Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the military capability provided by (a) Challenger 3 armoured vehicles and (b) other tanks.

The Army’s Challenger 3 Main Battle Tank Programme will deliver 148 modernised Main Battle Tanks, providing Defence’s only guaranteed, 24 hour, all weather, mobile anti-tank capability, delivering a step change in lethality and survivability over its predecessors. Alongside Ajax and Boxer, Challenger 3 will form the backbone of the Armoured Brigade Combat Teams, which are the cornerstone of the UK warfighting capability and an essential component of NATO’s deterrence objectives.