Sky News – Jan 9, 2023
The UK is considering sending some of its British tanks to Ukraine, in what would be a significant development and a signal to Kyiv’s allies around the world.
Sky News exclusively revealed that Rishi Sunak’s government is considereing providing Challenger 2s to be used by Ukrainian forces on the battlefield against Russia.
If it goes through, the move would make the UK the first country to send Western-made main battle tanks to Ukraine.
But what are Challenger 2 tanks and which other Western armoured vehicles are being sent to Ukraine?
Challenger 2: British tank buster that has “never” been destroyed by the enemy
The British Challenger 2 is a main battle tank that has been used on operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Iraq.
First introduced into service with the British Army in 1994, a number of Challenger 2s are currently deployed in Estonia as part of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence in the Baltic States.
It features a main 120mm rifled gun and has a crew of four – commander, gunner, loader/operator and a driver.
The British Army says it has “never experienced a loss at the hands of the enemy”.
Bradley fighting vehicle: Armoured infantry transport from the US
Bradley armoured vehicles. Click to enlarge
Last week the White House announced that it will be delivering 50 of its Bradley fighting vehicles to Ukraine as well as 500 of the anti-tank missiles they can fire.
While not a tank, strictly speaking, Pentagon press secretary Brigadier General Pat Ryder said they provide “a level of firepower and armour that will bring advantages on the battlefield”.
Bradleys are armoured vehicles that can transport infantry in combat zones and are often equipped with a 25mm M242 Bushmaster chain gun as their main weapon along with an anti-tank missile system.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed the latest US announcement of military aid: “For the first time, we will get Bradley armoured vehicles – this is exactly what is needed.
“New guns and rounds, including high-precision ones, new rockets, new drones. It is timely and strong.”
Marder infantry fighting vehicles from Germany
Germany said on Friday it wants to deliver around 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine before the end of March.
It comes as the country – criticised by some for being slower than others in providing military aid to Kyiv – ramps up its support.
Resembling a light tank in some ways, the Marder can carry five or six troops and is one of the largest and heaviest of its type.
Germany has large numbers of Marders in storage and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said Berlin could ultimately send its entire functioning fleet of the weapons.
AMX-10 RC: France’s ‘light tank’ designed for recon missions
The French defence ministry said last week that it will hold talks with its Ukrainian counterpart to arrange for the delivery of armoured combat vehicles.
Designated as “light tanks” in French, the AMX-10 RC carries a 105mm cannon and two machine guns.
It’s primarily designed for reconnaissance missions and has enough armour to protect against light infantry weapons, according to the French defence ministry.
It has wheels rather than tracks, allowing it to be more mobile than heavy tanks.
What about Germany’s Leopard 2 main battle tanks?
Ukraine has long been calling for the West to send tanks to help its forces fight Russia, and at the top of the list has been the Leopard 2.
Considered a main battle tank in the same way as the Challenger 2 and first introduced in 1979, it is offers good protection against armour-piercing rounds and anti-tank guided weapons.
It has been reported that the Leopard 2 was estimated to be able to penetrate frontal armour of the Soviet-made T-72 tank from 2,000 metres away and that of the T-62 from more than 4,000 metres – both of which are in use by the Russian military in Ukraine.
Germany’s decision to send Marders to Ukraine has raised hopes that the heavier Leopard could be next, but a government spokesperson said on Monday that there are no current plans to do so.
Gosh ! those challenger 2 MBT’s must be super weapons . Imagine been on active service in war zones in Herzegovina , Bosnia , Kosova And Iraq with none destroyed by enemy fire. 🙂
Cant wait to see how they perform when they come up against an enemy that will be shooting back , armed with experience in fighting a real war , armed with suicide drones , Kornet ATG ( Oy Vey , remember those Merkava MBT’s ) KA 52 Attack Helicopter’s and all the rest of the tank busting weapons that the Russian Federation has at its disposal .
Best if the UK , France and Germany keep their toys at home where they will be nice and safe.
Why do these Muppets send these piles of shit to get blown away before they can do anything. Besides they won’t help the losers who are on a hiding to nothing. Hail Russia, Hail Putin, Hail General Armagedón.
So let’s see. About 10 years ago, the fake news reported that bankrupt Britain had 28 operational battle tanks, and that all the other inoperable tanks were being gutted for spares.
From what I’ve read, Nazi UK might send 4 Challenger tanks to Nazi UKraine. Each tank casts around £4.5 million each.
So let’s consider just how stupid this is. These tanks can’t be maintained on the battlefield. They will need to be transported back to Poland, fixed, and then taken back to the front. British forces or contractors will need to fix them, assuming they aren’t destroyed. The article from Sky Propaganda tells us that they’ve never lost a Challenger tank in combat. Where and who have they seen combat against? Answers on a post card.
It will take 3/4 months to train a UKrainian crew, by then the war will be over. Stories from UKrainian forces are not happy, and Douglas Macgregor says these forces will be going after Z, assuming he hasn’t fled the country.
Now that the Russians are changing the status/narrative, we are moving into an arena where attacks could soon start happening outside of UKraine. Such as ports and rail hubs in the EU where these tanks start their journey to. UKraine, and I am sure the Russians are right now telling EU NATO members whats coming down the pipe.
“Sky News exclusively revealed that Rishi Sunak’s government is considereing providing Challenger 2s to be used by Ukrainian forces on the battlefield against Russia…”
There is a whole universe of why everything is wrong with the world in that statement. That these limited theatre wars are “limited” “theatre” wars is merely a detail…
Elsewhere in the world Fred Smith declares his intention of becoming the next prime minister of India…
@Eric agreed. The joke that is the Merkava. Put the engine in front they said. What could go wrong!
American Military Vehicles ???
Will need to have poofter accessories…
….like vanity mirrors,
… hi heel polish stands
….and Gender neutral bathrooms.
oh right, if covered up in white rags, the heat signature vanishes.. omg