Free Republic

Fears for future of Merkava tank Manufacturers: Component orders have been on hold since October. 1 February 12 16:52, Yuval Azulai Israel Military Industries Ltd. (IMI) is deeply worried about the future of the Merkava Mark IV tank, which is wholly manufactured in Israel under the auspices of the Ministry of Defense's Tank Development Administration. The ministry has halted orders for components from scores of companies. "Globes" has spoken with several manufacturers in the past few days. They report that orders worth hundreds of millions of shekels have been on hold since October 2011. They added that they have received...

When the Center For American Progress’ best spin blames only 35% on Bush then you know it’s pretty much all Obama’s doing. (Washington Examiner) — Most of the soaring $1 trillion federal deficit is the blame of President Obama’s spending and political deals according to a pro-Obama think tank that pegged former President George W. Bush’s responsibility at just 35 percent. While opening its analysis by blaming Bush and showing pictures of Senate GOP leaders, the Center for American Progress said that the other 65 percent of the deficit surge came on Obama’s watch, a combination of high spending, extension...

Shooting the Life And Fate movie took place at a tank range Alabino. Welcome to the movie set with a lot of tanks, snow and other interesting things.

Now rolling out for the voters of New Hampshire:

Greece examining ‘free’ US tank offer ATHENS — Cash-strapped Greece is considering a free offer of hundreds of redundant M1A1 Abrams tanks extended by the US government, the Greek army said on Wednesday. “This is a free offer,” army spokesman Yiannis Sifakis told AFP. “A delegation of officers has travelled to the United States to examine tanks in storage; we are departing on the premise of picking 400 of them,” he said. “The only cost will be that of transport, which is estimated in the region of eight million euros ($11 million),” the spokesman added. Ta Nea daily reported that...

<p>Conservative voters don't like Mitt Romney because he seems insufficiently committed to their ideals, but reporters like that he offers them an opportunity to play psychologist. Bow-tie-wearing conservative columnist George Will is so outraged that Romney is a "recidivist reviser of his principles" that he's moved to write in all caps in his next column.</p>

Putin praises new Russian tank 12:55pm EDT NIZHNY TAGIL, Russia, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Vladimir Putin praised a new Russian tank on Friday, boosting the Uralvagonzavod company that made it after criticism of its design caused concerns that Moscow might turn to a foreign tank maker. Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said this year the new T-90S and other Russian tanks did not meet the needs of a modern army and another commander said Moscow could buy three German Leopard tanks for the price of one T-90S. But, visiting an arms fair in the Urals city of Nizhny Tagil,...

Frustrated by motorists who park their cars with impunity around the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, Mayor Arturas Zuokas reportedly took an extreme approach to express his displeasure. According to the Irish Times, the mayor, seeking to reassure residents that the city will not let drivers park illegally without punishment, hopped in an armored personnel carrier and drove over a Mercedes-Benz. Video of the publicity stunt — posted on the mayor's YouTube page — shows the grinning lawmaker and a handful of men riding the tank as it slowly rolls over, then partially crushes, an old Mercedes-Benz S-Class parked in a...

Bangladesh Eyes China Arms June 30, 2011 By Trefor Moss Bangladesh's military is set to make a big purchase of Chinese tanks. China is happy to oblige in the strategic sale. China has again underlined its strategic influence in what India might once have considered its own backyard, with the announcement of the latest in a string of arms sales to Bangladesh. Dhaka is procuring 44 Chinese MBT-2000s main battle tanks, Bangladeshi media have reported, for around $162 million. This represents a significant purchase for a country with a 2011 defence budget of $1.6 billion, and it’s the first time...

Ethiopia buys Ukrainian tanks Published: June 9, 2011 at 3:37 PM KIEV, Ukraine, June 9 (UPI) -- Ethiopia is in discussions with Ukraine to buy more than 200 T-72 tanks. The deal is projected to be worth more than $100 million, Ukrinform news agency reported Thursday. Ukrspecexport SC, the Ukrainian state-controlled arms exporter, stated that its deal with Ethiopia's Defense Ministry for 200 T-72 tanks is one of its largest contracts since the company's establishment in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991. The T-72 tank was originally produced in the Soviet Union in the...

Russia in 2015 will adopt a new main battle tank under the provisional name "Armada". On this, as reported by Interfax, said Lt. Gen. Yuri Kovalenko, a former first deputy chief of avtobronetankovogo Ministry of Defense of Russia. In the future, the new tank will be the main combat unit in the Russian Army. "Since 2015, the Armed Forces will be a new main tank, with fundamentally new tactical and technical characteristics, with a new automatic delivery of ammunition, with the division of the crew, with the removal of munitions" - told Kovalenko at a round table on MBT T-90...

