Meanwhile, the British Army chief has warned that sending tanks and artillery to Kyiv would leave the army weaker.
“The Leopard is not as good a tank one-on-one, but I’ll take 400 Leopard over 10 Challenger 2,” Crump told Business Insider. However, with the UK only sending 14 tanks, experts say this is nowhere near enough to make a significant impact.Ĭrump, saying this is a ‘token gesture’, added that this could lead to other Western nations following in the UK’s footsteps and sending their Leopard 2 tanks. “They’re certainly far better than anything the Russians have because everything we designed during the Cold War - so Challenger 2, Leopard 2, M1 Abrams in the US - all of these vehicles were designed to be substantially better than the Russian equivalent,” he added. Justin Crump, CEO of the risk-intelligence firm Sibylline, who is also a military veteran who has operated these tanks, said, “The Challenger 2 was designed to do the job the Ukrainians need this tank to do.” One expert told Business Insider the tank is ‘superior to every Russian battle tank’ it faces. Which is leading many to ask – will this change the course of the war? The British Army claims it has “never experienced a loss at the hands of the enemy,” according to Sky News. It has a range of 547 kilometres with a maximum speed of 59 kilometres per hour, as per the website. Its secondary weapon is a Boeing 7.62 Chain gun and additional GPMG for Loader, as per. Weighing 62.5 tons, it is powered by a 1,200 brake-horsepower V-12 diesel engine.Īccording to Sky News, the tank has a main 120mm rifled gun and can fit a four-man crew – a commander, gunner, loader/operator and a driver. However, it notably could not be used in Afghanistan – the most high-profile conflict of the era – as it was not suitable for the terrain, as per .Īs per Business Insider, the tank is 27 foot long and eight foot tall.
It has previously been deployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Iraq and is currently deployed in Estonia as part of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence in the Baltic States. The tank cost the taxpayer £4.2 million per unit, as per the website.Īs per Sky News, the Challenger 2 was first pressed into the British Army service in 1994.
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