Challenger 1

FV 4030 Challenger
FV 4030 Challenger
	Challenger 1 at Tankfest 2009 at The Tank Museum
Type	Main battle tank
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	UK: 1983–2001 (Repair and recovery derivative remains in service.); Jordan: 1999–2022 (now stored);
Used by	British Army; Royal Jordanian Army;
Wars	Gulf War
Production history
Manufacturer	Royal Ordnance Factory
Unit cost	£1.5 million (1987)
No. built	420
Specifications
Mass	62 t (61 long tons; 68 short tons); 70 t (69 long tons; 77 short tons) with additional armour modules
Length	11.56 m (37 ft 11 in) (gun forward)
Width	3.51 m (11 ft 6 in)
Height	2.95 m (9 ft 8 in) (top of commander sight)
Crew	4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)
Armour	Chobham composite ceramic vehicle armour
Main; armament	Royal Ordnance L11A5 120 mm rifled gun; 64 rounds
Secondary; armament	7.62 mm L8A2, 7.62 mm L37A2 machine guns; 4,000 rounds
Engine	Perkins CV12 26 litre diesel; 1,200 hp (895 kW)
Power/weight	14.4 kW/tonne
Transmission	David Brown TN37 transmission (4 fwd, 3 rev.)
Suspension	Hydropneumatic (hydrogas)
Operational; range	280 mi (450 km) on road
Maximum speed	35 mph (56 km/h)

The FV4030/4 Challenger 1 is a British main battle tank (MBT) used by the British Army from 1983 to 2001, when it was superseded by the Challenger 2. The majority of the Challenger 1 fleet was subsequently sold to Jordan where it remained in service with the Royal Jordanian Army until withdrawals were announced in 2018.^[2] Known locally as Al-Hussein, these vehicles received various Jordanian modifications before being replaced by French-made Leclerc tanks from the UAE and ex-Italian B1 Centauro 8x8 wheeled tank destroyers. The Jordanian Challenger 1 fleet had been retired by January 2023.^[3]^[4]

^ Hamilton, Archie (12 January 1987). "Challenger Tank (Cost)". House of Commons Debates. 108. HMSO. Column 95W. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
^ Foss, Christopher (22 February 2018). "Jordan restructures its armoured formations". Jane's Defence Weekly. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018.
^ Clark, Robert (16 January 2023). "Britain is sending the Ukrainians the wrong tanks". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
^ Binnie, Jeremy (20 October 2020). "Jordan exercises new Leclerc tanks". Janes Defence Weekly. Janes. Retrieved 25 January 2023.

[1] Hamilton, Archie (12 January 1987). "Challenger Tank (Cost)". House of Commons Debates. 108. HMSO. Column 95W. Retrieved 25 January 2023.

[Foss1-2] Foss, Christopher (22 February 2018). "Jordan restructures its armoured formations". Jane's Defence Weekly. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018.

[Clark1-3] Clark, Robert (16 January 2023). "Britain is sending the Ukrainians the wrong tanks". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 January 2023.

[Jordan_exercises_new_Leclerc_tanks-4] Binnie, Jeremy (20 October 2020). "Jordan exercises new Leclerc tanks". Janes Defence Weekly. Janes. Retrieved 25 January 2023.

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