Why the UK Challenger Tank is So Hot Right Now

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Of course it wouldn’t be a British tank without the ability to brew tea, and the Challenger II comes with not one, but two boiling vessels, or kettles. While the strategic logic for these is that it allows the crew to boil any water for consumption they find if they are unable to be resupplied with traditional logistics, we all know it’s so they don’t run the risk of not being able to have their afternoon cup of Earl Grey. The Challenger II first saw operational use at the turn of the millenia in 2000 where it was deployed for peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Kosovo. Nothing says peace quite like a 120mm explosive tank round fired at 2200 feet per second.

Written by: Chris Cappy and Justin Taylor
Edited by: Savvy Studios

It’s first combat experience wasn’t until a few years later in 2003 during the invasion of Iraq, where 120 of the vehicles under the 7th Armoured Brigade saw action around the port city of Basra, where it destroyed a number of Iraqi T54 and 55 tanks. It was here that it earned its reputation for being an unstoppable behemoth. During urban operations, aka, the worst place for a tank to have to perform, one challenger II came under fire by RPG-7s. The first hit damaged the driver’s sights, as the commander ordered for the tank to back out of the area, it became stuck in a ditch after throwing track, meaning the tracked portion became unattached from the actual road wheels, effectively immobilizing it. While stuck, it would be hit by another fourteen RPGs, and a MILAN ATGM. The crew were able to hold their position in the tank completely uninjured, and it was later towed away for repairs, and most impressively, was back in operation just six hours later. Another Challenger II tank in the same battle would be struck by a reported 70 RPG rounds, and was still able to continue fighting, albeit the crew probably had a headache by the end of it.

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