OBT Challenger 1 Sun Jordan
Image source: topwar.ru
Ukraine may in the future receive a large number of British Challenger tanks of the first series. The German concern Rheinmetall proposed to modernize outdated armored vehicles with the subsequent transfer of its Ukrainian army. This is reported by the German press.
According to the Handelsblatt newspaper, the concern offers to buy a "two-digit" number of Challenger 1 tanks from Jordan, carry out their overhaul with a small upgrade and then transfer them to Ukraine. Moreover, it will be relatively fast in terms of timing, the tanks will enter service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the end of 2023. There is no other information on this topic yet.
British Challenger 1 tanks were in service with the Jordanian army, which in 1999-2004 bought almost the entire fleet of obsolete tanks from the British, receiving a total of 404 units. These tanks, called Al Hussein, were in service until 2018, after which it was decided to write them off. Moreover, the Jordanians sent British tanks to warehouses, leaving the old American M60A3 in service, although upgraded with the installation of the Raytheon Integrated Fire Control System (IFCS).
The Challenger 1 tank was developed for the British Army in the early 80s of the last century and remained in service until the early 2000s, after which it was replaced by a more advanced version of the Challenger 2. A total of 420 tanks were manufactured, but did not receive much distribution. It was operated by the armies of Great Britain and Jordan, removed from service both there and there. Combat use is limited to participation in the Gulf War in 1991.
Combat weight - 62 tons. 120 mm rifled L11A5 cannon, 64 rounds of ammunition, two 7.62 mm machine guns. Engine power - 1200 hp. speed on the highway - 56 km / h, power reserve - 400 km. The crew is 4 people.