Free Republic

New Designs Suit Tanks For Asymmetric War Apr 22, 2011 By David Eshel, Bill Sweetman Tel Aviv, Washington One trend in warfare and asymmetric combat (mostly urban) is the use of main battle tanks (MBTs) in small tactical assault forces. Tank versus tank fighting is virtually nonexistent. Even in high-intensity combat, tankers prefer firing at targets within visual range—2,000-3,000 meters (6,500-9,800 ft.). Longer-distance targets can be attacked with high-precision missiles directed by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and laser designation. Israel is among the countries adapting its MBTs, in this case the Merkava Mk4, for asymmetric combat. Evolving designs will enhance...

Pakistan produces its first tank gun Islamabad, April 18, (IANS): Pakistan's first locally-produced tank gun is ready to be fitted for its Main Battle Tanks (MBT), a media report said. Dawn Monday said that the tank gun is ready to be delivered to the Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) for Al-Khalid and Al-Zarar tanks. A tank gun is the main armament of a tank. HIT used to earlier procure 125 millimetre "blanks" from France for the army's two main battle tanks. Blanks are the final shape of the gun barrel before it is finished. It was then fitted into the tank...

New Russian Army weaponry 'inferior' to NATO's, overpriced T-90 © RIA Novosti. The most advanced weapon systems manufactured for Russia's ground forces are below NATO and even Chinese standards and are expensive, GF chief Col. Gen. Alexander Postnikov said on Tuesday. "The weapon models that are manufactured by our industry, including armor, artillery and small arms and light weapons, fail to meet the standards that exist in NATO and even China," he said at a session of the Defense and Security Committee of the upper house of the Russian parliament. He said that Russia's most advanced tank, the T-90, is...

Future of Main Battle Tank Looks Secure By Paul McLeary, Andy Nativi, David Eshel Washington, Genoa, Tel Aviv The decision late last year by the U.S. Marine Corps to send a tank platoon to Afghanistan was criticized by some analysts, who rejected the idea that M1A1 Abrams tanks could be useful in a counterinsurgency (COIN) environment. But for all the talk in recent years of the civilian population representing a center of gravity in COIN operations, and the corresponding need to cut back on air strikes, long-range artillery fires and other initiatives, one aspect of COIN has often been ignored—even...

Missile-firing capable Arjun Tank to go for user trials 2011-01-17 19:20:00 Last Updated: 2011-01-17 19:38:13 Tank Testing- Equipment New Delhi: The advanced version of the indigenously-developed Main Battle Tank (MBT) Arjun would be ready for user trials in June, which could set the stage for induction in the Army of the weapon system which will have missile-firing capabilities and laser finders. The tank would also be equipped with the indigenous explosive-reactive armour to protect it from enemy missiles and rockets. The tank is likely to be equipped with the Laser Warning Suites and missile-firing capabilities, which are an advancement over...

Iraqi army builds up first tank division Published: Dec. 21, 2010 BAGHDAD, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- The new Iraqi army has started building up its armored forces with the first batch of 140 U.S.-built M1A1 Abrams main battle tank, the same type that crushed Saddam Hussein's military in March 2003. The 9th Armored Division, based near Baghdad, will be the spearhead of an army that will likely have a strength of more than 300,000 troops in up to 20 divisions, six of them armored. That's a far cry from the 1 million-man army, with 5,500 mainly Soviet- built T-72 and...

Ukraine Pushes T-84 Toward Full-Rate Serial Production â‹… NEWTOWN, Conn. - Open-source reporting indicates the Ukrainian T-84 main battle tank program may be ramping up to some level of full-rate serial production for Army procurement. Research indicates the Ukrainian Army intends to procure about 440 T 84 tanks, effectively replacing the Ukraine Army's obsolete inventory of 2,600 T-54/T-55 and 400 T-62 tanks. As the cost of maintaining obsolete equipment steadily increases, the Ukrainian Army will likely find the means to fund full-rate T-84 production at some point. The indigenous T-84 program represents a significantly less costly alternative to purchasing main...

T-72: On the Road to Obsolescence â‹… NEWTOWN, Conn. - New production of the T-72 main battle tank in the Russian Federation remains dormant. The Rosoboronexport organization continues to offer the remaining Russian T-72 tank inventory for export. All new T-72 production now involves only one licensed-production line. With the completion of the Iranian licensed-production programs, we expect no new T-72 production. The T-72 enjoys wide distribution on the international market, with at least 36 nations currently maintaining various versions of the tank in their inventories. The modernization and retrofit packages available will ensure continued use of the T-72 throughout...

Complementing Air Support? Tanks In Afghanistan: Supplementing or Augmenting Air Power Via Direct Fire Support By Murielle Delaporte md@sldinfo.com Leopard 2 (www.forces.gc.ca) 12/09/2010 – M1A1 Abrams vs Leopard 2A6M? If the Canadians and the Danes regularly use their tanks in the Afghan theatre – respectively since 2006 and 2007 — the U.S. military leadership has always been reticent to imitate its allies out of fear to replay the scenario of the Soviet intervention in the eighties in the minds of the Afghan population. The Canadians were the very first ISAF members to deploy seventeen Leopards 1C2, which they had to...

Spain and Saudi Arabia negotiate 3 billion euro arms deal Interest in the tanks date back to a visit by King Juan Carlos to Jeddah in 2008, since when there have been regular contacts between the Spanish manufacturers and the Saudi Defence ministry. Spain and Saudi Arabia negotiate 3 billion euro arms deal Spain is negotiating with Saudi Arabia what could become its biggest ever arms deal, the daily El Pais said Monday Spain is trying to conclude a 3 billion euro ($4.17 billion) arms deal with Saudi Arabia for American defense group General Dynamics Corp's Spanish affiliate, El Pais...

