- The UK said it is exploring export opportunities of Challenger 3, despite the British Army being the only customer
- Ukraine and Oman also operate the legacy Challenger 2, potentially offering an upgrade solution
- The British Army will receive just 148 Challenger 3 tanks, down from a peak Challenger 2 fleet of nearly 400 units
The UK Government has said that it is looking at export opportunities of the British Army’s future Challenger 3 main battle tank (MBT) despite the base vehicle no longer being in production, with questions arising regarding the potential sale of planned UK units.
Outlined in a 28 January parliamentary written response, UK Minister for State for Defence Readiness Luke Pollard said the Challenger 3 MBT was a “centrepiece” of the British Army’s modernisation plan.
“The [MoD] continues to explore export opportunities for Challenger 3 and its capabilities under the Land Industrial Strategy,” Pollard added.
The admission that the UK is looking at exports of Challenger 3 is confusing, as the platform is being delivered as an upgrade to the in-service 1990s-era Challenger 2 MBT.
The Challenger 2 is no longer manufactured and the remaining fleet constantly reduced due to cannibalisation, a process that sees serviceable platforms receiving spare parts from other more degraded units.
At the time of publishing, the UK Ministry of Defence had not responded to a request from Army Technology regarding possible exports of Challenger 3.
Exports could only come in two forms: either the upgrade of existing Challenger 2 tanks such as the integration of the new Rheinmetall turret and main gun; or else the sale of complete UK units to overseas customers.
Should it be the latter, then it would mean the UK is considering selling some of the 148 Challenger 3 MBTs it is due to receive, all converted from remaining Challenger 2 tanks. At peak, the British Army had just under 400 Challenger 2 tanks in its inventory.
Conversion of existing Challenger 2 tanks could be an option, with Ukraine operating a small number – reduced through war attrition – and the Sultanate of Oman also maintaining a fleet of 38 units delivered in 2001.
UK tank numbers don’t add up
In late-2025, the UK Government claimed it had 288 Challenger 2 tanks despite 2024 figures provided under the previous administration indicating 213 Challenger 2 MBTs in the British Army fleet. In 2023, British Army officials said the service had 157 “operational” Challenger 2 tanks.
It is inconceivable the British Army found dozens of tanks hidden in storage, or else somehow reconditioned cannibalised platforms to a degree that they could be counted as viable assets.
The UK Government has offered no indication as to where or how these ‘extra’ tanks have been sourced.
