Why did the UK choose to upgrade old cars themselves instead of buying German tanks?

With the UK planning to acquire the Challenger 3 tank by the end of the decade, some observers have questioned whether this is an effective way to improve the combat capabilities of the tank-armored force. Brother; Would buying the advanced German variant Leopard 2 be a better choice?
The British Army will upgrade 65% of its Challenger 2 tanks to the Challenger 3 standard, removing the remaining 35%; focus more resources on cyberspace and navy. The Challenger 3 is not an entirely new tank design, but a package of upgrades to existing Challenger 2 tanks to meet the increasingly demanding requirements of modern warfare. This would leave Britain with only 148 tanks, making it one of NATO’s most modest tank forces.

Improvements to the Challenger 2 will cost £800 million ($1 billion) for the 148 tanks currently in service, or £5.4 million ($6.6 million) per tank, including tank capacity. incorporating a new smoothbore cannon to replace the older one, a digitized turret, improved visibility and upgraded armor protection, engines, etc. According to many experts, although the German Leopard 2 has the advantage of being still in production and being invested more in research and development to continuously upgrade its design, the continued investment in The Challenger has many notable advantages over purchasing a “pre-existing” German design. The British Ministry of Defense has decided to upgrade the Challenger 2 tank to the Challenger 3 standard; Source: armytimes.com The Challenger 2 has had limited export success, and around 40 are currently operated by the Royal Oman Army. The Challenger 3 upgrade package is likely to be sold to Oman, which has long been a top customer for British weapons. The large number of British Challenger 2 tanks in storage can be refurbished and upgraded to Challenger 3 standard for export to any interested partner. The cost and burden of abandoning the Challenger and adopting a foreign tank would also be enormous, forcing the British Army to retrain not only the crew, but also the maintenance crews. It would also force the military to scrap all existing maintenance infrastructure and source spare parts from abroad, and thus end the domestic parts industry. The cost of buying a new Leopard 2 will also be significantly higher than the £5.4 million ($6.6 million) that the Challenger 3 upgrade package costs per vehicle. One of the most obvious drawbacks of switching to Leopard 2 was the loss of credibility as a major tank manufacturer, with Britain having invented and being the first country to use tanks in combat, This means that the country has lost its strong industry. It is also important to note that the Leopard 2 is much older in design than the Challenger 2, and first entered service 20 years ago – in 1979, older than the retired Challenger 1 that entered service. active in 1983. While the Leopard 2 was a faster and more maneuverable tank, the Challenger 2 was considered to have much better armor protection – although this diminished over time as German tanks were continuously upgraded. customary. The decision to upgrade Challenger 2 instead of buying Leopard 2 is justified for various reasons; Source: wikipedia.org The Challenger 2 is the most modern Western tank class and has been in service since 1998, although the problem of a lack of smoothbore guns reduces its export potential, combined with the relatively small size of the units. The British tank status means it will be discontinued much sooner than the Leopard 2. With the Leopard 2 more than 40 years old, Germany is currently investing in developing a successor, with the UK investing in the acquisition. The old German design is arguably not going to be a sensible choice. Furthermore, it is important to consider that if the UK really needs to replace the Challenger 2 with a foreign design, the Leopard 2 will not necessarily be the best choice – not only in terms of capabilities but also for political reasons. . As Britain seeks to forge ties with advanced economies outside of Europe after leaving the European Union, the better option may be South Korea’s K2 Black Panther, developed a few decades after Leopard 2. century and is generally considered to be much more powerful. The next-generation tank program in cooperation with Japan, or even buying an American M1 Abrams tank with some domestic improvements, may ultimately prove to be more affordable than buying the Leopard 2. The Challenger 2 upgrade provides a low-cost solution to modernizing armored units while avoiding the difficulties of transitioning to an entirely new vehicle type and, at the same time, preserving the weapons industry in the future. water for more potential programs in the future.