The size of the investment in a new tank made it essential to conform to sound procurement practice and to minimise risk. Our assessment took account not only of that factor but of technical merit, risk, time scale, cost, reliability, stretch potential, interoperability with allies, logistic implications and the prospects for overseas sales. All three contenders had the potential to meet the Army's requirement. The assessment was complicated by the fact that the three tanks are not all at the same stage of development. The three main contenders are an improved version of the Leopard 2, manufactured by Kraus Maffei of Germany an improved version of the Abrams M1, manufactured by General Dynamics of the United States and the Challenger 2 Mk 2 proposed by Vickers Defence Systems, which is an improved version of Challenger 1. The Department conducted an assessment of the available tank options. The question of replacing some 600 such vehicles with a more up-to-date model was being decided during 1988. The report notes that the Challenger gun claims the longest-distance tank kill in history, a shot of over 4,000 meters in the Gulf War.īy the late 1980s Chieftain tanks of various modifications had been operational with the British Army for more than 25 years. The Challenger 2’s high pressure gun is rifled, and all ammunition is stored below the turret ring. Armor is second generation Chobham, the layered armor system originally developed by the British. These problems have been more than put right in the Challenger 2 turret.” The new design includes a data buss, new electronic components, and fire control components similar to those on the M1 and the Leclerc. “The tank was lacking in the all-important area of fightability, mainly due to the poor design of the turret and some problems in fire control components. Aside from a new gearbox, the hull of the new Challenger is similar to the hull of the Challenger 1, but the turret is so vastly improved that the Challenger 2 could be called a new tank, according to the report. In 1999 Forecast International rated the world’s tanks, and the fifth place finish was the Challenger 2.
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