The Chieftain was phased out by the British military in the early 2000s to make way for the next-generation Challenger tank. Later upgrades of the tank included retro-fitting of enhanced “Stillbrew” armor which gave increased protection against the firepower of potential opponents. In the 1980s it was considered to be among the world’s best tanks, particularly because of its a rifled 120mm main armament which was able to knock out any opposing vehicle at ranges up to three km. The AFU would ultimately receive multiple Chieftain tanks following repairs, he said.Ĭhieftains were fielded primarily by Britain, Jordan, Kuwait, Iran and Iraq. Images posted by Bochkala showed a single Chieftain tank with chipped paint, spots of rust and other signs of long-term outdoor storage. In video he said “British friends” and “volunteers” were overhauling the vehicle and that, potentially, “many more” mothballed Chieftains would be available for field use by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).īochkala implied, but did not say directly, that the tank or tanks were being drawn from privately-owned, non-government stocks. Ukrainian military reporter Roman Bochkala posted video and images that showed of one of the 1970s-designed tanks in a British maintenance yard. An undisclosed number of British Chieftain MBT are being refurbished at a British repair yard in preparation for use in combat in Ukraine, Ukrainian news reports said on Wednesday, July 19.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |