It is operated by the armoured trials and development unit and is commonly seen in the challenger 2 street fighter configuration atdu use megatron for the trialling of new and possible future equipment for all british army challenger 2 tanks. Although the challenger 2 looked as it was visually a simple upgrade of the challenger 1, both tanks had less than 3% of parts in common as stated by vickers in its promotional video, see below. Its primary role is to destroy or neutralise armour. Challenger 2 tank of the royal dragoon guards training near basra, iraq, the regiment is a post cold war amalgamation of royal dragoon guards and inniskilling dragoon guards. Friendly fire kills two uk tank crew world news the. Not only does 2016 mark a century since the first tank went into combat, but it is also 30 years since bae systems began designing challenger 2, the british armys main battle tank, which is now due to be in service until 2035. Friendly fire kills two uk tank crew world news the guardian. Hi john, according to my books, the first challenger is mk 2 received these fuel drums while training in westgermany in the mid 80s, but the german lf pics of challenger 2 wcombat dozer blade page 2. The fv4034 challenger 2page contains all related products, articles, books, walkarounds and plastic scale modeling projects dedicated to this vehicle. Fv4034 challenger 2 is a british main battle tank mbt currently in service with the armies of the united kingdom and oman. Jun 05, 2019 soldiers from the royal tank regiment play frisbee next to a fv4034 challenger 2 main battle tank during exercise saif sareea 3 on oct. Will the stars finally align to upgrade britains obsolete. Oct 03, 2018 the tank was also deployed in bosnia and kosovo during the natoled mission in former yugoslavia in the late 1990s. Further, the real protection performance numbers for all three tanks are classified, so most peoples guess is as good.
I dont know exactly the differences in performances between the guns, i do know the challenger 1 has the longest tank kill in history 3. Jan 04, 2017 the fire control systems in the t90 and leopard 26 are very similar to that of both challenger 2 and the m1a2. It is also currently used by the royal jordanian army as its main battle tank, after heavy modifications. Radio controlled tank challenger 16 scale big rc tanks. The challenger 2 is the third vehicle of this name, the first being the a30 challenger, a world war ii design using the cromwell tank chassis with a 17pounder gun. It was designed and built by the british company vickers defence systems now known as bae systems land and armaments.
No other tank was involved, and the challenger was not hit by a shell. Challenger 2 is an advanced main battle tank built by bae systems land systems formerly vickers defence systems, then alvis. The question of the latters replacement became urgent when in 1980 mbt80 was. Both tanks have 120mm guns, but the challenger 2 does have the longer gun and better muzzle velocity. The challenger 2 is a british main battle tank mbt currently in service with the armies of the united kingdom and oman. Which tank is better, the challenger 2 or the m1 abrams. During the 1980s and early 1990s the challenger 1 main battle tank played a central role in britains armoured forces and it achieved remarkable success in combat, destroying around 300 iraqi tanks in the gulf war. Rheinmetall submits comprehensive offer to upgrade and. The development of the challenger 2 concept and the competition it faced is well covered, along with some good if brief warts and all coverage of the competitors. Both the m1a2 and challenger 2 have successfully defeated dozens of rpg7 rounds per tank. Jul 21, 2017 the reason no challenger has been destroyed is probably because there are not many challenger 2 tanks in existence and not many have seen combat. The challenger was originally designed as the shir ii for the iranian army till the fall of the sha and the rise of the ayatollah and the war against iraq.
To be sure, an upgraded challenger 2 itself a heavily redesigned version of the 1980svintage challenger can remain an effective and lethal tank. Oct 04, 2018 the technical sections are also fairly well done, with quite a few how it works bits how to start the engine, how to engage an enemy tank, etc. May 30, 2006 the challenger 2 is the current main battle tank of the british army and represents the culmination of 80 years of tank design. A brief history of the tanks origins and development is followed by details of the challengers active service and likely future. Why has no challenger 2 tank ever been destroyed during. It is operated by the armoured trials and development unit and is commonly seen in the challenger 2 street fighter configuration. Building challenger 2 production of the nine challenger 2 prototypes ordered by the british defence ministry has been undertaken at the leeds tank factory which, until taken over by vickers in 1986, had been part of the then stateowned royal ordnance. The british challenger 2 tank is the current main battle tank of both the british army and royal army of oman serving the british army since 1998, it is the most heavily armored tank in the world and equipped with the 120mm rifled l30 main gun. The second was the persian gulf war era challenger 1, which was the british armys main battle tank mbt from the early 1980s to the mid19. Feb 18, 2014 the challenger 2 is a british main battle tank mbt currently in service with the armies of the united kingdom and oman. An experienced challenger crew will beat a green abrams crew and viceversa. Is the challenger 2 tank more superior to the m1 abrams.
