Challenger 3

Last updated

Challenger 3
Challenger 3.jpg
Challenger 3 Tech Demonstrator
Type Main battle tank
Place of origin United Kingdom
Service history
In serviceFrom 2025 [1]
Used by British Army
Production history
Designer Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land
ManufacturerRheinmetall BAE Systems Land
Produced2025–2030 [1]
No. built148 (Planned) [2]
Specifications
Mass66 tonnes (65 long tons; 73 short tons) [3]
Crew4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)
Armour "new Modular Armour" consisting of External "EPSOM" and Internal "Farnham" Armour, [4] [5] APS [6] (page not found)
Main
armament
120 mm Rheinmetall L55A1 smoothbore gun
Engine Perkins CV12-9A 26.1 litre V12 diesel [7]
1,500 bhp (1118 kW) [8]
Transmission David Brown Santasalo TN54E epicyclic transmission (six forward, two reverse) with new component improvements. [9] [10]
Suspension Horstman third generation Hydrogas [11] [12] [13]

Challenger 3 (CR3) is a British fourth-generation main battle tank in development for the British Army. It will be produced by the conversion of existing Challenger 2 tanks by the British/German Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land joint venture.

Contents

Improvements to Challenger 2 began in 2005 as the Capability And Sustainment Programme (CSP) to keep the Challenger 2 competitive until the 2030s. Lack of funding [14] meant that it was not until 2014 that the programme was formally reorganised into the "Challenger 2 Life Extension Programme" (LEP). In response to the LEP programme, two prototypes were submitted for evaluation; one from BAE Systems in 2018 [15] and the other from Rheinmetall in 2019. [16] Later that year BAE and Rheinmetall merged their British operations into Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL), effectively leaving Rheinmetall's proposal the only option available without replacing the Challenger 2 fleet with foreign models. [17]

The Challenger 3 has an all-new turret with an improved hull. The most significant change from Challenger 2 to Challenger 3 is the replacement of the Challenger's main armament from a 120 mm L30A1 rifled main gun to the 120 mm L55A1 [18] smoothbore gun (which itself is an upgraded version of the L55 fitted to the Leopard 2A6/A7 family of main battle tanks) giving commonality with other NATO members. Ammunition is to be developed in conjunction with Rheinmetall AG, with a new kinetic energy round being developed for Challenger 3 and Leopard 2. [19]

The entry into service of the Challenger 3 has been brought forward to 2025, not 2027 as originally planned. The first units are to be delivered to the British Army in 2025. A total of 148 tanks are to be produced, with costs estimated at 906.89 million British pounds sterling (1.17 billion US dollars). [20] By the spring of 2024, eight pre-production tanks had been delivered and trials had commenced in Germany.

History

The Challenger 3 will be the fourth tank of this name, the first being the World War II Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger, which was developed from the Cromwell tank chassis and armed with a Ordnance QF 17-pounder. [21] The second was the Gulf War-era Challenger 1, which was the British army's main battle tank (MBT) from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s when it was succeeded by the Challenger 2 which saw action during the Iraq War in 2003. [22]

In 2005, the MOD recognised a need for a Capability Sustainment Programme (CSP) to extend the service life of the Challenger 2 into the mid-2030s and upgrade its mobility, lethality and survivability. [23] The CSP was planned to be complete by 2020 and was to combine all the upgrades from CLIP (Challenger Lethality Improvement Programme), including the fitting of a 120 mm smoothbore gun. [24] [25] By 2014, the CSP had been replaced by the Life Extension Programme (LEP) which shared a similar scope of replacing obsolete components and extending the tank's service life from 2025 to 2035, however the 120 mm smoothbore gun had seemingly been abandoned. [26] [27] [28]

In 2015, the British Army provided an insight into the scope of the LEP, dividing it into four key areas, namely: [29]

The MOD also began assessing active protection systems (APS) on the Challenger 2, including MUSS and Rheinmetall's ROSY Rapid Obscurant System. [30] [31] [32]

In August 2016, the MOD awarded assessment phase contracts to several companies for the Life Extension Programme. These included Team Challenger 2 (a consortium led by BAE Systems and including General Dynamics UK), [33] CMI Defence and Ricardo plc, Rheinmetall and Lockheed Martin UK. [34] [35] In November, the MOD shortlisted two teams led by BAE Systems and Rheinmetall to compete for the LEP which was then estimated to be worth £650 million ($802 million). [36] [37] [38]

