Ukraine Has Lost Its First Challenger 2 Tank

Forbes ^ | Sep 5, 2023 | David Axe

[Trump20162020]

It seems the Ukrainian armed forces have lost their first Challenger 2 tank. A video that circulated online on Monday depicts what appears to be one of the 82nd Air Assault Brigade’s ex-British Challengers 2 in flames on a roadside outside Robotyne, in southern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

The apparent first loss of a 69-ton, four-person Challenger 2, out of 14 that the United Kingdom pledged to the Ukrainian war effort back in January, comes just days after the Ukrainian defense ministry highlighted the tank in a video interview with an 82nd Brigade trooper.

[DownInFlames]

It had to happen. Neither side have been able to put together a combined operation. We’re looking at WWI tactics with huge losses.

[Dr. Franklin]

It’s now spare parts for the rest. It happens in war.

[Phoenix8]

Just saw a video on the challenger 2.

Actually a specialized tank killer, very impressive. Rifled bore for extreme accuracy and range. It can’t even shoot HE, pretty much just a tank sniper.

I would say the Russ best bet would be to hunt it with spotter drones followed by arty or lancet hits.

[Red Badger]

Tanks are essentially obsolete targets for drones and missiles................

[fireman15]

At just $5 Million before shipping and handling... divided by 69 tons that comes to just $36 a pound. That is barely more expensive than See’s candy. What a bargain! These arms dealers need to up the price again.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Don’t worry. The Dung Beetle Pah-tay will buy him a new one.

[CapandBall]

And just like all the other NATO hardware - like German leopards, American bradlys, French Caesars, US HIMARS, British Storm Shadows, javalins, etc. a Challenger tank will soon be captured intact (or sold black market by corrupt Ukrainians) and put on display in Moscow, after their engineers tear it apart and learn what makes it tick and how to defeat it. Next up, Abrams tanks.

Sad

https://youtu.be/orfSs-sH8kI?si=OYhIn8glAkhtrz4C
[notice what is reported at the 5:50 mark]

[wally_bert]

Armored coffin.

[17th Miss Regt]

It can’t even shoot HE,

Incorrect. It fires HESH (high-explosive squash-head).

[montag813]

Slav vs. Slav.

What a waste.

Meanwhile...they keep coming, day after day

[frank ballenger]

I remember the day Zelensky first got them.

Aide: Tanks, sir.
Zelensky: You’re welcome.

[PIF]

Neither side have been able to put together a combined operation.

—
Russia is incapable of any combined arms maneuver, despite having all the assets to do so. Remains wedded to the Soviet ‘Meat’ tactics.

Ukraine cannot because:
1. Slow walking pledged assets. Partially responsible for many unnecessary UA troop losses.
2. Lacks modern air power. Without which, combined arms maneuver and rapid advances are impossible.
3. Russia’s dense (5 mines per 1.5sq meter) minefields, miles long and miles deep, prevent any army from combined arms maneuver - that would include the US Army as well.

[struggle]

It’s a Russian Challenger 2 now

[mac_truck]

The Ukies probably lost two more when they ‘fell off the truck’ on the way to the front lines.

[EnderWiggin1970]

"On the other hand, western experts have begun to blame Ukraine for supposedly being unable to adopt “combined arms warfare”. This is really a very nonsensical attempt to use jargon (incorrectly) to explain away problems. Combined arms simply means the integration and simultaneous use of various arms like armor, infantry, artillery, and air assets. Claiming that Ukraine and Russia are somehow cognitively or institutionally incapable of this is extremely silly. The Red Army had a complex and extremely thorough doctrine of combined arms operation. One professor at the US Arms School of Advanced Military Studies said: “The single most coherent core of theoretical writings on operational art is still found among the Soviet writers.” The idea that combined arms is some foreign and novel concept to Soviet officers (a caste that includes the Russian and Ukrainian high command) is ridiculous."

https://bigserge.substack.com/p/escaping-attrition-ukraine-rolls

[PIF]

Well Killer of Insects, you certainly seem to have no idea of the military reality, given your handle that is to be expected.

Quoting various armchair generals and learned academics is no substitute for the military realities on the ground, all of which seem to escape both you and your sources.

I was reading a Russian mil-blogger citing that people such as yourself get paid by the post, so in that vein I’m replying so you can post again and make more money. Nothing worse than a broke Pro-Putin troll.

[EnderWiggin1970]

Wow, you don't take criticism well do you? ;-)

Big Serge is highly regarded by everyone I've run across since he posted that piece. If you have something you think is better on this subject I'd love to hear about it, as it looks like the single best work on the past three months of fighting that I've seen.

One thing that has become clear is that virtually everything Washington's trolls (either commenters or "journalists") say is a case of hypocritical projection. I doubt a single person in Russia knows or cares of my existence. As someone over at Moon of Alabama observed, MAGA websites (of which I would consider FR an example) started the war around a 50/50 split, but they claimed it was now more like 90/10 in favor of Russia over Washington. I wouldn't go that far, but its obvious there is a strong pro-freedom (i.e. pro-Russia) lean here. That must really torque you Washington sycophants off. :-)

[Reverend Wright]

The real eye-opener will come when the F22 and f35 turn out to be the same hype as Bradley, Leopard, Excalibur, HIMARs etc