"Britain's Challenger 2 Tank Is One of the Best—but..." Topic

…. It Needs Some Serious Help


"The United Kingdom did more than any nation to pioneer armored warfare, and its Challenger 2 stands amongst the best tanks in the world. The sixty-two-ton tank established a reputation for exceptional toughness during combat in Iraq. But despite being a newer design than the Leopard or Abrams, the Challenger 2 has not been lavished with the extensive upgrades that its NATO peers have, and is generally perceived as having fallen behind.

In January 2017, the Ministry of Defense declared it had short-listed competing proposals from BAE Systems and German Rheinmetall for a modest Challenger 2 Life Extension Program (LEP) to improve the vehicle's sensors and fire control computers. While the LEP is meant to increase the Challenger 2's service life until 2035, neither proposal addresses the most glaring issues with the vehicle.

The Challenger 2 entered service only fifteen years after the Challenger 1 in 1983. At the time, it was the first British tank to benefit from state-of-the-art Chobham composite armor, which decisively restored the defensive primacy of modern tanks. However, the Challenger 1 still shared many systems with the preceding Chieftain tank, including a sluggish fire control system. The new tank performed poorly in exercises and suffered from extravagant teething issues. The Ministry of Defense was inspired to sign on to a more thoroughly modernized design in 1989…."
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Amicalement
Armand

Still wish I had bought an army surplus Chieftain back when they were only US$17,000.

Not a very good article repeating old themes and not really adding anything new.

Yes Chally 2 uses a rifled barrelled gun for use with HESH, which is really good against old T62/T-55 series tanks, and BMPs and infantry.

Yes a smoothbore would give better performance with AP.

I believe that trials have been done with establishing whether a Chally2 could accommodate a Rheinmetal smoothbore and I believe that it could be fitted.

Just a question of the finance people giving the go-ahead for the swap, if the Army want it.

Right now Chally 2 is still a pretty good tank.

The 120mm gun is out of date & does not have the penetration of the 120mm smooth bore.

The ammo for the cannon has not been made for many years (factory was closed down by MoD) and stock is rated unsafe, this has led to a recent accident killing 2 crew & injuring the other 2 in explosion.

MoD has wasted millions on numerous update schemes over years but not followed through with any.

they tried to fit 120mm smoothbore but not allowed for future proofing in design or just decided against cost.

Time for a new tank…? (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

A new tank would be a great jobs program…

Anything is better than the attitude in the 1930s, causing the BRits to enter WWII behind the design curve and rapidly fall WAY behind the design curve, in just a year.

So at least they're working on it…