Half of the tanks that Britain gave to Ukraine were out of order
| Britain delivered 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine last year, of which only 7 are usable. |
reported by Mehr News Agency Quoting Sputnik, the British “Sun” newspaper reported that only half of the Challenger 2 tanks that Britain delivered to Ukraine in 2023 can be used by the Ukrainian armed forces for combat operations.
According to the report of this newspaper, 5 out of 14 tanks are out of order and are waiting for spare parts, whose delivery from England may take months.
One of them was destroyed by the Russian Lancet drone, and the other is being used by the Ukrainian armed forces for tank training deep in the front line. It is also reported that two Challenger 2 tanks were damaged in the clash, but have been repaired.
One of the commanders of a tank unit in the Ukrainian army said: “It takes a long time to get spare parts and the support situation is very complicated.”
According to him, this is one of the main problems in this field related to the performance of English tanks. He said some parts of the Challenger 2 failed from the start and others needed frequent replacement. According to him, these parts include some components of the tank turret, accurate targeting system and also plastic covers.
Another drawback of Challenger 2 is its weight of 62.5 tons. Sun newspaper reporters who were invited to a shooting range in Ukraine “close to the front line” wrote that the tank with the journalists on the turret got stuck in a flooded valley and another tank was used to pull it out.
