Challenger variants

[Grey Havoc]

UK rushes naval laser weapon, as major tank upgrade hits snag

The British government in its Spring Statement in March announced plans to spend at least 10% of the Ministry of Defence equipment budget on new tech.

www.defensenews.com

The ongoing plan to upgrade Britain’s main battle tank to the Challenger 3 version ran into some supply-chain hiccups, Eagle said. The upgraded tank’s initial operating capability is forecast for 2027, with all of the U.K.’s 138 Challenger 3 tanks planned to be in service by the end of 2030.

“Additional resources have been directed towards resolving these issues and the next phase of trials will start in quarter two 2025,” Eagle said. “Progress will be monitored carefully and any impact on the delivery of initial operating capability will be continually assessed.”

The upgrade is being led by Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land, with enhancements including a turret wit a 120mm smooth-bore gun, new armor and an active protection system. The approved budget for the upgrade is £1.9 billion, which includes the contract with RBSL, and there have been no increases to the total budget due to technical challenges or inflation, Eagle said.

“We are confident that Challenger 3 will continue to match potential threats throughout its lifecycle, but we will continually review the performance of its specification to ensure that it remains world-leading,” Eagle said.

Why am I not optimistic about this development?

 

[DWG]

Why am I not optimistic about this development?

It's not a technical issue, supply-chain should be fixable.

 

[Grey Havoc]

It's not a technical issue, supply-chain should be fixable.

'should be' being the operative words.

 

[Scott Kenny]

It's not a technical issue, supply-chain should be fixable.

Not if the problem is "the parts you ordered are no longer in production because they were obsolete 10 years ago"...

 

[DWG]

Not if the problem is "the parts you ordered are no longer in production because they were obsolete 10 years ago"...

That's why you make lifetime buys while they are

 

[Scott Kenny]

That's why you should make lifetime buys while they are

Fixed that for you.

With how anti-effective military HMTreasury has been historically, I would not be surprised to hear that a lifetime buy was denied on grounds that it cost too much. Or that the item has been kept in service for so long that all of the "lifetime" spares were used up.

 

[zen]

If memory serves UK still has turret manufacturing going, and recently there was a push to get Leo2 production in the UK.
Essentially a Leo2 body with a Challenger 2-like developed turret.

At the time only Greece was building Leo2s.

So I would imagine supply of parts for Challenger 2 bodies is an issue.

Not that the industry is beyond resuscitation, even now.

 

[Scott Kenny]

If memory serves UK still has turret manufacturing going, and recently there was a push to get Leo2 production in the UK.
Essentially a Leo2 body with a Challenger 2-like developed turret.

At the time only Greece was building Leo2s.

So I would imagine supply of parts for Challenger 2 bodies is an issue.

Not that the industry is beyond resuscitation, even now.

Considering how out-of-square the Ajax Scout vehicles were, I'm not sure that's true.

 

[A Tentative Fleet Plan]

Considering how out-of-square the Ajax Scout vehicles were, I'm not sure that's true.

Those were built in Spain.

 

[zen]

Considering how out-of-square the Ajax Scout vehicles were, I'm not sure that's true.

Let's be clear.
Those hulls were made at a factory in Spain with longstanding quality control issues.
Why that was is a very political question.

It's in a site in Wales that each hull is being effectively hand tailored fit the kit properly.

 

[MihoshiK]

If memory serves UK still has turret manufacturing going, and recently there was a push to get Leo2 production in the UK.
Essentially a Leo2 body with a Challenger 2-like developed turret.

At the time only Greece was building Leo2s.

So I would imagine supply of parts for Challenger 2 bodies is an issue.

Not that the industry is beyond resuscitation, even now.

Surely you mean Challenger-3?

 

[timmymagic]

Considering how out-of-square the Ajax Scout vehicles were, I'm not sure that's true.

GD Sistema Barbera in Spain...at one point over 100 hulls, all shrink wrapped were stacked up around GD at Merthyr Tydfil....

Reportedly at least one of the hulls was 300mm out....and yes thats 300mm/30cm (i.e. 1 foot)....not a typo.

The same factory has had significant issues with welding as well, including being sued by the Spanish Gov.

 

[zen]

UK has spent many tens of billions over decades to achieve the rundown of domestic industry, domestic supply and domestic knowledge.
In order to have less than 600 armoured vehicles.
But the industry is not dead yet and it speaks volumes that correcting these poor quality hulls is being done in the UK.