British Challenger 3: the tank should be good, but there are big problems with the hulls
It's no secret that the British military is seriously intent on reforming its armored units. True, primarily due to their reduction - instead of three tank There will be two regiments, and the number of Challenger 2 tanks in the army will be reduced from 227 to 148 units. But they plan to compensate for the loss in numbers with quality: all 148 vehicles will be upgraded to the Challenger 3 standard, and their first deliveries to the troops will begin in 2025.
According to the plans, modification of the tank should significantly increase its combat effectiveness, of which there is no doubt - we will also talk about this. However, manufacturers have already begun to encounter problems with enclosures for this project.
The car will be given a second life
The British can hardly be accused of excessive waste, but they planned a very large budget for modernizing their Challenger 2 - just over $5 million for each car. The approach is clear: the production of tanks from scratch was curtailed a long time ago and, if resumed, would require gigantic financial investments, so it would be useful to keep the existing tank fleet afloat. Therefore, they decided to go wild, as they say, for all the money, the development of which was entrusted to Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land.
Hidden from prying eyes Challenger 3 prototype turret
First of all, it is worth noting that the tank will receive a completely new three-seat welded turret with reinforced armor, an insulated aft compartment for ammunition and a design adapted for the installation of the Israeli Trophy active protection complex. And instead of the rather outdated 120-mm rifled classic cannon, it will house a German L55A1 smoothbore gun of similar caliber - the same one found in the new Leopards 2.
Test bench with L55A1 gun for the Challenger 3 tank
By the way, tanks from Foggy Albion needed a new artillery system even more than other changes. The fact is that new ammunition for the old gun has not been developed and put into production for a long time - the last serial sub-caliber projectile for it (for the British army) was over twenty years old, not to mention the others. At the same time, the purchase of more recent copies somewhere on the side is limited by a rifled barrel, based on which the “smooth-bore” opens up the greatest opportunities for purchasing complete shots in advanced countries such as Germany and the USA.
The new gun will be aimed at the target by a new fire control system (FCS), borrowed from the Ajax combat vehicles, which, together with the Challenger 3, will enter service in the British army. It includes a multi-channel gunner's sight with a new generation thermal imager and a new panoramic sight-observation device for the commander, in tandem providing a more or less full-fledged "hunter-gunner" operating mode, when the commander (hunter) identifies the enemy and transmits target designation to the gunner (gunner) who is striking target.
A rather awkward attempt to install the KAZ Trophy, but it will be included in the list of required attributes for Challenger 3
They plan to synchronize with the fire control system a circular detection complex consisting of cameras in all projections of the tank. As well as a sensor system for identifying laser irradiation, which provides information about where the enemy is aiming at the vehicle from - the detectors recognize radiation from tank rangefinders, laser missile guidance channels and target designators of adjustable projectiles.
There will be, in addition to a ballistic computer, which automatically generates the necessary corrections for shooting, and a target tracking machine that independently holds the aiming mark on an enemy object. However, perhaps most of all, gunners will be pleased that the thermal imaging sight will receive independent stabilization. Let us remember that on Challengers 2 it was installed on the gun mantlet, so when it was raised for long-distance shooting, one could only see the endless sky through it.
From other electronics, the vehicle will receive new means of communication, driver observation devices with thermal imagers, equipment for integration into a unified automated troop control network, as well as an open architecture that allows the implementation of one or another electronic component (including sights, etc.) without radical alteration and modernization of related components. Essentially: an analogue of a computer Plug and Play - “plug it in and use it,” which greatly facilitates future modernization.
They want to improve the mobility of the 66-ton tank as part of the HAAIP program, which, strictly speaking, applied not only to the Challenger, but also to engineering vehicles based on it. It includes modification of the engine with boosting its power to 1 horsepower, an improved cooling system, 500rd generation hydropneumatic suspension, a new engine cold start system and an updated transmission.
Running in the new transmission on the Challenger 2 Megatron with CRARRV in tow
Although there are nuances here.
