Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether it remains his Department's policy to upgrade 148 of the 227 Challenger 2 MBTs to Challenger 3 tanks; what his Department plans to do with any tanks that are not upgraded; and if he will make a statement.

It remains the Department's policy to upgrade 148 of the Army's existing Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks to the Challenger 3 standard. Initial Operating Capability is expected to be achieved in 2027, with Full Operating Capability expected in 2030. A decision on what will happen to the remaining platforms is currently under review