Ukraine and Peru Begin Tank Testing (Source: Forecast International; issued October 15, 2010) NEWTOWN, Conn. --- Ukraine and Peru have begun testing the new Tifon-2 tank. The Tifon-2 is a joint venture of the Morozov Machinery Design Bureau in Kharkiv, Ukraine, and Casanave (DISCA) in Peru. Based on the T-55 and T-55ATM tanks, the Tifon-2 is powered by a 1,050-hp 5TDFMA engine and has a top speed of 55 km/h. It will be armed with a 125mm KBM-1M with an automatic loader and come equipped with a computerized fire control system. Trials began earlier this month and included mobility, speed,...

Foreign Policy / Military Agreement "is going very well," said Chávez Putin announces sale of 35 tanks to Venezuela's government Although Putin would not elaborate, experts believe that the sale involves T-72 and T-90 tanks, which would replace the French MX-30 tanks and which have already been purchased by some 30 countries, including Iran and Syria Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced that he will soon provide 35 tanks to Venezuela, after his meeting with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, to whom he vowed to sell other weapons. "Russia fully complies with the bilateral agreements in the field of military-technical cooperation....

Russia is mature enough to purchase armor abroad 14.10.2010 — Analysis The only tank manufacturer in Russia, SPC Uralvagonzavod OJSC may lack orders in 2011. Professionals say that even one year downtime will result in loss of technologies and staff. Experts say that due to degradation of the military industrial complex, Russia will have to purchase armor abroad. According to a RusBusinessNews observer, this way defense companies will have to pay for their former whitewashing and today's failure to promote their products under conditions of sever competition. Management of SPC Uralvagonzavod OJSC that manufactures T-72 and T-90 tanks notified the...

Pak wants US choppers to take on Al Qaeda Washington: Pakistan is seeking attack helicopters and heavy weaponry worth $2.5 billion from the US to take the war against Al Qaeda into the mountains bordering Afghanistan, a report said on Wednesday. "I have been ambassador here for two years, and all I have to show for it is eight second hand Mi-17 transport helicopters for a war that requires helicopters to root out Al Qaeda and the Taliban," Pakistan's ambassador to Washington Husain Haqqani told The Washington Times. "Military operations would have been quicker and much easier to plan and...

After 30 years, Israeli tanks head abroad "Defense News": The decision to export the Merkava is an effort to keep jobs in Israel. Ran Dagoni, Washington10 Jun 10 12:59 In a major turnaround in the Ministry of Defense's export policy, after 30 years of a total ban on the export of the Merkava tank, "Defense News" reports that the ministry is now offering the latest version of the tank, the Merkava Mark IV, for sale to select customers. Each deal will be considered on its own merits. "Defense News" says that the decision to export the Merkava is based on...

Army to purchase more Arjun tanks Ajai Shukla / New Delhi April 14, 2010, 0:37 IST New Arjuns will fire anti-tank missiles; have extra armour protection The success of the indigenous Arjun main battle tank (MBT) in desert trials last month is generating additional army orders for a tank that is emerging as a notable research and development (R&D) success. Meanwhile, the Arjun is becoming more capable; the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which designed the Arjun, says that all future Arjuns will incorporate major improvements, including the ability to fire missiles. Business Standard had reported (Arjun tank outruns,...

Arjun tank outruns, outguns Russian T-90 Ajai Shukla / New Delhi March 25, 2010, 0:18 IST India’s home-built Arjun tank has emerged a conclusive winner from its showdown with the Russian T-90. A week of comparative trials, conducted by the army at the Mahajan Ranges, near Bikaner in Rajasthan, has ended; the results are still officially secret. But, Business Standard has learned from multiple sources who were involved in the trials that the Arjun tank has outperformed the T-90 on every crucial parameter. The trial pitted one squadron (14 tanks) of Arjuns against an equal number of T-90s. Each squadron...

UPDATE 1-Raytheon says bidding for India tank upgrade * Partnering Larsen & Toubro for 1,000 tank contract Stocks * Contract value seen at more than $100 mln (Adds detail) NEW DELHI, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Raytheon Co (RTN.N), the world's biggest missile maker, said on Friday it and partner Larsen & Toubro (LART.BO) have bid for the contract to upgrade 1,000 T-72 battle tanks in India. Defence ministry officials said India was looking to spend at least $100 million in upgrading the tanks, which India bought from Russia three decades ago. "The upgrade will increase the lethality of the T-72...

India's Arjun tank will battle for its life against a squadron of Russian T-90s in trials likely to determine the controversial vehicle's future. The long-awaited trials, which start in March, will pit the 14 indigenous Arjuns against the 14 T-90s, day and night for a month, according to the national Business Standard newspaper. The 24th Infantry Division stationed in Bikaner will conduct the trials in the rugged deserts of the northern state of Rajasthan, around the cities of Bikaner, Suratgarh and also Pokhran, the site of India's first nuclear bomb test in May 1974. The performance of tanks and their...

Russia's T-90 vs India's Arjun Ajai Shukla / New Delhi February 02, 2010, 0:23 IST Next month, India’s homegrown Arjun tank will take on the new Russian T-90 in a long-awaited comparative trial. The outcome could decide whether the Indian Army will ride Indian tanks into future battles or continue its reliance upon a heavily criticised fleet of Russian T-72 tanks, which even the army chief admits is 80 per cent blind at night, when most tank battles occur. The army’s Bikaner-headquartered 24 Infantry Division will conduct the month-long trials in the desert expanses around Bikaner, Suratgarh and Pokhran. A...