The Only Reason Why The UK Challenger 3 is The Most Feared Tank on Earth

The Challenger 3 main battle tank is the strongest tank for the British Army.
The updated Challenger 3 will have a better turret and gun, and active protection system, making this tank able to attack and defend equally well.

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[jeffslade]

The main reason it is feared is often overlooked - it is operated by the british army. Professional and enthusiasts, highly trained and highly skilled.

[Pondjumper]

Never forget that in the Gulf War in 1991 offensive the Challenger made a single shot over a staggering range of 5, 100m (3 miles) with a Depleted Uranium (DU) round – the longest confirmed tank kill in history

[glennridsdale]

You’ve missed the point completely. The real reason for the switch to a smoothbore is ammunition. Nobody makes ammo for the rifles any more.

[ApplyWithCaution]

... I was a gunner on the 1st Chieftains to be fitted with the extended graticule and laser rangefinder ... my colleagues and i used to be able to claim 1st tound hits on hard target at up to 3000m using the old APDS projectile down a rifled barrel ...

[meyrickgriffith-jones]

Challenger is faster xcountry than Abrams, because of its suspension. Also the vehicle is lower and more repairable because the suspension units are external, unlike others where double torsion bars go in the bottom of the vehicle, which raises the profile.
CR is also vastly more fuel efficient than Abrams. Combat radius is nowhere near as good as Chieftain, but we don't run out of fuel as the US did in GW. Fuelling is a real problem with Abrams.

The point about the HESH round was that, in the past it was the projectile that satisfied the NATO accuracy requirement, despite the fact that the primary a/t round was APDS. We later changed our primary anti armour round to a DU fin, using a slipping driving band. One of the problems going to the Rheinmetall gun is the fact that it uses fixed ammunition. This means that we have lost our 10degrees of depression, because you need a longer space behind the gun to load it. This means that, in a hull down position much more of the vehicle has to be exposed, in order to cover the same area of ground in front of the tank. - compared with other vehicles 5 deg of depression. So you offer roughly twice the target area. This not only affects detection and visibility, but also the chance of the enemy hitting you with a less accurate gun. Hard lesson learned in WW2

[contingency]

Challenger 1 with a rifled barrel still has the longest tank on tank kill in history.

[StoccTube]

The rifled barrel was not itself a problem, in fact it was an advantage in firing given British preferences in rounds, the problem however, is that everyone else in NATO can’t use the same ammunition and vice versa.
The new gun we be awesome, but the old gun still has the longest tank on tank kill (5km+) from a Challenger 1 in the Gulf War, so hardly an “issue”.

[JonathanBriggs-qu]

Yes, I do believe that UK minds can come up with the best in this context. Whether their ever smaller pie Govt ideology can fund the scale to make it all worthwhile, is another issue.

[flyingdutchman]

Many people claim that the Challenger 2 is a poor vehicle usually pointing to the old Rifling technique still incorporated as its main gun, some call into question its armour too (something I laugh at because its armour is entirely classified) and some cite its 1300 HP engine as a disadvantage compared to Allied 1500 HP engines. I believe that the Challenger is on par with many of its Western Allies and is a threat to any future enemy tank it may seen on the modern battlefield.

[MrSmegfish]

Chobham armour is incredible. Gives the crew a much better chance

[seanjoseph]

Funny old thing, the longest tank on-tank kill was by a Challenger against an Iraqi Russian built tank, the Challenger had a rifled barrel.

[simon]

Having a rifled gun barrel was NEVER a problem for the challenger 2 it was Nato that had the problem with it as 80% of Nato tanks were using the same Smooth Bore gun.

[timothykelly]

Ukrainians are very happy with the accuracy of the rifled barrel.

[johncostello]

The only disadvantage with a rifled barrel is you're restricted to your own ammo. But if you've got plenty of ammo then no problem.
The UK government are thinking 10 years ahead. There may be times when stocks are low. And if you're going to upgrade other things then may as well make the switch to smoothbore at the same time.

[jimwilliams]

They all have ablative armor as well, designed to cancel some of the force from kinetic strikes. A happy accident; it makes them laser-proof. Hit the armor with a laser and you generate clouds of smoke as the ablative armor burns. your laser turns into an expensive flashlight.

[harryhanly]

That’s why the chalager2 rifled gun holds the recored for farthest distancez confirmed kill they have changed to smoothbore so it can fire nato ammunition not because it’s superior the rifled gun is superior but it comes at a cost

[theatomicmuffin]

The only problem with the challenger 2 and new challenger 3 will have is we won’t have enough of them

[neilt]

Challenger2 with its out dated systems still holds the longest tank on tank kill 🇬🇧👍

[hardywatkins]

I've heard that the rifled barrel of the challenger 2 has a particular utility with regards to the HESH tank round in the sense that the spin of the round helps the plastic explosive 'pancake' against the surface of the target. It's a clever idea really of not actually trying to penetrate armour as such but rather to cause massive trauma to the interior of the tank ... and it's crew. I assume a smoothbore can also fire such rounds but perhaps with slightly less efficiency?

[LetsSWITCHGames]

I worked with Challenger 1 and 2 for many years.

Its main armour is one of its best attributes, we knew how it worked but its composition is still classified as top secret. The Chally 2 already has a good fire control system, and is extremely capable in both day and night situations.

Also, the Challenger can already fire APFSDS rounds, the main reason we held on to the rifled barrel for so long is because of HESH rounds. Extremely lethal rounds that are effective against most armour.

Lastly I would say the crews themselves are at the very top in the world. Of course you could say I am biased, and to a degree I likely am. I served alongside American tank crews, and whilst being professional tankies, they just have a very different attitude when it comes to deploying and attacking an enemy, something that goes for the American military in general.