... Of course, another option might be for this to be done to the Australian Centurions... 
Interesting that you should mention Australian
Centurion ...
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Top Centurion 'AS22' - An unofficial designation for a
Centurion LPT demonstrator trialled in Australian by 1 Armoured Regiment in the early 1980s. This vehicle mounted a MAG58 GPMG for self-defence (rather than a 50-calibre Browning) and its experimental (and easily damaged) fabric side skirts were soon removed. Initial trials at Puckapunyal were basically successful but the lack of adequate air conditioning became very apparent once the test vehicle re-deployed with the 2nd Cavalry Regiment at the Mount Bundey Training Area in Northern Territory.
The Australian Defence Force was already preparing to receive
Leopard AS1 tanks and had no real interest in the
Centurion. Instead, the ADF was gauging the potential of the Low Profile Turret for the
Leopard hull. The object was to determine whether such a hybrid had any potential as a recce or surveillance vehicle to re-equip 2 Cav in Darwin. Lack of air conditioning in the 'sweatbox' might have been easily addressed. However, the key concern was over the severely limited number of ready rounds in the ammunition carousel.
Bottom Centurion C.26 - DFSV (Direct Fire Support Vehicle) variant mounting a Bofors 57 mm LPT gun. This automatic cannon was very similar to the Bofors 57 mm L/70 Mk 3 arming Canadian Navy
Halifax class frigates. Outwardly, the Teledyne LPT looked very similar, inwardly it was specifically adapted for the 57 mm L/70 gun and its ammunition. [1]
The vehicle shown is one of the last serving
Centurion variants in Canadian service. By the time of the CF deployment to Kandahar, all
Centurion C.23 tanks had been replaced by
Leopard 2A6Ms. But DND's Multi-Mission Effects Vehicle (MMEV) programme had fallen seriously behind schedule. As a result, the
Centurion C.26 was the only DFSV type available for deployment. Lack of preparedness was partly revealed by the 'bum bustle' surrounding a tacked-on air conditioning unit. More anti-RPG 'fencing' shielded the base of the LPT itself.
Another 'Kandahar mod' was the fitting of a 'rooftop' Protected Weapon Station armed with a C6 GPMG. [2] Here that PWS is being used to 'check 6' - that weapon system's optics being superior to the C.26's rear vision cameras. This vehicle
As the Canadian Force prepared for their withdrawl from Afghanistan, vehicle training for Afghan National Army crews began on the DFSV
Centurions at Camp Nathan Smith. Upon withdrawl, the ANA commenced operational use of the
Centurion C.26s. Although left with considerable stocks of spares, C.26 servicability was poor in ANA service and the Afghan
Centurions were idle by mid-2016.
With the end of Canadian Forces operations in Afghanistan, this last CF
Centurion variant was finally retired. However, the 57 mm LPTs were refurbished and updated by BAE Systems to arm the LAV-MGS (Mobile Gun Systems) - part of DND's MMEV (Multi-Mission Effects Vehicle) system. A heavier, anti-tank variant was also proposed within the MMEV scheme. This concept was not realized. Instead, the rebuilt 105 mm L7 LPTs were installed on the new CCV-MGS (Close Combat Vehicle) based on the Swedish CV90 hull.
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[1] The Bofors L/70 gun's smaller rounds - 57 × 438 mm R versus 105 × 617 R for the tank gun - allowed a larger ammunition carousel (carrying 15 ready rounds instead of only nine).
[2] C6 GPMG is the Canadian designation for the FN MAG 58. The PWS was a Canadian-built version of the Israeli Rafael
Mini-Samson remote weapon system. Later the PWS would be classed under the US Joint Army-Navy Nomenclature System as the AN/MWG 505 RWS.