In October 2018, BAE Systems unveiled its proposed Challenger 2 LEP technology demonstrator, the "Black Night". [39] The new improvements included a Safran PASEO commander’s sight, Leonardo thermal imager for the gunner and Leonardo DNVS 4 night sight.[ citation needed ] The turret also received modifications to improve the speed of traverse and to provide greater space as well as regenerative braking to generate and store power. Other enhancements included a laser warning system and an active protection system. [39]

In January 2019, Rheinmetall unveiled its proposal which included the development of a completely new turret with fully digital electronic architecture, day and night sights for the commander and gunner, and a Rheinmetall L55 120 mm smoothbore gun. Whilst a more substantial upgrade than Black Night, the turret was developed on Rheinmetall's initiative and was not funded by the UK MOD, nor was it part of the MOD's LEP requirements. [16]

In June 2019, BAE Systems and Rheinmetall formed a joint venture company, based in the UK, named Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL). [40] Despite the merger, the company was still expected to present two separate proposals for the LEP contract.[ citation needed ] [41] At DSEI 2019, RBSL first showed the 120mm proposal. [42]

In July 2020, Rheinmetall Defence showed a testbed vehicle on the Challenger 2 chassis, with a brand new turret, autoloading system and a powerful 130 mm smoothbore gun, the Rheinmetall Rh-130 L/51. [43] The 130 mm L/51 is 500 kilograms heavier than existing 120 mm L/44 or L/55 cannons and would require a larger turret to work on the Challenger 3. [44]

In October 2020, the MOD argued against buying a new main battle tank from overseas instead of pursuing the Challenger 2 LEP, stating that an upgraded Challenger 2 would "be comparable—and in certain areas superior—to Leopard 2 or M1 Abrams". [45]

The management of the C2 LEP was scathingly criticized by the Defence Select Committee on 15 March 2021. [46] They said in a report entitled "Obsolescent and outgunned: the British Army's armoured vehicle capability", [47] that "Despite having spent around 50% of the allocated budget (£800 million), the programme has yet to place a manufacturing contract. The programme has a current in-service date of 2024 (originally planned for 2017) and is some £227 million over budget. After a decade of effort, this abject failure to deliver against both cost, (with an overrun now totalling over a quarter of a billion pounds of public money) and timescale (ISD seven years late) is clearly totally unacceptable. Nevertheless, it is symptomatic of the extremely weak management of Army equipment programmes, by both Defence Equipment and Support and the Army Board itself, in recent years." [48]

On 22 March 2021, Ben Wallace presented the command paper, Defence in a Competitive Age to Parliament, which confirmed the British Army's plans to upgrade 148 Challenger 2 tanks for "around £1.3bn" and designate them Challenger 3. [49] [50] The MOD confirmed the contract with RBSL had been signed, valued at £800 million (USD$1 billion), on 7 May 2021. Rheinmetall's more extensive upgrade proposal, including the new 120 mm smoothbore gun, had been accepted. The initial operating capability for the upgraded tanks is expected by 2027, with full operation capability expected to be declared by 2030. [51]

A pre-production Challenger 3 on display at DVD2024, a defence equipment exhibition at the Millbrook Proving Ground, in September 2024. DES 2024 100 0104.jpg
A pre-production Challenger 3 on display at DVD2024, a defence equipment exhibition at the Millbrook Proving Ground, in September 2024.

It was announced on 23 January 2024 that the first pre-production Challenger 3 had been delivered, [52] with trials commencing in Germany in February [53] and the first live-firing of the main armament in April. [54] On 18 April 2024, the Defence Secretary, Grant Shapps, attended the rollout of the last of eight pre-production models at the RBSL factory in Telford. [55] A Ministry of Defence statement claimed that nearly 300 jobs would be created at the RBSL plant, with a further 450 jobs around the UK in a supply chain of companies based in the West Midlands, Glasgow, Newcastle upon Tyne and the Isle of Wight. [56]

