|-
−
! colspan="5" | [[Ansaldo 75 L/34 (75 mm)|75 mm Ansaldo 75 L/34]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
+
! colspan="5" | [[Ordnance BL Tk. L11 (120 mm)|120 mm Ordnance BL Tk. L11]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
 
|-
 
|-
 
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
 
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
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|-
 
|-
 
! ''Arcade''
 
! ''Arcade''
−
| rowspan="2" | 63 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+23° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 8.3 || 11.5 || 22.4 || 24.8 || 56.4 || rowspan="2" | 6.5 || rowspan="2" | 5.8 || rowspan="2" | 5.3 || rowspan="2" | 5.0
+
| rowspan="2" | 53 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 21.4 ||29.6||36.0||39.8||42.2|| rowspan="2" | 9.7 || rowspan="2" |8.6|| rowspan="2" |7.9|| rowspan="2" |7.5
 
|-
 
|-
 
! ''Realistic''
 
! ''Realistic''
−
| 8.3 || 9.8 || 11.9 || 13.2 || 14.0
+
| 13.4 ||15.8||19.1||21.1||22.5
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
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! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
 
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Granata Perforante 75/32 || APCBC || 75 || 72 || 66 || 59 || 53 || 48
+
| Shell L31A7 || HESH || 152 || 152 || 152 || 152 || 152 || 152
 
|-
 
|-
−
| EPS M42 || HEAT || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100
+
| Shot L15A3 || APDS || 320 || 315 || 305 || 294 || 280 || 270
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Granata 75/32 || HE || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9
+
| Shot L23 || APFSDS || 410 || 408 || 405 || 400 || 390 || 380
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
 
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
−
! colspan="10" | Shell details
+
! colspan="11" | Shell details
 
|-
 
|-
 
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
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! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity<br>(mm)
 
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity<br>(mm)
 
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass<br>(TNT equivalent) (g)
 
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass<br>(TNT equivalent) (g)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Normalisation at 30°<br>from horizontal
 
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
 
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
 
|-
 
|-
 
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
 
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Granata Perforante 75/32 || APCBC || 637 || 6.35 || 1.2 || 14.0 || 270 || 48° || 63° || 71°
+
| Shell L31A7 || HESH || 670 || 17.1 || 0.4 || 0.1 || 5,248 || +0.0° || 73° || 77° || 80°
 +
|-
 +
| Shot L15A3 || APDS || 1,370 || 7.6 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 75° || 78° || 80°
 +
|-
 +
| Shot L23 || APFSDS || 1,535 || 3.89 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 76° || 77° || 80°
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
 +
! colspan="7" | Smoke shell characteristics
 
|-
 
|-
−
| EPS M42 || HEAT || 552 || 5.30 || N/A || 0.1 || 656.6 || 62° || 69° || 73°
+
! Ammunition
 +
! Velocity<br>(m/s)
 +
! Projectile<br>Mass (kg)
 +
! Screen radius<br>(m)
 +
! Screen deploy time<br>(s)
 +
! Screen hold time<br>(s)
 +
! Explosive Mass<br>(TNT equivalent) (g)
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Granata 75/32 || HE || 552 || 6.35 || 0.4 || 0.1 || 600 || 79° || 80° || 81°
+
| L34 || 670 || 17.1 || 20 || 5 || 25 || 50
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
  
 
==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
 
==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
−
<!-- [[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]] -->
+
<!-- [[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]] -->
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
|-
 
|-
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! Visual<br>discrepancy
 
! Visual<br>discrepancy
 
|-
 
|-
−
| '''63''' || 58&nbsp;''(+5)'' || 53&nbsp;''(+10)'' || 48&nbsp;''(+15)'' || 43&nbsp;''(+20)'' || 22&nbsp;''(+41)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+62)'' || No
+
| '''53''' || __&nbsp;''(+__)'' || __&nbsp;''(+__)'' || __&nbsp;''(+__)'' || __&nbsp;''(+__)'' || __&nbsp;''(+__)'' || __&nbsp;''(+__)'' || __
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
  
−
Recommendations: Sponsons empty: 43 ''(+20)''
+
==== [[Optics]] ====
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} Optics
 +
|-
 +
!
 +
! Default magnification
 +
! Maximum magnification
 +
|-
 +
! Main Gun optics
 +
| X8.0 || X10.3
 +
|-
 +
! Comparable optics
 +
| colspan="2" | ___
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
 
=== Machine guns ===
 
=== Machine guns ===
 
<!-- ''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.'' -->
−
{{main|Breda Mod. 38 (8 mm)}}
+
{{main|L37A1 (7.62 mm)|L8A1 (7.62 mm)}}
 +
 
 +
The Chieftain's two machine guns are not powerful, but can be used as deterrent for close air support and may be used to destroy incoming ATGMs, with a bit of luck.
  
