CHALLENGER 2
 

Challenger 2 was manufactured by Vickers Defence Systems and production undertaken at their factories in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and Leeds. At 1999 prices Challenger 2 is believed to have cost £4 million per vehicle.

Although the hull and automotive parts of the Challenger 2 are based upon that of its predecessor Challenger 1, the new tank incorporates over 150 improvements which have achieved substantially increased reliability and ease of maintenance. The Challenger 2 turret is, however, of a totally new design. The vehicle has a crew of four - commander, gunner, loader/signaller and driver and is equipped with a 120mm rifled Royal Ordnance L30 gun firing all current tank ammunition natures plus the new depleted uranium (DU) round with a stick charge propellant system.

CHALLENGER'S NEW FIRE CONTROL SYSTEM

The design of the turret incorporates several of the significant features that Vickers had developed for its Mk 7 MBT (a Vickers turret on a Leopard 2 chassis). The central feature is an entirely new fire control system based on the Ballistic Control System developed by Computing Devices Company (Canada) for the US Army's M1A1 MBT. This second generation computer incorporates dual 32-bit processors with a MIL STD1553B databus and has sufficient growth potential to accept Battlefield Information Control System (BICS) functions and navigation aids (a GPS satnav system). The armour is an uprated version of Challenger 1's Chobham armour.

Challenger 2 has shown itself to be one of the most, if not the most, reliable pieces of major equipment ever brought into service with the British Army. Extensive use on exercises in the UK, Germany, Poland, Canada and Oman, plus operational service in Bosnia and Kosovo has shown CR2 to be a battle winning asset that has performed well beyond its design specifications.

Challenger 2 successfully completed its Reliability Growth Trial (RGT) in 1994 and during these trials three vehicles were tested over a total of about 285 battlefield days. For the purposes of the trial a battlefield day consisted of:

27 kms of Road Travel
33 kms of Cross Country Travel
Firing 34 Main Armament Rounds
Firing 1,000 7.62 mm MG rounds
16 Hours of Weapon Systems Operation
10 Hours of Main Engine Idling
3.5 Hours of Main Engine Running - Mobile