Armoured regiment (United Kingdom)

Armoured regiments are units provided by the Royal Armoured Corps of the British Army. They are a battalion-sized formations equipped with Challenger 2 main battle tanks.

There are three Armoured Regiments equipped with 56 Challenger 2 tanks each.

The organisation of a Type 56 Armoured Regiment is:

History

The first armoured regiments - known at the time as "tank battalions" - were formed in the First World War, first in the Machine Gun Corps and later as the Tank Corps. Each battalion had three companies, each of three sections of four tanks, for a combat strength of thirty-six tanks; a further twelve were kept in reserve for training and replacement purposes. A total of twenty-six battalions were formed during the war, quickly reduced to four battalions after the end of hostilities.