Challenger 2
Channel: Main Battle Tank
Date: 2023-02-01

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The Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (MBT) represents the current standard tracked combat vehicle of the British Army. The type represents the pinnacle of British armor development due to its perfect combination of mobility, firepower, and armor protection - key qualities of any modern fighting machine. However, to understand its evolution, one much understand its deep lineage which dates back to the closing years of World War 2 when the British unveiled their Centurion MBT (detailed elsewhere on this site). Developed during the war, this new class of tank arrived too late to see combat actions in the conflict but would go on to become a staple of the Cold War world (1947-1991) and achieve post-war success both locally and through foreign sales - serving in many capacities from 1945 into the 1990s.

For the British Army, their classic Centurion eventually began to show its age (and battlefield limitations) so a new MBT was in order. Work on a new tank turned out to be the equally-excellent Chieftain MBT (detailed elsewhere on this site) of 1966 which introduced the much more powerful 120mm L11A5 series rifled main gun. Later in its life, the Chieftain was upgraded for the better and foreign interest grew, particularly with Iran who procured some 700 examples for their armored corps. A requirement for a new MBT was then developed under the name of "Shir 2" and, while this work was being handled, an improved form of the Chieftain was made available as the "Shir 1" for the interim. However, the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979 cancelled the expected orders so the Shir 1 stock was rerouted to Jordan and operated there as the "Khalid". The Shir 2, however, was then selected for further development for the British Army and became the all-modern "Challenger" MBT (detailed elsewhere on this site) after both a British-German MBT initiative and the "MBT-80" tank programs fell through. The Challenger introduced the revolutionary "Chobham" composite armor protection scheme while retaining a powerful 120mm main gun as its primary asset. This tank replaced the Chieftain in British Army service resulting in the latter's retirement in 1995.

The Challenger operated in a front-line capacity from 1983 to the middle of the 1990s and 420 examples were ultimately delivered. It saw action in the 1991 ground war portion of the Gulf War in Iraq with excellent results (a reported 300 enemy armored vehicles destroyed to no losses for itself). However, there was still room for improving the Challenger line (particularly in its slow rate-of-fire and its Fire Control System equipment and software) so modifications commenced in 1980s resulting in what became essentially an all-new combat tank - christened the "Challenger 2" which led the original Challenger line to be renamed as "Challenger 1". The Challenger 2 entered service in June of 1998 with a total of 446 units delivered. Initially intended to complement the Challenger 1 series on the new digital battlefield, it was later officially decided to replace the older stock with the newer breed of tank.

While evolved from the Challenger 1, the Challenger 2 represents a heavily modified version of the earlier tank, and all of this work relates back to the World War 2-era Centurion to some extent. The overall design configuration has remained faithful to the original Challenger with the driver seated front-center, the turret at the center of the hull, and the engine mounted to the rear. The running gear consists of six double-tired road wheels to a track side with the drive sprocket at the rear and the track idler at the front. The glacis plate is well sloped as are the front facings of the turret. The upper regions of the running gear and hull are protected in thin skirt armor. The Challenger 2 maintains a shallow hull and turret which afford it an excellent low profile. The tank is crewed by four personnel with the driver in the hull and the commander, loader and gunner in the turret. The Challenger 2 was given an all-new turret design and retained the use of Chobham armor (though a more evolved form of the original) and the 120mm main gun (rifled). Only the Challenger 1, Challenger 2, and the American M1 Abrams are known users of the highly secretive Chobham armor formula. Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) blocks can also be added for improved protection though at the cost of weight gains. A Nuclear-Biological-Chemical (NBC) protection system is fitted as standard.