Taking current numbers and discounting vehicles in storage, a theoretical increase could be for as few as nine extra Challenger 3 tanks, should the refreshed IR and DCP deem the planned 148 upgraded tanks to be insufficient.Ĭhallenger 2 tanks still in storage will be in a range of conditions, from those that need considerable working up before being made ready for operations, to platforms that have been cannibalised for spare parts and in effect unserviceable. Given the current numbers of Challenger 2 tanks available for operations, and the materiel state of the remaining 70 vehicles in storage, it is not clear how many more could be upgraded. Speaking in Parliament, the UK Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace said that part of the assessment will be to determine whether more than 148 Challenger 2 tanks would be upgraded to the Challenger 3. However, in light of the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war, which has seen the massed used of armour as well as countermeasures such as loitering munitions and improved dismounted anti-tank weapons, the UK is undertaking a ‘refresh’ of the IR and DCP. In the UK’s 2021 Integrated Review (IR) and Defence Command Paper (DCP), it was revealed that 148 of the country’s Challenger 2 MBTs would be upgraded to a Challenger 3 variant, featuring active protection systems, improved sensors and optics, as well as a new turret and the Rheinmetall L55A1 120mm smoothbore gun. Ukrainian forces have begun operational training on the Challenger 2, with the platform potentially ready to deploy to Ukraine by the end of the month.
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