Challenger 3 MBT - Technical Data and Discussion

This
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this (sloped lines means filled in some way)
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or this
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No way to tell what they will do

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What part of the armor do you think would be behind the black box?

you mant the orange part?

yes

Thats most likely
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There is some kind of a fabric there

You can see a plate on that thing
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green vs metalic, but if that metalic is
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Or another plate on top of it, we dont know

I think it might be air, perhaps the composite armour is not done, they did only just sign a contract for the armour.

they signed a contract for the addon armour

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The layout itself appears to be the same as CR2, as can be seen on the mantlet photo where the bottom panel has been removed:

Not entirely sure what sits between the front plate and the space behind but this photo on the CR2 seems to imply some sort of composite array, with space behind used up by electronics for TOGS, maybe with the removal of TOGS the composite array has been extended back?

Also as i showed before the roof currently slopes down behind the manlet so it seems to me the design is very complex

The layout of the hatches and optics make me wonder if it’s still the same CR2 shell but without all the extra roof plates? You can see that the loader has a “cupola” on the turret shell that’s obscured by additional plates on the completed CR2

Spoiler

IMG_5175

Nope, it was told that Cr3 will have a new turret. LEP 2019 had a modified Cr2 turret, and Cr3 will have a new one

You say that but all the optics are in the same place as the TD, the commander’s cupola seems to retain the cutout for the old CPS, the hook attachment points over the mantlet are still there too, the mantlet area is largely unchanged as well, and as I mentioned the loader’s cupola and sight are what we’d see if the CR2 had the additional roof plates removed…

the TD still has a CR2 turret. its a tech demonstrator and they wouldnt make a new turret just for that. this one in the photos above is a different story. even the trunnion will be different. this being a l55 and since its a rheinmetall its normal they would do it similar (or better) than the leopard 2

I’ve already pointed out how the one in the photos above has a lot of commonality with the TD and therefore CR2 as well. It could be that it’s the TD dressed up differently, or if it is a new turret then that means the CR3 turret shell hasn’t been (significantly) redesigned from CR2

there would be no need for redesign. for example the turret roof is not sloped in the front. and we cant see it but even the front turret cheeks seem to have less slope

“What we do for a prototype is take a bare chassis and trade about 50 percent of the LRU’s (Line Replaceable Units) … and everything else, except the turret ring, is brand new,” said Breen.

Spoiler

Revealed: First look at UK's Challenger 3 main battle tank prototype - Breaking Defense

i mean if the turret ring is different…

Thanks for explaining why I’m right ig? don’t forget that (at least going by WT’s model) TD also has a slightly different cheek slope to CR2, and the 130mm demonstrator that also uses the TD turret has an entirely different design for the cheeks

that could have just be a cover, like i sayd theres a difference between a presentation and making a prototype tank ready for trials.

It just have add-ons or the 2019 turret cheeks