Historical:

The Comet tank went into battle during WWII and in Korea where it sometimes fought next to what would be its replacement, the Centurion. The Centurion was based on the Comet design but was much heavier. The Comet continued to be used by British forces until the late 1950s and then began to be offered for sale to other countries. In 1954 South Africa began to acquire 26 Comet Tanks and over time converted some into armored battlefield maintenance and repair vehicles. Several Comets can be found in South African museums.

The Tank, Cruiser, Comet I (A34) was a British cruiser tank that first saw use near the end of the Second World War. It was designed to provide greater anti-tank capability to Cromwell tank squadrons. It was armed with the 77mm HV which was effective against late war German tanks and a superior weapon to the 75mm KwK 42 gun of the Panther when firing APDS rounds. As a development of the Cromwell, it was an interim design before the Centurion tank.

The Comet saw post-war combat during the Korean war, and remained in British service until 1958. Comets sold to other countries continued in some cases to operate into the 1980s.

Info: Comet South African Defense Force, South Africa 1960s