New pictures of the British Challenger 3 tank have been published

Development of the new Challenger 3 main battle tank for the British Army continues in the UK. The creation of the fourth generation MBT is being carried out by Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL), a joint venture of the British BAE Systems and the German Rheinmetall AG, engaged in the design, production and support of military equipment.

It should be noted that Challenger 3 is the product of a gradual but deep redesign of the existing Challenger 2 tanks. The tank may have a new smoothbore 120 mm caliber gun, instead of a rifled one. The initial performance of the modernized tanks with an updated appearance is expected by 2027, and full operational readiness will be announced by 2030. In particular, the first images of Challenger 2 with a new tower for Challenger 3 appeared on the Internet.





In addition, RBSL announced that it had signed a contract for the manufacture and supply of new (improved) modular composite armor for these MBTs, which was the result of RBSL's collaboration with the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), and entered preliminary testing in 2023. The UK Ministry of Defense decided to increase the survivability of Challenger 3, taking into account the analyzed experience of combat operations in Ukraine, transferred to Challenger 2.

Publications by Western experts and the media specify that the specified armor consists of two components. Farnham modules will be located in the front of the hull and in the front of the turret. In addition, the Challenger 3's hull protection will be enhanced by additional Epsom mounted armor modules. At the same time, it is unknown how the geometry of the body will change compared to previously presented demonstrators. The cost of the contract has not been disclosed.