According to information released by the British army on June 7, 2021, the British Army Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) Battlegroup (BG) equipped with Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) has been preparing for a deployment to Estonia at the British Army’s Sennelager Training Centre in northern Germany.
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British Army Challenger 2 main battle tank. (Picture source British army)
Seven hundred and fifty soldiers are involved in the Operation Cabrit rehearsals ahead of the next British-led NATO Battlegroup to go to Estonia in September 2021.
The BG comprises of RTR’s Dreadnought Squadron, equipped with Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank, C Company of the Royal Welsh, equipped with Warrior armored infantry fighting vehicles in addition to elements of the Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, Royal Army Medical Corps and the Royal Logistic Corps.
The demanding exercises were an arduous mix of simulation, live-firing (day and night) and field training exercises involving armour, infantry, artillery, engineers and a whole range of supporting capabilities fixed together to develop the level of competencies, capabilities and integration.
The 2016 NATO Summit in Warsaw set the conditions for the establishment of an enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland to strengthen Euro-Atlantic security.
Operation Cabrit is the name of the UK operational deployment to Estonia where British troops are leading a multinational battlegroup as part of the enhanced Forward Presence (eFP).
UK Armed Forces have a leading role in NATO’s eFP in the Baltic States, in order to enhance Euro-Atlantic security, reassure our Allies and deter our adversaries.
The eFP in the Baltic States is a deployment of robust, multinational, combat-ready forces to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, on a persistent, rotational basis.
British personnel rotates on a continuous basis alongside Danish, French, and host nation Estonian forces.
The Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (MBT) is the backbone of the British Army and according to the Military Balance 2020, 227 Challenger 2 are still into service with the British Armed Forces. The British Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) is the oldest tank unit in the world. The regiment is equipped with Challenger 2 MBTs, the Scimitar tracked reconnaissance vehicles, and the Spartan tracked armored personnel carrier. In May 2021, the British government has announced a contract to upgrade the Challenger tanks to Challenger 3 standard.
The family of CVRT vehicles as the Scimitar and Spartan will be replaced by the Ajax, a new family of tracked armored vehicles, currently under development by the company General Dynamics for the British Army.
