Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to announce the procurement of new tanks for the Army; and what the timeframe is for those tanks to come in to service.

Stuart Andrew, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Minister for Defence Procurement: The Challenger 2 remains a key capability for the Armed Forces as the British Army's main battle tank. The Challenger 2 Life Extension Programme will provide a suite of capability upgrades and substantially extend its service life. The planned upgrade is currently undergoing an extended assessment phase, which is expected to conclude in 2020. No final decisions have been made on the numbers, which will be informed by the assessment phase, Defence requirements, and balance of investment considerations.