§ Patrick MercerTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank; and when desert modifications will be complete. [85664]
§ Mr. HoonChallenger 2 is a world class tank. In 1999 it exceeded very demanding reliability targets during a series of rigorous trials which tested the performance of the tank under simulated battlefield conditions. It has also given excellent service in Kosovo and Bosnia.
The Ministry of Defence expects that a range of measures identified to improve Challenger 2 performance in desert conditions will be completed in good time for any possible future operations.