Challenger 1

Also known as FV4030/4, Challenger MBT 1, Cheviot

main battle tank

Key facts

Type: Main battle tank
Place of origin: United Kingdom
In service: UK: 1983–2001 (repair and recovery derivative remains in service.) Jordan: 1999–2022 (now stored)
Used by: British Army Royal Jordanian Army
Wars: Persian Gulf War
Manufacturer: Royal Ordnance Factory
Unit cost: £1.5 million (1987)
Produced: 1983–1990
Mass: 62 t (61 long tons; 68 short tons), 70 t (69 long tons; 77 short tons) with additional armour modules
Length: 11.56 m (37 ft 11 in) (gun forward)
Width: 3.51 m (11 ft 6 in)
Height: 2.95 m (9 ft 8 in) (top of commander sight)

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Article

The FV4030/4 Challenger 1 is a British main battle tank (MBT) used by the British Army from 1983 to 2001, when it was superseded by the Challenger 2. The majority of the Challenger 1 fleet was subsequently sold to Jordan where it remained in service with the Royal Jordanian Army until withdrawals were announced in 2018.

Known locally as Al-Hussein, these vehicles received various Jordanian modifications before being replaced by French-made Leclerc tanks from the UAE and ex-Italian Centauro 8x8 wheeled tank destroyers. The Jordanian Challenger 1 fleet had been retired by January 2023.