20230624 (214)_Chieftain_Mk_10
The British Army Main Battle Tank of my childhood and adolescence, seen regularly at the Aldershot Army Show and while crossing Salisbury Plain Training Area: not to mention trials vehicles mainly involved in increasing reliability circulating in the Long Valley MVEE test tracks near to home with their characteristic roaring scream. The Chieftain had a reputation for unreliability in its early years but this had largely been sorted by the advent of the Mark 10 shown here: it was still known as "Smoky Joe" from its often all too visible exhaust though. This example has been progressively restored to allow it this year to display with the main gun pointed forwards instead of locked in travel rest, a great improvement from a photographic point of view and work that was much appreciated! Seen during a Cold War MBT segment of Tankfest 2023 at The Tank Museum, Bovington Camp, Dorset.
20230624 (214)_Chieftain_Mk_10
The British Army Main Battle Tank of my childhood and adolescence, seen regularly at the Aldershot Army Show and while crossing Salisbury Plain Training Area: not to mention trials vehicles mainly involved in increasing reliability circulating in the Long Valley MVEE test tracks near to home with their characteristic roaring scream. The Chieftain had a reputation for unreliability in its early years but this had largely been sorted by the advent of the Mark 10 shown here: it was still known as "Smoky Joe" from its often all too visible exhaust though. This example has been progressively restored to allow it this year to display with the main gun pointed forwards instead of locked in travel rest, a great improvement from a photographic point of view and work that was much appreciated! Seen during a Cold War MBT segment of Tankfest 2023 at The Tank Museum, Bovington Camp, Dorset.