To date, the only time the tank has been destroyed during operations was by another Challenger 2 in a "blue on blue" (friendly fire) incident at Basra in 2003 when the destroyed tank had its hatch open at the time of the incident. The turret and hull are protected with second generation Chobham armour (also known as Dorchester). Fifty main armament rounds and 4,200 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition are carried. The Challenger 2 is also armed with a L94A1 EX-34 7.62 mm chain gun and a 7.62 mm 元7A2 (GPMG) machine gun. Unique among NATO main battle tank armament, the 元0A1 is rifled, because the British Army continues to place a premium on the use of high-explosive squash head (HESH) rounds in addition to armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding-sabot rounds. The Challenger 2 is equipped with a 120-millimetre (4.7 in) 55- calibre long 元0A1 tank gun, the successor to the L11 gun used on the Chieftain and Challenger 1.
The tank has a 550 km range and maximum road speed of 59 km/h. A visual recognition feature is the armoured housing for the TOGS thermal gunsight: the Challenger 2 has this above the gun barrel, the Challenger 1 has it at the right hand side of the turret. Although the hull and automotive components seem similar, they are of a newer design than for the Challenger 1 and only around 3% of components are interchangeable. The Challenger 2 is an extensive redesign of the Challenger 1. The Challenger 2 was also exported to Oman. After a production delay, the tank entered service with the British Army in 1998, with the last delivered in 2002. Production began in 1993 and the unit's tanks were delivered in July 1994, replacing the Challenger 1. In June 1991, the MoD placed an order for 140 vehicles, with a further 268 ordered in 1994.
The Ministry of Defence ordered a prototype in December 1988. Vickers Defence Systems began to develop a successor to the Challenger 1 as a private venture in 1986. It was designed and built by the British company Vickers Defence Systems (now known as BAE Systems Land & Armaments). The FV4034 Challenger 2 (MOD designation "CR2") is a third generation British main battle tank (MBT) in service with the armies of the United Kingdom and Oman.
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