UK's challenger 3 tank fires without crew A leap in military tech

The United Kingdom is advancing its military capabilities with the development of the Challenger 3 tank. After creating eight prototypes, an impressive demonstration showcased the tank's ability to fire remotely without any crew on board.

The British-German consortium RBSL (Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land) unveiled a distinctive feature of the Challenger 3 tank. In a presentation by James Cartlidge, the British Deputy Minister of Defense responsible for arms purchases, the tank was shown to be capable of firing in the absence of its crew, Essa News reports.

Detailed information about how the Challenger 3's armament was remotely controlled was not provided, such as the control range and how it manages successive shots given its lack of an autoloader or its effectiveness amidst electronic warfare.

The evolution of the tank

Despite claims by the British that their new tank is the top contender in NATO, the Challenger 3 is essentially an effort to keep pace with current rivals. One of its main improvements over the Challenger 2 is the resolution of several longstanding issues.

The Challenger 3 represents a significant upgrade rather than a brand-new design. It modernizes 148 of the existing 227 British Challenger 2 tanks. Modifications were made to the hull, including upgraded suspension, engine, and transmission systems.

Major updates were also applied to the turret and armament systems. The Challenger 2's turret was replaced with a completely new model that features an ammunition storage system similar to that of the Abrams tank. This system separates the ammunition from the crew and is safeguarded with blow-off panels to deflect explosion forces outward.

The new Farnham composite and Epsom modular armor enhance the turret's enhanced protection.

Adopting a smoothbore gun

The upgrade extends to the tank's armament. Despite its long-range accuracy, the Challenger 2's distinctive 120-mm rifled gun L30A1 suffered from compatibility issues with NATO standard ammunition. Because of its unique loading process—requiring separate loading of the projectile, the propellant charge, and the primer—it complicated operations and incurred additional costs for specialized ammunition production.

Moving away from a tradition spanning over five decades, the Challenger 3 will now utilize a German Rh120 smoothbore gun, aligning it with the armament of most Western tanks.

Challenger 3 completed test firings this week 🔥

👇👇👇https://t.co/RNcUbQfOln pic.twitter.com/tgUnHDqzPd

— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) April 27, 2024