This is an excellent reference book that covers the challenger 2 main battle tank with enough detail to interest and not too much to bore. Lf pics of challenger 2 wcombat dozer blade missinglynx. May 21, 2018 the comet cruiser tank was britains most powerful combat tank system of world war 2. The new main battle tank is significantly more capable than its predecessor. The gun uses 3 part ammunition, which limits the length of its penetraters. The challenger 2 also has some features to reduce post penetration damage. Enhance the british army challenger 2 main battle tank fleet. Robert griffin for much of the cold war, the british armys main battle tanks mbt were first the centurion and then the chieftain. The design compromises made in fitting the large gun onto the cromwell chassis resulted in a tank with a powerful weapon and reduced.
It mounted the qf 17pounder antitank gun on a chassis derived from the cromwell tank to add antitank firepower to the cruiser tank units. The tank is armed with an l20 120mm rifled tank gun, although the british military has conducted trials with the rheinmetall l55 smoothbore gun. Challenger 2 main battle tank 19872006 osprey publishing. As other countries build better tanks, britains challenger 2. United kingdom 1997 main battle tank around 446 built total development. The challenger 2 main battle tank was developed as a private venture to replace the previous chieftain mbt in service with british army. It arrived in the latter phases of the conflict and extensive crew training delayed her overall tactical impact in the war but she proved a reliable mount and her crews likened her for the available protection and inherent speed. Challenger 2 main battle tank 19872006 new vanguard.
Challenger 2 megatron is a challenger 2 tank based at the british army bovington camp in dorset, uk. This means the challenger 2 has less penetration on its apfsds than its nato counterparts. They have faced combat on multiple occasions and still. Uk 399 challenger 2 tank including 4 driver training tanks were originally bought by the british army. In 1987, its design was presented to the ministry of defence in response to a requirement to replace the chieftain mbt that had been partially superseded by the challenger 1 mbt. This superbly researched and illustrated book tells the story of the evolution and subsequent successful career of challenger 2 which has seen distinguished service in war and peace since 1990 and has proved itself.
Is the challenger 2 the best armoured tank in the world. M1a2 abrams vs challenger 2 mbt spacebattles forums. Challenger 2 was first deployed with dorchester level 2f in 2004 in iraq. Jun 30, 2017 it is understood the accident involved a challenger 2 tank. During the 1980s and early 1990s the challenger 1 main battle tank played a central role in britains armoured forces and it achieved remarkable success in combat, destroying around 300. Two members of a british tank crew were killed and two critically injured after their challenger 2 tank was fired on by another challenger tank in southern iraq. Oct 11, 2015 uk army to extend life of challenger 2. Greatings there today i would like to suggest that challenger 2 should receive its dorchester level 2f addion armour kit as a tier 4 modification. The tank was also deployed in bosnia and kosovo during the natoled mission in former yugoslavia in the late 1990s.
The reason no challenger has been destroyed is probably because there are not many challenger 2 tanks in existence and not many have seen combat. This book covers the evolution of the challenger 2. Two corporals died in tank explosion in firing exercise. Built by bae systems, the challenger ii is the most recent british main battle tank. This superbly researched and illustrated book tells the story of the evolution. The british main battle tank images of war robert griffin, m p. In 1987, the design was presented to the ministry of defence in response to a requirement to replace the chieftain mbt that had been partially superseded by the challenger 1 mbt. As the challenger 2 is still in active service, the amount of technical detail is limited in certain places.
However, it seems that the challenger 2 has had its day and now needs upgrading or replacing. The tank recently appeared in iraq, where it proved indispensable during the battle of basra. For much of the cold war, the british armys main battle tanks mbt were first the centurion and then the chieftain. It was designed and built by the british company vickers defence systems. This is a very well written book on the history and development of the challenger 2 tank. Vickers then took over the royal ordnance tank building facility and against stiff foreign competition developed the challenger 2. Atdu use megatron for the trialling of new and possible future equipment for all british army challenger 2 tanks. Dorchester level 2f is an addon armour package for challenger 2 it.
Noteke is apfsds challenger 2 abrams m1a2 the abrams round the m829a3 variant has an estimated penetration of. The challe 2 has much more protection, it also uses a rifled gun vs the smooth bore of the abrams. Til a british challenger 2 tank was hit directly by. According to estimates, the m1a2 sep has much more armor distributed throughout the entire tank, while most of the challengers armor is the turret. Challenger 2 modern warfare military history books. However it has the ability to engage both hard and soft targets and can operate across a spectrum of high intensity conflict, counter insurgency and peace keeping roles. It mounted the qf 17pounder anti tank gun on a chassis derived from the cromwell tank to add anti tank firepower to the cruiser tank units. The only problem is that its unlikely to receive the upgrades it needs the most because of cost. The manufacturer advertises it as the worlds most reliable main battle tank. Challenger 2 our mission was to design the best tank in the world one of the first tanks to feature augmented reality in its sighting systems, challenger 2 was a huge step forward both in tank design and in capability for the british army.
