Chieftain 2000 Demonstrator: The Last Chieftain

[ForeverAloneRage 130]

Chieftain 2000 Demonstrator at Witham Specialist Vehicles Ltd in December 2009

The Chieftain 2000 Demonstrator is part of a very much forgotten upgrade for the Chieftain Main Battle Tank which has very little information regarding it both online and in books, this suggestion is on the Demonstrator, not the final product as it was only tank that was (albeit partially) upgraded   

Chieftain 2000 Demonstrator at Lulworth firing ranges in 1993

History:

The story of the Chieftain 2000 project goes back to the 80's with Chieftain 800, which was a private venture by royal ordnance to sell a Chieftain upgrade on the export market, it included a new Rolls-Royce/Perkins CV-12 Condor 800hp engine (Used on Challenger 1 and Challenger 2 but at 1200 hp) and automatic gearbox, it was displayed at the British army equipment exhibition (BAEE) in 1980 but had no success 
 

Then in late 1981 another project was started this time called Chieftain 900, which had the same engine but uprated to 900hp, a new fire control system of the customers choosing, thin metal cladding over the hull and turret intended to house Chobham armour which was never installed, and other improvements, Chieftain 800 was also given the cladding to look like Chieftain 900 and both were sent to BAEE in 1982 but once again attracted no customers and the project was abandoned by 1986
 

At some point Chieftain 800 and 900 were allocated to SEME Bordon Technical Training Area in an attempt to reduce the number of Challenger 1s diverted for training, and in 1988 Chieftain 800 was donated to the Bovington tank museum where it still resides today

Chieftain 900 with Marconi Centaur fire control system installed during trials at Bovington, January 1991

On the other hand Chieftain 900 (still with no Chobham installed) was sent to GEC-Marconi Radar and Defence Systems in late 1990-early 1991 who modified it to be used as a testbed for the Marconi Centaur fire control system (used on the Vickers MBT Mk 7, Engesa's Osório, VFM 5 and partly in Challenger 2)

In addition they added the Marconi GCE 628 all-electric gun control and stabilisation equipment which increased the traverse and elevation speed, an unnamed SFIM stabilised sight for the gunner (possibly the VS 580 VICAS), SFIM VS 580 stabilised panoramic sight for the commander which included a laser rangefinder and a SFIM VS 580-30 Casimir stabilised thermal sight on the loaders side that injected the thermal view into both gunner and commander sights, also installed was a Hughes Leitz automatic muzzle reference system, after the conversion was done it was sent to Bovington to undergo firing trials in January and then shown to UK and foreign military personnel in the spring

At some point Chieftain 900 had its turret swapped for that of a Challengers 1s and was then sent to the Lulworth firing ranges to be used as a hard target where it was presumably destroyed


Chieftain 900 with Challenger 1 turret at Lulworth where it was used as a target
 

In the 1990's Pakistan was looking for modern tanks to replace their old T-54's/Type59/69's while they wait for their new Al Khalid to finish development, as a previous deal for Polish T-72M1s stagnated Britain saw an opportunity to sell surplus Chieftain tanks that were leaving service after decades of use, and so in 1993 a British consortium consisting of GEC-Marconi, Royal Ordnance, Vickers, and Perkins Engines offered Pakistan up to 300 second-hand Chieftain Mk 10 and 11s
 

To have any hope of Pakistan buying Chieftains that were woefully obsolete by then, the consortium decided to upgrade them to a standard they called Chieftain 2000 which kept the stillbrew armour and used the Marconi Centaur fire control system, either a new thermal camera in place of the old Thermal Observation Gunnery Sight of the Mk 11 which would be shared between the gunner and commander or independent thermal channels integrated into both sights, a panoramic stabilised sight for the commander, uprated gearbox and the same 800 hp CV-12 Condor engine as installed in Chieftain 800
 

Additional options included improved hull armour, suspension reinforced with Air-Log hydro struts, a panoramic gunners sight, more advanced ammunition or replacing the existing gun with the L30A1 which is used in Challenger 2, although without the option to produce its depleted uranium ammo

At some point in 1993 (presumably before the offer) to show off some of the upgrades, a single Chieftain with the Equipment Registration Mark of 03 EB 35, which started life in 01/05/1967 as a Chieftain Mk 2 and served with the Royal Armoured Corps centre at Bovington, Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, 5th Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, 15/19th Kings Own Hussars and 1st Royal Tank Regiment and at some point was modified to Mk 11 standard, had Chieftain 900s turret with the panoramic thermal sight removed, mounted to be used as a demonstrator as it already had the Marconi Centaur fire control system fitted, also installed were the improved engine and gearbox, once completed the tank was sent to the Lulworth firing ranges for trials




Interior views of the modified Chieftain 900 or Chieftain 2000 Demonstrator showing the Marconi Centaur fire control system




