THIS is Britain’s brand new battle tank blasting into action.
The Sun gained a world exclusive look at the terrifying unleashing hell during trials in .
Britain’s brand-new Challenger 3 battle tank blasts into actionCredit: Unknown
The Challenger 3 boasts a devastating 120mm main gun — which can unleash higher velocity and more lethal strikes than its predecessorCredit: Unknown
The Sun’s Defence Editor, Jerome Starkey, gained exclusive access to the tank trials in ScotlandCredit: Unknown
The spectacular show of hard power comes amid spiralling global turmoil and warnings that could be called upon to fight any day.
Only a handful of Challenger 3s have been built so far and they are undergoing rigorous tests before entering service as early as next year and could be used to blast .
It boasts a devastating 120mm main gun — which can unleash higher velocity and more lethal strikes than its predecessor.
Ministry of Defence bosses have hailed the world-beating tank as a 66-ton “sniper” that can regularly hit targets over three miles.
Troops involved in the live-firing trials insist the Challenger 3 is “second to none”.
Warrant Officer Max Belton, from the Royal Tank Regiment, said: “Best tank in the world? Without a doubt. I’ll back that 100 per cent.”
You can watch the tank being put through its paces on my new show Arms Race on The Sun’s channel.
The 148 new tanks, which cost £6million each, are being built by Land and are made by converting the older Challenger 2s they are replacing.
The total cost of the new fleet will be just under £1billion.
The Challenger 3s can travel at up to 37mph on roads and its 1,200hp engine means it can travel just over 300 miles without refuelling.
It has a raft of upgrades, including a new turret and armour. It also has better suspension, laser threat detectors and Israeli-made Active Protection Systems, providing 360-degree protection from missiles and grenades.
The biggest change is the tank’s new German-made gun — the smoothbore Rheinmetall L55A1 gun. It can unleash high-speed darts which can pierce other enemy tanks at nearly five times the speed of sound.
The ammo has also been updated. Unlike old-fashioned tank rounds that have separate shell cases and explosive charges, the Challenger 3 will fire “one-piece ammo”.
All that remains once they have been blasted is a metal plate-sized drawing pin.
We watched as civilian contractors from maker RBSL donned gas masks to test for toxic fumes and explosive residue inside the turret after the tank had fired.
Jude Priestley, engineering leader, said: “The trials have been a massive success.”
While admitting there had been “niggles,” he added: “Our aim is to put this vehicle through its paces so that we can address those issues, and by the time the receives the tank, it will stand up to what they want to put it through.”
Major Colin Macintyre, who has served for 44 years on tanks and fought in both Iraq wars, said: “We’re providing the country with a world-class tank.”
Corporal Bradley Robertson, a tank loader from the Queen’s Royal Hussars, said: ‘I’m confident I’ll have the equipment to survive and thrive on a battlefield’
A bird’s-eye view of the tank’s firepowerCredit: Unknown
The Challenger 3 has a raft of upgrades, including a new turret and armourCredit: Unknown
Critics claim have made tanks out of date, a theory largely driven by the high number of armoured vehicles, worth billions of pounds, destroyed in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Among the losses are at least two British Challenger 2s that the UK donated to in 2023.
Troops due to use the Challenger 3 said they would feel safer inside a tank than fighting as an infantryman.
Corporal Bradley Robertson, a tank loader from the Queen’s Royal Hussars, said: “I’m confident I’ll have the equipment to survive and thrive on a battlefield.”
The lists 288 Challenger 2s in its inventory. But only a portion are considered fully operational. There are 148 due to be upgraded to become Challenger 3s.
Lieutenant James Harding, a tank troop leader in the Queen’s Royal Hussars, said: “As long as our enemies have tanks, we will have tanks. We will have better tanks.”
He dismissed tanks critics who have consistently claimed tanks were obsolete since soon after Britain invented them during World War One.
Lt Harding said the Challenger 3 trials were going better than expected. He said: “They’re not only on schedule, but we’ve been shocked, looking downrange, at the accuracy of the gun.
“It’s actually caused us a few issues in terms of having to manage the environment out there. The same round is going to pinpoint the same place, so the gun is more accurate than we thought.”
Marc Slade, one of very few people to command both a Challenger 2 and 3, said all the new technology — including extra thermal sights and a reversing camera — were designed to “reduce the burden on the crew”.
Marc, a soldier turned contractor, said: “It means you can fire quicker, further, faster and deliver more lethal capability.”
and America are moving towards automated turrets for their next-generation tanks. But the Challenger 3 will still have a crew of four, like its predecessor.
Lt Harding insisted: “As far as the is concerned, there will always be someone with a trigger in our armoured box, with a massive gun, looking at the enemy.”
The Challenger 3 in actionCredit: Unknown
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Eze Chidiebere Paul
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