Challenger Mk.2

From War Thunder Wiki
Revision as of 00:52, 7 May 2019 by Inceptor57 (talk | contribs) (Moved text to more appropriate sections, Fixed armour values based off Protection Analysis)

Jump to: navigation, search
VTOL | Rank 5 USA
AV-8A Harrier Pack
uk_challenger_1.png
Challenger Mk.2
AB RB SB
10.0 10.0 10.0
Class:
Research:260 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:710 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game
This page is about the British medium tank Challenger Mk.2. For other uses, see Challenger (Disambiguation).

Description

GarageImage Challenger Mk.2.jpg


The Tank, Combat, 120-mm Gun, Challenger Mk.2, or just Challenger Mk.2, is a Rank VII British medium tank with a battle rating of 10.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.77 "Advancing Storm".

General info

Survivability and armour

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).

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.

Armour type:

  • Composite armour (Hull front, Turret front, Turret sides)
  • Rolled homogeneous armour
  • Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet)
  • Aluminium (Side skirts)
Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 38-50* mm (60-81°) Front glacis
70 mm (30°) Lower glacis
20 mm (0-3°), 25 mm (74°) Top
25 + 19 mm Bottom
20 mm (29°) Top
25 mm (30°)
20 mm
8 mm Engine grille
Turret 50* mm (51-54°)
60 mm (55-56°), 200 mm Gun mantlet
25* + 4 mm (1°) Front
45 + 4 mm Rear
44 + 4 mm (43-48°)
20 mm (85°) Turret underside
38 mm Front
20 mm Rear
Armour Sides Roof
Cupola 60 mm 60 mm
Composite armour* Front Sides Rear Roof
Hull Front glacis:
~220 mm @ 60° against Kinetic
~600 mm @ 60° against Chemical
N/A N/A N/A
Turret Turret front:
~500 mm @ 60° against Kinetic
~600 mm @ 60° against Chemical
25 mm sections:
~ 140 mm @ 0° against Kinetic
~ 300 mm @ 0° against Chemical
N/A N/A

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels, torsion bars, and tracks are 20 mm thick.
  • Turret ring is 60 mm thick.
  • 20-25 mm RHA plates surround the fuel tanks on the hull sides.
  • Hull compsoite armour configuration is 50 mm RHA + 200 mm NERA elements + 80 mm RHA.
  • Front turret compsoite armour configuration is 50 mm RHA + 600 mm NERA elements + 110 mm RHA.
  • Turret side compsoite armour configuration is 25 mm RHA + 300 mm NERA elements + 80 mm RHA.

Mobility

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. Forget a speed competition with other tanks like Abrams, Leopard, or Type 90 which are far superior in terms of mobility and speed.

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons) Add-on Armor
weight (tons)
Max speed (km/h)
62.0 N/A 62 (AB)
56 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode Stock Upgraded
Arcade 1,860 ____
Realistic/Simulator 1,061 1,200
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode Stock Upgraded
Arcade 30.00 __.__
Realistic/Simulator 17.11 19.35

Armaments

Main armament

Main article: L11A5 (120 mm)
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 29.50 _.__ _.__ _.__ _.__
Realistic 18.40 _.__ _.__ _.__ _.__
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert qualif. Prior + Ace qualif.
8.70 _.__ _.__ _.__
Ammunition
Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Penetration in mm @ 0° Angle of Attack
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 396 394 387 376 367 357
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 1,370 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 1,535 3.9 N/A N/A N/A +1.5° 76° 77° 78°
Shot L23A1 APFSDS 1,535 3.9 N/A N/A N/A +1.5° 78° 80° 81°
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 battles

New drivers of the Challenger 1 will appreciate a similar play style to the earlier Chieftain tanks, particularly the Chieftain Mk 10. Most of the armour's weakpoints could be minimized by assuming a hull-down position 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.

When encountering common enemies:

  • T-64B: 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 the Challenger can still be penetrated by the top APFSDS (3BM12) in the weak spot on the turret's leading edge.
  • Leopard 2K: Probably the most dangerous opponent, as its APFSDS can go right through the upper front plate and parts of the turret. Shoot anywhere but the front of the turret, unless trying to take out the Leo's cannon barrel.
  • Leopard A1A1: Its APFSDS poses a risk to the weakspot on the 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.

- From Devblog

Media

An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as 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

[Devblog] Challenger 1: A Worthy Heir


Britain medium tanks
Valentine  Valentine I · Valentine IX · Valentine XI
Cromwell  Cromwell I · Cromwell V · Cromwell V (RP-3)
Cromwell derivatives  Challenger · Avenger · Comet I · Comet I "Iron Duke IV" · Charioteer Mk VII
Centurion  Centurion Mk 1 · Centurion Mk.2 · Centurion Mk 3 · Centurion Mk.5 AVRE · Centurion Mk 10 · Centurion Action X · FV4202
Vickers MBT  Vickers Mk.1 · Vickers Mk.3 · Vickers Mk.7
Chieftain  Chieftain Mk 3 · Chieftain Mk 5 · Chieftain Mk 10
Challenger 1  Challenger Mk.2 · Challenger Mk.3 · Challenger DS
Challenger 2  Challenger 2 · Challenger 2 (2F) · Challenger 2 TES · Challenger 2 OES · Challenger 2E · Challenger 2 Black Night
Challenger 3  Challenger 3 TD
Australia  A.C.I · A.C.IV · Centurion Mk.5/1
South Africa  Olifant Mk.1A · Olifant Mk.2 · TTD
India  Vijayanta · Bhishma TWMP
Israel  ▄Sho't Kal Dalet
Jordan  Khalid
Sweden  ▄Strv 81 (RB 52)
USA  Grant I · Sherman II · Sherman Firefly · Sherman IC "Trzyniec"