Editing Challenger 1 (section)

==Operational service==
[[File:Challenger-ODS-1.JPEG|thumb|Challenger 1 of the [[Royal Scots Dragoon Guards]] near [[Kuwait City]] during the Gulf War.]]
[[File:Challenger tank (537575112).jpg|thumb|A preserved Challenger 1 displayed at [[RAF Manston]] in 2007 wearing [[Kosovo Force|KFOR]] markings.]]

In 1990, in preparation for [[Operation Granby]], the UK operation in the [[Gulf War|First Gulf War]], 221 Challenger 1 tanks<ref>{{cite web|url=http://orbat.com/site/history/historical/uk/gulforbat1990.html |title=1 (British) Armoured Division |access-date=2011-08-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811162158/http://orbat.com/site/history/historical/uk/gulforbat1990.html |archive-date=2011-08-11 }}</ref> were deployed to Saudi Arabia.

This deployment originally consisted of the [[7th Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom)|7th Armoured Brigade]], consisting of two armoured regiments, the [[Queen's Royal Irish Hussars]] and the [[Royal Scots Dragoon Guards]], both equipped with 57 of the latest Mark 3 version of the Challenger 1. They were modified for desert operations by a [[REME]] team and civilian contractors at the quayside in [[Al Jubayl]], [[Saudi Arabia]]. This fit included additional [[Chobham Armour]] along the hull sides and [[reactive armour|explosive reactive armour]] (ERA) on the nose and front glacis plate. Modifications also included the provision of extra external fuel drums and a smoke generator.

There were major concerns about the reliability of the vehicle.<ref name="McManners p36">McManners p36</ref> Before the commencement of the Gulf War deployment only 22% of Challenger 1s were operational because of faults and lack of spares.<ref>McManners p18</ref> In addition there were serious worries about how a tank designed to perform in temperate climates would stand the rigours of desert warfare.<ref name="McManners p36"/>

On 22 November 1990, it was decided to add the [[4th Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom)|4th Armoured Brigade]] to the force, under the umbrella of [[1st (UK) Armoured Division]]. The new brigade had a single Challenger regiment, [[14th/20th King's Hussars]], equipped with 43 Challenger 1 tanks and reinforced by a squadron of the [[Life Guards (United Kingdom)|Life Guards]]. They were equipped with the Mark 2 version of the tank, which was upgraded by armouring the storage bins for the 120&nbsp;mm charges as well as the additional armour fitted to the Mark 3.

During [[Operation Desert Shield]] it was decided that the 1st (UK) Armoured Division would be placed under the command of the [[VII Corps (United States)|US VII Corps]]. This corps would form the armoured fist of the Coalition forces, tasked with destroying the bulk of the [[Iraqi army|Iraqi forces]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2017}} The forces of VII Corps crossed the Saudi border into Iraq, and then crossed into Kuwait. The 1st (UK) Armoured Division was the easternmost unit in VII Corps' sector, its Challenger tanks forming the spearhead of the advance. The division advanced nearly 350&nbsp;km within 97 hours, destroying the Iraqi 46th Mechanised Brigade, 52nd Armoured Brigade and elements of at least three infantry divisions belonging to the Iraqi 7th Corps in a series of battles and engagements. They captured or destroyed about 300 Iraqi tanks and a large number of [[armoured personnel carrier]]s, trucks, reconnaissance vehicles, etc.<ref>{{cite book|title=Conduct of the Persian Gulf War: final report to Congress|date=1992|publisher=United States. Dept. of Defense}}</ref> [[Patrick Cordingley]], the British commander of 7th Armoured Brigade, said later that the "Challenger is a tank built for combat and not competitions.".

