Challenger 2 (YouTube Cup)

This page is about the gift British medium tank Challenger 2 (YouTube Cup). For other versions, see Challenger 2 (Family).

␙Challenger 2

␙Challenger 2

Britain

VII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
11.7	11.7	11.7

Class:

Medium tank

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

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Description

The Challenger 2 started development shortly after the introduction of the Challenger 1, since Vickers anticipated that new requirements for a next generation MBT will eventually arrive, when this were sent Vickers immediately submitted their proposal for the Challenger 2. Even when put against other western MBTs like the Leopard 2, Leclerc and M1 Abrams the Challenger 2 was able to complete the test and was found to be a successful proposal. The first Challenger 2 tanks were delivered to the tank regiments by 1994. The Challenger 2 participated in several operations during the '90s and into the 2000s, ranging from peacekeeping missions on the Balkans to military interventions in Iraq. A number of Challenger 2 MBTs have also been exported to Oman, with this nation being the only operator of the Challenger 2, besides the UK. Since 2008 the Challenger 2 has been upgraded with new defensive systems and upgrades to the electronic equipment.

It was introduced during Update 1.89 "Imperial Navy" as a grand prize for the 2019 YouTube Cup. The Challenger 2 is a very special top tier MBT, It has access to a powerful cannon, but compared to other nations, it does not have access to HEAT ammunition, which makes it a little harder dealing with very lightly armoured vehicles that are more easily killed with explosive rounds. The mobility is mediocre for its BR, it is a very heavy vehicle, and accelerates slowly, turning and changing direction will make you loose a lot of speed, however your engine is still very powerful, and the top speed is very good at 60KM/h, while the reverse speed is excellent at 38KM/h. The vehicle has a good protection on the turret, however you should avoid exposing your hull, since it lacks composite armour in the lower front plate.

General info

Survivability and armour

ERA

Effective action against the cumulative ammunition

Composite armour

Balanced protection against all types of ammunition

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

ESS

Creation of a smoke screen in the direction of movement of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull130 / 45 / 20

Turret270 / 90 / 63

Crew4 people

Visibility88 %

Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.

Armour type:

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	38 mm (79-82°), 50* mm (60°) Upper glacis 70 mm (28°) Lower glacis 60 mm (84°-0°) Driver hatch	25 mm (0°) Top 50 mm 38 mm (14°) + 4 mm Bottom	25 mm (29-30°) + 4 mm	20 mm 25 mm (71-74°) Sides 10 mm (90°) Engine grille
Turret	50* mm (50°) 30 mm (50-0°), 4 mm Gun mantlet 38 mm (0-90°) Turret cast	20 mm (6-7°) Front 25 mm (6°) Mid right 80 mm (6°) Mid 10 mm (6-7°) Rear	10 mm (17-18°) 38 mm (82°)	10 mm (80-90°) Rear 38 mm (75-78°) 20 mm (71°) Sides 38 mm (82-79°)Turret cast
Cupola	60 mm	60 mm	60 mm	60 mm

Notes:

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB66 / 42 km/h

RB and SB60 / 38 km/h

Number of gears8 forward

4 back

Weight64.0 t

Engine power

AB2 322 hp

RB and SB1 217 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB36.3 hp/t

RB and SB19.0 hp/t

Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	66	42	64	_,___	2,322	__.__	36.28
Realistic	60	38		_,___	1,217	__.__	19.02

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB3 932 → 6 845

RB3 843 → 6 690

SB4 861 → 8 463

Total cost of modifications212 200

350 000

Talisman cost2 800

Crew training200 000

Experts710 000

Aces2 100

Research Aces1 080 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

150 / 190 / 210 %

232 / 232 / 232 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 9 100 Cost: 14 000 320 Suspension Research: 8 500 Cost: 13 000 290 Brake System Research: 8 500 Cost: 13 000 290 Filters Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 490 Transmission Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 420 Engine Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 420	Improved Parts Research: 2 700 Cost: 14 000 320 Improved FPE Research: 2 600 Cost: 13 000 290 Crew Replenishment Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 490 ESS Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 420	Horizontal Drive Research: 9 100 Cost: 14 000 320 120mm_britain_Smoke_ammo_pack Research: 9 100 Cost: 14 000 320 120mm_britain_L26_APDSFS_ammo_pack Research: 9 100 Cost: 14 000 320 Adjustment of Fire Research: 8 500 Cost: 13 000 290 Smoke grenade Research: 8 500 Cost: 13 000 290 NVD Research: 8 500 Cost: 13 000 290 Elevation Mechanism Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 490 Dorchester 2E Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 490 Laser rangefinder Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 420 120mm_britain_L27_APDSFS_ammo_pack Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 420 Artillery Support Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 420

Armaments

Laser rangefinder

Reduces the error and increases the maximum measurable distance of the rangefinder

Night vision device

Improves visibility by enhancing natural light or active illumination.

Thermal imager

Allows to see thermal radiation in the infrared range day and night

Main armament

120 mm L30A1 cannon

Two-plane stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in two planes while moving

Ammunition50 rounds

First-order4 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

6.5 → 5.0 s

Vertical guidance-10° / 20°

Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: {{main|Name of the weapon}}. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.

120 mm L30A1					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	50	-10°/+20°	±180°	Two-plane	29.5	40.8	49.6	54.8	58.4	6.50	5.75	5.30	5.00
Realistic					18.4	21.7	26.4	29.1	31.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
Shot L23A1	APFSDS	396	394	387	376	367	357
Shell L31A7	HESH	152	152	152	152	152	152
L26	APFSDS	493	491	487	481	474	468
L27A1	APFSDS	564	562	557	551	545	538

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
Shot L23A1	APFSDS	1,535	3.89	-	-	-	78°	80°	81°
Shell L31A7	HESH	670	17.34	0.1	4	6.53	73°	77°	80°
L26	APFSDS	1,650	4.3	-	-	-	78°	80°	81°
L27A1	APFSDS	1,650	4.3	-	-	-	78°	80°	81°

Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Screen radius (m)	Screen deploy time (s)	Screen hold time (s)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
L34	670	17.1	20	5	25	50

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
50	48 (+2) 45 (+5)	45 (+5) 39 (+11)	43 (+7) 31 (+19)	41 (+9) 22 (+28)	34 (+16) 14 (+36)	29 (+21) 5 (+45)	No

Machine guns

7.62 mm L94A1 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition4 000 rounds

Belt capacity2 000 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate600 shots/min

The Challenger 2 possesses one pintle-mounted 7.62 mm machine gun and one coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun. While these aren't particularly effective against tanks, they can be used as a aircraft deterrent, and lucky shots may result in critical damage or pilot snipes. Besides anti-aircraft fire, they're useful for clearing light obstacles and the crew of open-top vehicles.

7.62 mm L37A2
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Pintle	1,700 (100)	650	-10°/+25°	±180°

7.62 mm L94A1
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	4,000 (2,000)	600	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Pros and cons

Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".

Pros:

• Extremely accurate main cannon with a fast reload, particularly for a 120 mm; also good gunner optics
• 10° of gun depression is highly useful and also increases the extremely good turret cheek protection
• 36 km/h reverse speed, a far cry from the early poor reverse speed of other British MBTs
• Has ESS, smoke shells and smoke grenades, a potential combat support tank
• Excellent armour protection levels and can get upgraded chemical protection with Dorchester armour pack
• Ammunition on the turret is inert; less vulnerable to overpenetrating shots by APFSDS, like on Ariete. (NATO tanks with "blowout panel" as IPM1, get sniped through the turret)

Cons:

• A CR2 with an exposed hull is extremely vulnerable because of the negligible LFP armour
• Cannon mantlet area has unreliable armour; this is the worst weak spot as is impossible to hide while firing
• The frontal turret roof is somewhat vulnerable to chemical rounds when the optics or the machine gun is hit
• Ammunition propellants are strewn inside the vehicle; hull or side penetrations often result in ammo detonation (Avoidable with only 16 shells loaded)
• Sub-par acceleration and top speed relative to many other MBTs
• Prior to mobility upgrades being researched, manual neutral gear selection is required for reasonable hull traverse

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Challenger 2 from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• Challenger 2
• Challenger 2E

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• https://warthunder.com/en/news/6035-development-challenger-2-and-rank-vii-armored-vehicles-en
• other literature.