Trumpeter 00308 1/35 British Challenger

The Challenger 1 was a British Main Battle Tank from the Cold War period. The first prototypes of this vehicle were made in the mid-1970s, and serial production was carried out in 1982-1990. Over 400 vehicles of this type were created in its course. The car was powered by a single 1,200hp Rolls-Royce CV-12 diesel engine. Its armament consisted of a single 120mm L11A5 rifled cannon and two 7.62mm machine guns.

The Challenger 1 was developed as the British Army’s new main battle tank to replace the Chieftain line. Its design, however, was based on many elements of the Shir-2, which was to be produced for Iran, but which was based on the Chieftain tank. The new tank, which received the designation Challenger 1 by the British Army, compared to its predecessor, had much better Chobham armor, which protected it very well against e.g. HEAT shells. It also received a new engine with more power, as well as other electronic equipment. However, the car was not free from problems – above all, compared to such tanks as Leopard 2 or M1 Abrams, it had very poor performance and maneuverability. Its main armament was also inferior to 120mm smoothbore guns. Bearing in mind all these shortcomings, the vehicle manufacturer – Vickers Defense Systems – decided to improve it and create the Challenger 2 tank. It is worth adding, however, that despite the shortcomings, the Challenger 1 tanks performed very well during the First Gulf War (1990-1991). Vehicles of this type remained in the line of the British Army until 2001.