The company BAE Systems has presented the final version of the upgraded British tank Challenger 2 Life Extension Project (LEP). His demonstrator called Black Night ("Dark Night") was shown to the public at the exhibition Defense Vehicle Dynamics (DVD) 2018, which is being held at the Milbrook training ground these days.
The Challenger Mk 2 Life Extension Program (Challenger-2 Life Cycle Extension) was launched by the leadership of the British Army in 2013. Its goal is to create a set of measures to upgrade the Challenger Mk 2 production tank, which would extend its service life to 2035 By 2016, the British Ministry of Defense received several applications from different companies, which allowed the first stage of the competition to be held, and according to the results, two companies continued their work on prototyping: BAE Systems and Rheinmetall Landsystem.
"Challenger 2" from BAE Systems: the main features of the modification
Together with the designers of BAE Systems, the specialists of such well-known companies as General Dynamics, Leonardo, IMI Systems, Safran, and others worked on the modernization of the tank. underwent major refinement. The existing hull and turret with standard Chobham armor protection have been preserved.
One of the main areas of work was equipping the combat vehicle with a modern active protection system. The Israeli IMI Iron Fist complex is able to detect missiles and projectiles that are dangerous for a tank and destroy them automatically. In addition, the German-made electronic-optical MUSS suppression systems were installed on the tower of the car.
The Challenger 2 Black Night received a modern fire control system (FCS). A new PASEO panoramic commander sight from the French company Safran is installed on the roof of the turret; it is located inside a special armored casing with a viewing window. The gunner of the vehicle received a set of optical-electronic equipment developed by Leonardo, which allows to fire day and night. The driver’s seat was equipped with a Leonardo DNVS 4 device. The new “Challenger” LMS ensures efficient reception and transmission of information, thanks to which the tank will be able to interact on the battlefield with other combat vehicles.
The designers have not forgotten about the mobility of the tank. The Challenger 2 Black Night received a new power plant control system, which should reduce fuel consumption and increase the turnaround time, as well as the mobility of the tank. In addition, the habitable space of the machine was improved and its ergonomics improved. The developers say that now the crew will be able to carry out long missions and not leave the tank without any special discomfort during the day.
It should be noted that, despite all the changes made, the mass of the tank did not increase. Another advantage of the project is the partial unification of the Challenger 2 Life Extension Project with the promising Ajax infantry fighting vehicle, which is currently being developed. In the future, this will simplify and cheapen the production of both the tank and the BMP, will also reduce the cost of their operation and facilitate the work of the attendants.
The prototype from Rheinmetall Landsystem has not yet been submitted. Next year, the British military department plans to conduct a comparative test of both vehicles and finally decide on the future supplier. To date, the program has already allocated 56 million pounds, of which each company received 23 million for design surveys and prototyping.
