![]() ![]() The rest would end up on the ranges as targets.A main battle tank ( MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the role of armor-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. There were plenty available, and the scrap value was so low that a de-militarised, functioning Chieftain could be obtained for the equivalent of about £2,000 in today’s money. Museums have always had something of a ‘grab it while you can’ mentality, as history shows such opportunities rarely knock twice. This meant it was possible for the Museum to take its pick of variants from the surplus in a way that simply wasn’t possible when Shermans, Churchills, Centurions, etc, were withdrawn. It was the first time that a major British Army vehicle was being withdrawn whilst The Tank Museum was operating as a ‘proper museum’ rather than a military reference collection. The Chieftain tank was being phased out of service at a similar time that the army was being reduced on the conclusion of the Cold War. The outcome of this debate among our appointed body of experts, industry professionals and staff will undoubtedly see some of our Chieftains being released to other collections. So now, the Collection Committee must scrutinise each of the Chieftain tanks on the books to assess their ‘significance’: a qualitative assessment of the importance of a particular vehicle to The Tank Museum and the story it seeks to tell.
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