Challenger Mk.2

Challenger Mk.2

Chieftain Mk 10

Challenger Mk.3

Challenger Mk.2

Chieftain Mk 10

Challenger Mk.3

Britain

VII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
10.3	10.3	10.3

Class:

Medium tank

Research:260 000

Purchase:710 000

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Description

The Tank, Combat, 120-mm Gun, Challenger Mk.2, or just Challenger Mk.2, is a Rank VI British medium tank with a battle rating of 9.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.77 "Advancing Storm".

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Spaced armour (Hull front, Turret front)
• Cast homogeneous armour
• Rolled homogeneous armour (Turret)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	80* mm (68°) Front glacis 80 mm (61°) Lower glacis	85 mm Front 70 mm Rear <br. 20 mm (33°) Bottom	20 mm (8-55°) Top 45 mm Center 20 mm (18-58°) Bottom	30 mm Front 20 mm Engine deck
Turret	50-330 mm (0-80°)	65-180* mm (2-49°)	65 mm (2-72°)	40-140 mm
Armour	Sides	Roof
Cupola	100 mm	40 mm
Composite armour*	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	320 mm Kinetic 450 mm Chemical	N/A	N/A	N/A
Turret	400 mm Kinetic 450 mm Chemical	400 mm Kinetic 450 mm Chemical	N/A	N/A

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick, torsion bars are 10 mm thick, and tracks are 30 mm thick.
• The side flaps on the hull side gives spaced protection against HEAT rounds, allowing one to angle the hull slightly while protecting the vulnerable side hull.
• Belly armour is 20 mm thick.
• A 5 mm RHA plate separates the engine from the crew compartment
• A log providing 100 mm thickness in wood.
• The snorkel tube on the turret rear provide 4 mm of structural steel.
• Hull roof armour at front and turret base is rated to be 30 mm effective against HE
• Hull spaced armour configuration is 80 mm RHA + 105 mm Textolite + 20 mm RHA.
• Turret spaced armour configuration is 150-180 mm CHA + 150 mm HHRA + 32 mm RHA.

The T-64A has the advantage of composite armour over most of its front glacis and turret, but this does not cover all sections! There are no composite on the lower front plate for example, so rounds able to go through ~200 mm should be able to get through there. On the other hand, if in possession of a tank with APFSDS ammunition that could penetrate more than 320 mm, than it is possible to slice through the front plate composite armour as well. HEAT ammunition is finicky as T-64A was built around protection specifications against shaped charges, the composite armour is 450 mm effective when against HEAT warheads and there are side flaps on the side hull to prevent even the chance of hitting the T-64A weaker side armour on the first try, although these side flaps are one-time use only so prolonged combat may have sheared these off already. Try to avoid aiming for the turret as it is the most protected area of the tank with a good portion covered by composite, leading to the need of massive amount of penetration to consider the turret a viable target, like the HOT missiles.

In a situation when the T-64A decides to hull-down and present as little of the front plate as possible, and in a tank unable to consider the turret the main target, there's little else to do but flank around and hit through the weaker side armour. Move in first and disable the gun, forcing the T-64A to repair the damaged gun barrel/breach. In this time, move around the T-64A as fast as possible. If caught unaware, the T-64A would have a harder time to withdraw as it has a rather poor reverse speed. Get around and plant a shell right into the center of the tank's side, which would certainly ignite one of the many ammunition stored in the autoloader carousel.

Mobility

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons)	Add-on Armor weight (tons)	Max speed (km/h)
38.0	N/A	67 (AB)
		61 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	1,085	____
Realistic/Simulator	619	700
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	28.55	__.__
Realistic/Simulator	16.29	18.42

Armaments

Main armament

120 mm L11A5
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
52			-10°/+20°	±180°	Two-plane
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	18.40	_.__	_.__	_.__	_.__
Realistic	18.40	_.__	_.__	_.__	_.__
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
9.70	_.__	_.__	_.__

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
Shot L15A5	APDS	320	315	305	294	280	270
Shell L31A7	HESH	152	152	152	152	152	152
Shot L23	APFSDS	410	408	405	400	390	380
Shot L23A1	APFSDS	415	413	410	405	395	385

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
								0%	50%	100%
Shot L15A5	APDS	1370	7.6	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.5°	75°	78°	80°
Shell L31A7	HESH	670	17	0.4	0.1	4,100	+0°	73°	77°	80°
Shot L23	APFSDS	1535	3.9	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.5°	76°	77°	78°
Shot L23A1	APFSDS	1535	3.9	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.5°	76°	77°	78°

Smoke characteristic
Ammunition	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Screen radius in m	Screen time in s	Screen hold time in s:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):
L34	670	17	20	5	25	50

Ammo racks

Full ammo	Ammo Part	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
52	XX (X+)	(+)	(+)	(+)	(+)	(+)	no

Machine guns

7.62 mm L37A2
Commander's cupola mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
2,300 (100)				650	-10°/+50°	±120°

7.62 mm L8A1
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
2,300 (200)				600	N/A	N/A

