Centurion Mk. 7/1
Centurion Mk. 7/1
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[Client Values; Actual values in
3,515,000  Cost |
| 1620424 HP Hit Points |
| 51.46/51.524.47/54 t Weight Limit |
- Commander
- Gunner
- Driver
- Loader (Radio Operator)
| 650950 hp Engine Power |
| 50/20 km/h Speed Limit |
| 3032 deg/s Traverse |
| 12.6338.82 hp/t Power/Wt Ratio |
| YesYes Pivot |
| // mm Hull Armor |
| 254/88.9/88.9254/88.9/88.9 mm Turret Armor |
AP/APCR/HE
APCR/HE/HE Shells |
680/4400/170
1200/5200/950 Shell Cost |
| 230/230/280390/480/480 HP Damage |
| 226/258/42268/210/105 mm Penetration |
|
10 r/m ▲
5.36 r/m Standard Gun ▲ Rate of Fire Standard Gun |
|
2300 ▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun
▲
2090.4 Standard Gun ▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun ▲ Damage Per Minute Standard Gun |
|
0.33 m ▲
0.32 m With 50% Crew: 0.409 m ▲ Accuracy With 50% Crew: 0.396 m |
| 2.3 s 2.3 s Aim time |
| 3636 deg/s Turret Traverse |
| 360° Gun Arc |
| -10°/+18°-10°/+18° Elevation Arc |
| 7272 rounds Ammo Capacity |
| 2020 % Chance of Fire |
| 400 m 410 m View Range |
| 550 m 750 m Signal Range |
Additional Statistics
(Top Configuration)
Camouflage
- Stationary: 11.7%
- When Moving: 8.9%
- When Firing: 2.6%
Terrain Resistance
- On Hard Ground: 0.96
- On Medium Ground: 1.06
- On Soft Ground: 1.82
Dispersion Change Values
- Turret Contribution
- Rotation: 0.17
- Shot Recoil: 3.84
- Suspension Contribution
- Acceleration: 0.17
- Turning: 0.17
With 100% Crew
IX
3515000
The Centurion Mk. 7/1 is a British tier 9 medium tank.
This upgraded version of the Centurion was developed by Leyland Motors and featured an expanded hull, improved cabin design, larger fuel tanks, and enhanced armor.
The Centurion Mk. 7/1 was the ancestor of the MBTs (main battle tanks). It takes the features of the Mk. I, adopts them and improves upon them greatly. While its propensity for module and crew damage seems to remain, the new Centurion has somewhat tougher armor both on the hull and turret, which combines with the good gun depression and quick acceleration to make it an even fiercer hill-climber. But probably most significant is the fact that it is able to mount the Tier X 105mm caliber L7A1 cannon with access to unique HESH ammunition; the Mk. 7/1 possesses a significant edge in terms of alpha damage and penetration. Thanks to its gun, this tank is able to provide top-tier fire support, and should have no problem contributing to a team above its own tier if it hangs back slightly.
The Centurion Mk. 7/1 leads to the Centurion Action X.
Modules / Available Equipment and Consumables
Modules
Guns
| Tier | Gun | Penetration (mm) |
Damage (HP) |
Rate of fire (rounds/minute) |
Dispersion (m/100m) |
Aiming time (s) |
Weight (kg) |
Price (  )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIII | OQF 20-pdr Gun Type A Barrel | 226/258/42 | 230/230/280 | 10 | 0.33 | 2.3 | 1242 | 120000 | |
| IX | OQF 20-pdr Gun Type B Barrel | 226/258/42 | 230/230/280 | 10.53 | 0.32 | 1.9 | 1282 | 180000 | |
| X | 105 mm Royal Ordnance L7A1 | 268/210/105 | 390/480/480 | 5.36 | 0.32 | 2.3 | 1282 | 290000 |
Engines
| Tier | Engine | Engine Power (hp) |
Chance of Fire on Impact (%) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | Rolls-Royce Meteor Mk. IVB | 650 | 20 | 744 | 16000 | |
| IX | Rolls-Royce Meteor Mk. IVC | 750 | 20 | 744 | 84000 | |
| X | Rolls-Royce Griffon | 950 | 20 | 952 | 100000 |
Suspensions
| Tier | Suspension | Load Limit (т) |
Traverse Speed (gr/sec) |
Rmin | Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIII | Centurion Mk. 7 | 51.5 | 30 | 0 | 11000 | 31500 | |
| IX | Centurion Mk. 9 | 54 | 32 | 0 | 11000 | 63000 |
Radios
| Tier | Radio | Signal Range (m) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIII | WS No. 22 | 700 | 40 | 25000 | |
| VIII | WS No. 19 Mk. III | 550 | 40 | 22000 | |
| X | SR C42 | 750 | 40 | 54000 |
Compatible Equipment
Compatible Consumables
Player Opinion
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Excellent damage, penetration, shell velocity and accuracy with the top L7A1 gun
- Both 20pdr guns enjoy very good DPM
- High penetration with both HESH and HE ammunition (L7A1 gun)
- Good turret armor and great gun depression, ideal for hulldown positions
- Excellent base viewrange
Cons:
- All guns have very poor gun handling for a medium tank
- Premium HESH trade penetration for damage compared to standard ammo (L7A1 gun)
- Poorly armored hull
- Large size and poor camouflage, can be difficult to hide
- Vulnerable to module/crew critical hits
Performance
The key to playing this tank is taking all the lessons learned from the Comet and the Centurion Mk. I and applying them to an even further extent. Using your gun depression is a great way to hide the bulky hull while still providing view range and fire power to the team. Your gun is sure to be the quickest and might even be the most hard-hitting on your entire team, and you have the ability to take cover very well, so make use of this. Unlike the Cromwell and Comet, you should not even consider acting as a scout, since your cannon is much too valuable to be lost in an early skirmish. Instead, follow the main line and set up deadly long-range fire support, using cover at every opportunity. Your gun's brilliant aim time and high muzzle velocity also make you a very effective scout-killer. For later-game encounters, one should consider utilizing the HESH rounds which will decimate soft-skinned targets and hurt those bigger, badder ones seriouly if hit in softer parts.
