Putin Is Laughing: The British Army Is Running Out of Tanks to Fight A War

Although sources differ on precisely how many tanks are operationally available, what is clear is that the United Kingdom’s tank force is hollowed out — and planned future investment in the upcoming Challenger 3 won’t be sufficient to give the Brits a credible armored force.

Tank Problems for NATO and the UK

According to a recent opinion piece in the Telegraph, a British newspaper, the British Army’s tank force is in dire straits. According to the British author, a dearth of available tanks means that the British Army’s tank regiments can field 20 to 25 tanks “at the very best,” rather than the requisite 59.

Dark times for the Brits — but is that number accurate?

Another Analysis

When the Royal United Services Institute, a British think-tank that specializes in defense topics, looked at the state of the British Army, their conclusion was somewhat different, though it was nonetheless quite concerning.

“Similarly, when RUSI analysts last looked at the Army, and the combat division the UK claims to have, it measured the number of main battle tanks and self-propelled artillery in the UK’s inventory and found the numbers wanting when set against a ‘credible’ armoured division of anywhere from 170 to over 300 tanks and around 110 to 220 artillery pieces. The numbers have not improved in the subsequent four years: under the Challenger 3 programme the UK will have a total of 148 main battle tanks (in 2030).”

The United Kingdom has removed the AS90 artillery system, an armored, self-propelled artillery gun, from service and donated those systems to Ukraine as part of its military aid to that country. While laudable, the U.K. has done little to replace them.

At the moment, the ex-British Army AS90s are replaced by 14 Archer systems, a Swedish-designed self-propelled artillery gun, which is an interim measure until the Mobile Fires Platform, a joint U.K.-German initiative. However, it could take up to five years before that platform entered service.

The U.K. does have plans in the works for the successor to the Challenger 2, the rather uncreatively named Challenger 3.

However, RUSI explains, “it is going to be available in such limited numbers that it will have to perform heroically in the face of a notional foe in the form of Russian ground forces, such as a Combined Arms Army.”

Challenger 3

The U.K. Government calls the Challenger 3 “one of the world’s most lethal tanks.” Importantly, the new tank design will feature a smooth-bore main gun, a departure from the Challenger 1 and Challenger 2’s rifled design.

The Challenger 3 will, consequently, be compatible with NATO-standard main battle tank ammunition and simplify logistics by bringing the U.K.’s main battle tank force in line with NATO standardization. The U.K. also explained that the Challenger 3 will feature updated sensors, better armor, and integrate an active protection system.

Out with the Old, in with the New

Though the Challenger 3 will certainly offer advantages over the British Army’s current main battle tank, the issue is not capabilities but procurement numbers. And given the ongoing war in Ukraine, now in its third year, the lack of investment in the British Army and the other service branches is puzzling.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense previously said that the current government is committed to allocating 2.5 percent of GDP spending on defense, a number that is below the 3.5 percent that other European NATO allies seem to be striving toward.

With the new American administration seemingly intent on upending the European security architecture — and with other European governments scrambling to increase defense budgets — the British posture is both out of step and untenable.

Whether the U.K. can inject fresh impetus into its security remains to be seen.

About the Author: Caleb Larson

Caleb Larson is an American multiformat journalist based in Berlin, Germany. His work covers the intersection of conflict and society, focusing on American foreign policy and European security. He has reported from Germany, Russia, and the United States. Most recently, he covered the war in Ukraine, reporting extensively on the war’s shifting battle lines from Donbas and writing on the war’s civilian and humanitarian toll. Previously, he worked as a Defense Reporter for POLITICO Europe. You can follow his latest work on X.

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