The "desert" modification of the "Challenger 2" is the clearest example of the possible modernization of the entire tank fleet of the British Army. Lattice anti-cumulative screens, ROMOR elements of remote control and additional armor of the lower frontal part of the hull are the visiting card of the Desert Challenger. Reinforcement of the NLD is an additional security measure in the event that the frontal projection is fired from a short distance, and the terrain screen cannot cover this vulnerable area of the hull with an armor plate thickness of 100 mm
Modernization programs for modern armored vehicles today occupy almost the first place in the lists of updating the technological potential of the armed forces of most states of the world. And tanks are still the main units in need of regular improvement of armor protection, active protection, tank information and control systems, an increase in the power, accuracy and resource of guns, as well as the development and introduction of new armor-piercing and cumulative ammunition into the series. After all, anti-tank missile systems are being improved before our eyes, and the BPS of standard anti-tank weapons continue to pose a serious threat in the context of network-centric warfare. And on BMP and other classes of AFV against tungsten and uranium cores you will not trample. For this reason, no matter how much progressive circles of military specialists trumpet about the decrease in the role of MBT in the land theater of operations of the XXI century, main battle tanks will continue to be the basis of any offensive or defensive operation. As examples: the emergence of a promising Russian MBT with an uninhabited T-14 "Armata" turret, the creation of a promising Turkish tank "Altay", the constant modernization of German tanks "Leopard-2A6 / 7" and a number of similar programs.
Today we will focus on the review of the ambitious British program "Life Extension Challenger 2", as a result of which the entire tank fleet of the MBT "Challenger-2" of the British Army is to be modernized. Let's start with the fact that the basic version of the "Challenger 2" does not differ in maximum survivability on the modern battlefield due to the lack of additional funds that increase the level of armor protection of the hull and turret. At the same time, the standard multilayer armor of the "Chobham" type turret, together with several steel armor plates, forms a physical dimension of about 725 mm thick, the equivalent resistance from armor-piercing feathered sub-caliber projectiles (BOPS) reaches 800 mm. Protection is provided against the ZBM-42M "Lekalo" BOPS (at ranges over 1000 m) and from the ZBM-48 "Lead-2" at a distance of more than 2500 m. Destruction of a British tank in battle with our T-72B3, T-80U and T -90S can occur either starting from a 5-kilometer distance with 9K119M Reflex-M tank guided missiles, or from a distance of 2000 m with standard BOPS, but you still need to be able to get close to Challenger-2 at 2 km, because a 120-mm tank gun The L30E4 has high firing accuracy and armor penetration, which poses a huge threat to the T-72B3. Only the T-80U and T-90S can fight the Challenger 2 at close range effortlessly. The issue of weak armor protection of the T-72B3 lies in the preservation of the previous design of the armor protection of the serial T-72B turret, the equivalent resistance from the BOPS of which is only 540 mm, and the DZ "Contact-5" has many open gaps in the front projection. For some reason, the more advanced T-72B "Slingshot" project was simply forgotten, and it remained only in the form of a single prototype.
The Challenger-2 is unlikely to withstand the hits of the more advanced BOPS developed for the Armata, its frontal projection is not protected either from the Kornet-E, Chrysanthemum-S ATGMs, as well as the Javelin ATGMs attacking the tank in the upper, thinnest, armor plates of the hull and turret. The lack of an active protection complex (KAZ) turns the tank into an excellent target for tactical aircraft missiles and other guided munitions. The first thing the British army wants to update with its 227 tanks in service is the aging turret. As a matter of fact, it is not entirely logical to call it “obsolete”: the size of the side armor plates of the turret is 360 mm, which in the angles of safe maneuvering +/- 30 degrees gives an increase in thickness to the same 725 mm as the frontal armor plates. On the right "cheekbone" of the turret (in front of the tank commander's seat), this dimension reaches 900 mm. For example, the French AMX-56 "Leclerc" side dimensions in similar safe maneuvering angles do not exceed 400 - 450 mm and can be pierced even by the outdated Soviet ZBM-29, ZBM-32, or the American 105-mm BOPS M833. "Challenger-2" becomes vulnerable only when fired from angles of +/- 35-45 degrees from the normal of the frontal projection, this can be clearly seen on the drawings of the turret section. A rather vulnerable section of the tower is the section of the massive gun mask, hitting which can cause the mask to inevitably jam in the narrow space between the frontal armor plates: the gun will not be able to aim in the elevation plane.
