(United Kindom) MAIN BATTLE TANK
The FV4034 Challenger is manufactured by the British Vickers Defense (now known as BAE System Land and Armament). It replaced the previous chieftain MBT in service with the British Army and is currently in service with the British Army(386) and Oman (38).
This tank boast of one of the most protected armor in the world today which can withstand direct fire weapons with no or little damage and is armed with a very accurate L30E4 120mm rifled gun capable of firing variety of standard NATO Munition as oppose to the smoothbore guns used by all other modern MBTs. The rifled gun range for armor-piercing round is over 4km and it has a Maximum range of 8km for other rounds. The tank claims the longest-distance tank kill in history at about 4km away during the Iraqi invasion of 2003. Extensive life extension project (LEP) is currently ongoing on the tank which will extend the operational life of the tank till over 2030 and is being carried out by Babcock Defence Support Group and design authority for the tank is held by BAE Systems.
The Challenger 2 features Chobham composite armor of the second generation which gives better protection with less weight and explosive reactive armor can also be fitted for additional protection. Due to the level of protection of the tank and its ability to take on heavy fire without being destroyed or its crew getting mortally injured, this tank was proclaimed by many weapon analyst as the most protected tank in the World. The Challenger 2 is fitted with NBC protection and automatic fire suppression systems and can also be fitted with VIRSSS (Visual and Infra-Red Smoke Screening System) and has one of the most powerful engine in a tank today.
Over 120 Challenger 2 MBT featured in the 2003 Iraq invasion and no single one of it was lost to any enemy tank (mostly T55/T72) or enemy fire. The only time a Challenger 2 tank has been seriously damaged was during a friendly military drill and the fire that damaged it came from another Challenger 2. The Crew of the Tank however survived with minor injuries.
Challenger 2
is fitted with a new fire control system. Some of its components
are very similar to the US
M1A1
Abram and French Leclerc
MBTs. Its fire control system has a high hit probability against
stationary and moving targets and very capable for day and night combat operations.
ENTERED SERVICE 1994
CREW 4Men
WEIGHT 62.5t
LENGTH(Gun Forward) 11.55m
HULL LENGTH 8.33m
WIDTH 3.52m
HEIGHT 2.42m
ENTERED SERVICE 1994
CREW 4Men
WEIGHT 62.5t
LENGTH(Gun Forward) 11.55m
HULL LENGTH 8.33m
WIDTH 3.52m
HEIGHT 2.42m
ARMOR Chobam / Dorchester Level 2
(Classified)
MAIN ARMAMENT L30A1 120mm rifled gun with 49 rounds
SECONDARY ARMAMENT Coaxial 7.62mm L94A1 Chain gun, EX-34 (chain gun), 7.62 mm L37A2
Commander's cupola machine gun
ELEVATION RANGE -10 +20 Degrees
TRANSVERSE RANGE 360%
ELEVATION RANGE -10 +20 Degrees
TRANSVERSE RANGE 360%
OPERATIONAL RANGE 500km (310mi) on road, 250km (160mi) of road on internal fuel.
SPEED 59km/h (37mph) on road, 40km/h (25mph) off road
GRADIENT 60%
SIDE SLOPE 30%
VERTICAL STEP 0.9 m
TRENCH 2.34 m
FORDING 1.07 m
GRADIENT 60%
SIDE SLOPE 30%
VERTICAL STEP 0.9 m
TRENCH 2.34 m
FORDING 1.07 m
UNIT COST $3.8Million
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