UK to provide 14 Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine

Europe, News January 17, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

United Kingdom to provide 14 of its indigenous heavy armor Challenger 2 tanks and self-propelled guns to Ukraine, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office announced.

The British prime minister’s office said in a statement, a squadron of 14 tanks will go into Ukraine in the coming weeks and the UK would provide additional support to aid Ukraine’s land war by providing 30 AS90s self-propelled guns, that are operated by five gunners.

The statement also highlighted that the “UK will begin training the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use the tanks and guns in the coming days, as part of wider UK efforts which have seen thousands of Ukrainian troops trained in the UK over the last six months.”

Challenger 2 is a third-generation main battle tank of the British Army. The tank is designed and manufactured by the UK company Vickers Defence Systems, now part of BAE Systems. The Challenger 2 has an operational range of 550 kilometers (340 miles) and a maximum speed of 59 kilometers per hour (37 mph).

The tank can carry a crew of 4, including a commander, a driver, a gunner, and a loader or operator. It has a Chobham composite armor and is equipped with a 120 mm rifled gun with 47 rounds as well as a Coaxial 7.62mm chain gun and a 7.62mm L37A2 hatch machine gun.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the British prime minister “for the decisions that will not only strengthen us on the battlefield, but also send the right signal to other partners.”

*^{British Army’s Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank. (Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons)}*

On January 14, UK’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak held a telephone conversation with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to the British prime minister’s office, both leaders discussed Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and agreed to accelerate the international military and diplomatic support to Ukraine.

British Prime Minister Sunak told Zelenskyy that the UK is committed to intensifying its support to Ukraine, including through “the provision of Challenger 2 tanks and additional artillery systems.”

The British prime minister also stressed that “the whole UK Government would be working intensively with international partners to deliver rapidly the kind of support which will allow Ukraine to press their advantage, win this war and secure a lasting peace.”

According to a Downing Street spokesperson, “As the people of Ukraine approach their second year living under relentless Russian bombardment, the Prime Minister is dedicated to ensuring Ukraine wins this war.”

^{Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visit at an exhibition displaying destroyed Russian military vehicles, amid Russia’s invasion, in central Kyiv, Ukraine November 19, 2022. (Image Credit: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/via Reuters)}

UK’s Prime Minister Sunak has tasked the Defence Secretary to rally European allies together in order to ensure that the global military support to Ukraine remains “strategic and coordinated,” the British prime minister’s office said.

The UK’s defense secretary will travel to Estonia and Germany to work with NATO allies and international partners and coordinate military support for Ukraine. While later this week, the UK’s foreign secretary will travel to the U.S. to discuss ways to leverage the UK and U.S. position as leading supporters of Ukraine and discuss coordinated actions.