Page 16 - History of War - Issue 25-16

Frontline

ANATOMY OF A The British Army’s Challenger 2 is one of the most

sophisticated weapons of its kind

CREW COMPARTMENT
The four-man crew of the Challenger 2 is seated
inside the turret and chassis. The commander
occupies a position in the turret to the right with
the loader to his left. The driver and gunner are
seated below in the hull.

FUME EXTRACTOR

GRENADE
LAUNCHERS

THERMAL IMAGING
SENSORS

CHALLENGER 2 – THE CUTTING EDGE

This main battle tank entered service with the British Army in 1998 and has seen
deployments in Bosnia, Kosovo and Operation Iraqi Freedom. It is also the primary
main battle tank of the Royal Army of Oman. Its L30A1 120mm ril ed gun is the
exception among Western tanks, which usually mount smoothbore weapons. It is capable
of i ring a variety of ordnance, including HESH (high-explosive squash head) and APFSDS
(armour-piercing i n stabilised discarding sabot) rounds. The Challenger 2 has a i ne combat
record, sustaining damage but withstanding rocket-propelled grenades, anti-tank missiles and
IEDs (improvised explosive devices). Its service life is estimated to extend to 2035, and an export
variant, the Challenger 2E, has been evaluated in numerous countries.

Below: A Challenger 2 aims its L30A1 120mm main gun at a distant target STATE-OF-THE-ART SUSPENSION
The Challenger absorbs the rigours of cross-
country and road traverse with its second-
generation hydropneumatic suspension and
hydraulic track tensioner system that support the
William Cook Defence hydraulically adjustable
double pin tracks.

“THE CHALLENGER 2 HAS A FINE COMBAT

RECORD, SUSTAINING DAMAGE BUT
WITHSTANDING ROCKET-PROPELLED GRENADES,

ANTI-TANK MISSILES, AND IEDS”

16