−
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
+
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="5" | [[L37A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm L37A1]]
 +
|-
 +
! Mount
 +
! Capacity<br>(Belt capacity)
 +
! Rate of fire<br>(shots/minute)
 +
! Vertical<br>guidance
 +
! Horizontal<br>guidance
 
|-
 
|-
−
! colspan="5" | [[Breda Mod. 38 (8 mm)|8 mm Breda Mod. 38]]
+
| Commander's cupola || 2,000 (100) || 650 || -10°/+50° || ±120°
 
|-
 
|-
−
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
+
|}
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Pintle || 288 (24) || 600 || -10°/+20° || ±180°
+
! colspan="5" | [[L8A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm L8A1]]
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Coaxial || 288 (24) || 600 || N/A || N/A
+
! Mount
 +
! Capacity<br>(Belt capacity)
 +
! Rate of fire<br>(shots/minute)
 +
! Vertical<br>guidance
 +
! Horizontal<br>guidance
 +
|-
 +
| Coaxial || 6,000 (200) || 600 || N/A || N/A
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
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== Usage in battles ==
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
 
<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
−
The P40 is a tank that excels in medium-ranged engagements thanks to its decent armour and adequate gun. Due to the relatively small size and good mobility, it can, however, be played as an ambush tank that can sneak around and plant a shot in the enemy's sides, allowing for an easy elimination because of the large explosive filler in the APCBC shell. Be wary that while the tank's armour may protect against many lower-rank cannons, cannons at equivalent BR (Namely the Pz.IV's long-barrelled cannon) are easily capable of destroying the tank.
+
The Chieftain Mk 10 plays similarly to the Mk 3/Mk 5 - ideally taking long-ranged engagements from hull-down positions, or when forced into shorter-ranged engagements avoiding exposing the vehicle as much as possible. Fortunately, the Stillbrew addition on the Mk.10 significantly reduces the risks of exposing the turret, with the composite capable of deflecting most kinetic rounds it will face - although the armour package is not invulnerable to chemical rounds; some powerful HEAT rounds and most late ATGMs will easily punch through it. Augmenting the vehicle's ability further is the (researchable) access to L23 APFSDS, which significantly improves the L11's long range efficacy. Despite these improvements, the Chieftain still suffers from mediocre mobility and care must be taken to ensure one does not get engaged while the vehicle is moving, as the ability to quickly move into cover is often not an option.
  
−
Players in the P40 should always be with teammates, as the P40 is easy prey when separated from its team. Stick with the heavier tanks such as the KV-1's, Churchill's and Matilda's, as they can soak up shots and draw attention away from the weak little P40, allowing the player to sneak around and hit a few tanks. If there are no heavy tanks, the P40's best bet is to support a Sherman or Pz.IV, as both of them can deal with enemies that the P40 can't.
+
'''Specific Adversaries'''
 +
 
 +
'''[[T-64B]]/[[T-80B]]:''' The Chieftain is susceptible to the T-64B and T-80B at close to medium ranges, where their highest-performance APFSDS rounds or their ATGMs are capable of punching through the Stillbrew armour. As such, when forced to engage either of these vehicles try to force mistakes by staying in cover, encouraging them to move within your firing line rather than attempting to brute-force your way through them.
 +
 
 +
'''[[Leopard 2K]]:''' The Leopard 2K is a dangerous adversary due to its speed and ability to move quickly and potentially flank the Chieftain Mk.10, as well as its 650mm HEAT round which the Stillbrew will not reliably protect against. The Leopard ''is'' however fairly easy to destroy due to its essentially non-existent armour - although don't underestimate the ability for the sharp angles to bounce rounds.
 +
 
 +
'''[[AMX-40]]:''' The AMX-40 is a threat to the Chieftain Mk.10 for similar reasons to the Leopard 2K; as with the Leopard, be wary of flanks and the power of the AMX-40's APFSDS.
  
