The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that there are no current plans to procure additional tanks, leaving the British Army with just 60 to contribute to any European task force to deter Russia. The stark revelation was made by defence minister Maria Eagle during a parliamantary question.

Asked by Tory MP Neil Shastri-Hurst MP about the number of additional tanks and armoured vehicles expected to be operational by 2027-28, she said: "Whilst the Army's modernisation will continue over the next decade with a programme of investment worth billions of pounds, future capability development priorities will be guided by the Strategic Defence Review (SDR)." The defence procurement minister added: "There are no current plans to procure additional tanks or armoured vehicles to those already announced; however, it would be inappropriate to comment on future capability decisions until the SDR has reported and decisions have been made."

However, while decisions have not been finalised, recommendations for the SDR, as drawn out by former NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson and former head of Joint Forces Command General Sir Richard Barrons, have been in the Government's possession for several weeks.

Under existing proposals, the British Army is still scheduled to receive 148 Challenger 3 Main Battle Tanks tanks as part of an £800million project.

This will see existing Challenger 2 tanks upgraded to be fitted with advanced lethality, survivability, and surveillance capabilities.

But these won't be available until 2030 at the earliest.

This leaves the Royal Armoured Corps' three tank regiments having to make do with just 20 Challenger 2 tanks each for the next five years.

builds around 500 new tanks every year.

The British Army operated around 400 Challengers following the demise of the Soviet Union in the 1990s.

By the time the UK donated 14 to Ukraine in 2023 - the first Western power to do so - the British Army only had 160 left owing to a variety of factors, including a severe shortage of spare parts for the tanks, which were first introduced in 1998.

Of those remaining, only 60 are thought to be remotely capable of deployment.

And tanks aren't the only areas where the British Army is short on firepower. Having donated 32 operational AS-90 Howitzers to Ukraine, the British Army was left with just 39. And of these, many are not operational, lacking spare parts, tracks or even engines.

It is supposed to be able to field 89.

As an emergency measure, the MoD was forced to acquire 14 Swedish Archer systems.

There is a planned replacement for the AS-90's in the form of 400 Anglo-German Remote-Controlled Howitzer 155mm (RCH 155) wheeled artillery systems.

But these, too, are not expected much before the end of the decade.