The main threat to the Challenger was deemed to be the [[Republican Guard (Iraq)|Iraqi Republican Guard]]'s [[T-72|T-72M tanks]]; each British tank was provided with twelve L26A1 "Jericho" [[depleted uranium]] (DU) shells specifically for use against T-72Ms, but during the course of the Coalition's ground campaign none were encountered as the division was withdrawn beforehand.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=6Pkeug7XXmUC&dq=Challenger+tank+%22operation+granby%22&pg=PA39 Dunstan (pp.37–39)]</ref>

After the Gulf War, Challenger 1 tanks were also used by the British Army in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] and Operation [[Joint Guardian]], the NATO-led drive into [[Kosovo]].<ref>{{cite web |title=A British Challenger 1 tank in Bosnia, 1996 |url=https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?acc=1997-06-51-52 |website=nam.ac.uk |publisher=National Army Museum (UK) |access-date=4 February 2023}}</ref>

===Challenger 1 gunnery===
[[File:Iraqi tank exploding.JPEG|thumb|An Iraqi tank exploding after an attack by a Challenger 1 of the [[1st (UK) Armoured Division]] during Operation Desert Storm, 28 February 1991.]]
In action the [[Global Positioning System]] (GPS) and Thermal Observation and Gunnery System (TOGS) fitted to Challenger 1 proved to be decisive when engaging the enemy, allowing attacks to be made at night, in poor visibility and through smoke screens.<ref>Dunstan (p.39)</ref> During the [[Gulf War|First Gulf War]], British Challengers destroyed roughly 300 Iraqi tanks without suffering a single loss in combat.{{cn|date=August 2024}}

On 26 February 1991, a Challenger 1 under the command of Captain [[Tim Purbrick]] of the [[17th/21st Lancers]] attached to the Queen's Royal Irish Hussars, destroyed an Iraqi T-55 tank at a range of 3600 metres, followed soon after by a petrol tanker at a range of 4700 metres using L23A1 [[APFSDS]] 'fin' rounds with tungsten–nickel–copper penetrators.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Purbrick |first1=Tim |title=DESERT STORM PART 22: CHARGE OF THE HEAVY BRIGADE |url=https://britisharmyblog.wordpress.com/2016/02/28/desert-storm-part-22-charge-of-the-heavy-brigade/ |website=British Army Blog |publisher=British Army |access-date=4 February 2023 |date=28 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Purbrick |first1=Tim |title=DESERT STORM PART 24: BACK TO GERMANY |url=https://britisharmyblog.wordpress.com/2016/03/11/desert-storm-part-24-back-to-germany/ |website=British Army Blog |publisher=British Army |access-date=4 February 2023 |date=11 March 2016}}</ref>

That same day, a tank of the [[Royal Scots Dragoon Guards]] engaged and destroyed an Iraqi tank at a range of 5100 metres using a L26A1 APFSDS with a [[Depleted uranium#Ammunition|depleted uranium]] penetrator. This is believed to be the distance record for a successful tank-on-tank, direct fire, kinetic round engagement.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Tanks in the Gulf. |last1=Manton |first1=Laurie |journal=Soldier |date=1 April 1991 |volume=47 |issue=7 |page=11 |publisher=Ministry of Defence}}</ref><!-- Requires more than a placeholder title. --><ref>{{cite AV media |people=Chris Copson |date=16 December 2022 |title=Tank Chats Reloaded Challenger 1 The Tank Museum |type=Youtube |language= |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V672HG_hNI8&ab_channel=TheTankMuseum |access-date=4 February 2023 |format= |time=19:50 |location= |publisher=The Tank Museum}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Gulf War |url=https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/gulf-war |website=nam.ac.uk |publisher=National Army Museum (UK) |access-date=4 February 2023}}</ref>

In spite of the Challenger 1's gunnery performance in the Gulf War against Soviet tanks, its fire control system was perceived to be inferior to that of other Western tanks. Its performance in the 1987 [[Canadian Army Trophy]] competition, which Polish-British tank historian [[Richard Ogorkiewicz]] characterized as "dismal", prompted the MoD to initiate the Challenger 2 program.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ogorkiewicz |first1=Richard |author1-link=Richard Ogorkiewicz |title=Tanks: 100 Years of History |date=2015 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |isbn=9781472806703 |pages=185-186 |url=https://archive.org/details/general-military-tanks-100-years-of-evolution. |access-date=16 August 2024}}</ref>