Video shows the first British made Challenger Tank destroyed in combat...

 

BBC analysis identifying the destroyed tank as a Challenger 2. Getty/TikTok.

A new video from social media shows a destroyed British Challenger 2 tank in Ukraine. BBC. The tank hit an anti-tank mine and caught fire, forcing the tank crew to evacuate. The tank was then destroyed by a Russian Lancet drone. It is the first confirmed combat loss of a Challenger 2 tank, despite a long combat history. The tank was likely assigned to the 82 Air Assault brigade, which is deployed in Ukraine's southern offensive near Robotyne. The tanks crew reportedly survived the tanks destruction. 

My Comment:

The above video was reportedly recorded by civilians fleeing the fighting. It also shows a Soviet era tank abandoned as well. Given that the vehicle they were driving in had bullet holes in the windshield and there was some kind of rifle fire near the end of the vehicle I bet the people that recorded the video have an interesting story to tell. 

There has been some misinformation about this incident on Twitter and other platforms. Some people are falsely claiming that the tank was destroyed by the Ukrainians themselves. These NAFO trolls claim that the Ukrainian crew dropped Molotov cocktails in the tank to prevent its capture. Those claims appear to be false given that multiple news outlets confirm the tank was hit by a drone strike after hitting a mine and being set on fire. 

As for the "invincible" western tanks this confirms what we already knew about them. They aren't actually that hard to take out. This tank hit an anti-tank mine and started to burn, which is a fairly mundane way for a tank to be taken out. The tank was then hit by a Russian Lancet drone which was probably overkill but understandable. Russia didn't want this tank to be taken back from the front lines and repaired. Destroying that before it happened was the right move and ended up being a propaganda coup for the Russians. 

Given that Ukraine only got 12 of these tanks any combat losses are going to be felt pretty hard. Ukraine is rapidly running out of armor due their fairly baffling insistence to continue the summer offensive even though it's clear that it has failed. The losses they are taking now would be better used to defend themselves from Russia's inevitable counterattack. 

Like the Leopard before it, this loss shows that tanks are not the end all be all for battle anymore. They are vulnerable to mines and drones and aren't going to be able to turn the trend of battle all by themselves. Indeed, this is the first time these tanks have really been challenged. The Challenger 2s fought in Iraq but never really faced an opponent that had comparable technology like they have in Ukraine

If there is something good to say about these Western tanks is that crew survivability is fairly good. This tank hit a mind powerful enough to both disable it and set it on fire and the crew was able to escape. It's unclear if any of them were wounded but regardless that is a pretty good performance. I've heard similar things about the Leopards and Bradley Fighting Vehicles. It's not much of an advantage but it is welcome for the Ukrainians given their massive manpower shortage. 

As for the battle of Robotyne it seems clear that Ukraine is in trouble. From what I understand the areas the Ukrainians have captured are all low lying and are under heavy artillery and rocket fire from the Russians who have the high ground. Given the heavy casualties and the fact that even Ukraine's reserves are getting mauled at this point it's no surprise that Ukraine fired their Defense Minister.