 
=== Modules ===
 
=== Modules ===
Line 155: Line 224:
 
! colspan="2" | Mobility
 
! colspan="2" | Mobility
 
! Protection
 
! Protection
−
! colspan="2" | Firepower
+
! colspan="3" | Firepower
 
|-
 
|-
 
| I
 
| I
Line 162: Line 231:
 
| Parts
 
| Parts
 
| Horizontal Drive
 
| Horizontal Drive
−
| EPS M42
+
|
 +
|
 
|-
 
|-
 
| II
 
| II
Line 169: Line 239:
 
| FPE
 
| FPE
 
| Adjustment of Fire
 
| Adjustment of Fire
 +
| NVD
 
|
 
|
 
|-
 
|-
Line 176: Line 247:
 
| Crew Replenishment
 
| Crew Replenishment
 
| Elevation Mechanism
 
| Elevation Mechanism
 +
| Shot L23
 
| Smoke grenade
 
| Smoke grenade
 
|-
 
|-
Line 182: Line 254:
 
| Engine
 
| Engine
 
|
 
|
 +
| L34
 +
| Laser rangefinder
 
| Artillery Support
 
| Artillery Support
−
|
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
Line 189: Line 262:
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
 
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
−
[[File:CHARTWTTEMPLATE4.png|thumb|P40's medium tank abilities chart]]
 
  
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
  
−
* Decent frontal armour
+
* Stillbrew composite armour makes a hull-down Chieftain essentially impervious to all but the best kinetic rounds. It is also resistant to most rank VI chemical rounds and early generation ATGMs. Due to this, the tank is a nightmare to fight with outdated tanks for many nations, as not many tanks can even scratch its turret directly to begin with
−
* The gun possesses satisfactory performance at its rank
+
* The L23 APFSDS round is very powerful and will have little trouble penetrating most vehicles at the Chieftain's rank
−
* Has access to HEAT shells with 100 mm of penetration
+
* 10° of gun depression
−
* Stock shell has a lot of explosive filler, making one-shot very common
+
* Reasonably fast reload time for a 120mm with a base time of 9.5s and a best time of 7.5s
−
* Relatively small for a medium tank
+
* Reasonable reverse speed
−
* Very good in medium-ranged performance
+
* Receives a Laser Rangefinder as a Tier 4 modification, the first British vehicle this is available on
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
  
−
* Overall penetration is not that great
+
* Stillbrew composite armour does not provide particularly good chemical protection against upgraded rank VI ATGM, which means, that while it can often allow Chieftain Mk 10 to ignore ATGM attacks from tanks like [[Begleitpanzer 57]], [[KPz-70]] or [[M551]] and maybe even some attacks from unskilled [[IT-1]] operator, in up-tier or against specialized rank VI ATGM tanks and tanks, which can carry advanced ATGM ( like [[BMP-1]], [[BMP-1 (DDR)]], [[BMP-2]], [[Type 89]], [[Warrior]], Etc.), the tank commander must be much more cautious
−
* Pitifully low ammo count for each machine gun belt
+
* While turret is near invulnerable to shells with poor flight characteristics, it still retains a glaring weakspot in form of cupola, which can be penetrated and obliterated by almost any APHE, sometimes even from light tanks such as [[Begleitpanzer 57]], resulting in full crew knockout. Because of this, Chieftain Mk 10 is usually forced to keep their enemies away, even when going to the frontline
−
* Armour can still be penetrated by a few enemies of rank II, most notably by the long-barreled Panzer IVs
+
* Very poor mobility characteristics, much slower than most medium tanks it have to face
−
* Breda Mod. 38's have a very low magazine count
+
* Hull armour is negligible, comprised only of Cast Homogenous armour, which means that it is even weaker, than what it looks like
−
* Lower than the average speed
+
* Hull penetration will often result in ammunition detonation as ammo is strewn throughout it
−
* Mediocre turret traverse
 
