Beautiful mess: Germans evaluate Challenger

With the "Challenger 2 Life Extension Project (LEP)", the British Army aims to extend the service life of its main battle tank until 2035. In the current phase that has been commissioned, Rheinmetall - along with another company in competition - will develop technical solutions to meet the demanding requirements of the British Ministry of Defence and the end user.

The goal is to rectify existing obsolescence and present options to maintain capabilities and combat power of the Challenger 2. The contract awarded now has a volume of 23 million GBP (around 25 million EUR).

At the end of the Assessment Phase, Rheinmetall will submit a proposal for the contract phases of Development and Demonstration, Production, and Utilization. If successful, Rheinmetall could gain design authority over the Challenger 2 and take on the modernization of Challenger main battle tanks to the Mk 2 configuration.

Rheinmetall is currently involved in technical and tactical combat value enhancement projects for Leopard 2 main battle tanks for two international customers. The company offers a wide portfolio of highly advanced systems. Through continuous investments in research and development, Rheinmetall has a leading expertise in tank technology, which the company aims to provide to the British Army.

Rheinmetall has the experience and meets the technical requirements to serve as a system lead for all aspects of the Challenger 2 LEP. The company is optimally positioned to take over all current development strands including long-term supply capability and aims to maintain the existing expertise in main battle tank development.

A key aspect of Rheinmetall's proposal is also to fully involve British companies of various sizes in the Assessment Phase. A Rheinmetall Systems Engineering team is present in the United Kingdom to support the Challenger 2 LEP and other programs.