Challenger 2 deployed in the Gulf.

CHALLENGER 2 MAIN BATTLE TANK, UNITED KINGDOM

Challenger 2 is an advanced main battle tank built by the UK company, Alvis Vickers Ltd (formerly Vickers Defence Systems). Challenger 2 is in service with the British Army and with the Royal Army of Oman. The UK placed orders for 127 Challenger 2 tanks in 1991 and an additional 259 in 1994. In 1993 Oman ordered 18 Challenger 2 tanks and an order for a further 20 tanks was placed in November 1997.

Challenger 2 entered service with the British Army in June 1998 and the last of the 386 tanks was delivered in April 2002. Deliveries for Oman were completed in 2001. Challenger 2 has seen operational service in Bosnia and Kosovo.

Challenger 2E, the latest development model, has been designed for the export market and is suitable for harsh environmental and climactic conditions. The 2E has been extensively trialled in Greece, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

ARMAMENT

Challenger 2 is equipped with an L30, 120mm rifled tank gun from the Royal Ordnance division of BAE SYSTEMS. The gun is made from electro-slag refined steel (ESR) and is insulated with a thermal sleeve. It is fitted with a muzzle reference system and fume extraction. The turret is capable of 360° rotation and the weapon elevation range is from -10° to +20°.

There is capacity for 50 120mm projectiles, including armour piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot (APFSDS), high explosive squash head (HESH) or smoke rounds. The L30 gun can also fire the Depleted Uranium (DU) round with a stick charge propellant. With the DU round, the L30 is part of the Charm 1 gun, charge and projectile system. A Charm 3 system is under development in which the DU projectile has a higher length to diameter aspect ratio for increased penetration.

The gun control is provided by an all-electric gun control and stabilisation system from BAE SYSTEMS. Challenger 2 is also equipped with a Boeing 7.62mm chain gun, which is located to the left of the main tank gun. The loader has a 7.62mm GPMG L37A2 anti-air machine gun, mounted on the cupola.

SELF-PROTECTION

The turret is protected with second generation Chobham armour. A nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) protection system is located in the turret bustle. On each side of the turret are five L8 smoke grenade dischargers, from Helio Mirror Company. Challenger 2 can also set a smoke screen by the injection of diesel fuel into the engine exhausts.

FIRE CONTROL AND OBSERVATION

The digital fire control computer from Computing Devices Company (now General Dynamics – Canada) has capacity for additional systems, for example a Battlefield Information Control System.

The commander has a panoramic VS 580-10 gyrostabilised sight from SAGEM (formerly SFIM Industries). A laser rangefinder is incorporated into an intermediate assembly. Elevation range is +35° to -35°. The commander's station is equipped with eight periscopes which provide 360° vision.

The Thermal Observation and Gunnery Sight II (TOGS II), from Thales (formerly Pilkington) Optronics, provides night vision. The sensor is based on UK TICM 2 common modules. The thermal image, with magnification x 4 and x 11.5 is displayed in the gunner's and commander's sights and monitors. The gunner has a Thales Optronics stabilised Gunner's Primary Sight, consisting of visual channel, 4Hz laser rangefinder and display. The laser rangefinder has a range of 200m to 10km.

The driver is equipped with an image-intensifying Passive Driving Periscope (PDP) from Thales Optronics, for night driving.

PROPULSION

The Challenger 2 has a twelve-cylinder, 1,200hp Perkins Caterpillar CV12 diesel engine and a David Brown TN54 gearbox, with six forward and two reverse gears. Second-generation Hydrogas suspension and hydraulic track tensioner are fitted. The maximum speed by road is 59km/h and 40km/h cross country. The range is given as 450km by road and 250km cross country.

CHALLENGER 2E

Challenger 2E has a new integrated weapon control and battlefield management system, which includes a gyrostabilised panoramic SAGEM MVS 580 day/thermal sight for the commander and SAGEM SAVAN 15 gyrostabilised day/thermal sight for the gunner, both with eyesafe laser rangefinder. This allows hunter/killer operations with a common engagement sequence. An optional servo-controlled overhead weapons platform can be slaved to the commander's sight to allow operation independent from the turret.

The powerpack has been replaced with a new 1500 hp Europack with transversely mounted MTU 883 diesel engine coupled to Renk HSWL 295TM automatic transmission. The smaller but more powerful engine allows more space for fuel storage, increasing the vehicle’s range to 550km

Challenger 2 on the firing range.

spec...thought you would like this one...

Da' Judge

I think HEAT rounds would have been adequate. IMHO

Geesh- T55's? What a dinosaur. I bet the British tanks outranged them by 1000 yeards (oops- how much is that in meters?)

Challenger 2 on exercise

Hopefully the Brits can spare one of those T-55s for the museum. Meanwhile, we'll do our level best to spare a T-72 for the same purpose.

T-55 Main Battle Tank

Description

The T-55 medium tank has a fully tracked, five-road-wheeled chassis. This chassis has a space between the first and second road wheels and no return rollers. The T-55 has a low-silhouetted hull with a dome-shaped turret mounted over the third road wheel. The 100-mm rifle-bore main gun has a bore evacuator at the muzzle. The T-55 also mounts a 7.62-mm coaxial machine gun; the later T-55A version lacks the bow machine gun.

