British Challenger 2 tanks could be useless on the battlefield if handed over to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). This opinion was expressed on January 10 by the retired Air Vice-Marshal of Great Britain (the rank corresponds to the Army Major General) Sean Bell in an interview with Sky News.
According to him, the tank of the British ground forces Challenger 2 is difficult to operate. Preparations for its use by the Ukrainian military should take some time. Given this fact, London is unlikely to make a positive decision on the transfer of the combat vehicle to Kyiv, Bell said.
“They (tanks. – Ed.) are literally crammed with electronics, laser designators, night vision devices, pointing computers, and it will be very difficult for Ukrainians to deal with all this, a lot of training will be required,” the expert said.
At the same time, Bell noted, one cannot discount Soviet and Russian-made tanks, which the Armed Forces of Ukraine can use without retraining, without lacking in details, TASS writes.
Earlier in the day, Rishi Sunaka, a spokesman for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunaka, said the UK government had not yet made a final decision on sending tanks to Ukraine. He also did not specify what kind of equipment will be sent to Kyiv. Britain will continue to coordinate its support for the Ukrainian regime with allies after France, Germany and the United States said they would supply armored vehicles to Ukraine, the spokesman added.
The fact that the UK has been discussing the issue of sending Challenger 2 tanks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine for several weeks was reported on January 9 by Sky News, citing sources. It is assumed that about 10 Challenger 2 units, which are in service with the British army, will be delivered, the material specified.
Western countries have stepped up military support for Ukraine after the start of the Russian special operation to protect Donbass on February 24. The decision to hold it was made by Russian President Vladimir Putin against the background of the aggravation of the situation in the region due to shelling by the Ukrainian armed forces.
For more up-to-date videos and details about the situation in Donbass, watch the Izvestia TV channel.
