UK Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) recently approved a Challenger 3 tank critical design review, paving the way for prototype production.
The milestone comes ahead of schedule, following an initial design review in March 2022.
DE&S’ Land Equipment Operating Centre, the British Army, and Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) have been working on the 800-million pound ($966 million) upgrade since May 2021.
Upgrades
A total of 148 Challenger 2s will be upgraded through 2027, providing enhanced survivability, lethality, network ability, surveillance, and target acquisition capabilities.
Meanwhile, a new RBSL-manufactured and Defence Science and Technology Laboratory-designed armor for the tank was also trialed recently, DE&S revealed.
In addition, the Challenger 3 team is working on integrating the Israeli Trophy Active Protection System with the tank, demonstrating it in November.
UK Mulls Fleet Expansion
The team is working to deliver the tank ahead of schedule following a challenge to accelerate the process by Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace.
Meanwhile, Wallace announced plans to review the upgrade last month, which includes retiring the remaining 79 Challenger 2s.
The review will assess whether the Ukraine war necessitates fleet expansion.