british challenger 3

British Challenger 3 - The Challenger 3 (CR3) is a planned fourth-generation British main battle tank under development for the British Army. It will be manufactured by the British-German joint venture Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land by converting existing Challenger 2 tanks.

Improvements to the Challenger 2 began in 2005 under the Capability and Sustainability Program (CSP) to keep the Challenger 2 competitive until 2030. No funds

British Challenger 3

This meant the program was not formally reorganized into the "Challenger 2 Life Extension Program" (LEP) until 2014. Two prototypes were submitted for evaluation in response to the LEP programme; One of BAE Systems in 2018

Desert Storm Raid: Challenger 1 Mk.3 Ods

Later that year, BAE and Rheinmetall merged their UK operations into Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL), effectively leaving Rheinmetall's offer for the Challenger 2 fleet as the only available option without replacing non-native models.

Challenger 3 has a completely 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 the 120mm L30A1 rifled main gun to the 120mm L55A1.

Smoothbore gun (which itself is an upgraded version of the L55 fitted to the Leopard 2A6/A7 MBT family)

Giving parity with other NATO members. It is the first British-built tank to not feature a rifled main gun from the start.

Challenger 2 Ebook Door Robert Griffin

The Challenger 3 would be the fourth tank of that name, the second World War I Mk VIII Challenger cruiser to be developed from the Cromwell tank chassis and armed with the QF 17-pounder armament. The second was the Gulf War-era Challenger 1, which had been the British Army's main battle tank (MBT) since the early 1980s.

In 2005, the Ministry of Defense recognized the need for the Capability Sustainment Program (CSP) to extend the life of the Challenger 2 into the mid-2030s and improve its mobility, lethality and survivability.

CSP was expected to be completed by 2020 and would combine all upgrades with CLIP.

By 2014, the CSP program was replaced by the Life Extension Program (LEP), which had the same scope of replacing obsolete components and extending the life of the tank from 2025 to 2035, but the 120mm smoothbore gun appears to have been abandoned.

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In 2015, the British Army provided an insight into the scope of the LEP, dividing it into four main areas, namely:

MOD has begun evaluating the Active Protection System (APS) on Challenger 2, including the MUSS and ROSY Rapid Obscurant System from Rheinmetall.

In August 2016, the MoD awarded several companies contracts for the evaluation phase of the life extension program. This included Team Challenger 2 (a consortium led by BAE Systems and including Geral Dynamics UK).

In November, the Ministry of Defense shortlisted two teams led by BAE Systems and Rheinmetall to compete for the LEP, which is estimated at £650 million ($802 million).

D Rendering Of A Challenger Tank Stock Illustration

New upgrades included the Safran PASEO commander's sight, a Leonardo thermal imager for the gun, and a Leonardo DNVS 4 night sight.

The turret also received modifications to improve traverse speed and provide more space and regenerative braking to collect and store energy. Other measures include a laser warning system and an active safety system.

In January 2019, Rheinmetall presented its proposal, which included the development of a completely new turret with a fully digital electronic architecture, day and night sights for the commander and gunner, and a Rheinmetall L55 120mm smoothbore gun. Although the turret was a significant improvement over the Black Knight, it was developed at the initiative of Rheinmetall and was not funded by the British MoD nor was it part of the MOD's LEP requirements.

In June 2019, BAE Systems and Rheinmetall formed a UK-based Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) joint venture.

Tam35274 1:35 Tamiya British Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank Desertised Oif #35274

In July 2020, Rheinmetall Defense showed a test vehicle on the Challger 2 chassis, with a completely new turret, autoloader and powerful 130mm smoothbore gun, the Rheinmetall Rh-130 L/51.

The 130 mm L/51 is 500 kg heavier than the existing 120 mm L/44 or L/55 guns and requires a larger turret to operate on the Challenger 3.

In October 2020, the MoD argued against buying a new MBT from abroad instead of pursuing the Challenger 2 LEP, saying that an upgraded Challenger 2 would be "comparable to - and in some areas superior to - the Leopard 2 or Abrams M1".

C2 LEP leadership was severely criticized by the Defce Select Committee on March 15, 2021.

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That "despite spending nearly 50% of its allocated budget (£800 million), the show has yet to reach a production contract. The end date for the program is 2024 (originally planned for 2017) and a budget of around £227 million. After a decade of effort, this flagrant failure in terms of both cost (now over a quarter of a billion pounds of public money) and timeframe (ISD saves years behind schedule) is clearly completely unacceptable. This is symptomatic of the extremely poor management of the military equipment program by both Defense Equipment and Support and the Army Board itself over the years."

On 22 March 2021, B Wallace released the command document Defce in a Competitive Age, which confirmed the British Army's plan to upgrade 148 Challenger 2 tanks at a cost of "around £1.3 billion" and rename them Challenger 3.

The MoD confirmed the signing of a £800m (US$1bn) contract with RBSL on 7 May 2021. Rheinmetall's more extensive proposal for an upgrade including a new 120mm smoothbore gun has been accepted. Initial operational capability of the upgraded tanks is expected by 2027, with full operational capability to be declared by 2030.

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