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
 
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
 
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 +
===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 Mk 3|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.<ref name="DunstanChieftain">Dunstan Simon. ''Chieftain Main Battle Tank 1965-2003'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2003</ref>
 +
 +
===Development===
 +
The [[Centurion Mk 10|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 (1951)|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.<ref name="DunstanChieftain">Dunstan Simon. ''Chieftain Main Battle Tank 1965-2003'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2003</ref>
 +
 +
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.<ref name="DunstanChieftain">Dunstan Simon. ''Chieftain Main Battle Tank 1965-2003'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2003</ref>
 +
 +
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 I|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 [[Chieftain Mk 5|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.<ref name="DunstanChieftain">Dunstan Simon. ''Chieftain Main Battle Tank 1965-2003'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2003</ref>
  
−
The Carro Pesante P26/40 was Italy's best tank that saw service in the war. Despite only weighing 29 tonnes, which is significantly less than almost every other country's heavy tanks, it was classed as a heavy tank due to Italy's tank design doctrine. In early 1940, the Italians started working on a 25 tonne "heavy" infantry support tank that was intended to fight alongside the "M" class medium tanks. The recent Africa campaign showed the massive problems the Italian tanks in production had, namely a lack of armour and insufficient firepower, prompting the army to make some changes. Initially designated as "P75" due to the 75 mm short-barrelled 75/32 mm cannon that was changed to a longer barrelled 75/34 with higher potency. The initial prototype was powered by a 330 hp diesel engine but was changed to a traditional petrol-fueled engine due to the unimpressive performance of the diesel engine, which forced the Ansaldo engineers to delay the program until the necessary modifications to the chassis and body could be made to fit the petrol engine. This eventually produced a petrol engine titled "V-12 SPA 342" delivering 420 hp. The vehicle was adopted and was named "P26/40", 26 for the weight and 40 for the year it was designed.
+
===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-64A (1971)|T-64's]] against the Chieftains. The British retained the Chieftains all the way until 1997, when it was replaced by the Challenger II, initially being used in addition to 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 (AOS)|M60A1 Pattons]] fought against the Iraqi [[T-62]]s. 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.
 +
 
 +
===Legacy===
 +
The Chieftain helped revolutionize tank design with its innovative features. The most important was the reclining driver seat, which allowed the tank to have a lower profile as the driver was now that highest part of the hull in tank design. It also had the most powerful NATO tank armament in service until the advent of the German Rheinmetall 120 mm, which came about two decades later. Chieftain can be considered the definitive main battle tank of the 1960s and help transition the path between second-generation main battle tanks and the third.
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
 
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''
 
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''
 +
 +
==References==
 +
<references />
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
 
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 +
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
−
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
+
<!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
 
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
−
* ''other literature.''
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* ''other literature.'' -->
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* [[wt:en/news/4946-development-chieftain-mk-10-dressing-up-for-war-en|[Devblog] Chieftain Mk.10: Dressing Up for War]]
  
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{{Italy medium tanks}}
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{{Britain medium tanks}}

Revision as of 19:52, 5 August 2020

Rank VI | Premium | Golden Eagles
Challenger DS Pack
Chieftain Mk 10
uk_chieftain_mk_10.png
Chieftain Mk 10
Britain flag.png Britain
VI Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
9.0 9.0 9.0
Class:
Research:190 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:520 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game
This page is about the British medium tank Chieftain Mk 10. For other uses, see Chieftain (Family).

Description

GarageImage Chieftain Mk 10.jpg


The Chieftain Mk 10 is a rank VI British medium tank with a battle rating of 9.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.71 "New E.R.A.".

The Chieftain Mk 10 is the first vehicle available in the British main research tree with APFSDS available for research, significantly improving the vehicle's gun performance once unlocked.

General info

Survivability and armour

The Chieftain Mk.10 sports identical hull armour to the earlier variants, however the turret is augmented with Stillbrew composite armour, providing near-complete frontal protection when in hull-down positioning, with the exceptions of the small area around the gun breech and a small section of visible turret ring. The Chieftain's Stillbrew package offers extremely effective protection against most kinetic rounds, with only rounds available on vehicles such as the T-80B and Type 90 able to penetrate it.

The vehicle's hull armour should be considered essentially non-existent relative to the weaponry it faces; in most cases a hull shot will result in penetration.

