There's more: First this is who's been contracted to do the work back around
2017/2018, Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land. This should be enough to tell you the MG isn't going to be the same.
The turret will be of a
new design and up armored. Also the British will be arming the
CHALLENGER 3 with a
120mm SB (Why you new need the "
new" turret.) with new loading system.
Also the hull will be receiving a new modular armor system as well, which might be very similar to the one the
LEOPARD 2A7V might be getting
, that I mentioned in my emails to Ralph Zwilling.
Again I will hold onto my model until and if and when things should change,
however, don't hold your breath.
That timeline came from
MOD.
How long, this long from my files from 2018 to present...
https://www.armyrecognition.com/febr...d_in_2018.html
https://www.armyrecognition.com/sept...k_upgrade.html
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/deci...taken-in-2021/
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/bae-...edusa-upgrade/
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53909087
https://www.armyrecognition.com/defe...n_project.html
https://www.janes.com/defence-news/n...oured-vehicles
https://www.theguardian.com/politics...fence-strategy
https://www.armyrecognition.com/defe...tems_land.html
Additional reading the UK has it's own
Plan 2030...
https://www.gov.uk/government/public...ssible-version
(Chapter 7.)
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/the-...le-tank-fleet/
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/cont...enger-3-tanks/
"The programme will commence in 2021, with an expected in-service date of 2027."
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ks-Europe.html
"The army is expected to receive the first tanks by 2027 and the full fleet by 2030." (This falls in line with IOC/FOC Dates.)
https://publications.parliament.uk/p.../659/65907.htm
(This I found to be a very interesting read.) 
It's a done deal from what I can see, I'm not wasting anymore of my time on this.
2027 for either IOC or FOC shouldn't be on anyone's calendar.
I started tracking this as early as
2017 and whenever I posted that list in this thread 2-3 years ago, I thought for sure the
CHALLENGER 3 was a shoe in for something possibly as
early as 2024 or certainly by mid 2025.
Some people have completely disregarded the economics and the effects that
COVID-19 has added to those "
stressors" already emplace
prior to it in many of the worlds major economies.
You have factor these things into the equation concerning weapons development. Beyond the technical issues encountered, A couple case studies include the Russian
ARMATA (The "
oil war" with Saudi Arabia last year as one example.) and the shortage of
F-35 engines that will curtail operations and development until
2023 (COVID-19 Cited here for this situation.) and finally
SADF the
BADGER will be submitted for
deletion due to economic and corruption reasons and I
have plenty of refs to support it. One I submitted a longtime ago in a galaxy far...anyway it's
DOA for game purposes now.
I don't deal in fantasies unless I'm watching say "The Game of Thrones" or some such. I invest and take a "
world view" of things and therein lays one of the "
tenants" of how things get done.
In context to
CHALLENGER 3, at one point the whole fleet of
CHALLENGER 2 tanks was to be modernized. Then it was reduced somewhat, depending on source, to
200 -250.
And now they'll get only
148 and
will scrap
250 CHALLENGER 2 tanks. I understand why they won't sell them, they could remove internal and some external equipment to protect proprietary technical information but, it would be difficult to do the same with the armor and still make the tank affordable to a foreign buyer.
Regards,
Pat
