The Challenger 2 is the main battle tank of the British Army as it constitutes the backbone of its armored units. It was developed in the early 1990s, entering service in 1998. It first saw combat action in the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq in 2003, being engaged in heavy fighting in the area around the city of Basra, in the southeast parts of that country. As of 2022, it will remain in service until 2025 without major upgrade, with a total of 227 combat-ready tanks.
From the armament, armor protection, and high-tech sensors point of view, it is at the same level of the German Leopard 2, the American Abraham M1A1, and the Russian T-90MS. However, it is no match for the Russian T-14 Armata. It is also considered to be a couple of notches below the new Panther KF51 German tank. Fifteen Challenger 2 MBTs are in a NATO military base in Estonia right now, poised near the Russian border.
Technical Characteristics
The Challenger 2 is protected by Chobham armor, Dorchester level 2, whose composing materials are classified information. According to some analysts, it would consist of special ceramic, tungsten and steel. Being thicker on the glacis plate at the front, these components cover all sides of the hull. The turret would be reinforced with reactive armor protection.
This is the only main battle tank to be fitted with a rifled-bore gun, instead of a smooth bore used in the Leopard 2 and in the Leclerc tanks; it is 120mm-caliber, L/55 (6.6-m long). It fires Sabot tungsten and depleted-uranium core, armor-piercing ammunition as well as High Exlposive Anti-Tank (HEAT) shells). Although it cannot fire anti-tank missiles, because it has a rifled bore, it has a higher muzzle velocity than the French Leclerc and the Abram’s tank gun.
Specifications
Manufacturer: Vickers Defense Systems
Weight: 65 tons
Hull Length: 8.3 m
Width: 3.5 m
Power Plant: Perkins V12, 1,200-HP Diesel Engine
Maximum Speed: about 45 km/h on rough terrain; 59 km/h on paved road.
Range: 550 km
Below, the Challenger 2 MBT in the English countryside in 1999
