The Chieftain’s Transformation

From the earliest days of armored warfare, British tank designers earned a reputation for thinking differently. The Chieftain MBT was no exception: it diverged so sharply from its European contemporaries that at home and abroad it was regarded not merely as original, but decidedly controversial. Its 120-mm gun had the headroom to remain relevant for decades. Its powerpack and several other systems, however, drew justified criticism from the start. Bit by bit, the makers worked through the Chieftain’s many issues and, along the way, created what was essentially a new tank on the same foundations — testing ideas that ranged from modest and practical to sweeping and ambitious.