As far back as 2005, the British Ministry of Defense had been mulling over programs to extend the service life of the Challenger 2 well into the 2030s and possibly even beyond.

But, as it turns out, the best thing to replace a Challenger 2 tank is an even better Challenger 2 tank. Eventually, something newer or better is bound to take its place. But even the mighty Challenger 2 in service since 1998 can't defend the British Isles forever. That's why even two decades after its production run ended, Challenger 2s are high-ticket commodities actively being sent to battlefields in Ukraine to use in their campaign against Russia.

With the same basic engine as the Challenger 1 but sporting an upgraded variant of its L11A 120 mm rifled cannon dubbed the 元0, plus upgrades to its thick Chobham armor, the Challenger II could theoretically lay waste to just about any other MBT in service today. Nearly single-handedly, the Challenger 2 prevented Great Britain from having to order American M1 Abrams to supplement its reserves of MBTs starting in the early 90s. Its 1,200 horsepower diesel engine allowed for an impressive top speed of 35 mph (56 km/h) to boot.īut perhaps at no time since World War II did British ingenuity show its stuff more prominently than with the Vickers Defense Systems FV4034 Challenger 2. But regardless, the Challenger 1's 120 mm Royal Ordnance rifled cannon packed a mean punch as Iraqi T-72 crews discovered on the battlefields of the First Gulf War. A venerable bruiser of a machine that weighed a minimum of 62 tons, the Challenger 1's innovative Chobham composite armor would have been the toast of any MBT in the world had the American Abrams not worn such armor first. Nearly 40 years after the end of World War II, the Challenger line of main battle tanks began in earnest with the Royal Ordnance Factory FV4030 Challenger 1.

With a mighty Rolls-Royce Meteor V12 engine at its heart and a brutal Ordnance QF 17-pounder (76.2 mm) cannon on offer, only a lack of better armor prevented the first in the Challenger series from being a more well-regarded cruiser tank. Indeed, the Challenger lineage dates back to the Second World War, with a modification of the iconic Cromwell tank dubbed the Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger. But, for those who aren't up to date on their British tanks, here is a brief history around the moniker. Tank geeks the world over laud the Challenger series of tanks as some of the finest war machines to come out of Britain in the late 20th century.

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