For players who prefer DPM over alpha damage, the 20-pounder Type B is a viable alternative to the 105 mm gun. It has nearly twice the rate of fire and the penetration of the standard ammunition, while not nearly as good as for the 105 mm, is still better than e.g. on the M46 Patton, while the penetration on the premium rounds is nearly as good as that on other tier 9 medium tanks.
Early Research
The stock suspension is very weak and does not allow for a full set of equipment, even with only stock modules mounted. If you are willing to spend the 10 gp demounting penalty it is worthwhile to mount Enhanced coil springs until you have unlocked the upgraded suspension. Both 20-pounder guns are still effective at Tier 9 and will make the grind relatively painless.
- Suspension
- B-barrel cannon
- Upgraded turret
- L7A1 cannon
- Engine
- Radio
Suggested Equipment
External Reviews and Opinions
Gallery
Historical Info
Development history
The department responded by extending the long-travel five-wheel suspension used on the Comet with the addition of a sixth wheel and an extended spacing between the second and third wheels. The Christie suspension, with vertical spring coils between side armour plates, was replaced by a Horstmann suspension with external horizontal springs. The hull was redesigned with welded, sloped armour and featured a partially cast turret with the highly regarded 17 pounder as the main gun and a 20 mm Polsten cannon in an independent mounting to its left. With a Rover-built Rolls-Royce Meteor as used on the Comet and Cromwell, the new design would have excellent performance.
Shortly after the programme commenced, it became clear that the requirement to withstand 88 mm weapons would be impossible to meet within the permitted weight. The original specification had been set so that the A41 could be carried on the existing Mark I and Mark II transport trailers, which were limited to a 40-ton load. The War Ministry decided it would be wiser to build new trailers, rather than hamper what appeared to be a superb design. Even before prototypes of the original 40-ton design were completed, the design of a heavier version was well under way. The new version carried armour equal to the heaviest infantry tanks, and cross-country performance was superior to even the early cruiser tanks. The A41 was the first British tank that could "do it all", leading to the new designation "universal tank". The design mockup built by AEC Ltd was viewed in May 1944. Subsequently twenty pilot models were ordered with various armament combinations: ten with 17 pdr and 20mm Polsten gun of which half had a Besa machine gun in the turret rear and half an escape door, five with 17pdr and forward Besa and escape door, and five with QF 77mm gun and driver-operated hull machine gun. Prototypes of the original 40-ton design, the Centurion Mark I, had 76 mm of armour in the front glacis, which was thinner than the then current infantry tank designs such as the Churchill which had 101 mm, but the glacis plate was highly sloped and so the effective thickness of the armour was very high—a design feature shared by other effective designs such as the German Panther tank and Soviet T-34. The turret was extremely well armoured at 152 mm. The tank was also highly mobile, and easily outperformed the Comet in most tests. The uparmoured Centurion Mark II soon arrived; it had a new 118 mm-thick glacis and the side and rear armourhad been increased from 38 mm to 51 mm. Only a handful of Mk I Centurions had been produced when the Mk II replaced it on the production lines. Full production began in November 1945 with an order for 800 on production lines at Leyland Motors, Lancashire the Royal Ordnance Factories at Leeds and Woolwich, and Vickers at Elswick. The tank entered service in December 1946 with the 5th Royal Tank Regiment.
Soon after the Centurion's introduction, Royal Ordnance finished work on the Ordnance QF 20 pounder (84 mm) tank gun. By this point the usefulness of the 20 mm Polsten had been called into question, it being unnecessarily large for use against troops, so it was replaced with a Besa machine gun in a completely cast turret. The new Centurion Mark III also featured a fully automatic stabilisation system for the gun, allowing it to fire accurately while on the move, dramatically improving battlefield performance. Production of the Mk 3 began in 1948. The Mk 3 was so much more powerful than the Mk 1 and Mk 2 that the earlier designs were removed from service as soon as new Mk 3s arrived, and the older tanks were then either converted into the Centurion Armoured Recovery Vehicle (ARV) Mark 1 for use by the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers or upgraded to Mk 3 standards. Improvements introduced with the Mk 3 included a more powerful version of the engine and a new gunsight and gun stabiliser. The 20 pounder gun was used only for a short time, until the Royal Ordnance Factories introduced the now legendary 105 mm L7 gun. All later variants of the Centurion, from Mark 5/2 on, used the L7. Design work for the Mk 7 was completed in 1953 with production beginning soon afterwards.
The Centurion was used as the basis for a range of specialist equipment, including combat engineering variants with a 165 mm demolition gun Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE). It is one of the longest-serving designs of all time, serving as a battle tank for the British and Australian armies from the Korean War (1950–1953) to the Vietnam War (1961–1972), and as an AVRE during the Gulf War in January–February 1991.
Historical Gallery
Historical Accuracy Errata
The Centurion Mk. 7/1 is essentially an uparmoured Centurion Mk 7 with the original 650 hp engine. The other engine configurations are fake. More powerful engine configurations were only done by foreign users of the Centurion like South Africa and Israel, but these were diesel and not gasoline.
- The Centurion Mk. 7/1 was equipped with the 20 pdr, while the 7/2 had the 105mm L7, but the 7/2 did not feature the armour upgrades of the 7/1. These two packages were later combined as the Mk. 9, which is what the vehicle in its top configuration represents.
