Challenger 2 tanks in Ukraine: Powerful but stuck in the mud
Nicholas Drummond, a former British Army infantry officer and now a military analyst, commented on the presence of Challenger 2 tanks in Ukraine. In his opinion, although these tanks are very well-armoured, they are not always reliable.
According to the British analyst, from the Ukrainian soldiers' point of view, the most problematic aspect is the weight of the Challenger 2 tank, which exceeds 60,000 kilograms. Combined with the wide tracks (designed for manoeuvring over sandy terrains, among others), engines that are weaker than those in Leopard or Abrams tanks, and the specific conditions in Ukraine (frequent temperature fluctuations and soil with high humus content that absorbs significant amounts of water), this results in noticeable issues.
Challenger 2 in Ukraine
There are situations where fully operational Challenger 2 tanks are unsuitable for combat—they simply get stuck in the Ukrainian mud. In contrast, Leopard 2 tanks handle such situations much better.
The weight of the Challenger 2 tank is a consequence of using, among other things, multilevel Chobham/Dorchester armour. Thanks to this, when it entered service in 1994, the Challenger 2 was considered the most durable tank in the world. It performed very well in battles during the Second Gulf War and even today, during the war in Ukraine, its durability is rated above average.
Despite problems, Ukrainians appreciate the Challenger 2
Besides durability (apart from the strong armour, there is also an NBC protection system for nuclear, biological, and chemical threats), Ukrainian soldiers find several other advantages in the Challenger 2 tank. They appreciate the comfortable operation and accuracy, describing the British tank as a "sniper rifle" capable of hitting targets up to 5 kilometres away.
The Challenger 2 tank is armed with a rifled L30A1 120 mm gun. This is an unusual solution because most NATO tanks have smoothbore guns. The British opted for this because they intended to use HESH deformable rounds. Additionally, it has two 7.62 mm machine guns.
