The British Challenger 3 main battle tank has taken a significant step towards its debut by completing a successful live-fire trial of its new 120 mm L55A1 smoothbore gun.

-This test ensures the gun meets NATO's accuracy and consistency standards. Once fully tested and certified, 140 Challenger 3 tanks will be delivered to the Royal Armoured Corps.

-The Challenger 3 is touted as one of Europe's most lethal and durable tanks, featuring advanced armor, increased firepower, and state-of-the-art technology.

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-The tank is part of the UK's broader military modernization effort, reflecting heightened European sensitivity to tank warfare, especially in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Challenger 3, a British main battle tank in development, has taken an important step toward its debut.

Challenger 3 Tank Passes Key Live-Fire Trial with New Gun

The Challenger recently completed a successful live-fire trial of the 120 mm L55A1 smoothbore gun. The live-fire tests are calibrated to determine whether the new gun meets the accuracy and consistency that NATO demands of its tanks. 

The Challenger, like all tanks, is built around its pivoting turret, so a successful live-fire test is a vital element of fielding a combat-ready system. Once the Challenger’s gun and other systems are tested and certified, 140 of the new tanks will be delivered to the Royal Armoured Corps.

One of Europe’s best Tanks

The Challenger’s successful test was announced on the LinkedIn account of Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL), the tank’s manufacturer. The live-fire test consisted of firing at targets from a variety of distances “to ensure the accuracy of the main gun.” RBSL also said that the tests will conform to NATO Reference Standards.

The 120mm L55A1 is a “high-pressure chrome-lined smoothbore gun fitted with a thermal sleeve, fume extractor and a muzzle reference system,” Shepherd Media reports. “This setup will allow projectiles to be fired with a higher maximum pressure with claimed greater accuracy and less barrel work.” The L55A1 marks an upgrade over the Challenger 2’s main gun, a Royal Ordnance 120 mm L30A1 rifled gun, “which fires separate loading ammunition, projectile and charge, with main war shot being an L23A1 armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot-tracer.”

With an upgraded main gun, the Challenger 3 is being billed as one of the most lethal and hardy tanks on the European continent – “with advanced armor, APS increased firepower and state-of-the-art technology,” RBSL boasts.

A Step Closer to Production for Challenger 3 Tank

The Challenger 3 is extremely new. The first pre-production model was only built in January 2024. The tank was unveiled at Defence iQ’s International Armoured Vehicles 2024 conference in London. The tank will still need comprehensive testing before joining the Royal Armoured Corps. But once the tank is deemed ready, the British Army is set to receive 140 Challenger 3s. 

The new tank is an integral part of Britain’s ongoing military modernization effort. RBSL is expected to build eight prototypes for testing.

The Challenger 3 was designed with “increased firepower” and “to be one of the most survivable tanks in service today,” according to Peter Suciu. “Unlike Russian-designed tanks, which employ an autoloader that has proven to be a problem on the battlefield, the Challenger 3 will feature a crew of four including the commander, gunner, loader, and driver.” 

The new tank comes at a time when much of Europe is sensitive to the abilities of the Russian tank corps, which has been used extensively in the invasion of Ukraine. Russian tanks have met limited success, but the invasion has nonetheless raised the specter of tank warfare more broadly on the European continent.

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