Armour types:

  • Stillbrew composite armour (turret front, turret ring)
  • Cast homogeneous armour (hull front, turret)
  • Rolled homogeneous armour (hull sides, hull rear, hull roof, turret roof)
  • Aluminium (side skirts)
Armour Front Sides Rear Roof
Hull 70-127 mm (40-79°) Front glacis
76.2 mm (40-45°) Lower glacis
200* mm (0-45°) Turret ring 		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 + 80-150* 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
Armour Sides Roof
Cupola 150 mm 25 mm
Composite armour* Front Sides Rear Roof
Hull Turret ring:
200 mm Kinetic
200 mm Chemical 		N/A N/A N/A
Turret Turret front:
450 mm Kinetic
500 mm Chemical
 N/A N/A N/A

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
  • Belly armour is 16 mm of RHA.
  • Stillbrew armour at turret ring is pure 200 mm CHA.
  • Stillbrew armour on turret front is composed of (80 to 150 mm CHA) + (60 mm rubber) + (150 to 250 mm CHA).

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 57.2 1178 1,450 20.59 25.35
Realistic 49 12 672 760 11.75 13.29

The Chieftain Mk 10's mobility is extremely sub-par, particularly when considering the vehicles it will face regularly - such as the Leopard A1A1 or the AMX-30 Super. While the vehicle is technically capable of a maximum of 48 km/h in RB/SB, the lacklustre power and the Chieftain Mk 10's significant weight result in this speed being essentially unattainable except in on-road downhills.

As such, Chieftain Mk 10 players should not rely on their mobility for anything; rather they should make their way to positions with good visibility and attempt to maintain ranged engagements only, relying on their turret armour.

Armaments

Main armament

Main article: Ordnance BL Tk. L11 (120 mm)

The L11 120mm Rifled Cannon is reasonably competitive at the Chieftain's rank, although it does suffer from a somewhat mediocre reload time. The weapon is extremely accurate, particularly once utilising the L23 APFSDS round, and performs admirably in ranged engagements. The weapon's default APDS and HESH rounds can be used to good effect against most targets, given careful aim and target selection.

120 mm Ordnance BL Tk. 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 21.4 29.6 36.0 39.8 42.2 9.7 8.6 7.9 7.5
Realistic 13.4 15.8 19.1 21.1 22.5

Ammunition

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
Shell L31A7 HESH 152 152 152 152 152 152
Shot L15A3 APDS 320 315 305 294 280 270
Shot L23 APFSDS 410 408 405 400 390 380
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Velocity
(m/s) 		Projectile
Mass (kg) 		Fuse delay
(m) 		Fuse sensitivity
(mm) 		Explosive Mass
(TNT equivalent) (g) 		Normalisation at 30°
from horizontal 		Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
Shell L31A7 HESH 670 17.1 0.4 0.1 5,248 +0.0° 73° 77° 80°
Shot L15A3 APDS 1,370 7.6 N/A N/A N/A +1.5° 75° 78° 80°
Shot L23 APFSDS 1,535 3.89 N/A N/A N/A +1.5° 76° 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 		Visual
discrepancy
53 __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __

Optics

Chieftain Mk 10 Optics
Default magnification Maximum magnification
Main Gun optics X8.0 X10.3
Comparable optics ___

Machine guns

Main articles: L37A1 (7.62 mm), L8A1 (7.62 mm)

The Chieftain's two machine guns are not powerful, but can be used as deterrent for close air support and may be used to destroy incoming ATGMs, with a bit of luck.

7.62 mm L37A1
Mount Capacity
(Belt capacity) 		Rate of fire
(shots/minute) 		Vertical
guidance 		Horizontal
guidance
Commander's cupola 2,000 (100) 650 -10°/+50° ±120°
7.62 mm L8A1
Mount Capacity
(Belt capacity) 		Rate of fire
(shots/minute) 		Vertical
guidance 		Horizontal
guidance
Coaxial 6,000 (200) 600 N/A N/A

Usage in battles

The Chieftain Mk 10 plays similarly to the Mk 3/Mk 5 - ideally taking long-ranged engagements from hull-down positions, or when forced into shorter-ranged engagements avoiding exposing the vehicle as much as possible. Fortunately, the Stillbrew addition on the Mk.10 significantly reduces the risks of exposing the turret, with the composite capable of deflecting most kinetic rounds it will face - although the armour package is not invulnerable to chemical rounds; some powerful HEAT rounds and most late ATGMs will easily punch through it. Augmenting the vehicle's ability further is the (researchable) access to L23 APFSDS, which significantly improves the L11's long range efficacy. Despite these improvements, the Chieftain still suffers from mediocre mobility and care must be taken to ensure one does not get engaged while the vehicle is moving, as the ability to quickly move into cover is often not an option.

