- UK Government lists 288 Challenger 2 tanks, but only around half will be operational; many are stored for cannibalisation
- Only up to 148 will be upgraded to Challenger 3, implying ~150 serviceable tanks needed for conversions
- Warrior IFV numbers drop to 604 while 53 Stormers are listed, with six having been sent to Ukraine
The UK Government has released detailed data on military equipment lists, including the claim that the British Army maintains a fleet of 288 Challenger 2 main battle tanks (MBT), despite 2024 figures indicating just 213 were counted in service inventories.
To clarify, the Challenger 2 is no longer produced, with the fleet in UK service constantly being reduced due to cannibalisation, a process that sees serviceable platforms receiving spare parts from other units.
In 2023, a disclosure during a Defence Committee session revealed just 157 Challenger 2 MBTs were operational out of a total fleet of around 200 vehicles.
Clearly, a claimed figure of 288 Challenger 2 looks good on paper, as so much of the UK military does, but the reality is a significantly different proposition.
It is certain the 288 MBT claim includes vehicles that are kept in storage, that is, platforms no longer intended for active use and instead due to be pulled to pieces for parts in a bid to keep the ageing British Army tank fleet operational.
Given that the UK will only upgrade a maximum of 148 Challenger 2 tanks to the Challenger 3 standard, it can be extrapolated that maintaining around 150 active platforms is needed in order to provide viable numbers for conversion.
British Army inventory: in data
The released data includes numbers for all British Army land platforms and, for the first time, includes the departure from service of the AS90 155mm artillery systems, a story originally broken by Army Technology earlier this year.
Notable are the claimed 604 Warrior infantry fighting vehicles (IFV), a drop from 632 units in 2024 due to a planned retirement of 80 IFVs by the end of 2025. A contract for 359 rear-mounted cameras was agreed in 2023, indicating the planned active fleet of Warrior IFVs through to their out-of-service date (OSD) in 2027.
In addition, 53 Stormer ground-based air defence systems are listed, with six units having previously been given to Ukraine. The Stormer OSD is 2028.
