Challenger 3 TD
Contents
Description
The Challenger 3 Technology Demonstrator is a rank VIII British medium tank with a battle rating of 11.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Air Superiority".
General info
Survivability and armour
Armour protection on the Challenger 3 is extremely similar to all preceding Challenger 2s. The turret cheeks are capable of shrugging off most punishment; the rest of the vehicle, not so much. As is characteristic of the challenger family, the upper and lower glacis are extremely weak and will not protect against much, even 105mm shells won't struggle getting through. One benefit of the massive gun mount is the tendency for rounds aimed at the turret to be absorbed completely into the breach, providing a small chance for survival if lucky. Aside from the front, as is typical of MBTs in general the side and rear armour is also very very weak.
Armour type:
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 50-60mm (56-78) | 25 mm Top 38 mm Bottom |
50 mm | 10 - 38 mm |
| Turret | 38 - 50 mm Turret front +
50 mm RHA 50 mm RHA 400 mm Composite Screen 60 mm RHA 110 mm CHA |
10 - 25 mm | 4 mm | 10 - 25 mm |
| Cupola | 60 mm | 60 mm | 60 mm | 25 mm |
Notes:
Mobility
As is to be expected of a member of the challenger family, this tank is nowhere near the mobility of the leopard or most russian MBTs. However, the lack of external add-on armour such as that present on the 2F and TES means the weight is a respectable 62.5 tonnes - exactly the same its older brother, the base Challenger 2. Even so, accelleration and especially mobility on any kind of incline is quite poor owing to a weak horsepower to weight ratio.
| 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 | 62.5 | _,___ | 2,862 | __.__ | 45.79 |
| Realistic | 60 | 38 | _,___ | 1,500 | __.__ | 24 | |
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Armaments
Main armament
The Challenger 3 TD does do one unique thing for a British vehicle however - it incorporates a standardised NATO gun. The 120mm Rh120 L/55 A1 is the exact same as found on all top tier Leopard 2s which ensures the Chally 3 has access to the same high-powered top tier APFSDS shells as most NATO MBTs. This comes with one small drawback, however, as the smoothbore german main gun is unable to fire Britain's long standing HESH shell, instead having access to the DM12A1 HEAT-FS shell as stock.
| 120 mm Rh120 L/55 A1 | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 37 | -10°/+20° | ±180° | Two-plane | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ |
| Realistic | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | ||||||||
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 | ||
| DM12A1 | HEATFS | 480 | 480 | 480 | 480 | 480 | 480 |
| DM33 | APFSDS | 496 | 494 | 486 | 476 | 466 | 456 |
| DM11 | HE-TF | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 |
| DM53 | APFSDS | 652 | 650 | 640 | 628 | 616 | 604 |
| 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% | ||||||||||
| DM12A1 | HEATFS | 1,190 | 13.5 | 0.05 | 0.1 | 2.15 | 65° | 72° | 77° | |||
| DM33 | APFSDS | 1,690 | 4.3 | - | - | - | 78° | 80° | 81° | |||
| DM11 | HE-TF | 1,015 | 19 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 3.93 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
| DM53 | APFSDS | 1,750 | 5 | - | - | - | 78° | 80° | 81° | |||
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ |
Machine guns
The Challenger 3 TD only comes with a single 7.62 coaxial machinegun operated by the gunner/commander
| 7.62 mm L94A1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| ___ (___) | ___ | __° | __° | |
Usage in battles
Use of the Challenger 3 TD is effectively the same as all preceding Challengers with it still lacking in mobility and armour though finally having access to the DM53 round which will allow it to more effectively pick off targets at range. The addition of a LWR also allows you to more effectively engage in long-distance duels across map. The armour configuration, slow turret traverse and below average reload rate discourages close-range brawls.
Pros and cons
Pros:
Now carries the tried and tested Rha120 L/55 A1 gun - decent firepower
Better horsepower to weight ratio than most of its predecessors (except the E)
LWR allowing for detection of enemy LRF
Cons:
Still below average mobility
Unreliable armour only effective ar long range
Poor mobility compared to other MBTs such as Leo 2s and T90s
Only one single coaxial 7.62 machinegun
Below average reload
Poor turret traverse
History
The Challenger 3 TD was first announced in 2020 as a project which the British army had commissioned from Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land. Although the model in-game is one of the first prototypes to recieve media coverage during press events between 2020-23, it has yet to be confirmed as the definite design for mass production scheduled to begin 2027. It is instead one of a few concepts submitted to British army procurement for testing and consideration, affectionately named 'Megatron' by the media. The main design differences between the Challenger 2 and 3 are the move to the standard 120mm Rh120 L/55 A1 smoothbore main gun as well as a new power pack for the chassis to solve the Challenger 2's chronic mobility issues. The new gun would also mean leaving not only the long-standing use of HESH shells behind but also 2-part ammunition as Rha120 L/55 A1s can only accept NATO standard single-canister shells. These are far from the only proposed changes however, as with the USA and Germany now beginning to develop the next generation of MBTs with 130mm main guns, it is possible that the Challenger 3 may be further modified in line with these advancements in firepower.
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the series of the vehicles;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
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|---|---|
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