A drawback of the adoption of the L55A1 smoothbore gun is that it is incompatible with the depleted uranium ammunition currently used by Challenger 2; the NATO standard tungsten ammunition being less effective. On 27 April 2024, the Ministry of Defence announced that a statement of intent had been signed with Germany for the development of an Enhanced Kinetic Energy (EKE) armour-piercing round for both Challenger 3 and Leopard 2 tanks. [57]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "The United Kingdom accelerates the Challenger 3 tank program". mil.in.ua. 9 June 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  2. ↑ "British Army to get 148 Challenger 3 tanks in £800m deal". BBC News. 7 May 2021. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  3. ↑ "Challenger 3 vs Challenger 2 (Infographic)" (PDF). Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land. 29 April 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  4. ↑ "Obsolescent and outgunned: the British Army's armoured vehicle capability: Government Response to the Committee's Fifth Report of Session 2019–21". www.parliament.uk. UK Parliament. 21 May 2021. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  5. ↑ "UK Army set to receive 148 next gen 'Challenger 3' MBT's". Defence & Security Systems International. 10 May 2021. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  6. ↑ "Pioneering new technology for Challenger 3 tank". British Army. 24 June 2021. Archived from the original on 14 May 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  7. ↑ Baroness Goldie (22 April 2022). "Challenger Tanks: Engines". House of Lords Debates. UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2022– via TheyWorkForYou.
  8. ↑ Sam Hart (4 September 2023). "Insight: The UK's Challenger 3 tank programme gets ready for service in 2025".
  9. ↑ "TN54E Tracked Vehicle Transmission". David Brown Santasalo. Archived from the original on 20 February 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  10. ↑ "Work begins to prepare Challenger 2 vehicles for upgrade programme". UK Ministry of Defence - Defence Equipment & Support. 28 July 2021. Archived from the original on 6 June 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  11. ↑ "Gen 3 HydroGas Project". Tenders Electronic Daily - Supplement to the Official Journal of the EU. 12 January 2020. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  12. ↑ "Repair and Conversion Hydrogas Gen 3 Suspension Parts". Tenders Electronic Daily - Supplement to the Official Journal of the EU. 15 July 2020. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  13. ↑ "Project: 701547382 - Procurement of HAAIP Main Engine Cooling Fans – Annex A, Contract Notice Supporting Information Document". UK MOD, Defence Sourcing Portal. 26 April 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  14. ↑ "Challenger 2 Life Extension Project – Interim". Think Defence. 21 November 2015. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022.
  15. ↑ "DVD 2018: BAE Systems displays Challenger 2 LEP nicknamed Black Night". Army Recognition. 21 September 2018. Archived from the original on 20 January 2024.
  16. 1 2 Cazalet, Mark (23 January 2019). "IAV 2019: Rheinmetall unveils proposal for Challenger 2 LEP". Janes. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  17. ↑ Allison, George (14 January 2020). "Challenger 2 Life Extension Programme decision due late 2020". UK Defence Journal. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023.
  18. ↑ "Rheinmetall modernizing the UK's main battle tank Challenger 2 fleet". Rheinmetall Defence. 10 May 2021. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021.
  19. ↑ "partnering-agreement-optimise-tank-ammunition-programme". UK Ministry of Defence - Defence Equipment & Support. 27 April 2023. Archived from the original on 20 July 2023.
  20. ↑ "The United Kingdom accelerates the Challenger 3 tank program". Militarnyi. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  21. ↑ "Challenger of the 8th Hussars, the Netherlands Autumn 1944". www.qrhmuseum.com. Museum of The Queen's Royal Hussars. 3 October 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  22. ↑ "Combat Vehicles - Challenger 2". www.army.mod.uk. Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  23. ↑ Defence Industrial Strategy: Defence White Paper (PDF). London: The Stationery Office. 2005. p. 79. ISBN   0101669720 . Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  24. ↑ "The King's Royal Hussars: Regimental Journal 2007" (PDF). King's Royal Hussars. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  25. ↑ "Case Studies in Defence Procurement and Logistics" (PDF). Griffith Research Online - Griffith University. 2014. p. 236. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  26. ↑ Ripley, Tim (26 June 2014). "DVD 2014: UK Challenger 2 LEP numbers may drop". Janes. Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  27. ↑ "Dynamic Security Threats and the British Army - Presentation to RUSI by Sir Nick Carter CGS of the British Army". Royal United Services Institute. 22 January 2018. Archived from the original on 29 March 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  28. ↑ "The Defence Equipment Plan 2017" (PDF). GOV.UK. 31 January 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  29. ↑ "RTR December 2015 Newsletter" (PDF). Royal Tank Regiment. December 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  30. ↑ "Armour MBT 2025 programme: SRO appointment letter" (PDF). UK Ministry of Defence. