Conqueror (tank)

FV 214 Conqueror
Conqueror Mk I at The Tank Museum, Bovington (2008)
TypeHeavy gun tank
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
In service1955–1966 (only in West Germany)
Production history
Designed1944
ManufacturerRoyal Ordnance Factory, Dalmuir
Produced1955–1959
No. built185
Specifications
Mass64 tonnes (71 short tons; 63 long tons)
Length38 feet (12 m) gun forward, 25 feet 4 inches (7.72 m) hull
Width13 feet 1 inch (3.99 m)
Height10 feet 5 inches (3.18 m)
Crew4

Armour5 inches (130 mm) hull front, 13 inches (330 mm) turret front
Main
armament
L1 120 mm rifled gun
Secondary
armament
L3A1 7.62 mm machine guns
EngineRolls-Royce Meteor M120
810 hp (604 kW)
Power/weight12 hp/tonne
SuspensionHorstmann suspension
Operational
range
161 km (100 mi)
Maximum speed 35 km/h (22 mph)

The FV 214 Conqueror, also known as tank, heavy No. 1, 120 mm gun, Conqueror was a British heavy tank of the post-World War II era. It was developed as a response to the Soviet IS-3 heavy tank. The Conqueror's main armament, an L1 120 mm gun,[1] was larger than the 20-pounder (83.4 mm) gun carried by its peer, the Centurion. The Conqueror's role was to provide long range anti-tank support for the Centurion. Nine Conquerors were issued for each regiment in Germany, usually grouped in three tank troops. In the British Army both the Conqueror and the Centurion were replaced by the Chieftain.