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FEATURE: WALKAROUND
Centurion target tank
CMOT
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Posted: Sunday, February 27, 2011 - 07:31 AM UTC
Darren Baker shares with us a walk around of a Centurion target tank which was used to test fire missiles at (hence the dents) while it travelled at top speed across the ranges. This example is on display at Bovington Tank Museum.

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Thanks!
AlanL
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Posted: Monday, February 28, 2011 - 08:26 AM UTC
Obviously looking for a volunteer driver

Al
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Posted: Monday, February 28, 2011 - 03:50 PM UTC
Darren, would you happen to know what metal/alloy the panels were made from?
CMOT
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Posted: Monday, February 28, 2011 - 07:47 PM UTC
I would suspect plate steel.
barkingdigger
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Posted: Monday, February 28, 2011 - 11:06 PM UTC
Judging by the hatch protection this thing was driven from right to left across the range for target practice. What happened if the real enemy chose to advance from left to right instead?...



Tom
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Posted: Friday, March 04, 2011 - 09:43 AM UTC
When i first saw this vehicle i was impressed enough to convert Tamiya`s old Cent kit to add this version to my Cent collection
AKirchhoff
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Posted: Friday, March 04, 2011 - 10:19 AM UTC
Hi!
I may add here that I saw two of these about 30 years ago placed in a camp next to Sennerlager Training Centre (STC) at Paderborn. It must have been during their service life. It was a camp with a direct exit to STC, A.Brooks Bks if I remember right. This camp usually housed Infantery- or Tank units. They were placed about 150m from the fence, and the two pictures I took were quite low quality for reason of the distance. My understanding was that this was a moving tarket tank for infantery weapons? Ok, not just a dream location to be when being fired on with life ammunition.

Andreas

CMOT
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Posted: Friday, March 04, 2011 - 11:20 AM UTC
Yes Andreas as I understand it it was a target for infantry weapons while on the move.
ossie262
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Posted: Saturday, March 05, 2011 - 03:20 AM UTC
hi gents
yep i drove the one that was at warminster once . real scary as they fired carl Gustav at it and other stuff , some was sub caliber .
but it was a dream to drive. ossie
Dutchy3RTR
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Posted: Saturday, March 05, 2011 - 04:49 AM UTC
One or two of our guys were detailed as STC target tank drivers while we were at Paderborn in the 80's. Not a job I envied them.
CMOT
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Posted: Saturday, March 05, 2011 - 05:12 AM UTC
Ken I bet it made them cool under fire after that assignment.
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