Chieftain 2000 Demonstrator at Lulworth firing ranges in 1993

After the conversion and trials were finished it was shown off at the Royal Navy & British Army Equipment Exhibition on 5-10th September 1993 located at Aldershot 


Chieftain 2000 Demonstrator at the Royal Navy & British Army Equipment Exhibition 1993

However the deal seems to have fallen through by 1994-95 and the trail goes cold until around 2009 when Witham Specialist Vehicles Ltd acquires the Chieftain 2000 Demonstrator and is subsequently put up for auction where it is sold

On the 3rd of November 2011 the tank was spotted inside a yard owned at the time by Renocon Ltd, a concrete contractor in East London alongside several other tanks and AFVs, one being a rusty T-34 85, from this it seems the Chieftain 2000 Demonstrator is now in a private collection somewhere, maybe still in the UK or perhaps in America or the Middle east

Chieftain 2000 Demonstrator at Witham Specialist Vehicles Ltd in November 2009





Chieftain 2000 Demonstrator in the yard of Renocon Ltd in November 2011


Close-ups of the Chieftain 2000 Demonstrator at Witham's, courtesy of Rob Griffin (Warning, a LOT of images)

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Vehicle specifications:
 

Main armament: Ordnance BL Tk. L11 120mm (Unknown how many rounds)

Secondary armament: 7.62 mm L8A1 machine gun

Fire control system: Marconi Centaur

Protection: Standard Chieftain Mk 10/11 chassis with Stillbrew on the hull roof in front of the turret ring, regular Chieftain turret with thin steel cladding on the front and sides to house Chobham armour that was never fitted, would act as spaced armour in game

Weight: Unknown

Engine: Perkins CV-12 Condor at 800hp

Transmission: David Brown TN12 (6 forward and 2 reverse gears)

Power to weight ratio: Unknown

Top speed: Unknown

Suspension: Horstmann

Gunners sight: Unnamed SFIM stabilised sight, possibly the VS 580 VICAS

Commanders sight: SFIM VS 580

In game the Chieftain 2000 Demonstrator would essentially just be a Chieftain Mk 10 with the stillbrew on the hull roof but not on the turret and instead having spaced armour as the new turret taken from Chieftain 900 has a thin metal shell originally intended to house Chobham armour although it never did, no smoke grenades, faster gun elevation and turret traverse, a stabilized commanders sight and more powerful engine, despite a downgrade armour-wise it somewhat makes up for it in the gun laying and mobility department



Sources:

Chieftain Main Battle Tank Owners' Workshop Manual

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Chieftain by Rob Griffin
 

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Jane's International Defense Review November 1993
 

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Jane's Defence Weekly 18th December 1993
 

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Jane's Defence Weekly 13th March 1993
 

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Jane's Defence Weekly 1st May 1993
 

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Jane's Armour and Artillery 1991-92
 

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Jane's Armour and Artillery Upgrades 1995-96
 

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British Defence Equipment Catalogue 1993-1994
 

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https://archive.org/details/JanesArmouredFightingVehicleRetrofitSystems199394/page/n429/mode/2up?view=theater&q=centaur

https://archive.org/details/JanesArmouredFightingVehicleRetrofitSystems199394/page/n395/mode/2up?view=theater&q=gce+628

https://archive.org/details/JanesArmouredFightingVehicleRetrofitSystems199394/page/n499/mode/2up?view=theater&q=vs+580

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12720386.british-firms-have-high-hopes-of-middle-east-defence-orders/

https://archive.org/details/DTIC_ADA343648/page/n3/mode/2up?q=chieftain&view=theater

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Asia_Pacific_Defence_Reporter/IPwxAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq="chieftain+2000"

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Jane_s_Defence/__oxAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq="chieftain+2000"

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Strategic_Digest/0E_8WGm1eRsC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq="chieftain+2000"

https://preservedtanks.com/Profile.aspx?UniqueID=2089

https://preservedtanks.com/Profile.aspx?UniqueId=2124

https://preservedtanks.com/Profile.aspx?UniqueID=2125

https://merlinarchive.uk/vehicle/03EB35

https://www.mafva.org/nanopdf.com_vehicle-registration-numbers-vrn.pdf

http://web.archive.org/web/20100125024350/http://www.mod-sales.com/auction/vehicle/home/27737/Chieftain_2000.htm#

https://hmvf.co.uk/topic/11425-what-is-in-the-background/

https://hmvf.co.uk/topic/11878-chieftain-2000/

https://www.keymilitary.com/article/chieftain-and-beyond

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Defense_Foreign_Affairs_Handbook/PTBEAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=stillbrew

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Far_Eastern_Economic_Review/qfCzAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=pakistan+chieftain

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/MEED/sKxWAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=chieftain tank

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/British_Tanks_1945_to_the_Present_Day/GfzLDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=pakistan+chieftain+tank&pg=PT217

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Asian_Recorder/dYptAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=pakistan+chieftain+tank

