Challenger 1 tank The British FV4030 / 4 Challenger 1 , was the main battle tank ( MBT ) of the British Army from 1983 to the mid - 1990s , when it was superseded by the Challenger 2 . It is also currently used by the Jordanian Armed Forces as their main battle tank after heavy modifications . The variants for the Jordanian military are upgraded using an unmanned turret called the Falcon Turret . History . The Challenger design by the former Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment ( MVEE ) near Chobham in Surrey originated in an Iranian order for an improved version of the Chieftain line of tanks in service around the world . These were the Chieftain Mk5 ( P ) - FV4030 / 1 , FV4030 / 2 Shir ( Lion ) 1 and 4030 / 3 Shir 2 . With the fall of the Shah of Iran and the collapse of the UK MBT80 project , the British Army became the customer and the tank was further developed by MVEE to meet Western European requirements . For a short time the tank was named " Cheviot " before becoming " Challenger " , a name reused from a cruiser tank of the Second World War . The most revolutionary aspect of the Challenger 1 design was its Chobham armour which gave protection far superior to any monolithic Rolled Homogeneous Armour ( RHA ) , which was the then standard of tank armour material . This armour has been adopted by others , most notably the American M1 Abrams . Additionally the Hydrogas suspension fitted provided outstanding cross - country performance through the long suspension arm travel and controlled bump and rebound behaviour offered . The Challenger was built by the Royal Ordnance Factories ( ROF ) . In 1986 , ROF Leeds ( and the Challenger production line ) was acquired by Vickers Defence Systems ( later Alvis Vickers ) . The Ministry of Defence were keen to show off the capabilities of the Challenger 1 in the Canadian Army Trophy Competition ( CAT ' 87 ) , held at Grafenwöhr , West Germany in June 1987 . The best performing team in preparatory competitions had been the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment , however their Challengers had not been fitted with Thermal Observation and Gunnery Sight ( TOGS ) , which would put them at a disadvantage . The Royal Hussars had a squadron fitted with TOGS , however , they had been training at BATUS in Canada with Chieftains , when they should be training with Challengers and TOGS for CAT ' 87 . Twenty two new Challengers with TOGS were specially diverted from the production line for the competition , resulting in teething problems . At the competition itself , the Hussars managed some creditable scores but overall , their three " platoons " were placed last in the league table . In a statement to the House of Commons on 14 July , Mr Ian Stewart , the Minister of State for the Armed Forces , said ; " I do not believe that the performance of tanks in the artificial circumstances of a competition , such as the recent Canadian Army Trophy , is a proper indication of their capability in war . " Following poor results in 1985 with Chieftain , and in 1987 with Challenger , the British Army decided in December 1987 to withdraw indefinitely from the competition . A requirement for a new MBT was later issued . Proposals put forward for the new specification included an improved Challenger from Vickers , the American M1 Abrams , the French Leclerc , and the German Leopard 2 . The Vickers Defence Systems design , designated Challenger 2 , was eventually selected . This tank was significantly more capable than its predecessor , based on the same basic MVEE - designed hull but with a new turret based on the Vickers Private Venture Mk7 design and improved Chobham armour . There was also a Challenger Marksman SPAAG version , equipped with the Marksman turret . Operational service . 180 Challenger tanks were deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operation Granby , the UK operation in the Persian Gulf War . In the original deployment , the 7th Armoured Brigade included two armoured regiments , the Queen ' s Royal Irish Hussars and the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards , both equipped with almost 60 of the latest Mark 3 version of the Challenger 1 . They were modified for desert operations by a REME team and civilian contractors at the quayside in Al Jubayl , Saudi Arabia . This fit included additional Chobham Armour along the hull sides and reactive armour on the front glacis plate , also extra external fuel drums and a smoke generator . On 22 November 1990 , it was decided to add a the 4th Mechanized Brigade to the force , under the umbrella of 1st ( UK ) Armoured Division . The new brigade had a single Challenger regiment , 14th / 20th King ' s Hussars , reinforced by a squadron of the Life Guards . They were equipped with the Mark 2 version of the tank , which was upgraded by armouring the storage bins for the 120 mmm charges as well as the additional armour fitted to the Mark 3s . The main threat to the Challenger was deemed to be the Iraqi Republican Guard ' s T - 72M tanks ; each British tank was provided with twelve L26A1 " Jericho " depleted uranium shells specifically for use against T72Ms , but in the event , none were encountered . In action , the Global Positioning System ( GPS ) and Thermal Observation and Gunnery System ( TOGS ) fitted to the Challengers proved to be decisive , allowing attacks to be made at night , in poor visibility and through smoke screens . British Challengers destroyed roughly 300 Iraqi tanks without loss in combat . The Challenger , in comparison with the M1A1 Abrams tank deployed by the US Army , was more fuel efficient and achieved far greater serviceability . Brigadier Patrick Cordingley , the commander of 7th Armoured Brigade , said afterwards that “ Challenger is a tank built for combat and not competitions . ” Challengers were also used by the British Army in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Operation Joint Guardian , the NATO - led drive into Kosovo .