Challenger 2 tanks face new challenges in Ukrainian conflict
The Challenger 2 tanks were long considered indestructible, as none had been taken out of action during a military conflict for many years. However, the war in Ukraine has changed this situation. Unfortunately, from the British perspective, their tanks often seem to encounter problems even moving efficiently across Ukrainian territories.
The Challenger 2 is a British third-generation main battle tank equipped with Chobham/Dorchester multilayer armour. It can be further outfitted with additional reactive armour kits. It entered service in 1994 and was then reputed to be the safest in the world. It participated in, among others, the Second Gulf War, where it bravely withstood hits from over a dozen RPG-7 grenades in succession.
Russians eliminate Challenger 2 tanks
In 2023, the United Kingdom delivered 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine. As noted by the portal BulgarianMilitary, Russians demonstrated that these machines are not indestructible, having already eliminated three such tanks from further combat involvement.
The first tank was destroyed in September 2023, with the damage being so severe that it was impossible to transport the wreck to Moscow, where the Russians were showcasing captured Western military equipment. The second and third Challenger 2 tanks were reportedly taken out by the Russians in recent weeks in the Kursk region, where British tanks were involved in the Ukrainian offensive.
As highlighted on the pages of BulgarianMilitary, reports of the last destroyed Challenger 2 tank are particularly intriguing because the Russians allegedly accomplished it using an FPV drone. Such losses are very painful for both sides of the war in Ukraine, as the cost of such a drone is significantly lower than that of a tank. FPV drones have proven problematic even for the best tanks, with even Abrams tanks having issues with them, and Russians' own T-90M tanks.
Challenger 2 stuck in mud
Reports suggesting that "the biggest issue for the Challenger 2 in Ukraine is getting stuck in the mud" have also resonated broadly, as reported by the British The Sun. The reasons pointed to the specificity of Ukrainian soil (with high humus content) holding large amounts of rainwater, as well as the Challenger 2 tank's design—primarily its wide tracks and weight exceeding 60,000 kilograms.
Advantages of the Challenger 2 tank in Ukraine
At the same time, BulgarianMilitary indicates that despite the problems, the Challenger 2 remains one of the better tanks currently available to Ukraine. Its armour still performs exceptionally well today, and it also offers significant firepower. Ukrainian soldiers also highly praise its accuracy, with some even likening the British tank to a "sniper rifle" capable of hitting targets up to 5 kilometres away. The designers used an unusual L30A1 rifled 120 mm gun here (NATO tanks are mostly equipped with smoothbore guns). The auxiliary armament consists of two 7.62 mm machine guns.