The new transmission in the prototype is already ready and is being tested, in particular on the heavy Challenger 2 Megatron, together with the CRARRV ARV in tow. But whether a boosted engine will appear on Challenger 3 is still a question. According to plans, the increase in power should occur through the introduction of a new common rail injection system, but, according to expert from Janes magazine John Hawkes, whether it will ultimately be implemented is not yet clear. Largely due to increased cooling requirements for an already loaded unit.
Nevertheless, we can say that the tank modernization project is quite worthy and will extend the life of the British old man.
But where can we go without problems?
Where is the building, Zin?
Based on the fact that Challenger 3 is a modernization of existing vehicles, those tanks that are on hand in storage are taken for modification to this standard. Of course, this is equipment already battered by life and operation, requiring not only a major overhaul of all components, but also in need of in-depth diagnostics.
Moreover, first of all, this concerns the hulls, as the base that carries the entire main load, which clearly tends to increase when the tank is modernized. Therefore, they are checked carefully, including with the help of ultrasonic examination, thanks to which it is possible to identify defects in the steel base and understand whether fatigue changes have reached limit values.
And, I must say, among experts and those simply closely interested in armored vehicles, doubts initially arose that the hulls of the Challenger 2 in storage would pass this test in full and without problems. But then all this was only at the level of assumptions and simply logical speculation.
Now, discussions about the potential shortage of operationally ready-for-modification hulls seem to be reaching a completely different level, as the UK Defense Journal wrote about not long ago.
In the published article “UK faces huge hurdle in upgrading Challenger 3 tank,” British MP Kevan Jones is quoted as saying:
You know you have very few contenders that you can actually use... It's going to create a problem for the company doing this because you're going to delay the program in terms of being able to supply the actual body shells for the retrofit...
...Challenger 3 can be done, but the worrying thing and the problem you face is that, as Mark just said, you're putting new technology on an old car. Is she capable of this?
Yes, I think so. But you know that you have very few Challengers that you can actually use - where you could put the keys in tomorrow and drive out the door. This will create problems for the company doing this because you are going to delay the program in terms of being able to supply the actual body shells for the retrofit.
Two prototypes were supposed to be ready by Christmas, but this did not happen. You always have optimism that everything will work out. It's not that you can't do it, but it's all about delay because some of the decisions you've made with Challenger in the past - in terms of mothballing a lot of them - are going to create problems.
...Challenger 3 can be done, but the worrying thing and the problem you face is that, as Mark just said, you're putting new technology on an old car. Is she capable of this?
Yes, I think so. But you know that you have very few Challengers that you can actually use - where you could put the keys in tomorrow and drive out the door. This will create problems for the company doing this because you are going to delay the program in terms of being able to supply the actual body shells for the retrofit.
Two prototypes were supposed to be ready by Christmas, but this did not happen. You always have optimism that everything will work out. It's not that you can't do it, but it's all about delay because some of the decisions you've made with Challenger in the past - in terms of mothballing a lot of them - are going to create problems.
Another MP, Marc Francois, shares the same rhetoric:
When upgrading Challenger 3, you try to install a new turret and a larger gun on an armored vehicle. That's exactly what you did with Ajax and it was a real disaster.
The situation seems to be serious indeed and is complicated by the fact that Britain does not have very many reserves of Challenger 2. Let us remember that over the years of its production, 447 units were produced, of which 38 were sent to Oman, 14 units went to Ukraine, one was destroyed in Iraq and another 43 tanks were disposed of due to the impracticality of their repair.
Taking into account the 227 vehicles in service, London's bins are quite meager, and you won't be able to go wild with them - these are not a thousand tanks, from which you can collect one and a half hundred copies suitable for modification and further service.
Of course, there is no reason to assume that the current situation will lead to a complete breakdown of the modernization program. Perhaps the requirements for some items will be simplified or more time will be spent on repairs. In the end, there are still tanks in service, although this is a last resort. But the precedent is indicative.
Having decided for the first time to completely modernize their tank fleet, the British, not accustomed to spending money left and right, were faced with a problem that should have been foreseen in an amicable way even before adopting the Challenger 3 creation program.
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