Tariq

Notes: The Jordanians have used the Centurion for a long time, receiving even more from Great Britain even after most of their Centurions were lost in the 1968 war. The Jordanians began modernizing their Centurions in early 1980s, producing a new tank they called the Tariq. The Tariq is a marked improvement over the base Centurion; however, it has never been exported and has never seen combat. Some 293 Tariqs were modified, though they are being replaced by more modern tanks.

One of the largest improvements to the Tariq involved the replacement of the original Meteor gasoline engine with an AVDS-1790 series diesel engine, the same one used by the M-60 series of tanks (which Jordan also uses). This not only increased range, but improved engine power. The tracks are wider and the suspension is hydropneumatic, with much better shock absorbers.

Fire control is also updated, including a laser rangefinder by Hughes in the US and a ballistic computer (both license-built in Jordan). Turret traverse and gun stabilization for the Tariq was designed by HR Textron, and is a modified form of that used on the Cadillac Gage Stingray 1. A wind sensor and muzzle reference system have also been installed, as has a modicum of night vision.

Armor protection has been increased over that of the Centurion, primarily through the use of heavier armor plate; however, the Tariq also has lugs for ERA on the glacis, turret front, turret sides, and hull sides. The ammunition is contained in explosion-suppression bins, and the Tariq itself has an explosion suppression system and automatic fire extinguishing system. The turret has a larger bustle rack at the rear, and the sides have large storage bins.

In the late 1980s, the Jordanians studied upgrading part of the Tariq fleet using a retrofit kit designed by Cadillac Gage. The primary modification was to be a low-profile casemated turret with an autoloader for the main gun. The main gun would have been the same M-68 gun as mounted on the M-60 tank (more for parts commonality than anything else), with a coaxial that could be controlled by the commander or gunner. All crewmembers would ride in the hull. The lugs for ERA are retained for the glacis and hull sides, and the hull is otherwise unmodified. In the end, the Jordanians experimented with the tank, dubbed Tariq 2, as late as 2004, but chose not to go ahead with the modification.

Twilight 2000 Notes: Virtually all Jordanian Centurions have been modified to the Tariq standard in the Twilight 2000 timeline. However, 12 Tariq 2s were available to Jordanian forces during the Twilight War.

Vehicle

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

Tariq

$402,183

D, A

500 kg

52.8 tons

4

22

Passive IR (D, G, C)

Shielded

Tariq 2

$436,610

D, A

550 kg

48 tons

3

22

Passive IR (D, G, C)

Shielded

Vehicle

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

Tariq

103/72

24/18

1037

382

Trtd

T6

TF48 TS16 TR10 HF60 HS13 HR8

Tariq 2

111/79

26/20

1037

420

CiH

T6

TF54 TS34 TR22 HF60 HS13 HR8

Vehicle

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

Tariq

+3

Fair

105mm L-7 gun, MAG, MAG (C)

64x105mm, 4750x7.62mm

Tariq 2

+3

Good

105mm M-68 gun, MAG

64x105mm, 4750x7.62mm