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  31. ↑ "Active Protection for our Armed Forces". DSTL / UK Government. 5 July 2016. Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  32. ↑ Bingham, James (16 November 2017). "Challenger 2 trialled with ROSY, Iron Fist APS". Janes. Archived from the original on 13 November 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  33. ↑ "BAE Systems' Team Challenger® 2 awarded Assessment Phase for Life Extension Project". BAE Systems. 22 December 2016. Archived from the original on 5 December 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  34. ↑ "UK Announces Life Extension Project". Battlespace. 22 August 2016. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  35. ↑ "Several contenders line up for Challenger 2 life extension programme" . IHS Jane's. 11 August 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  36. ↑ Chute, Andrew (2 November 2016). "Field Narrows for UK Battle Tank Modernization". Defense News. Archived from the original on 23 January 2024. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  37. ↑ "Challenger 2 LEP contracts due in December" . IHS Jane's. 14 November 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  38. ↑ "MOD awards £46M to start Challenger 2 Tank life extension project competition". GOV.UK. 22 December 2016. Archived from the original on 23 December 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  39. 1 2 Allison, George (8 October 2018). "BAE unveils 'Black Night' – the first fully-upgraded Challenger 2 tank". UK Defence Journal. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  40. ↑ Sprenger, Sebastian; Chuter, Andrew (21 January 2019). "Rheinmetall, BAE Systems launch joint venture for military vehicles". Defense News. Archived from the original on 23 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  41. ↑ Grzeszczyk, Sian (1 July 2019). "Challenger 2 Upgrade Decision Will Not Be Made Until 2021". Forces News. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  42. ↑ Cazalet, Mark (12 September 2019). "DSEI 2019: RBSL's Challenger 2 LEP contender comes out in the open". Janes. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  43. ↑ "Rheinmetall – MBT 130 mm Gun". YouTube. Rheinmetall. 31 July 2020. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  44. ↑ Hempel, Alex (25 June 2016). "Why Can't Tanks be Larger? Rheinmetall's 130 mm Gun and the Future of MBTs". whitefleet.net. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023.
  45. ↑ "Written evidence submitted by the Ministry of Defence HCDC Inquiry: Progress in delivering the British Army's armoured vehicle". UK Parliament. 6 October 2020. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2020. The Challenger 2 Life Extension Project will be the first significant upgrade since it entered service in 1998...it will be comparable..in certain areas superior – to the latest version of Leopard 2 and Abrams.
  46. ↑ "British tanks would be outgunned by Russian adversaries, MPs warn". ITV News. 14 March 2021. Archived from the original on 29 July 2023.
  47. ↑ "Report: Obsolescent and outgunned: the British Army's armoured vehicle capability". UK Parliament. 15 March 2021. Archived from the original on 18 January 2023.
  48. ↑ "Obsolescent and outgunned: the British Army's armoured vehicle capability: Conclusions and recommendations". UK Parliament. 14 March 2021. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023.
  49. ↑ Defence in a Competitive Age (PDF). Ministry of Defence. March 2021. p. 54. ISBN   978-1-5286-2462-6 . Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  50. ↑ "Future Soldier: Transforming the British Army" (PDF). British Army. 22 March 2021. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 May 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  51. ↑ Chuter, Andrew (7 May 2021). "Britain awards $1 billion contract to upgrade Challenger 2 tanks". Defense News. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021.
  52. ↑ Candlin, Alex (23 January 2024). "Challenger 3 main battle tank takes major step forward with trials to get underway soon". www.forcesnews.com. British Forces Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  53. ↑ "First pre-production model of Army's new Challenger 3 tank deploys to Germany for trials". www.forcesnews.com. British Forces Broadcasting Service. 20 February 2024. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  54. ↑ "New gun put to the test as Challenger 3 main battle tank fires live rounds for first time". www.forcesnews.com. British Forces Broadcasting Service. 25 April 2024. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  55. ↑ "British Army's most lethal tank prototype rolls off production line". www.army.mod.uk. Ministry of Defence. 18 April 2024. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  56. ↑ "UK's most lethal tank rolls off the production lines". www.gov.uk. UK Government. 18 April 2024. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  57. ↑ Thomas, Richard (27 April 2024). "UK to develop more lethal ammunition for Challenger 3". www.army-technology.com. Army Technology. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.