FV4030 / 4 Challenger ( Russian "challenging" ) - British main battle tank of the 1980s . It was developed by Vickers Defense Systems in the second half of the 1970s based on the Shir-2, an export version of the Chiften tank. Serially produced from 1983 to 1990 . A total of 420 units were produced. By the end of the 1990s, the Challenger 2 tanks were replaced in the British Army, and the vehicles that were withdrawn from service were sold to Jordan . In comparative firing against Abrams and Leopard, the tank showed an average low ability [1] [2] After which it stopped participating in such events. [3]
| Challenger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| FV4030 / 4 Challenger | |
| Classification | main battle tank |
| Combat weight, t | 62 |
| Layout diagram | classic |
| Crew | four |
| Story | |
| Manufacturer | |
| Years of production | 1983 - 1990 |
| Years of operation | since 1983 |
| The number of issued, pcs. | 420 |
| Key Operators |   |
| Dimensions | |
| Length with gun forward, mm | 11500 |
| Width mm | 3520 |
| Height mm | 2490 |
| Clearance mm | 500 |
| Reservation | |
| Type of armor | Combined Chobem , protivosnaryadny |
| Armament | |
| Caliber and brand of guns | 120 mm L11A5 |
| Gun type | threaded |
| Barrel length, calibres | 55 |
| Gun ammunition | 64 |
| Sights | periscopic binocular with an integrated laser range finder Barr & Stroud TLS No. 10 Mk.1, night thermal imager TOGS, telescopic monocular AFV No. 80 Mk.1, periscopic monocular AFV No. 40 Mk.2 |
| Machine guns | 1 × 7.62 mm L8A2 , 1 × 7.62 mm L37A2 |
| Mobility | |
| Engine type | V-shaped 12- cylinder four-stroke liquid-cooled diesel |
| Engine power, l with. | 1200 |
| Engine power, kW | 880 |
| Speed on the highway, km / h | 56 |
| Cruising on the highway , km | 400 |
| Specific Power, l s / t | 19,4 |
| Suspension type | individual hydropneumatic |
| Gradeability, hail. | thirty |
| The overcome wall, m | 0.9 |
| The overcome ditch, m | 2,8 |
| Fording , m | 1,1 |
Content
Combat use
Tanks of this type were used by British troops during the Gulf War . Tanks were completely unsuitable for fighting in the desert. Prior to the outbreak of the Gulf War, only 22% of Challenger 1 were operational due to interruptions and lack of spare parts. [4] There were no combat losses [5] (possibly 1 vehicle [6] ). In battles by the Challengers, about 300 Iraqi tanks were destroyed [7] . The motor-transmission installation is made in the form of a single unit and is located longitudinally to the axis of the tank. The mass of the unit is 5.49 tons; it takes 45 minutes to replace it in the field. The main engine is a 12-cylinder V-shaped four-stroke turbocharged V-1200 Condor 1200 hp engine. Perkins firms. On the left is an auxiliary diesel engine N30 from Coventry Climex with a power of 37 hp. (to drive the electric generator, start the main diesel engine, recharge and warm up the batteries). Both engines have a common liquid cooling system, which ensures reliable operation of the motors at an ambient temperature of + 52 ° С. [5] which is not uncommon in desert conditions.
Challenger-based cars
- CRARRV - ARV based on "Challenger". In the early 1990s , about 85 units were produced.
Armed
Armed
- Great Britain - 420 tanks were delivered. Discontinued.
Armed
- Jordan - 390 tanks as of 2007 [8] . Used under the designation Al-Hussein .
- Great Britain - 80 CRARRV, as of 2016 [9]
- Oman - 4 CRARRV, as of 2016 [10]
In popular culture
Bench Modeling
Prefabricated plastic models of the Challenger tank of various modifications on a scale of 1:35 are produced by Tamiya ( Japan ) in two versions of the desert version and the version for Europe.
Prefabricated models on a 1:72 scale are produced by Revell (Germany) with machine options for the 1988 Iron Hammer exercises, as well as for operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina (IFOR)
Game industry
Challenger 1 is presented in the Armored Warfare game in the form of MBT level 7.
Challenger 1 is introduced [11] in the game War Thunder, located on the 6th era in the research branch.
The FV4030 / 4 tank appeared in the Ground War Tanks as the main prize received in the gold reserve.
Tank 2013 Challenger 1 is presented in the multiplayer arcade shooter "Tanktastic", released for the Android and IOS platforms.
Presented in the mobile tank simulator on Android "Wild Tanks" as two versions: Challenger 2 ST 10 level, Challenger TT 9 level tanks of the Western block.
Challenger 1 is presented in the Wargame game (all 3 parts) in the form of MBT of NATO troops
Tank Challenger 1 and Challenger 2 are featured in Tanktastic , a multi-player, tank, arcade shooter released for Android and IOS platforms
See also
- Challenger - the medium tank of Great Britain during the Second World War
- Challenger 2 is the UK’s main battle tank.
Literature
- N. Kovalev. English tank "Challenger" // "Foreign Military Review", No. 3, 1981, p. 76
- A. Lukyanov. English tank "Challenger-1" // "Foreign Military Review", No. 3 (635), 2000. p. 28
- M. Baryatinsky. Medium and main tanks of foreign countries 1945-2000 (Part 1) . - M .: Armored Collection, issue No. 3, 2001
- N.L. Volkovsky "Modern military equipment. Ground forces." Publishing house "Polygon". 2006. p. 6
Links
Notes
- ↑ CAT 87 Teams
- ↑ Simon Dunstan:. Challenger Main battle tank 1982-97 r 16-22.
- ↑ Defense Weekly Jane: Volume 12, Jane Publishing Company, 1989 (p. 7)
- ↑ McManners P18
- ↑ 1 2 Challenger
- ↑ Challenger, United Kingdom | Encyclopedia of weapons
- ↑ Spencer Tucker. The Encyclopedia of Middle East Wars, p. 271
- ↑ The Military Balance 2007. - P. 337.
- ↑ The Military Balance 2016 .-- P. 152.
- ↑ The Military Balance 2016 .-- P. 347.
- ↑ [Development Challenger 1: A Worthy Heir] . warthunder.com. Date of appeal February 15, 2018.