The turret and hull are protected with second generation Chobham armour, also known as Dorchester. Fifty rounds of ammunition are carried for the main armament, alongside 4,200 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition for the tank's secondary weapons: a L94A1 EX-34 chain gun mounted coaxially, and a 元7A2 (GPMG) machine gun. The main armament is a 元0A1 120-millimetre (4.7 in) rifled tank gun, an improved derivative of the L11 gun used on the Chieftain and Challenger 1. Despite outward similarities to the Challenger 1, design and technological developments mean that only about 3% of components are interchangeable with the earlier vehicle. The Ministry of Defence ordered a prototype in December 1988.

It was designed by Vickers Defence Systems (now BAE Systems Land & Armaments) as a private venture in 1986, and was an extensive redesign of the company's earlier Challenger 1 tank. The FV4034 Challenger 2 (MoD designation 'CR2') is a third generation British main battle tank (MBT) in service with the armies of the United Kingdom and Oman.

Advance steel power pack