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Pedro de Valdés y Menéndez de Lavandera (c. 1544 – March 9 1615) was a Spanish naval officer and politician, who served as captain general and governor of Cuba. He was one of ten squadron commanders of the Spanish Armada, wherein he commanded the squadron of Andalusia.

Early life
Pedro de Valdés y Menéndez de Lavandera was born to a noble family in Gijón, Spain. Without informing his parents, he travelled to the Kingdom of Naples aged 16, and presented himself to Viceroy Pedro Álvarez, and was subsequently accepted as a student at his palace. After being trained, he was charged with the duty of eliminating Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean sea.

Military career
As a young adult, he commanded a Galley in the role of anti-piracy; he was noted for his performance against the Barbary pirates of the Mediterranean, and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. He successfully captured two pirate ships during this period.

In 1566, he joined the Spanish navy, enlisting in Pedro Menéndez de Avilés' fleet. Here, he once again combatted pirates and privateers – primarily French Corsairs – although this time, he was deployed to the Atlantic Ocean. He participated in Menéndez' successful campaign to conquer French Florida, and was regarded as one of the most effective commanders in combating the Huguenots. He remained in Menéndez' fleet for eight years, being promoted to Maestre de campo and Admiral for his loyalty.

At some point, he was promoted to captain general of the Spanish treasure fleet, making him among the earliest known captain generals in Spanish naval history.

As Captain General of the Navy of Flanders, was involved in the suppression of several mutinies and rebellions in the Spanish Netherlands

In 1581, he led Spanish forces during the Battle of Salga, losing the battle to Portuguese forces loyal to António, Prior of Crato. Nonetheless, his actions in part led to the Spanish success at the Battle of Vila Franca do Campo, several months later.

The Spanish Armada
By 1588, Pedro de Valdés had been appointed admiral of the squadron of Andalusia, and was appointed as one of ten squadron commanders of the Spanish Armada. He commanded eleven ships, two of which were confirmed to be casualties.

including his flagship, the Nuestra Señora del Rosario (1587).

Off the coast of Plymouth, the ship Santa Ana – flagship of the Guipúzcoa squadron – was engaged by English ships. In an effort to protect the ship, Pedro de Valdés ordered that his ship reposition. This led to the ship veering off-course and drifting towards the English fleet. The ship was captured by English ship Revenge along with Pedro de Valdés himself.

He was imprisoned in the Tower of London for seven years, until a ransom was paid (primarily from inheritance left by his parents) to secure his release in 1895.

Political Career
Now into his fifties, having been disengaged from military affairs for so long, Pedro de Valdés moved towards a career in politics. He was appointed Governor of Cuba in 1602, until 1608. During this time, he constructed the Twelve Apostles (Spanish: Los Doce Apostoles), a battery of twelve seaward cannons, constructed in Havana Bay. These cannons remain today, and are a somewhat popular tourist attraction.

Later life and death
Pedro de Valdés died in relative poverty near his hometown of Gijón on March 9, 1615 aged 71.

Armament
The Challenger 3 is to be fitted with the Rheinmetall Rh-120 L/55A1 120 mm smoothbore cannon, replacing the L30A1 120 mm rifled cannon currently used on the Challenger 2.

This brings the Challenger 2 into the NATO standard 120×570mm calibre, allowing for compatibility of ammunition among the Challenger 3 and all other modern NATO tanks, such as the Ariete and the Leclerc, as well as a number of NATO-aligned nations' tanks, such as the Type 10 and the Merkava.

Furthermore, this marks a change in doctrine; the MoD was reluctant to adopt smoothbore cannons for their tanks, preferring rifled barrels, as the centrifugal force generated by the rifling allows for usage of high-explosive squash head (HESH) ammunition. However, advancements in advanced munitions, as well as increased reliance on close air support has rendered HESH redundant, and the trade-offs of reduced accuracy with fin-stabilised ammunition, increased barrel wear, and incompatibility with NATO standard ammunition

Fire control and sights
Like the Challenger 2 before it, the Challenger 3 is to adopt the hunter-killer system. This will allow the commander to mark multiple threats, while a computer calculates the most efficient way to neutralise every threat, slaving the armament in the marked direction for the gunner to take the shot. This means that commander can utilise their superior awareness and visibility to scout – or "hunt" – for targets, while a gunner can make any fine adjustments necessary, to take the shot and make the "kill".

Armour
The Challenger 3 is to be fitted with a new standard of armour, replacing the currently in-use Chobham and Dorchester armour. In reference to these developments, the Challenger 3 has been described as the "most [...] survivable tank in NATO".

The Chobham non-explosive reactive armour (NERA) and ceramic composites are to be replaced by a new standard, known as Epsom. As a modular system, it is intended to be fully customisable, and easy to maintain & repair.

Meanwhile, the additional armour package Dorchester, is to be replaced by Farnham armour, likely composing of explosive Reactive Armour segments, as well as spaced/slat armour.

On top of the developments in passive & reactive armour, the Challenger 3 is to fit a hard-kill active protection system (APS), with the Israeli Trophy System currently being trialled and considered for use.

Engine
Upgrades to the engine have been confirmed, with the Perkins CV12-6A being replaced with a Perkins CV12-9A.