Challenger 1
| FV 4030 Challenger | |
|---|---|
Challenger 1 at Tankfest 2009 at The Tank Museum | |
| Type | Main battle tank |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service |
|
| Used by | |
| Wars | Gulf War |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Royal Ordnance Factory |
| Unit cost | £1.5 million (1987) |
| Produced | 1983 to 1990 |
| No. built | 420 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 62 t (61 long tons; 68 short tons) 70 t (69 long tons; 77 short tons) with additional armour modules |
| Length | 11.56 m (37 ft 11 in) (gun forward) |
| Width | 3.51 m (11 ft 6 in) |
| Height | 2.95 m (9 ft 8 in) (top of commander sight) |
| Crew | 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver) |
| Armour | Chobham composite ceramic vehicle armour |
Main armament | Royal Ordnance L11A5 120 mm rifled gun 64 rounds |
Secondary armament | 7.62 mm L8A2, 7.62 mm L37A2 machine guns 4,000 rounds |
| Engine | Perkins CV12 26 litre diesel 1,200 hp (895 kW) |
| Power/weight | 14.4 kW/tonne |
| Transmission | David Brown TN37 transmission (4 fwd, 3 rev.) |
| Suspension | Hydropneumatic (hydrogas) |
Operational range | 280 mi (450 km) on road |
| Maximum speed | 35 mph (56 km/h) |
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The FV4030/4 Challenger 1 is a British main battle tank (MBT) used by the British Army from 1983 to 2001, when it was superseded by the Challenger 2. The majority of the Challenger 1 fleet was subsequently sold to Jordan where it remained in service with the Royal Jordanian Army until withdrawals were announced in 2018. Known locally as Al-Hussein, these vehicles received various Jordanian modifications before being replaced by French-made Leclerc tanks from the UAE and ex-Italian Centauro 8x8 wheeled tank destroyers. The Jordanian Challenger 1 fleet had been retired by January 2023.