On January 16, 2023, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace, in a speech in the House of Commons of the British Parliament, officially announced that Great Britain would provide a new large package of military assistance to Ukraine, including the transfer of Challenger 2 tanks and 155 mm/39 AS90 self-propelled howitzers to the Ukrainian side from the presence of the British army. Earlier on January 14, the transfer of these weapons systems to Ukraine was announced by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Ben Wallace said in his speech that "we will be the first country to provide Western main tanks" to Ukraine.
Challenger 2 tanks of the British Army during the Spring Storm 2019 joint exercises in Estonia, May 2019 (c) EPA"We believe that in 2023, increased supplies, improved training and increased diplomatic resolve will allow Ukraine to succeed in the fight against Russia's poorly managed and now poorly equipped armed forces," Wallace said.
According to Ben Wallace, the British military aid package provided to Ukraine includes:
- a squadron [company] of Challenger 2 tanks [14 tanks were previously announced] with armored recovery vehicles;
- 155 mm/39 AS90 self-propelled howitzers. One battery of eight guns is being transferred in a high degree of readiness and two more batteries are in varying degrees of readiness [, and should be transferred later];
- "hundreds more armored vehicles and MRAP vehicles", including Bulldog armored personnel carriers;
- a package of engineering equipment, including mine clearance and transportation facilities in the amount of 28 million pounds;
- additional "dozens" of unmanned aircraft systems worth 20 million pounds to support the Ukrainian artillery;
- another 100 thousand artillery shots, in addition to the already delivered 100 thousand shots;
- "hundreds of more advanced missiles, including GMLRS missiles, Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles and medium-range anti-aircraft missiles [AMRAAM];
- spare parts for the repair of "up to a hundred Ukrainian tanks and infantry fighting vehicles".
Wallace stated that while Challenger 2 tanks and AS90 self-propelled guns will come from the presence of the British Ministry of Defense along with the corresponding ammunition, a significant amount of other transferred property is purchased on the open market or from third countries supporting Ukraine.
Of the allocated equipment, the transfer of Bulldog tracked armored personnel carriers was mentioned for the first time. It should be noted that it is unclear whether the original old armored personnel carriers of the FV432 family, produced from 1962 to 1971, or upgraded in 2006-2009 in the amount of only 124 units of the machine, designated as Bulldog Mk 3, with new engines and enhanced protection, will be transferred. On April 1, 2022, the British Ministry of Defense had 851 Bulldog armored personnel carriers of all variants and modifications
It should be noted that Wallace also stated that "even when we transfer Challenger 2 tanks, I will at the same time analyze the number of Challenger 3 upgrades to understand whether the lessons of Ukraine suggest that we need a larger fleet of tanks." Recall that in May 2021, the British Ministry of Defense signed a contract with the British joint venture Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL), formed by the German Rheinmetall group and the BAE Systems Corporation, to upgrade 148 Challenger 2 tanks (out of 225 available in the British army) to the Challenger 3 level.
Upgraded British Bulldog Mk 3 armored personnel carrier (c) Ralph Zwilling / tank-masters.de