Key Points and Summary – Originally designed for Iran, the British Challenger 1 main battle tank was adopted by the British Army after the 1979 Iranian Revolution and became a legend in Operation Desert Storm.
-During the 1991 Gulf War, Challenger 1s achieved a stunning 300-0 combat record, destroying 300 Iraqi armored vehicles without a single loss.
-This incredible performance was due to its advanced Chobham armor, thermal sights, and devastating depleted uranium rounds.
-One Challenger also set the world record for the longest tank-on-tank kill in history, hitting a target from over three miles away.
The UK Challenger 1 MBT: 300 – 0 Combat Record
The Challenger 1 was a British main battle tank (MBT) used by the British Army from 1983 to 2001, when it was superseded by the Challenger 2.
The Challenger 1 tank was originally designed to be sold to the Shah of Iran, but with the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the UK cancelled the sale. Britain then decided to develop the tank for its own use, and the decision bore fruit.
During Desert Storm, the Challenger 1 became one of the most effective tanks in the history of armored warfare.
Most of the Challenger 1 fleet was subsequently sold to Jordan, which had already purchased 274. The Challenger 1 remained in service with the Royal Jordanian Army until its retirement was announced in 2018.
The Jordanian Challenger 1 fleet of 402 tanks had been retired by January 2023, although a handful of variants with the unmanned Falcon turret remain.
The Brief History of the UK Challenger 1
The tank had been designed for the Shah of Iran, but timing is everything, and after the Iranian Revolution in 1979, that order was cancelled. That was a good stroke of luck for the British Army, as the Challenger 1 would soon be called on in a war that hadn’t seen that much armor deployment since World War II.
The Challenger was then developed as the replacement for the Chieftain MBT, as it had many upgrades, including the cutting-edge British Chobham composite heavy armor.
The Challenger retained the L11 series (L11A5) 120mm caliber main gun from the Chieftain. The sabot armor-piercing round with a depleted uranium tip would prove to be a devastating projectile against Iraqi armor during Desert Storm.
The tank was powered by a Perkins Condor CV12 26-liter diesel 1,200 hp (895 kW) fitted with two Garrett-AiResearch turbochargers. This powered the 62-ton tank to 35 mph on roadways. Initially, the Challenger’s roadwheels were protected by aluminum skirts, but during the war, those were changed to Chobham armor.
The Challenger was manned by a crew of four and also carried two 7.62 mm L8A2, 7.62 mm L37A2 machine guns in addition to the main gun.
Combat In Desert Storm
After Iraq rolled over Kuwait in 1990, the UK deployed almost 53,500 troops as part of Operation Granby, the British phase of Operation Desert Shield. This deployment consisted of the 7th Armoured Brigade, consisting of two armored regiments, the Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars and the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, both equipped with 57 of the latest Mark 3 version of the Challenger 1.
Later in November 1990, the 4th Armoured Brigade was deployed, forming the UK 1st Armoured Division, and was attached to the US VII Corps.
Once the ground combat began as part of Desert Storm, the UK 1st Armored was part of the famous left hook into Iraq and Kuwait that protected the flank of the main advance and wiped out Iraqi units in front of them.
In the lightning strike, the Challengers raced 217 miles in just 97 hours, as they astonished even coalition commanders at the speed at which Iraq’s army was defeated.
The Challenger Rolled Up an Incredible Combat Record
The Iraqis were totally unprepared for an attack of this speed and magnitude, with one Iraqi commander claiming he’d never seen a Challenger until it appeared in his face that February morning.
During the invasion, Challenger 1 tanks destroyed 300 Iraqi Russian-made tanks and armored personnel carriers without any losses of their own.
The Challenger 1s had a Thermal Observation and Gunnery System, another fire control improvement that allowed the tank to fire at targets at night and through the smoke of the oil fires that Iraqi troops had lit.
The Challenger 1 capped off an incredible offensive with the longest tank kill, which came at this time, and has been documented. A Challenger with the call sign 11B fired at and destroyed an Iraqi main battle tank from a distance of more than 5,100 meters – just above three miles – with an armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding-sabot round, the longest tank-on-tank kill ever.
The commander of the 7th Armoured Brigade, Brigadier Patrick Cordingley, summed it all up for the press later: “Challenger is a tank built for combat and not competitions”.
After the Gulf War, the British Army also used Challenger 1 tanks in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Operation Joint Guardian, the NATO-led drive into Kosovo.
The Challenger 1 had an all-too-brief history of just 18 years, but it paved the way for the improved Challenger 2 that came afterwards.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
More Military
SR-72 Darkstar Might Never Fly
The U.S. Navy’s ‘Achilles Heel’: China’s Underwater Drones
The F-35 Has a ‘5-Year Late’ Problem