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Strategic_Studies_Journal/m-BXH11-88cC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=chieftain

https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep10910.6?seq=16#metadata_info_tab_contents

https://www.shutterstock.com/editorial/image-editorial/tank-1486765b

Bovington tank museum information panel for Chieftain 800, the last paragraph is incorrect

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Museum Ordnance: The Magazine for the U.S. Army Ordnance Museum July 1993
 

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https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1993-03-22/debates/02ea5788-9f4d-452a-911c-1321924d1876/ChieftainTanks

https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1993-03-30/debates/24fda3a8-fc66-4dfb-8257-445d1599425f/Pakistan(ChieftainTanks)

https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1993-04-30/debates/9d27c01d-32f1-4ba3-ade3-f29a0c93cff8/EquipmentExhibition

Jane's Armour And Artillery 2001-2002

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All in all I personally think the Chieftain 2000 Demonstrator would make a good event vehicle 

As you can imagine with something barely known online, it was hard and very time consuming to find sources for this suggestion and even then there are a lot of questions that need answering, still I hope to see it in game one day

Massive thanks to Rob Griffin for sharing with me images he took of the Chieftain 2000 Demonstrator while it was at Witham Specialist Vehicles Ltd

Thanks for reading my first suggestion 
 

Edited January 19, 2023 by ForeverAloneRage

[kurururocks 210]

Open for discussion

[Nicholas_Concu 2,634]

+1, Great job on the suggetion, very well researched. 
 

[Milocat 4,848]

This Chieftan variant is fascinating and would make for an excellent addition to the game.  +1.  

[AVROVULCANXH558 349]

+1, the UK tech tree requires more vehicles such as this

[hienapunk 1,064]

On 03/08/2022 at 06:27, ForeverAloneRage said:

Chieftain 900 was not so lucky as it had its turret swapped for that of a Challengers 1s and then sent to the Lulworth firing ranges to be used as a hard target where it was presumably destroyed

 

Was the turret ever functional for testing or just plopped on it to be shot off?

 

Either way I want some sort of tech tree super chieftain. It's one of my favorite tanks.

[ForeverAloneRage 130]

On 04/09/2022 at 11:48, hienapunk said:

 

Was the turret ever functional for testing or just plopped on it to be shot off?

 

Either way I want some sort of tech tree super chieftain. It's one of my favorite tanks.

Unknown, although probably the latter

[Tunagraph 223]

+1 for the Super Chieftain

Also need the mk11 in the tech tree post haste!

[Jarms 1,556]

Definitely think the British tech tree needs an export/Vickers line. Would be a great fit there.

 

- Vijayanta (likely a premium being no different to the Mk. 1)

- Vickers MBT Mk. 1 with swingfire missiles

- Vickers MBT Mk. 3 

- Vijayanta Bison 

- Vickers MBT Mk. 3(i) 

- Vickers MBT Mk. 3(m) 

- Chieftain 800

- Chieftain 900

- Chieftain 1000

- Chieftain 2000

- Vickers MBT Mk. 4 (105)

- Vickers MBT Mk. 4 (120) 

- Challenger 2E

 

Not really in a perfect order, but that'd fill out that export line between 7.7 RB to 11.0.

 

Edited November 3, 2022 by Jarms

[ForeverAloneRage 130]

Suggestion updated with some corrected information and many more photos

[hienapunk 1,064]

On 02/11/2022 at 04:58, Jarms said:

Definitely think the British tech tree needs an export/Vickers line. Would be a great fit there.

 

- Vijayanta (likely a premium being no different to the Mk. 1)

- Vickers MBT Mk. 1 with swingfire missiles

- Vickers MBT Mk. 3 

- Vijayanta Bison 

- Vickers MBT Mk. 3(i) 

- Vickers MBT Mk. 3(m) 

- Chieftain 800

- Chieftain 900

- Chieftain 1000

- Chieftain 2000

- Vickers MBT Mk. 4 (105)

- Vickers MBT Mk. 4 (120) 

- Challenger 2E

 

Not really in a perfect order, but that'd fill out that export line between 7.7 RB to 11.0.

 

 

Honestly I'd like to see the SA line changed into an entire commonwealth subtree.

[Jarms 1,556]

On 28/11/2022 at 11:14, hienapunk said:

Honestly I'd like to see the SA line changed into an entire commonwealth subtree.

 

I don't see how these aren't mutually exclusive. There's only 1 tech tree commonwealth vehicle in that list being the Vijayanta Bison, the other 1 is the Vijayanta which I suggested as a premium. My line of thinking is have a Vickers Export line, then you could have a separate Commonwealth line.

Edited January 16, 2023 by Jarms

[ForeverAloneRage 130]

The suggestion has been overhauled, unfortunately it lost the stillbrew on its turret and thermals, unless gaijin decides otherwise and adds it with the never installed Chobham armour and thermal sight that was removed IRL