British Challenger 2s pass the anti-tank fortifications with ease

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Russia will have a serious problem if it relies on the installed anti-tank fortifications, also known as “Dragon’s Teeth”. Concrete anti-tank “pyramids” in Ukraine began to be installed at the end of last year. They are also known as the “Wagner Line” because it was the private military company that started building them.

In some places in Ukraine, the “Wagner Line” is a several-kilometer strip of two-row anti-tank pyramids. Even then, experts questioned the effectiveness of this defense, which acts as a second line of defense if Ukrainian forces managed to break through the first. At the time, experts suggested that it was enough for the Ukrainian armed forces to bypass the line so as not to have to deal with it.

However, it is now clear that there is no need for a detour at all. A video circulating on the Internet showing the power of the British Challenger 2 tank. The video shows that the Challenger 2 is equipped with a paddle in front of the chassis.

The 75-ton armored fighting vehicle powers the Perkins CV12-6A V12 V-diesel engine and guaranteed 1,200 horsepower simply not only lifts the concrete pyramids but also digs up the ground beneath them. The tank overcomes these obstacles so easily that it is not the ability to do it that makes a stronger impression, but the speed with which it does it. As if the tank encountered no different obstacle than a tree branch on the road.

Photo credit: Telegram

Of course, the video reveals how the tank would react in a situation where the concrete pyramids are simply placed on the ground. It is not clear how the tank will do if the bottom of the pyramid is buried in the ground.

The concrete pyramids are not the only defensive structure that the Russian armed forces are preparing to use in the event of a possible Ukrainian counteroffensive. In April this year, we reported on a 70 km trench dug in the Zaporizhia region.

Then we referred to satellite images that revealed the mega trench. It is said to have been underway since September last year, digging from both sides, and at one point the workers met in the middle.

Photo credit: Army Technology

Zaporizhzhia region in Ukraine is 205 km long from east to west. The 70-kilometer trench is actually a third of the length of the Zaporizhzhia region. BulgarianMilitary.com made an inquiry and it turned out that in 2022, Asian laborers were digging in this area to lay a gas pipeline. There is no information or evidence that these are the same workers.

Ukraine received 14 Challenger 2 tanks from Great Britain. We remind you that London was the first in the tank coalition, as days before the other countries agreed to send Leopard 2 to Ukraine, the British had already announced their intentions.

Photo credit: YouTube

Challenger 2

There are claims among experts, which have intensified in recent weeks, that these will not be the only Challenger tanks that England will give to Britain. According to their opinions, the second and third batch of Challenger 2 for Ukraine is coming. However, these remain allegations and have not been supported by official statements from either side.

The Challenger 2 is believed to be the best tank Ukraine will get, despite the Leopard and the US-promised Abrams. There is currently only one destroyed Challenger 2 tank that has seen combat and that was destroyed by friendly fire. This happened in Basra in 2003.

The Challenger 2’s main gun is the L30A1 120 mm rifled gun. The tank was initially loaded with 47 tank shells. The British flagship has a secondary armament for close combat. It includes a 7.62 mm coaxial L94A1 chain gun and/or a 7.62 mm L37A2 loader–operator hatch machine gun.

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