Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger

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Tank, Cruiser, Challenger (A30)[1]
Cruiser tank Challenger (A30)
Type	Cruiser tank
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
Used by	United Kingdom Czechoslovak government-in-exile Polish Armed Forces in the West Czechoslovakia[2]
Production history
Designer	Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company
Produced	1944–1945
No. built	200
Specifications
Mass	31.5 long tons (32.0 t)[3]
Length	26 ft 4 in (8.03 m)[3]
Width	9 ft 6.5 in (2.91 m)[3]
Height	9 ft 1.25 in (2.77 m)[3]
Crew	5 (Commander, gunner, loader, co-loader, driver)
Armour	20–102 mm (0.79–4.02 in)
Main armament	Ordnance QF 17 pounder (76.2 mm) 42 rounds
Secondary armament	0.30 Browning machine gun[4]
Engine	Rolls-Royce Meteor V-12 petrol engine 600 hp (450 kW)
Power/weight	18.8 hp (14 kW) / tonne
Suspension	Christie suspension 6 road wheels
Operational range	105 mi (169 km)[3]
Maximum speed	32 mph (51 km/h)[3]

The Tank, Cruiser, Challenger (A30) was a British tank of World War II. It mounted the QF 17-pounder anti-tank gun on a chassis derived from the Cromwell tank to add anti-tank firepower to the cruiser tank units. The design compromises made in fitting the large gun onto the Cromwell chassis resulted in a tank with a powerful weapon and reduced armour. However, the extemporised 17-pounder Sherman Firefly conversion of the US-supplied Sherman proved easier to produce and, with delays in production, only 200 Challengers were built. The Challenger was able to keep up with the fast Cromwell tank and was used with them.