Drawing of the MBT "Challenger 2" turret with marking of the armor dimensions
An increase in the protection of the entire frontal projection (including the gun mask) and airborne armor plates can be achieved by installing compact modules of modern reactive armor that provide protection against tandem cumulative ammunition, as well as increase resistance against BOPS by 20-50% and against CS by 70-90%. Equipping the Challengers-2 with the Polish built-in ERAWA-1 and ERAWA-2 could be a fairly correct solution. Considering the rather high durability of the Chobham armor, as well as the large angle of inclination of the frontal armor plates of the British MBT, even the ERAWA -1 "could protect the tank from some modern tandem ATGMs," ERAWA-2 "will be able to protect the British vehicle even from promising ATGMs with a long-term reserve (up to 1200 mm from the BOPS and up to 1550 mm from the COP). Two of the most important advantages of the Polish ERAWA ERA are the compactness of the EDS and the parallel arrangement of the plane of the ERA to the surface of the armor plate being protected.
1. Square EDZ TX01 "ERAWA-1" has dimensions of 150x150x26 mm and can be installed at a distance of 30 to 50 mm from the armor surface. Thus, the elements protrude above the armor structure of the tank by only 56-76 mm, which is very beneficial when installed on MBT with large-sized massive turrets, which are the Challengers-2. Larger elements will seriously violate the overall standards of the machine and can reduce the field of view of optoelectronic thermal imaging sighting devices. The mass of one ERAWA-1 DZ element is 2.9 kg, and therefore 200 TX01 elements increase the tank's weight by only 580 kg (up to 630 with attachment points). With this amount of EDZ, you can safely cover most of the frontal projection of the Challenger 2 tank. EDZ TX02 "ERAWA-2" has dimensions of 150x150x42 mm and a weight of 4.7 kg. The installation distance from the surface of the armor is identical to the ERAWA-1 modules, but these modules are able to withstand tandem CS, and also reduce the effect of BOPS by 1, 4-1, 5 times. The explosive in EDZ TX01 / 02 is TNT or TNT-RDX; in the process of detonation, there is a sharp displacement of the steel plates of the EDZ body, which have a destructive effect both on the working fluid of the cumulative jet and on the armor-piercing cores of the BPS, a decent share of the stopping effect is also created by the high-explosive effect of the explosive. In EDZ TX02, unlike TX01, under a 6-mm steel cover there is also a ceramic envelope, which protects against extraordinary detonation of explosives from a single hit from machine-gun shells and small arms bullets. The TX02 module is represented by two layers of TNT-RDX separated by a thin steel sheet.
2. Fastening the ERAWA-1/2 EDZ parallel to the armor surface also helps to reduce the overall dimensions of the tower structure within the normal range. It is worth noting that after the participation of British tanks in military companies in Iraq, the media witnessed a change in the configuration of the external armor protection of the tank: additional heavy modules of spaced armor appeared on the PCE, as well as on the lower frontal part (NLD) of the hull. It is assumed that these may also be elements of the new ROMOR remote sensing device. Similar modules are also installed on the zygomatic parts of the sides of the tower, where the dimensions of the side armor plates vary from 360 to 420 mm. The rear of the turret sides received anti-cumulative lattice screens to protect the tank's ammo rack from being penetrated by the cumulative jet of RPGs and 2nd generation ATGMs.
In the XXI century, "Challengers-2" are in dire need of the installation of active protection systems (KAZ), without which they will turn into easy "prey" for modern assault and tactical attack aircraft, attack helicopters and operators of ATGMs of the 3rd generation, where ATGMs with IKGSN are capable attack the target from the shelters, and even in the dive mode after the completed hill, piercing the roof of the tower and the armor plates of the MTO, like a "needle oil".