Usage in the battles

New drivers of the Challenger 1 will appreciate a similar play style to the earlier Chieftain tanks, particularly the Chieftain Mk.10. Like the Mk.10, the Challenger has a very strong turret, with composite armor protecting the entire front and part of the sides. Frontally, the turret can protect against, at maximum, 470 mm of kinetic (APFSDS, APDS, AP, etc.) and 750 mm of chemical (HEAT, ATGM, etc.) penetrators. This makes the turret theoretically invulnerable to all ammo in the game, excluding the HOT missile on the Raketenjagdpanzer 2 HOT. In practice, however, there is a weak spot on the lower leading edge of the turret front, where the backing plate of the composite inside the turret flattens to a 90° angle, reducing the effective thickness of that section by about 100 mm when the tank is level (making it vulnerable to APFSDS and some APDS). Players can minimize this weak spot by going hull-down on the incline of a hill, and using the Challenger's excellent -10° of gun depression to keep the gun on target. This will increase the angle of the turret and thus increase the effective thickness of the back-plate on the turret.

The hull is similarly protected, providing protection against 400 mm of kinetic and 600 mm of chemical penetrators on the upper frontal plate, excluding the drivers port. The lower frontal plate is notably weak, providing only 70 mm of thickness, or about 80-90 mm of effective thickness. This is due to a total lack of composite on the LFP, meaning that shots here will either incapacitate the driver or explode the hull ammunition, destroying the tank. British tankers should be quite used to this weakspot by this point, as the weak LFP is present on the entire Chieftain line.

The Challenger's speed sets it apart from the previous Chieftain tanks, as it is capable of reaching 56 km/h on roads and 46 km/h offroad with pretty good reverse speed, but weight of this vehicle (62 tons) doesn't make things so simple. You can forget speed competition with other tanks like Abrams, Leopard, or Type 90 which are far superior in terms of mobility and speed.

When encountering common enemies: T-64B (1984): L23A1 APFSDS can theoretically penetrate the UFP, but it is difficult. The drivers port weakspot is the recommended target from the front. If not possible, aim for the breech/cannon barrel to eliminate the threat of return fire

T-64A (1971): APFSDS will go right through the front of this tank, but you can still be penetrated by the top APFSDS (3BM12) in the weakspot on your turret's leading edge.

Leopard 2K: Probably the most dangerous opponent, as its APFSDS can go right through your UFP and parts of your turret. Shoot anywhere but the front of the turret, unless trying to take out the Leo's cannon barrel.

Leopard 1A1A1: Its APFSDS poses a risk to the weakspot on your turret, but only if it gets the first shot off. Shoot anywhere.

Modules

The FPE module should be a priority, since the fuel tanks are located all around the hull above the tracks, meaning that the tank will be set on fire often. This comes with added protection, however, as the fuel tanks will frequently absorb most shrapnel - protecting the crew and ammunition from the occasional side-shot - giving the player ample time to return fire and eliminate the threat.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Good composite armour for both kinetic and chemical protection for both hull and turret
• Very accurate main gun with good gun stabilizers and decent stock APDS shell
• Very good mobility for it weight and size
• Good APFSDS shells
• Good forward and reverse speed

Cons:

• Large target
• Driver's optics weakspot on the upper frontal plate
• No composite armour on lower glacis plate and rear of the turret
• Average rate of fire
• HESH shell largely useless
• Very thin armour protection
• Ammunition takes a lot of space (easy to hit)

History

In 1977, the Iranian government ordered an improved version of the Chieftain tank, which was arguably the best main battle tank (MBT) in service at its time. The Chieftain offered unparalleled protection and firepower; however, its mobility was lackluster and something its successor needed to improve upon. In response, the engineers at the MVEE created the Chieftain Mk.5(P), from which three additional prototypes were created. It was one of these prototypes that would become the basis for the Challenger 1. Unfortunately, after the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the fall of the Shah, Iran canceled its order for an improved Chieftain. In addition, a parallel British tank project (the MBT90) was also abandoned, and the British Army quickly became a new potential customer for a new MBT.

The Challenger’s design was based on the cancelled project called “Shir-2” planned for export to Iran, and retained its deadly 120mm gun and superb armour. The Challenger was also equipped with Chobham armour, a composite armour made from multiple layers of different materials. The additional materials gave the Challenger its distinctive, heavily-sloped armour on the front of the turret and upper glacis. The Challenger’s mobility and off-road capabilities were significantly improved with the installation of a new 1,200 horsepower Rolls-Royce engine and hydropneumatic suspension. The Challenger 1 entered production and service in 1983. Production ended in 1990, having yielded a total of about 420 vehicles. It served primarily with British forces during the Gulf War. It was also used in peacekeeping missions in Bosnia-Herzegovina during the mid 1990s, and Jordan still operates a number of Challenger 1 tanks to this day. The Challenger 1 was withdrawn from active service by 2001 and later replaced by the Challenger 2.

Media

An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.

Read also

[Devblog] Challenger 1: A Worthy Heir

Sources

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.