On January 14 British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed that London would offer Challenger 2 most important battle tanks to Ukraine’s armed forces, with Downing Avenue highlighting that the transfer signified “the UK’s ambition to accentuate assist.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who spoke to Sunak earlier that day, stated the supply “won’t solely strengthen us on the battlefield, but additionally ship the fitting sign to different companions.” The Challenger 2 represents the primary post-Sixties Western tank authorized to be despatched to Ukraine, with the British determination doubtlessly paving the best way to additional transfers of the rather more broadly used Leopard 2 tanks by a number of NATO members comparable to Poland and Spain, which have lengthy proven a powerful curiosity in equipping the Ukrainian Army with the automobiles.
The Leopard 2 and American M1 Abrams had been developed in parallel to the Challenger 2’s predecessor the Challenger 1, with all three coming into service from 1979-1983 and having various commonalities from weight vary to gun calibre. The Challenger 2 was developed as a part of a more recent era of automobiles and entered service from 1998, making it the latest Western tank design operational in the present day. The tank represented a clear sheet design with solely 3 % elements commonality with the previous Challenger 1. Regardless of benefits over its German and U.S. rivals by way of armour safety, the British car noticed a a lot shorter manufacturing run which led to 2002, and just one export contract was signed to equip the Royal Army of Oman. The tank’s lack of a smoothbore gun, and its service entry after the top of the Chilly Battle when smaller defence budgets prevented it from gaining momentum, had been main setbacks to this system. In consequence the Leopard 2 and M1 Abrams stay the one Western tanks in manufacturing in the present day, and are each broadly utilized by NATO members.
Fourteen Challenger 2 tanks are anticipated to equip the Ukrainian Army as a part of a primary support package deal, though questions have been broadly raised relating to how shortly they are often made prepared for frontline service. The practicality of working Western tanks in Ukraine, which use totally different gun calibers and spare elements and require very totally different upkeep, coaching and munitions to the Soviet tanks the nation at present operates, has repeatedly been put to query. The Challenger’s very heavy weight, at roughly 75 tons with fight armour, additionally makes it round 50 % heavier than the T-72s and T-64s Ukraine operates and fewer in a position to make use of native bridges or function in cities. The tank however has various notable strengths, most importantly its second era Chobham armour, and choices for Explosive Reactive armour and extra bar armour. Its base armour is taken into account by far essentially the most sturdy of all Western tank designs.
The Challenger 2’s fireplace controls, whereas superior for his or her time, are mediocre in the present day though nonetheless considerably forward of these of different tanks Ukraine makes use of. The tank’s use of a diesel slightly than a fuel turbine engine makes it much less gasoline hungry than American Abrams or Russian T-80 tanks, though offering a extra restricted diploma of mobility extra similar to Ukraine’s T-72s and T-64s. Except for coaching and logistics points, the Challenger 2’s most important disadvantage is its reliance on a rifled gun which prevents it from utilizing penetrative rounds that will be wanted to threaten high finish Russian tanks such because the T-90M – a problem the British Army is addressing within the an upcoming improve package deal by rearming the automobiles with smoothbore weapons. With British Defence Ministry set to solely fund upgrades for beneath 150 Challenger 2s, and retire the rest, as much as 200 tanks could possibly be accessible in reserves for eventual switch to Ukraine. Alongside anticipated deliveries of enormous numbers of Leopard 2s, this might make the Japanese European nation a number one operator of third era Western tanks.