Specific Adversaries

T-64B/T-80B: The Chieftain is susceptible to the T-64B and T-80B at close to medium ranges, where their highest-performance APFSDS rounds or their ATGMs are capable of punching through the Stillbrew armour. As such, when forced to engage either of these vehicles try to force mistakes by staying in cover, encouraging them to move within your firing line rather than attempting to brute-force your way through them.

Leopard 2K: The Leopard 2K is a dangerous adversary due to its speed and ability to move quickly and potentially flank the Chieftain Mk.10, as well as its 650mm HEAT round which the Stillbrew will not reliably protect against. The Leopard is however fairly easy to destroy due to its essentially non-existent armour - although don't underestimate the ability for the sharp angles to bounce rounds.

AMX-40: The AMX-40 is a threat to the Chieftain Mk.10 for similar reasons to the Leopard 2K; as with the Leopard, be wary of flanks and the power of the AMX-40's APFSDS.

Modules

Tier Mobility Protection Firepower
I Tracks Parts Horizontal Drive
II Suspension Brake System FPE Adjustment of Fire NVD
III Filters Crew Replenishment Elevation Mechanism Shot L23 Smoke grenade
IV Transmission Engine L34 Laser rangefinder Artillery Support

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Stillbrew composite armour makes a hull-down Chieftain essentially impervious to all but the best kinetic rounds. It is also resistant to most rank VI chemical rounds and early generation ATGMs. Due to this, the tank is a nightmare to fight with outdated tanks for many nations, as not many tanks can even scratch its turret directly to begin with
  • The L23 APFSDS round is very powerful and will have little trouble penetrating most vehicles at the Chieftain's rank
  • 10° of gun depression
  • Reasonably fast reload time for a 120mm with a base time of 9.5s and a best time of 7.5s
  • Reasonable reverse speed
  • Receives a Laser Rangefinder as a Tier 4 modification, the first British vehicle this is available on

Cons:

  • Stillbrew composite armour does not provide particularly good chemical protection against upgraded rank VI ATGM, which means, that while it can often allow Chieftain Mk 10 to ignore ATGM attacks from tanks like Begleitpanzer 57, KPz-70 or M551 and maybe even some attacks from unskilled IT-1 operator, in up-tier or against specialized rank VI ATGM tanks and tanks, which can carry advanced ATGM ( like BMP-1, BMP-1 (DDR), BMP-2, Type 89, Warrior, Etc.), the tank commander must be much more cautious
  • While turret is near invulnerable to shells with poor flight characteristics, it still retains a glaring weakspot in form of cupola, which can be penetrated and obliterated by almost any APHE, sometimes even from light tanks such as Begleitpanzer 57, resulting in full crew knockout. Because of this, Chieftain Mk 10 is usually forced to keep their enemies away, even when going to the frontline
  • Very poor mobility characteristics, much slower than most medium tanks it have to face
  • Hull armour is negligible, comprised only of Cast Homogenous armour, which means that it is even weaker, than what it looks like
  • Hull penetration will often result in ammunition detonation as ammo is strewn throughout it

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.[1]

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.[1]

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.[1]

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.[1]

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 1997, when it was replaced by the Challenger II, initially being used in addition to 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.

Legacy

The Chieftain helped revolutionize tank design with its innovative features. The most important was the reclining driver seat, which allowed the tank to have a lower profile as the driver was now that highest part of the hull in tank design. It also had the most powerful NATO tank armament in service until the advent of the German Rheinmetall 120 mm, which came about two decades later. Chieftain can be considered the definitive main battle tank of the 1960s and help transition the path between second-generation main battle tanks and the third.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Dunstan Simon. Chieftain Main Battle Tank 1965-2003 Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2003

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

  • reference to the series of the vehicles;
  • links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links


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"

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