;His Majesty King Abdullah received at the Raghadan Palace today Lord Gilbert, UK Minister for Defence Procurement. Following the meeting, it was announced jointly that an agreement in principle had been reached for the UK Government to supply Challenger 1 Main Battle tanks to the Jordanian Armed Forces. ;Speaking in Amman today, Lord Gilbert said: ;"The United Kingdom has historic and warm relations with Jordan. I am very pleased to be able to announce the initiative to make available the Challenger 1 tank to Jordan's armed forces. This signal of support to Jordan demonstrates clearly the strength of our continuing friendship with Jordan and our confidence in HM King Abdullah's new government." ;The Challenger 1 tanks are in the process of being withdrawn from the British Army following the introduction into service of Challenger 2. Government-to-Government discussions on exact numbers and delivery dates will take place over the next few months. The intent is for the Challenger 1 tanks to replace the Centurion-based Tariq Main Battle Tank. ;Challenger 1 will offer high levels of commonality with the Khalid Main Battle Tank currently in service with the Jordanian Armed Forces
