Challenger 1 Main Battle Tank

The British Army’s 62-tonne Challenger 1 was the first of a new generation of main battle tanks when it entered service in 1983. Its most important design features were the use of the revolutionary Chobham armour system and hydrogas suspension that gave it superb cross-country performance. Challenger saw action in the 1991 Gulf War in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the 1990s and in Operation Joint Guardian the NATO-led drive into Kosovo. Challenger 1 claims the longest range tank-to-tank kill in military history when it destroyed an Iraqi tank at 3.17 miles. • Published in association with the Tank Museum Bovington. • Written by an ex-Challenger tank commander. • This manual uses the Tank Museum’s working Challenger 1 as its centrepiece.