British Prime Minister confirms the supply to Ukraine of 14 Challenger 2 tanks.

During a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday, January 14, 2023, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the United Kingdom is ready to supply Ukraine with 14 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) to increase the combat capabilities of the Ukrainian armed forces against the Russian army.
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British army Challenger 2 MBT Main Battle tank. (Picture source Army Recognition)

Citing information published by several British newspapers, the United Kingdom will be ready to supply Ukraine with a dozen of Challenger 2 MBTs (Main Battle Tanks). Around 60 Ukrainian soldiers will likely be trained in the United Kingdom in how to operate the tank.

According to a statement published by the British Government on January 14, 2023, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced that the United Kingdom will send to Ukraine 14 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs).

At the same time, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed that the government of the United Kingdom would send additional military equipment and artillery systems.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the United Kingdom has already provided Ukraine with more than 200 armored vehicles including Husky, Mastiff, Wolfhound, Spartan, and Stormer.

The Challenger 2 MBTs are the backbone of the British army and currently, 227 Challenger 2 tanks are part of the British military inventory. The UK MoD (Ministry of Defense) has recently signed an £800 million contract with Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) to upgrade 148 Challenger tanks to the Challenger 3 standard.

The Challenger 2 was fully designed and developed by British companies in 1988. It was formally accepted for service with the British Army on 16 May 1994. Despite its 20 years of age, the Challenger is still considered one of the best combat tanks in the world.

The Challenger 2 tank is equipped with a Chobham armor package, which provides a high level of protection against a variety of threats, including kinetic energy penetrators and shaped charge warheads. The armor package consists of a composite material made up of ceramics, metals, and composites, which are layered together to provide a high level of protection without adding excessive weight to the tank. The armor is designed to be effective against both anti-tank guided missiles and high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) rounds.

The Challenger 2 is armed with a 120mm L30A1 rifled gun, which is capable of firing a variety of ammunition types, including armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS), high-explosive squash head (HESH) and smoke rounds. The tank's gun is capable of firing at a maximum range of approximately 2,500 meters.