Challenger 1 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FV4030 / 4 Challenger 1 , was the main battle tank ( MBT ) of the British Army from 1983 to the mid 1990s , when it was superseded by the Challenger 2 .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 to Challenger 2 standards and are undergoing upgrades using an unmanned turret called the Falcon Turret . History . 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 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 stalwart 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 . Challenger 1 competed in the Canadian Army Trophy Competition in 1987 . It scored more direct hits than its competitors , but the poor fire control system and sights caused it to be the slowest firer , and it was placed last in the league tables . A requirement for a new MBT was 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 . The Challenger claimed 300 kills against armoured vehicles for no losses . It also has the distinction of the longest range tank - to - tank kill in military history , destroying an Iraqi tank at a range of 5 . 1 km . Challengers were also used by the British Army in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Operation Joint Guardian , the NATO - led drive into Kosovo . Operators . Issued first to The Royal Hussars ( PWO )