Chieftain MK3 Build
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Mark Heaps
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Re: Chieftain MK3 Build
Also the vision block being inserted from inside is correct. The driver had a day scope and a night scope which he could swap from inside.
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Stephen White
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Re: Chieftain MK3 Build
David, long time since I caught up with your marvellous, long running saga. The change in driver’s periscope mounting was the result of introducing the driver’s night sight, an early image intensifier. It was not without amusement. For example, it was somewhat alarming as a commander to have nothing but natural eyesight when your eighteen year old driver could claim to see a lot more. It made for a lot of trust. It took a while for drivers to get used to some of the characteristics of II such as reduced depth perception. Obstacles were closer than they appeared. Similarly, the sight was poor at revealing holes and dips ahead. We were first over an engineer AVLB one night and my driver was unable to see that the Sappers had mislaid it and the drop on the far side was significant. Chieftains do bounce if dropped, whereas turret crew don’t. My dentist had a bit of work to do.
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David Battson
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Re: Chieftain MK3 Build
Stephen, Mark
Thank you for sharing your experiences and anecdotes from living and working with Chieftain, it adds an extra dimension to the subject... and as I've found building Chieftain, you can never have too many dimensions ! Stephen, thank you for clarifying the reason for the vision cover change, I was thinking about modelling the vision block in the picture below which I now guess would have been a bit of a faux pas. Was there an earlier binocular vision device for the driver, how did they see using the infra red lights ?
David
Thank you for sharing your experiences and anecdotes from living and working with Chieftain, it adds an extra dimension to the subject... and as I've found building Chieftain, you can never have too many dimensions ! Stephen, thank you for clarifying the reason for the vision cover change, I was thinking about modelling the vision block in the picture below which I now guess would have been a bit of a faux pas. Was there an earlier binocular vision device for the driver, how did they see using the infra red lights ?
David
- later night scope ?
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Mark Heaps
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Re: Chieftain MK3 Build
David, that is indeed the drivers nightsight, an early image intensifying device. The daysight was a simpler vision block. Best photo I can find online giving its dimensions and appearance is https://www.gettyimages.de/detail/nachr ... popup=true
I believe both were used on a lot of the armoured vehicles in British Army service, at least I think they were interchangeable between CH, CR1, FV430 series and also M109s in British service.
The drivers nightsight could also be put to other uses, I was attached to 137 Bty, 40 Field Regt RA during the first Gulf War. The NOD (Night Observation Device) we had got damaged so the drivers night sights were the only night vision capability we had. I made extension cables for each vehicle so that a night sentry could sit on top of the vehicle scanning the surrounding ground using them. I heard later that the driver did not always get his nightsight back for a nightmove, instead it being kept by the vehicle commander
I believe both were used on a lot of the armoured vehicles in British Army service, at least I think they were interchangeable between CH, CR1, FV430 series and also M109s in British service.
The drivers nightsight could also be put to other uses, I was attached to 137 Bty, 40 Field Regt RA during the first Gulf War. The NOD (Night Observation Device) we had got damaged so the drivers night sights were the only night vision capability we had. I made extension cables for each vehicle so that a night sentry could sit on top of the vehicle scanning the surrounding ground using them. I heard later that the driver did not always get his nightsight back for a nightmove, instead it being kept by the vehicle commander
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Mark Heaps
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Re: Chieftain MK3 Build
Another anecdote.
The "coffee capsule" on the left side of the sight (righthandside when looked from the front) is the washer jet housing.
Swap over two 3-pin plugs on the top left of the Hull Main Junction Box and the washer pump would function as soon as the driver turned his master switch on giving him a wet neck.
Found this out after a previous ECE had not put them back correctly after searching for a Neg Earth fault.
The "coffee capsule" on the left side of the sight (righthandside when looked from the front) is the washer jet housing.
Swap over two 3-pin plugs on the top left of the Hull Main Junction Box and the washer pump would function as soon as the driver turned his master switch on giving him a wet neck.
Found this out after a previous ECE had not put them back correctly after searching for a Neg Earth fault.
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Mark Heaps
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Re: Chieftain MK3 Build
And to answer Davids question, the night sight also amplified light in the infra-red spectrum giving the driver more vision if he had the IR headlights switched on and they actually worked. Checking that they worked required removal of the IR lens so not always done.
The gunner´s sight had the same capability with the search light with IR filter in place providing illumination of the area out front. Only the commander had only his Mark 1 eyeballs to rely on.
The search light on a Chieftain was a scary bit of kit to work on at times. The circuitry was simple and easy to fix but the searchlight had to be unbolted from the turret and placed on the back decks when the tank was transported by rail otherwise it hung out too far over the track guage. Sö support the weight of the searchlight on the crane, undo the bolts, swing the searchlight out a bit and then someone has to reach in through the gap and undo the cables. Reverse the process on un-loading from the train. Depending on whether the crane-op liked you and how sadistic he was could make it a bit hairy.
The gunner´s sight had the same capability with the search light with IR filter in place providing illumination of the area out front. Only the commander had only his Mark 1 eyeballs to rely on.
The search light on a Chieftain was a scary bit of kit to work on at times. The circuitry was simple and easy to fix but the searchlight had to be unbolted from the turret and placed on the back decks when the tank was transported by rail otherwise it hung out too far over the track guage. Sö support the weight of the searchlight on the crane, undo the bolts, swing the searchlight out a bit and then someone has to reach in through the gap and undo the cables. Reverse the process on un-loading from the train. Depending on whether the crane-op liked you and how sadistic he was could make it a bit hairy.
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David Battson
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Re: Chieftain MK3 Build
Mark,
Thank you for the information. I am making an early MK3 as it would have been out of the factory in 1970 and wanted to do something more than just the clear drivers periscope. Would the image intensifier in the picture above have been around at that time or was there an earlier version ?
David
Thank you for the information. I am making an early MK3 as it would have been out of the factory in 1970 and wanted to do something more than just the clear drivers periscope. Would the image intensifier in the picture above have been around at that time or was there an earlier version ?
David