“NATO’s most beautiful tank”: Rheinmetall unveils Challenger 3 prototype (photo)
The German-British joint venture Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) has released images of the first prototype of the British Army’s Challenger 3 main battle tank (MBT) after the new vehicle was completed at a plant in Telford, England.
The first public images of the prototype were unveiled at the IQPC International Armor Conference in London, and testing is expected to begin soon. A total of 18 months of testing is planned at testing sites in the UK and Germany. Eight prototypes will be developed.
The Challenger 3 program aims to create the best tank in NATO … and will build a digital, network-enabled main battle tank that will provide the soldier with radically new capabilities and deliver 21st century deterrence right up to the point of retirement [planned for 2040]. The first prototype … will begin testing in the coming weeks.
– Rory Breen, Director of Strategy and Future Business at RBSL.
The elements installed on the prototype are intended to be integrated into 148 production tanks as part of the wider £800 million Challenger 3 program and include a 120mm Rheinmetall smoothbore gun, digital turret, day and night sights, Rafael’s Trophy active protection system and modular armor system. Mobility improvements also include the introduction of a third-generation hydrogas suspension and a more powerful engine.
RBSL can produce new vehicles from scratch if the UK Ministry of Defense places an order. Currently, the company has a contract only for the modernization of the Challenger 2, Breaking Defense reports.
The serviceability and operational readiness of the British Army’s Challenger 2 fleet is a matter of controversy in UK political circles and is more relevant than ever after the UK pledged to transfer major battle tanks to Ukraine in 2023.
As previously reported by Breaking Defense, Lieutenant General Robert McGowan, the UK’s Chief of Staff for Financial and Military Capabilities, denied that London’s decision to transfer 14 old vehicles to Kyiv reduced the British Army’s “operational assets” in terms of main battle tanks by almost a third.
The initial operational capability of the Challenger 3 is scheduled for 2027.
