British Army acquiring Challenger 3 Main Battle Tanks to refresh its fleet

The British Defence Ministry will procure almost 150 of the tanks under a contract worth $1.1 billion

British Army acquiring Challenger 3 Main Battle Tanks to refresh its fleet

Photo: British Army

The British Army is refreshing its fleet of tanks. The British defense secretary announced last weekend that the Army will receive a fleet of 148 Challenger 3 Main Battle Tanks as part of a $1.1 billion contract with Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL).

In his statement, the British Defense Secretary noted the new tank's main features: a new 120mm smoothbore gun which uses the most advanced globally available ammunition; a new suite of sights providing tank commanders with enhanced day and night targeting abilities; new modular armor; an active protection system; and a turret that can be fitted to the tanks of allies and global partners.

The Army Recognition website quoted Nicholas Drummond, a British military expert, as saying that the Challenger 3 will use Thales sights as Ajax for commonality; a mix of DM11 PAB (Programmable Air Burst) and DM53 APFSDS ammo in L55A1 gun restore battlefield primacy; and separate driveline upgrade expected to include MTU883 power pack plus Renk transmission.

At this stage, there is no indication of Israeli defense industry involvement in this project.