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United Kingdom Legacy Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL)
Challenger 2
The British Army's previous-generation main battle tank, notable for retaining a rifled 120 mm gun rather than a smoothbore and for Chobham/Dorchester composite armor. It is being withdrawn from frontline service as the upgraded Challenger 3 enters production.
In service since 1998 · 2 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
59
km/h
550
km range
19.1
hp/t
120
mm gun
62,500
kg
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
UK export-licensed
Subject to UK SPIRE licensing (ECJU); generally available to allied states.
Channel: Government-to-government or direct
Fielded & proven
Limited · 2 operators
In service since 1998. Status: legacy · ~448 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from.
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.
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.
- 59 km/h Stronger than 14% of main battle tanks
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 550 km Stronger than 79% of main battle tanks
- Power-to-weight
Engine power per tonne of vehicle weight. Higher means better acceleration and cross-country mobility.
- 19.1 hp/t Stronger than 26% of main battle tanks
- Muzzle velocity
Projectile speed leaving the barrel. Higher means flatter trajectory and better armor penetration.
- 1,550 m/s Bottom 10% of main battle tanks
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- 120 mm L30A1 rifled gun
- Secondary armament
Additional weapons: coaxial MG, remote weapon station, gun pods.
- 2x 7.62 mm chain 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.
- 49 Stronger than 89% of main battle tanks
Protection
Armor, countermeasures and survivability.
- Armor
Armor technology: composite, modular, ERA-fitted, uranium-ceramic. Exact compositions are classified.
- Dorchester composite armor
- Reactive armor
Explosive reactive armor (ERA) blocks that disrupt shaped-charge jets.
- No
- Countermeasures
Self-protection: chaff, flares, DIRCM, towed decoys, smoke dischargers, jammers.
- 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.
- 11.55 m
- Width
Overall width — matters for rail/road transport of vehicles.
- 3.52 m
- Height
Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.
- 2.49 m
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 62,500 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 CV12-6A V12 diesel
- Engine power
Engine output power. Higher moves more weight faster.
- 1,200 hp Stronger than 53% of main battle tanks
- Fuel capacity
Internal fuel volume.
- 1,592 L
- 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.
- thermal observation and gunnery sight
- Thermal imaging
Thermal sights for night and obscured-visibility operations.
- Yes
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 448 Stronger than 51% of main battle tanks
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 2 Stronger than 57% of main battle tanks
Specifications compiled from public Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
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What is the top speed of the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 2? +
The Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 2 has a maximum speed of 59 km/h.
What is the range of the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 2? +
The Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 2 has a maximum range of 550 km.
How much does the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 2 weigh? +
The Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 2 has a combat weight of 62,500 kg.
How many crew does the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 2 require? +
The Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 2 requires a crew of 4.
What is the main armament of the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 2? +
The Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 2's primary weapon is the 120 mm L30A1 rifled gun.
What engine does the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 2 use? +
The Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 2 is powered by the Perkins CV12-6A V12 diesel.
What is the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 2 used for? +
The Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 2 is a main battle tank typically used for anti armor, infantry combat.
How many countries operate the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 2? +
The Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Challenger 2 is operated by 2 countries.
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