RBSL expertise seen as a ‘game-changer’ as UK tipped to be ‘key player’ in future projects
The work of the Telford team at Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land in delivering the British Army’s Challenger 3 has been hailed as ‘game-changing’.
And the programme delivery is, according to one key figure, positioning the UK as a key influence in the future of military vehicle development.
The Challenger 3 programme – delivered by RBSL under a £800 million contract – has benefitted from years of maturing a modern Main Battle Tank development and upgrade capability.
The company brought together systems and expertise from its 700-strong workforce, and that of its industry partners from across the UK and Europe, to deliver the tank.
Marrying the depth of expertise across the systems engineering lifecycle with technology building blocks gave opportunity for RBSL to tailor new solutions for customers from its purpose-built Telford facility.
A key part of RBSL’s facilities include unique in-house test and integration rigs managed by specialist engineers – to prove designs in controlled environments to rigorous UK and international defence standards.
The Dynamic Turret Test Rig proves equipment in a live turret test environment early.
The Turret Test Rig is a step-change in turret test capability not seen before, able to expose Main Battle Tank turrets to full Battlefield Mission motion and vibration profiles, matching the vehicle in a controlled and repeatable test environment.
Both rigs were built at Telford using the latest technology and significantly decrease programme risk and maximise design-to-development success.
They work in a sustainable way compared to traditional on-vehicle development, save time and enable testing in measured and known conditions. They are flexible enough to be used on other vehicles, expanding RBSL’s capability across NATO’s armoured vehicle enterprise.
Challenger 3 Engineering Director, Mark Critchley, said: “The ability to dynamically test turrets independently is a game-changer in Main Battle Tank development. Robust, repeatable testing across the performance envelope can be flexed for use on multiple platforms, minimising costs and enabling faster development times.
“This, twinned with RBSL expertise in all aspects of the military vehicle development domains and lifecycle, means we are positioning the UK as a key player in the future of military vehicle development.”
Challenger 3 is being delivered with nearly 300 jobs generated within RBSL, including 130 engineers and 70 technicians, with an additional 450 jobs across the UK.
