Editing Challenger 2 (section)

== Accidents and incidents ==
* In July 2001, the commander and operator-loader of a Challenger 2 were killed in an accident in the [[Salisbury Plain Training Area]], near [[Imber]]. Their tank rolled over after falling off the edge of a track, crushing both men who suffered fatal injuries. At the subsequent [[Inquests in England and Wales|inquest]], the jury returned a verdict of accidental death, and called for improvements in training given to inexperienced tank crews.<ref>{{cite news |title=Army deaths were accident |url=https://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/7340248.army-deaths-were-accident/ |access-date=11 January 2023 |work=Wiltshire Gazette and Herald |date=12 September 2001}}</ref>
* On 1 June 2015, a Challenger 2 on exercise in [[Lippe (district)|Lippe]], near [[Paderborn]], Germany, crushed the car of a learner driver who pulled out in front of a column of British armoured vehicles. The driver was unhurt.<ref>{{cite news |title=British tank crushes learner driver's car in Germany |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-32973341 |access-date=11 January 2023 |work=BBC News |date=2 June 2015}}</ref>
* On 14 June 2017, a Challenger 2 from The Royal Tank Regiment suffered an ammunition explosion during live firing exercises at the [[Castlemartin Training Area|Castlemartin Range]] in Pembrokeshire. The tank was firing 120&nbsp;mm practice shells with a standard propellant charge. The explosion critically injured the four-man crew, with two later dying of their wounds in hospital. The incident resulted in all British Army tank firing exercises being suspended for 48 hours while the cause of the explosion was investigated.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-40300599 |title=Two Soldiers Dead in Castlemartin Accident |date=16 June 2017 |publisher=BBC News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010193608/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-40300599 |archive-date=10 October 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> It was later determined that a bolt vent axial (BVA) seal assembly had been removed during an earlier exercise and had not been replaced at the time of the incident, allowing explosive gases to enter the turret space; the lack of a written process for removal and replacement of the seal assembly meant that the crew at the time of the incident were unaware of its absence, and it was also noted that inadequate consideration had been given during the production of the L30 gun as to whether it could be fired without the seal assembly. A second explosion that occurred during the incident was attributed to the detonation of bag charges that had not been stowed in the internal ammunition bins, as required by correct procedure.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-44861558 |title=Army tank explosion deaths caused by design flaw |date=17 July 2018 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=17 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717143325/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-44861558 |archive-date=17 July 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===''War Thunder'' classified documents incident===
In July 2021, excerpts of the tank's ''Army Equipment Support Publication'' (i.e. the user manual), containing technical specifications of the vehicle, were posted on the official forums of the war simulation game ''[[War Thunder]]''; the poster, allegedly a Challenger 2 tank commander, said he had done so in the hope that developer [[Gaijin Entertainment]] would modify the performance of the in-game tank to match the specifications detailed in the document.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Allison |first=George |date=16 July 2021 |title=Classified Challenger tank specs leaked online for videogame |url=https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/classified-challenger-tank-specs-leaked-online-for-videogame/ |website=ukdefencejournal.org.uk |access-date=15 January 2023  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207145137/https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/classified-challenger-tank-specs-leaked-online-for-videogame/ |archive-date=7 December 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> The leaked excerpts of the AESP document had been edited to appear as though it had been [[declassification|declassified]] under the UK's [[Freedom of Information Act 2000]]. However, the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|MoD]] confirmed that the information was in fact still [[classified information|classified]], and that if Gaijin were to disseminate the tank's specifications, they would be liable to prosecution under the [[Official Secrets Act 1989|Official Secrets Act]]. Due to these possible legal penalties, Gaijin refused to handle or utilise the leaked specifications.<ref>{{Cite web |title=War Thunder Forum |url=https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/442882-challenger-2/&do=findComment&comment=9047584 |website=forum.warthunder.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716195246/https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/442882-challenger-2/&do=findComment&comment=9047584 |archive-date=16 July 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>