Challenger 3 Main Battle Tank
The Challenger 3 has an all-new turret with an improved hull. The most significant change from Challenger 2 to Challenger 3 is the replacement of the Challenger's main armament from a 120mm L30A1 Rifled main gun to the 120mm L55A1 smoothbore gun (which itself is an upgraded version of the L55 fitted to the Leopard 2A6/A7 family of main battle tanks) giving commonality with other NATO members.
If powerful armor was the undoubted advantage of the Challenger 2, then the remaining characteristics of the model developed in the 1990s raised questions. Of course, some of the shortcomings - poor maneuverability and slowness - can be considered the flip side of the key advantage: security. The weak hydropneumatic suspension also caused problems - it works to the limit when additional armor is installed on the tank, which increases the weight of the vehicle to 75 tons.
In addition, the Challenger was still the only modern NATO tank with a rifled gun. This circumstance complicates the conduct of combat operations from a logistics point of view: the entire “tank zoo” of the alliance is capable of using interchangeable shells, but the “British” required separate supplies. Another disadvantage is the inability to fire cumulative ammunition and missiles. In addition, rifled guns, compared to smooth-bore guns, use up their barrel life much faster, so they have to be replaced more often.
Challenger 3 main battle tank was unveiled in 2021 based on a modified Challenger 2 hull. The Challenger 3 program, awarded to Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) on 07 May 2021, will cover the upgrade of 148 of the British Army's 227. The tank has a new turret armed with a new 120 mm smoothbore gun. The new smoothbore gun can use the most advanced globally available ammunition. Engine and suspension were upgraded. Protection has been improved. Overall the upgraded Challenger 3 is deadlier and better protected than the Challenger 2. A contract worth £800 million ($1 billion) was signed to produce 148 of these new MBTs for the British Army. Initial operating capability was expected by 2027 and full operating capability expected by 2030. This would allow extending the service lives of the Challenger 2 hulls up until 2040 and beyond.
The Challenger 2 Life Extension Programme is a UK MOD programme to deliver the next generation of heavy armoured capability. The programme will deliver Challenger 3, a network-enabled digital main battle tank that will reinvigorate the UK’s and Shropshire’s design and engineering skills. That digital element is critical and feeds into other Government streams of thinking. As I am sure the British Army would say, it will deliver a world-class capability, generating significant export opportunities and support for global Britain, and the UK’s wider economic growth. The maintenance of Challenger 2 will be carried out by Babcock Defence Support Group.
This major upgrade of the British Army’s main battle tank featuring extra firepower and cutting-edge protection systems will ensure the UK remains at the forefront of tank design, poised to respond to future global threats and challenges.
The contract with Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) to deliver 148 Challenger 3 tanks will extend the platform’s out of service date to 2040. It will provide 200 skilled jobs at RBSL, including 130 engineers and 70 technicians. A further 450 jobs will be established throughout the wider supply chain across the West Midlands, Glasgow, Newcastle upon Tyne and the Isle of Wight.
It will offer export opportunities and will support the case for the UK participation in any future international tank programs.
The overhaul will include:
- The gun will be smoothbore. The 120 mm L55A1 cannon developed by the German concern Rheinmetall (the same one found on modern Leopards) will increase the firepower of the tank and make it more compatible with other combat systems of the North Atlantic Alliance. For example, the vehicle will be able to use universal NATO armor-piercing shells DM53 and programmable high-explosive fragmentation shells DM11. In addition, London and Berlin are actively working on creating a projectile with increased kinetic energy - EKE, suitable for this weapon. The countries signed a corresponding statement of intent at the end of April.
- The tank also received an upgraded fire control system with two thermal imagers. The new suite of sights provide tank commanders with enhanced day and night targeting abilities.
- The new model will be equipped with a completely new turret, which, according to the developers, will be both lighter and more secure than its predecessor. The turret can be fitted to the tanks of allies and global partners,
- The laser-guided warning system and the Israeli-made Trophy improved active protection system are designed to cope with anti-tank missiles. The Israeli Merkava, American Abrams and German Leopards are also equipped with it.
- The old suspension will be replaced by a new one - the third generation. The new engine - Perkins CV12-9A V12 - boasts an improved cooling system. Power - 1500 horsepower. This will allow the tank to reach speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour.
As a result of all the changes, the vehicle turned out to be a ton heavier than the basic configuration of its predecessor - 66 tons. It is noteworthy that the new Challengers will not be assembled from scratch. According to Defense News, in 2021, the British Ministry of Defense signed a billion-dollar contract with the Anglo-German company RBSL for the supply of 148 vehicles. All of them will be assembled on the basis of the existing Challenger 2.
At the same time, the radical differences between the “two” and the “three” clearly demonstrate that the new model received the next number for a reason. At the same time, the tank will not become innovative - the modernization looks like an attempt to rid it of key shortcomings and integrate engineering solutions already tested on other models.
Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Chris Tickell CBE said: “The Integrated Review described a transformed Army that will be more lethal, better protected and better connected than any of its comparators. Challenger 3 is a manifestation of exactly that change and will sit at the heart of our warfighting capability. Its digital open architecture will ensure that it is integrated across the battlefield, its main armament will overmatch its adversaries and the crew will be afforded a unique level of protection. It is a battle winner.”
The UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) James McGeary said: “Key design changes on the Challenger 3 provide a growth path to further increase the already enhanced lethality offered. These growth options will ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of Main Battle Tank design and can adapt and respond to future threats and challenges.”
Challenger 3 will lead NATO armoured forces with the highest levels of lethality and survivability on the battlefields of today and out to 2040. It achieves this not only by using the new gun, but also by making use of the most advanced ammunition available globally from our allies.
The Government published a Defence Command Paper, Defence in a Competitive Age, on 22 March 2021. "3rd (UK) Division will remain at the heart of warfighting. The Defence Secretary’s statement to the House gave this additional detail: third division will have two modernised heavy brigades, built around 148 upgraded Challenger 3 tanks and Ajax armoured reconnaissance vehicles, with an accelerated introduction of Boxer armoured personnel carriers."
All in all, the British Army’s new and improved Main Battle Tank will pack a real punch and represents a major generational upgrade in capability. It will be Defence’s only 24 hour, all-weather, mobile, protected, precision, direct fire, anti-armour manoeuvre capability – and will be critical to Defence’s ability to deliver hard power, underpinning British credibility in the land domain and underwriting our commitments to allies.
The eight Challenger 3 prototypes rolled off the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land factory production line in Telford. By April 2024 the first tank was already showing its capabilities on trials. All will be tested under operational conditions to validate their performance and make refinements, before another 140 are built and delivered to the British Army. It was expected that the first vehicles will enter service with the British Army by 2027, and full combat readiness will be achieved by 2030. It was difficult to judge the real power of the third Challengers. However, as the experience of the Ukrainian conflict shows, 148 tanks in conditions of high-intensity combat operations and a wide front are hardly capable of radically changing the situation.
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