Thales to Develop Next Generation Sights for British Army’s Upgraded Challenger 3 Tanks

Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) awarded Thales £90 million to deliver next generation sights for the British Army’s upgraded Challenger 3 Main Battle Tank (MBT).

The contract was signed by RBSL and Thales, with the Secretary of State for Scotland in attendance, at Thales’s site in Glasgow where the majority of the integration work will take place.

The contract will provide sights (panoramic and fixed azimuth weapon aiming sights) for both the vehicle commander and gunner. Thales will also provide a Signal Processing System (SPS), which will deliver state of the art video tracking and Wide Area Search and Detection (WASAD) capability.

The sights will act as the eyes of the crew, enabling them to view the battlefield in high definition in all conditions, night and day. The system will increase the range and the detail available to the crew, as well as provide accurate target identification, tracking, digital imagery and firing ranges.

The sights will be tailored to meet Challenger 3 specifications and form an integral part of the wider £800 million upgrade programme, as announced by RBSL and the UK MOD in May 2021.