Tank origin

The FV4005 was developed during the 1950s. Designed to counteract the threat of vehicles like the Soviet IS-3 heavy tank, this tank destroyer used a Centurion Mk. 3 hull as its basis and featured a 183mm gun, at the time the largest direct-fire gun ever mounted to a vehicle. The Phase II version also sported a large, box-shaped, fully traversing turret. The eventual shift in tactics to lighter, more mobile tanks meant that the FV4005 never saw mass production.