Challenger 2 TES: a new perspective
A new modification of the best British tank - the Challenger 2 with explosive reactive armour blocks along the sides of the hull - a cool addition to Britain's top setup!
[h2]Challenger 2 TES, main battle tank, Britain. VII rank.[/h2]
Features:
- Effective protection on the hull sides
- Good defense of the turret
- Mediocre dynamics
[h3]History[/h3]
[expand]A modification of the British Challenger 2 main battle tank with Dorchester Level 2 armour set has been used by the British Army in the operation in Iraq since 2002. At the end of 2004, these tanks were additionally equipped with combined turret side shields, as well as grilles covering rear parts of the hull and turret for protection against shape-charged anti-tank weapons - this configuration received the designation Dorchester Level 2F (DL2F). The next modernization, also aimed at improving the protection, took place in 2008. The tanks received hull skirts made of combined armour, NERA blocks on the hull sides were replaced with ERA containers manufactured by the Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Limited. This variant of the Challenger 2 was designated TES (Theatre Entry Standard).[/expand]
Challenger 2 TES is a welcome guest in Britain's top setup in War Thunder. The good Challenger 2 (2F) previously had no choice but to enter battles together with the basic version of the Challenger 2, which was poorly protected against shape-charged rounds. Challenger 2 TES with explosive reactive armour packs makes the tank’s hull sides almost invulnerable to chemical rounds with one stage detonation (not tandem) - under the mounted ERA blocks there is an area of spaced armour, behind which is a side shield made of composite material. Thus, the top British setup will now look something like this: two well-protected Challenger 2’s, an excellent ADATS anti-aircraft gun, and a light reconnaissance/anti-tank vehicle, such as the Rooikat 105 or the Ratel.
The performance characteristics of the Challenger 2 TES remained the same as on the Dorchester 2F version - a convenient sight, gun stabilizer, gunner thermal imager, good turret protection. The L27A1 APFSDS round remains the best choice from available shells, which offers high armour penetration rates and excellent flatness. The disadvantages of the second series of “Challenger” also remains on the new version of the tank. Firstly, the maximum speed is mediocre, in comparison with the MBT of other countries. The armour in the TES version has become even heavier, so the overall dynamics of the tank is even lower than the 2F version. Secondly, the malicious vulnerable zone in the frontal projection: from under the turret ring to the sides of the gun mantlet. Please mind to cover the hull, if possible.
Challenger 2 TES will appear in British ground vehicle hangars with the release of the upcoming major update. As usual, we will tell you about the most interesting new units and features of the patch in our Development Diaries - stay tuned!
Soldiers! Intelligence needs you to find the differences between these pictures!