Challenger Tank
Defence
Written answers and statements, 18 July 2006
Paddy Tipping (PPS (Rt Hon Jack Straw, Lord Privy Seal), Leader of the House of Commons; Sherwood, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the 14 allocated days have been used in training for the firing of the 120 mm Challenger tanks at the Warcop range in each year since 2001.
Tom Watson (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Veterans), Ministry of Defence; West Bromwich East, Labour)
None of the allocated days have been used for firing of the Challenger tank 120 mm guns since 2001. However, as there are only two other ranges suitable for main battle tank (MBT) use—Lulworth and Castlemartin—and given the critical requirement for MBT crews to fire during pre-deployment training, the Warcop facility remains a strategic reserve asset for use in the event of one of the other ranges being unusable.