The second part of the Life Extension Challenger 2 program includes an increase in the firepower of British tanks. The main weapon of the Challenger 2 today continues to be the highly controversial 120mm L30E4 rifled cannon. Despite the increased diameter of the pins and cannon slots, compared to the L11A5, the accuracy of the L30 increased insignificantly, which was confirmed at the Greek tender in 2002. During firing from the spot, Challenger-2 showed the highest firing accuracy, hitting 10 out of 10 targets, but when performing the firing stage on the move with the simultaneous detection of new targets (for the crew, it is equivalent to an intense tank battle), only 40% of the targets were hit (8 out of 20 targets), the tank was operated by a Greek crew firing training shells. The aggregate accuracy of the British vehicle for the period of execution of all tasks of the tender was 69, 19%, which is slightly lower than that of the MBT "Leopard-2A5", "Leclerc" and M1A2 "Abrams", the figure is slightly above average. The L30E4 cannon has a length of 55 calibers (L55), but the initial velocity of the BOPS in the rifled bore is slightly less than that of smooth-bore guns (about 1550 m / s), which affects the armor penetration of L27 CHARM 3 projectiles, which can normally penetrate no more than 700 mm steel frame. The British Army is not very happy with this situation, and therefore all interest has long been chained to the more penetrating and hardy German smooth-bore tank gun Rh-120 / L-55.
Back in 2005, the British Ministry of Defense signed a contract with BAE Systems under the TDP program, according to which a German tank gun will be installed on one of the Challengers-2. The Rh-120 / L55 guns, produced by the German "Rheinmetall", should gradually completely replace all rifled L30E4s. The parameters of the German cannon are much more expressive than those of the British product. Firstly, these guns are unified with LAHAT tank guided missiles, capable of firing at the enemy at distances of up to 6-8 km, which is already moving them closer to our 125-mm 2A46M-4/5 and 2A82 guns. Secondly, the initial speed of the BOPS DM-53/63 is 1750 m / s, which provides armor penetration from 720 to 780 mm, and taking into account more advanced projectiles - all 900-950 mm. The resource of the German cannon is at least 700 rounds. With this cannon, the British MBT "Challenger 2" will become a much more formidable combat vehicle than it is now.
The power plant of the "Challenger-2" is represented by a 12-cylinder V-shaped diesel engine CV-12 "Condor" with a capacity of 1200 hp, which gives it a speed of 56 km / h on the highway and 40 km / h on rough terrain. Despite the low power density of the tank at 19.2 hp / ton, it looks very decent on test sites: in first gear it climbs very steep climbs, picking up speed very actively. The permeability of the tank is very high: 30-degree climbs, meter walls, 2, 8-meter ditches and meter fords are easily assaulted, and all this with the old hydropneumatic suspension and TN-54 transmission. Later, all vehicles can be upgraded following the example of the desert modification "Desert Challenger", which is equipped with a German transmission Renk HWSL-295TM and a more powerful 1500-horsepower MT-883 Ka-500 diesel engine, capable of giving a slightly heavier (up to 63.5 tons) Challenger -2 "specific power of 23.6 hp / ton and a speed of about 67 km / h: the survivability of the tank on the battlefield will increase by 7-10%.
The possibility of developing an automatic charger for the modernized Challendger 2+, similar to that installed on the French Leclerc, is being considered, but it is not yet known whether the conservative circles of BAE Systems will do this. Indeed, even from the moment the tank was developed, the company's specialists had the opinion that the AZ could fail in combat conditions, and even a small collision could end in tragedy for the crew. The tank's fire control system is built around the Abrams ballistic computer from the M1A1 version, and the tactical information exchange system is around the Mil Std 1553 data bus, which allows you to exchange information with any other units equipped with a similar interface, and therefore, in a serious update of the TIUS "Challengers-2" need. The program for the extension of operation until 2035 is absolutely not subject to criticism.
