jfb@ihlpm.att.com (Joseph F Baugher) (10/04/90)
From: jfb@ihlpm.att.com (Joseph F Baugher) Here's some info on the British Challenger MBT which is to be sent to Saudi Arabia to support the Allied effort against Iraq. Challenger: Engine: One Rolls-Royce Condor 12V 1200 twelve-cylinder water-cooled Diesel. 1200 bhp at 2300 rpm. Hydrogas suspension. Crew: Four (driver, commander, gunner, loader) Driver is seated in front of vehicle. Daylight and night- vision periscopes are provided. Commander sits on the right side of the turret. Gunner sits forward and below the commander. Loader sits on the left side of the turret. Performance: Maximum road speed: 37 mph Can climb 58% grade. Can climb over a 3-foot obstacle. Weights: 132,000 pounds unloaded weight (66 tons) 137,000 pounds combat weight (68 tons) Armament: One 120-mm L11A5 rifled cannon as main armament. This gun can be stabilized in both elevation and traverse. Main gun can also be provided with a thermal sleeve. The main gun can be elevated 20 degrees and depressed 10 degrees. The gun is provided with a fume extractor. The primary armor- piercing round is the APFSDS projectile. It is said to be capable of piercing the frontal armor of T64 and T72 tanks at ranges beyond 2000 meters. One 7.62 mm machnine gun coaxial with main gun. One 7.62 mm machine gun in turret over commander's cupola. Armor: Both the turret and the hull incorporate Chobham armor for increased battlefield survivability. Upper part of the track is covered by steel skirts. Heavy belly armor is provided to protect against anti-tank mines. The armor protection is said to be the heaviest of any MBT currently in service. Weapons systems: Initial production versions were equipped with a day optical sight which can be quickly replaced by an image intensification night sight. Later production versions are to be equipped with a thermal imaging surveillance and gun sighting system. A single thermal imager in an armored box to the right of the turret provides separate inputs for both the commander and the gunner. The cupola also contains 9 periscopes for all-around vision. There is a roof-mounted periscope provided for the loader. Gunner is equipped with a periscope laser sight with an 8.5 degree field of view. Laser rangefinder is a Nd-YAG with a range is 300 to 10,000 meters. There is an emergency periscope sight which can be used in case the laser sight goes down Challenger has Marconi fire control system which uses a digital computer which automatically gathers information from various sensors, calculates the ballistic solution and correct laying offsets for each target engagement and controls the automatic laying of the gun in line and elevation. Remarks: The Challenger is Britain's most modern tank. It is derived from the FV4030/3 (Shir 2) which was originally intended for the Iranian Army. After the Khomeini regime took over Iran, the tank order was repudiated and the design was further adapted to British requirements, ultimately to emerge as the Challenger. First entered service with the Royal Army in 1983. "Chobham" armor derives its name from the town in Surrey near the Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment where the armor was invented. Hydrogas suspension provides Challenger with a high degree of tactical mobility, and the powerful engine provides a cross-country speed twice that of the Chieftan. Sources: British Battle Tanks--1945 to the Present, Simon Dunstan Jane's Main Battle Tanks, Christopher F. Foss Joe Baugher ************************************** AT&T Bell Laboratories * "Badges??? We don't need no * 200 Park Plaza * stinking badges!" * Naperville, Illinois 60566-7050 ************************************** (708) 713 4548 ihlpm!jfb jfb200@cbnewsd.att.com Who, me? Speak for AT&T? Surely you jest!
djm@castle.ed.ac.uk (D Murphy) (10/08/90)
From: D Murphy <djm@castle.ed.ac.uk> In article <1990Oct4.012638.12150@cbnews.att.com> jfb@ihlpm.att.com (Joseph F Baugher) writes: > > First entered service with the Royal Army in 1983. > >Joe Baugher Quibble time. In the UK, there are the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, both of which are royal because they were set up at the command of the monarch. However, it is the *British* Army, presumably because the regiments which go to make up the army did so without the express command of the monarch. Individual regiments, such as the Royal Artillery or Royal Engineers, may have the same roots as the RN and RAF, but the army as a whole does not. Murff...