Land Systems / Battlefield

Cruiser Tank Mk VIII Challenger (A30)

Tank Destroyer (TD) [ 1943 ]

The Challenger Mk VIII Cruiser was a design of well-intentions, though never fully living up to expectations.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 04/18/2016 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]

Advertisements

The Challenger Mk VIII Cruiser was a British response to the very real and deadly threat being posed by German armor on the battlefields in World War 2. The system was a purpose-built design - intended as a tank destroyer by mounting a powerful 76mm main gun - though appearing in limited numbers and superceded by the Sherman Firefly in terms of usefulness and availability. In all, only some 200 or so Challenger Mk VIII Cruiser tanks were ever built from February 1943 to September 1944.

The Challenger Mk VIII Cruiser tank destroyer was based on the chassis of the A27 design. This newer design, called the A30, was intended to take on the heaviest of German armor after it was seen that the current crop of British tanks lacked the firepower to do so. This new design would fit an impressive 17-pounder main gun (76mm) and be fielded one per every three Cromwells. The A30 now became the Challenger Mk VIII Cruiser when going into production. Though utilizing the chassis of the A27, it was found that the A30 design required some customization to wield and fire the main gun and, as such, the hull was made larger in both length and width and a turret designed from scratch. Additionally, either track side received another road wheel to compensate for the added weight. As one can imagine, these changes directly effected the design's overall weight and the resulting turret gave the Challenger a high profile - making itself a larger target on any battlefield.

Additional standard armament included a Browning-type 7.62mm machine gun for self-defense. Crew accommodations amounted to five personnel and power was derived from a single Rolls-Royce brand Meteor engine of 600 horsepower. 42 total projectile rounds for the main gun could be carried onboard.

Once in production, the Challenger was in limited active use. Eventually, the design would give way to modified existing designs such as the Sherman-based "Firefly" of which many a British tank crew approved of. In the end, the Challenger Mk VIII Cruiser was nothing more than a stop-gap addition until more readily available and effective systems came online.

Specifications

Service Year

1943

Origin

United Kingdom

Crew

5
CREWMEN

Production

200
UNITS

Birmingham Carriage & Wagon Company - UK

(View other Vehicle-Related Manufacturers)

United Kingdom

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Infantry Support
Support allied ground forces through weapons, inherent capabilities, and / or onboard systems.

✓ Medium Tank
Design providing enhanced armor protection and firepower over that of lightweight offerings - but lacking the general capabilities of heavier solutions.

✓ Tank-vs-Tank
Engage armored vehicles of similar form and function.

Length

26.2 ft
8 m

Width

9.5 ft
2.91 m

Height

8.7 ft
2.66 m

Weight

64,139 lb
29,093 kg

Tonnage

32.1 tons
MEDIUM

(Showcased structural values pertain to the Challenger Cruiser Mk VIII (A30) production variant. Length typically includes main gun in forward position if applicable to the design)

Powerplant: 1 x Rolls-Royce Meteor engine developing 600 horsepower.

Speed

31.7 mph
(51.0 kph)

Range

105.0 mi
(169.0 km)

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Challenger Cruiser Mk VIII (A30) production variant. Compare this entry against any other in our database)

1 x 76mm (QF 17-pdr) main gun
1 x 7.62mm Browning machine gun

Supported Types

Graphical image of a tank cannon armament

Graphical image of a tank medium machine gun

(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)

42 x 76mm projectiles

A30 - Initial Series Designation; chassis utilized from A27 design.

Challenger Mk VIII Cruiser - Official Production Designation.

SP 17pdr, A30 (Avenger) - Related tank destroyer development with lighter, open-air turret assembly; 17-pdr (76.2mm) main gun; 250 examples produced.

Military lapel ribbon for the American Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of the Bulge

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Kursk

Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War

Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War

Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War

Military lapel ribbon for experimental military vehicles

Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective campaigns / operations.

Images Gallery

1 / 1

Advertisements

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2022 US Military Pay Army Ranks Navy Ranks Marine Ranks Air Force Ranks USCG Ranks Compare Ranks (NEW!) DoD Dictionary Military Ribbons Identification Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols American War Deaths French Military Victories Vietnam War Casualties

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), and SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane.

www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-