The first Challenger served until 1998 when the Challenger 2 came along. With the unveiling of this next iteration, it was immediately recognized as being one of the more well-armored tanks in the world. It sports composite “Dorchester” armor, giving the soldiers inside over 55-inches of steel and ceramic protection from a hit to the front of the tank. It also has a max speed of 37 mph on the road and 25mph offroad so it is comparatively agile with most tanks around the world. Though the Challenger 1 currently still holds the record for the longest distance tank conclude at nearly 2.5 miles away, the Challenger 2 still has a hefty range of two miles.
In January of 2023, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced his government was sending 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine to aid in its fight against Russia. The British army helped train Ukrainian soldiers in how to work the Challenger 2 over several weeks. In January of this year, only one of the Challenger 2 tanks had been lost in the conflict, and the Ukrainians have come up with new ways to safeguard against similar attacks.
