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United Kingdom In development Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL)
Challenger 3
A deep rebuild of the British Army's Challenger 2 hull, replacing the rifled gun with a NATO-standard 120 mm smoothbore and adding a new turret, modern fire control and Trophy active protection. Deliveries to the British Army are planned through the late 2020s.
Planned service entry 2027 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-01
60
km/h
450
km range
19.3
hp/t
120
mm gun
66,000
kg
💲 ≈ $10,000,000, Approximate program cost per upgraded unit
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
UK export-licensed
Subject to UK SPIRE licensing (ECJU); generally available to allied states.
Channel: Government-to-government or direct
Development status
Limited · 1 operator
Planned service entry 2027. Status: announced.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$25M – $35M
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost, operating & support dominate over ~30 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price. How we estimate this →
Interoperability
Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Compatible munitions & weapons
Publicly reported weapons the Challenger 3 can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
| Max speed Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance. | 60 km/h |
|---|---|
| Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence. | 450 km |
| Power-to-weight Engine power per tonne of vehicle weight. Higher means better acceleration and cross-country mobility. | 19.3 hp/t |
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
| Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type. | 120 mm Rheinmetall L/55A1 smoothbore |
|---|---|
| Secondary armament Additional weapons: coaxial MG, remote weapon station, gun pods. | 7.62 mm coaxial + remote weapon station machine guns |
| Caliber Bore diameter of the main gun or rifle. Larger throws heavier projectiles; not simply better, ammunition commonality matters. | 120 mm |
| Ammunition Rounds carried (main gun) or standard magazine capacity. | 40 |
Protection
Armor, countermeasures and survivability.
| Armor Armor technology: composite, modular, ERA-fitted, uranium-ceramic. Exact compositions are classified. | Composite armor with modular add-on packages |
|---|---|
| Active protection Hard-kill APS (Trophy, Arena, Afganit) intercepts incoming projectiles before impact. | Trophy |
| Reactive armor Explosive reactive armor (ERA) blocks that disrupt shaped-charge jets. | No |
| Countermeasures Self-protection: chaff, flares, DIRCM, towed decoys, smoke dischargers, jammers. | Trophy APS, smoke grenade launchers |
| NBC protection Sealed crew compartment with overpressure filtration for nuclear/biological/chemical environments. | Yes |
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
| Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable. | 8.3 m |
|---|---|
| Width Overall width, matters for rail/road transport of vehicles. | 3.5 m |
| Height Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles. | 2.5 m |
| Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor. | 66,000 kg |
| Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity. | 4 |
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
| Engine Powerplant model and type. | Perkins CV12 diesel |
|---|---|
| Engine power Engine output power. Higher moves more weight faster. | 1,200 hp |
| Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet… | Diesel |
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
| Sensors IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights. | new-generation fire control system, commander's panoramic sight |
|---|---|
| Thermal imaging Thermal sights for night and obscured-visibility operations. | Yes |
Munition
Round type, penetration, velocity and projectile data.
| Caliber Bore diameter the round is fired from. | 120 mm |
|---|
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
| Unit cost Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper. | $10,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability. | 0 |
| Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem. | 1 |
Specifications compiled from public Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-01.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
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Altay Frequently asked questions
What is the top speed of the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 3? +
The Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 3 has a maximum speed of 60 km/h.
What is the range of the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 3? +
The Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 3 has a maximum range of 450 km.
How much does the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 3 weigh? +
The Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 3 has a combat weight of 66,000 kg.
How many crew does the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 3 require? +
The Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 3 requires a crew of 4.
What is the main armament of the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 3? +
The Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 3's primary weapon is the 120 mm Rheinmetall L/55A1 smoothbore.
What engine does the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 3 use? +
The Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 3 is powered by the Perkins CV12 diesel.
What is the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 3 used for? +
The Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 3 is a main battle tank typically used for anti armor, infantry combat.
How many countries operate the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 3? +
The Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 3 is operated by 1 countries.
How much does the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 3 cost? +
The Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 3 has an approximate unit cost of 10,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration, treat this as directional.
Similar systems
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