The T-55 differs from the older T-54 models because it lacks the right-hand cupola and the turret dome ventilator, which is located in front of the cupola on the T-54. Most T-55s also lack the turret-mounted 12.7-mm AA machine gun of the T-54. All T-55s mount an infrared gunner's searchlight above and to the right of the main gun. This searchlight, however, is not a distinguishing feature since it has been retrofitted to many T-54 and T-54A tanks.

Capabilities

The T-55 combines a high-velocity gun with a highly mobile chassis, a low silhouette, and exceptional long-range endurance. Improvements over the T-54 include a larger V-12 water-cooled diesel engine with 580 rather than 520 horsepower, and an increased cruising range of 500 rather 400 kilometres (600 kilometres with auxiliary tanks). The increased cruising range can go up to 715 kilometres with two 200-liter auxiliary fuel tanks which can be carried on the rear. The T-55 has two-plane stabilization of the main gun rather than vertical stabilization only. It also has a basic load for the main gun of 43 rather than 34 rounds.

The T-55 can ford depths of 1.4 meters without preparation. It has snorkel equipment which enables it to cross depths of up to 5.5 meters at a speed of 2 kilometres per hour. This equipment takes about 30 minutes of preparation, but can be jettisoned immediately on leaving the water. All T-55s have the PAZ radiation detection system; the T-55A also has an anti-radiation liner. The Soviets may have retrofitted some T-55s with a full NBC collective protection system (air filtration and overpressure). Injecting vaporized diesel fuel into the exhaust system can generate a dense smoke screen.

Limitations

The half-egg shaped turret of the T-55 has good ballistic qualities; however, it created cramped working conditions for the crew. This results in a slow rate of fire. Its silhouette is one meter lower than the M-60's. This advantage is counterbalanced by its poor armour protection, which is thin by Western standards. Its gun control equipment is also crude. It shares the disadvantage that most Soviet tanks have: a limited ability to depress the main gun. This hinders its ability to fire effectively from defilade, forcing it to expose itself to engage targets. Ammunition and fuel storage positions are vulnerable. The lack of a turret basket presents loading difficulties, and there is limited ready ammunition. The driver, commander, and gunner all sit in a line.

The T-55 is not airtight. The filtration system protects the crew from radioactive dust. However, they must wear individual protective masks and clothing to guard against chemical and biological agents. The tank must thus pass through contaminated areas rapidly and the crew must decontaminate it before it is fully operational.

The tank can be made watertight for fording water obstacles up to 1.4 meters deep (or 5.5 with snorkel). However, it takes one half-hour to prepare a medium tank unit for a snorkelling operation. Entrance and exit points may also need preparation.

Remarks

The T-54 series tanks first appeared in 1949. They replaced the T-34 tank of World War II. The Soviets continuously improved and modified the T-54; when sufficient changes had been made, they re-designated it the T-55. They introduced the T-55 in 1958. It incorporates all the improvements of the fully developed T-54 series without being radically different in design or appearance. The T-55A appeared in the early 1960s.

More T-54/55 tanks have been produced than any other tank in the world. The Warsaw Pact countries and many others use the seven main production models extensively. Czechoslovakia and Poland manufacture the T-54/55. Communist China's version is still known as Type 62. Many T-54/55 tanks are still in service; however the T-62, T-64, T-72 and T-80 are replacing them as the primary main battle tanks in first-line Soviet tank and motorized rifle units.

The Soviets are modernizing some T-55s. Improvements include new APFSDS ammunition. This ammunition has a muzzle velocity of 1,500 meters per second and armour penetration of 300 millimetres. Other improvements include the following laser rangefinders; add-on armour, as on the T-62; smoke grenade launchers; track skirts; and upgraded mobility components (track and engine). Czech T-55 improvements include a crosswind sensor and a warning device that alerts the crew when the vehicle is being lasered.

The Challenger 2 has a twelve-cylinder, 1,200hp Perkins Caterpillar CV12 diesel engine and a David Brown TN54 gearbox, with six forward and two reverse gears.

Give it two forward and six reverse gears and Ivan could sell it to the French.

Note: all French tanks have forward gears. This is to allow any captured by the enemy to be paraded through the streets of Paris after the surrender.

The 73rd Armoured Regiment with its T-55s at Republic Day (India).

Ahh...fresh spray paint for everyone....

Czech T-55 improvements include a crosswind sensor and a warning device that alerts the crew when the vehicle is being lasered.

So if the Iraqis have this kind of censor, they can know that within a second or so, they'll be pressure cooked where they sit?

AWESOME!

B O O M !!

sensor ^ too much time in chat with libbies. .

Are you all having a tough time getting real news like I am? I cannot find recent stuff that makes sense from anywhere on the net. TV is no good, obviously, since every time a guy in pyjamas and a mustache takes a potshot at some marines we are "bogged down" or under a "strong counterattack", Unfortunately CENTCOMM just shows well whitewashed stuff. I want to find out what's going on, objectively. Anybody have any suggestions?

K A - B O O M !!

Please stop! I don't want my lady here to be jealous!

lolol

You may fire when ready Smedly.

More sand Habib...they will never see us!!!

Discovery Channel's special on tanks about 2 weeks before the war began had the LATEST British tank---this was incredible: it was a CERAMIC tank that was 1/4 the weight of a Challnger (admittedly, a smaller gun) but they showed tests in which its armor withstood full side blasts from Challenger ordinance and from standard anti-tank weapons. You could load 3-4 of these in a Galaxy and put thim on a desert airstrip!