Challenger main battle tank

The Challenger 1 main battle tank (MBT) was the product of a series of trends and events that forced a decision on British defense planners in the early 1980s. These factors included the need to field an MBT that could perform well in a late-1980s conflict; the cost growth and probable delays in the ambitious MBT-80 development program; the collapse of the government of the shah of Iran and the cancellation of a large order of a modernized Chieftain tank known as Shir 2; and the...