The Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank is the current MBT of the British Army and represents the culmination of 80 years of tank design. Its development began in 1986. In 1987, the design was presented to the Ministry of Defence in response to a requirement to replace the Chieftain MBT that had been partially superseded by the Challenger 1 MBT. Production began in 1993, and the tank finally entered service in 2002. This tank recently appeared in Iraq, where it proved indispensable during the battle of Basra.