Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger
The Tank, Cruiser, Challenger (A30) was a British tank of World War II. It mounted the QF 17-pounder anti-tank gun on a chassis derived from the Cromwell tank to add anti-tank firepower to the cruiser tank units. The design compromises made in fitting the large gun onto the Cromwell chassis resulted in a tank with a powerful weapon and reduced armour. However, the extemporised 17-pounder Sherman Firefly conversion of the US-supplied Sherman proved easier to produce and, with delays in production, only 200 Challengers were built. The Challenger was able to keep up with the fast Cromwell tank and was used with them.
| Tank, Cruiser, Challenger (A30) | |
|---|---|
Cruiser tank Challenger (A30) | |
| Type | Cruiser tank |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| Used by | United Kingdom Czechoslovak government-in-exile Polish Armed Forces in the West Czechoslovakia |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company |
| Produced | 1944–1945 |
| No. built | 200 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 31.5 long tons (32.0 t) |
| Length | 26 ft 4 in (8.03 m) |
| Width | 9 ft 6.5 in (2.91 m) |
| Height | 9 ft 1.25 in (2.77 m) |
| Crew | 5 (Commander, gunner, loader, co-loader, driver) |
| Armour | 20–102 mm (0.79–4.02 in) |
Main armament | Ordnance QF 17 pounder (76.2 mm) 42 rounds |
Secondary armament | 0.30 Browning machine gun |
| Engine | Rolls-Royce Meteor V-12 petrol engine 600 hp (450 kW) |
| Power/weight | 18.8 hp (14 kW) / tonne |
| Suspension | Christie suspension 6 road wheels |
Operational range | 105 mi (169 km) |
| Maximum speed | 32 mph (51 km/h) |
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