British Army Exercise Sees Tanks Moved Through Channel Tunnel

The British Army has moved tanks through the Channel Tunnel to test its ability to move equipment by rail - reportedly in case of an invasion of Eastern Europe.

Five Challengers were taken to France and back on trains during the exercise, according to Sky News.

The Ministry of Defence, meanwhile, reportedly said it had tested "the viability of using the Channel Tunnel to move vehicles and equipment to mainland Europe, adding to the existing range of options available and increasing the agility of our Armed Forces".

Defence sources, meanwhile, told Sky News the Tunnel could be commandeered in an emergency.

The Armed Forces have their own railway line that's linked to the national network, but private contractor Leidos is used for movement through the Tunnel.

It comes after American tanks and 3,000 personnel begun arriving in Poland last week for the biggest US deployment of its kind in Europe since the Cold War.

5 RIFLES will deploy to Estonia in spring, meanwhile, to help bolster Europe's eastern borders, alongside another 3,000 NATO troops.

In October, the Defence Secretary announced that the UK would commit RAF Typhoon aircraft to the NATO Southern Air Policing mission, offering reassurance to the Black Sea allies,  for three months in summer 2017.

Deployed from RAF Coningsby, the Typhoons will be based at Mihail Kogălniceanu Airbase, Romania.

The British Army has just taken command of the land element of NATO's new Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, meanwhile, which is designed to move at only five days' notice.

More - Typhoon: Intercept