Bae systems unveils its black night tank to upgrade the. Western tank experts estimated challenger 2 s armor protection on hull at mm, while same experts estimated rpg29 at 750 mm suggesting that russian made weapon will be a long way before penetrating challenger 2, while it penetrated. I have all of rob griffins books, when i saw that he coauthored this, i. Production began in 1993, and the tank finally entered service in 2002. The challenger 2 is the current main battle tank of the british army and represents the culmination of 80 years of tank design. Soldiers from the royal tank regiment play frisbee next to a fv4034 challenger 2 main battle tank during exercise saif sareea 3 on oct.
Cruiser tank comet a34 cruiser tank tracked combat vehicle. Rheinmetall has submitted a comprehensive offer to extend the life and substantially upgrade the capabilities of the british army fleet of challenger 2 main battle tanks mbts in response to the challenger 2 life extension proectj lep request for tender. A british challenger 2 tank was hit directly by 14 rpgs and an antitank missile in iraq. Challenger 2 clip, 120 mm rheinmetall smoothbore test. Challenger 2 cr2 is the british armys main battle tank. The comet cruiser tank was britains most powerful combat tank system of world war 2. It is understood the accident involved a challenger 2 tank. The challenger 2 is the upgraded variant of the challenger 1 purchased by the british in 1998. Reportedly, the development of a new main battle tank for the uk army is still under discussion.
As of january 2011, only three challenger 2s have been damaged in combat, one of which was destroyed by another challenger 2 in a friendly fire incident. Haynes challenger 2 main battle tank by dick taylor military. It arrived in the latter phases of the conflict and extensive crew training delayed her overall tactical impact in the war but she proved a reliable mount and her crews likened her. Til a british challenger 2 tank was hit directly by 14 rpgs and an anti tank missile in iraq. The abrams and challenger main battle tanks and their various classes have faithfully served the u.
The challenger 2 main battle tank is the current mbt of the british army and represents the culmination of 80 years of tank design. The fire control systems in the t90 and leopard 26 are very similar to that of both challenger 2 and the m1a2. Challenger 2 is a heavily armoured, highly mobile main battle tank, designed for use in the direct fire zone. Fewer than 500 have been built for the armies of britain and oman, not more than three british regime. Mar 25, 2003 two members of a british tank crew were killed and two critically injured after their challenger 2 tank was fired on by another challenger tank in southern iraq. But in the case of the abrams it is improved with a layer of steel encased depleted uranium du. Challenger 2 tank manual haynes manuals hardcover 4 oct. The british military renamed it challenger and has used it since 1980. It is generally considered the best protected tank in the world, because of its heavily sloped front turret and dorchester armour. The trojan is a minefield breaching vehicle and the titan a bridgelaying tank avlb, both based on the challenger 2 chassis, and both were first shown in november 2006. This book covers the evolution of the challenger 2, from its origins and testing to its involvement in the middle east and iraq.
The crew was uninjured and the tank was back in operation 6 hours later. Buy challenger 2 main battle tank 19872006 new vanguard 1st editionpb by simon dunstan, tony bryan isbn. Only five percent of challenger 2 components are interchangeable with its predecessor, which has had more than 150 major modifications including a completely new. The fv40304 challenger 1 is a british main battle tank mbt used by the british army from 1983 to the mid1990s, when it was superseded by the challenger 2. Well the abrams armor is based on the challenger armor design but has additional du armor layers that the chally doesnt have. M1a2 vs challenger 2 intelligent debate world affairs board. The variants for the jordanian military are to be upgraded using the unmanned falcon turret. The second was the persian gulf war era challenger 1, which was the british armys main battle tank mbt from the early 1980s to the mid1990s.
Apr, 2014 challenger 2 is an advanced main battle tank built by bae systems land systems formerly vickers defence systems, then alvis. The m1a2 is more battletested, having been used in far more conflict for a longer period of time than the challanger, and received more upgrades. Further, the challenger 2 is about as different from the challenger as the challenger was from the chieftain in truth the challenger 2 could easily have got a new name, but it was easier to get an upgrade past the government than a whole new design. The cr2 is based on the challenger 1 tank, which served with distinction on operations in the gulf war and the balkans. The design compromises made in fitting the large gun onto the cromwell chassis resulted in a tank with a powerful weapon and reduced armour.
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