UK will give Ukraine twice as many Challenger 2 tanks as originally promised

In January, the UK promised to transfer 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine. Now there is information that there will be more tanks.

Here's What We Know

The announcement was made by the Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko. We are talking about 28 tanks. According to the ambassador, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed on such a number of armaments during his visit to London in early February. Unfortunately, it is not clear yet whether all the tanks will be delivered together or whether Ukraine will receive them in batches. Incidentally, Ukrainian crews are already undergoing a training programme. Deliveries of the Challenger 2 should start this month.

Flashback

The Challenger 2 is the main battle tank of the UK Ground Forces. It was built in the 1990s by BAE Systems. The tank was withdrawn from production in 2009. The Challenger 2 was involved in combat operations in Kosovo and Iraq. As of 2022, the UK has 227 Challenger 2 tanks in service. A further 38 tanks are used by the Omani Armed Forces.

Source: Radio Svoboda