For the first time, a Challenger 2 tank was lost in battle due to enemy fire, – VVS

Russian invaders could shoot down one of of the British Challenger 2 battle tank handed over to the armed forces, a video of this tank burning appeared on the Internet.

This is reported by the BBC.

Journalists claim that there are doubts that this precisely the Challenger tank, almost none. The video shows typical spare fuel tanks, one of which fell off, probably at the time the tank was hit.

Destroyed Ukrainian Challenger 2 outside of Robotyne, most likely from the 82nd Air Assault Brigade. pic.twitter.com/KInjnmfs4F

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) September 5, 2023

In addition, the footage shows an armored thermal imaging box on top of the gun that is installed on these tanks. A source in one of the Western defense agencies confirmed to the BBC that the Challenger 2 tank is on the video footage.

The fate of the tank crew is unknown, but these machines are distinguished by very good protection. In addition, although the video shows that the tank is on fire, it is not destroyed and there are no signs of an internal explosion.

A BBC source in one of the Western defense agencies said that the crew of four survived.

< p>These tanks are in service with the 82nd separate amphibious assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which has been participating in the offensive in the Zaporizhia region since the end of August.

Until now, no such tank has been lost in action due to enemy fire. The only destroyed “Challenger” became a victim of “friendly fire” in 2003 in Iraq.

However, such a reputation is a consequence not so much of the exceptional qualities of the combat vehicle. The thing is that they were built only about 450 units. Although the Challenger 2 tanks fought in Yugoslavia and Iraq, purely statistically they rarely participated in battles.

One of its main advantages is the Chobham-type multilayer armor, which uses ceramic plates.

Such armor is effective both against cumulative ammunition (cumulative shells, anti-tank missiles or shots from grenade launchers, which penetrate the armor with a very narrow jet formed by the products of the explosion and molten metal), and against subcaliber shells.

The tank is best. protected in the frontal projection, while the sides and stern are protected worse.