Turkey to domestically produce first tank soon 03 May 2011, Tuesday / EMRE SONCAN, ANKARA The prototype of Turkey’s first national tank-manufacturing project, carried out by Koç Holding’s Otokar in cooperation with South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem, will be shown to the public next year, defense authorities told Today’s Zaman on Monday. Under the “Altay” tank project, launched by the Undersecretariat for the Defense Industry (SSM), Otokar will build modern tanks in cooperation with Hyundai Rotem and Germany’s MTU. Turkey’s Aselsan, the Turkish Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKEK), Roketsan and South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem will participate as subcontractors in the...

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...

Tanks to Remove Debris at Quake-Hit Japan Nuke Plant Tokyo, March 20 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Defense Ministry on Sunday ordered the Ground Self-Defense Force to send two tanks to the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant to remove debris at the quake-hit plant to facilitate work to prevent a radiation disaster. The Type 74 battle tanks and other relief vehicles left a GSDF garrison in Gotenba, Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, in the evening and will arrive in the northeastern prefecture of Fukushima early Monday morning, the ministry said. As soon as they receive a request for action, the large blade-attached tanks will...

CNN reporting a French Fighter engaged in first action against a Khaddafi Forces Tank/offensive vehicle. No further info yet.

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...

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...

Russian website accuses Georgia of Israeli tank deal By Gvantsa Gabekhadze Thursday, November 11 Russian Military Website, militaryparitet.com, based on information from foreign media sources, has reported on an alleged decision to purchase an ultramodern tank Merkava 4, by Georgian authorities from Israel side, on November 10; however the information has not been confirmed by Georgian government representatives. “Based on an agreement with the US state administration, Israel will sell tanks to allied nations, of which Georgia is one. Merkava 4 is one of the most powerful tanks of the modern age. However, until now, Israel constructed these tanks only...

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...

Next month a Stryker combat vehicle will arrive in the US equipped for testing the Israeli’s Trophy active protection system. The Army has pursued active protection for years, most recently abandoning the Future Combat System’s active protection system developed by Raytheon. We understand at least one M-ATV will also get the radar– directed system. The M-ATV integration is more challenging, given the vehicle’s design. The Israelis have already created a Merkava tank brigade with the Trophy system and plan to install it on all of those tanks. The Israeli system was designed and built by Rafael and is being displayed...

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....

The old saw that "you're entitled to your own opinions, but not your own facts" just doesn't seem to apply when it comes to healthcare reform. A day after the National Council on Aging vowed to give seniors "straight talk" on the new law, the conservative National Center for Policy Analysis said seniors already get it — despite the findings of a poll commissioned by the council. "Seniors know more than the people conducting the poll," said NCPA President John Goodman. "The answers that seniors are giving are more correct than the answers that the pollsters claim are right."

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...

On a dusty, wind-swept field overlooking the Mediterranean, a small team of researchers is putting the final touches on what Israel says is a major game changer in tank defense: a miniature anti-missile system that detects incoming projectiles and shoots them down before they reach the armored vehicles. If successful, the "Trophy" system could radically alter the balance of power if the country goes to war again against Hezbollah guerrillas in neighboring Lebanon or Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. Its performance could also have much wider implications as American troops and their Western allies battle insurgents in Iraq and...

On a dusty, wind-swept field overlooking the Mediterranean, a small team of researchers is putting the final touches on what Israel says is a major game changer in tank defense: a miniature anti-missile system that detects incoming projectiles and shoots them down before they reach the armored vehicles. If successful, the "Trophy" system could radically alter the balance of power if the country goes to war again against Hezbollah guerrillas in neighboring Lebanon or Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. Its performance could also have much wider implications as American troops and their Western allies battle insurgents in Iraq and...

Russia's new main battle tank (MBT), the T-95, could be exhibited for the first time at an arms show in the Urals Region this summer, the developer and future manufacturer of the tank has said. The development of the new tank dubbed "Item 195" began at the Uralvagonzavod design bureau in the early 1990s. Russia will become the first country in the world to have the 5th-generartion MBT if the military commissions the vehicle. "The work on the project has been conducted for many years. If the government gives us a 'green light' we will exhibit the tank at the...

Russia may showcase its new main battle tank (MBT), the T-95 at the arms show in the Urals Region in summer 2010, a media report said. Russia will become the first country in the world to have the 5th-generartion MBT if its military confirms the commission of vehicle in the army. "The work on the project has been conducted for many years. If the government gives us a 'green light' we will exhibit the tank at the [Russian Expo Arms 2010] arms show in Nizhny Tagil this summer," RIA Novosti quoted General Director of the Uralvagonzavod plant Oleg Siyenko as...

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...

Woman burned filling gas can August 28, 2009 SUN-TIMES NEWS GROUP A 27-year-old Joliet woman suffered second-degree burns after using a cigarette lighter to see how much gas was in the can she was filling. Police reports say it was about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday when the woman drove to the 7-Eleven at 1609 E. Cass St. in Joliet in a yellow 1970 Chevrolet. "(The woman) was filling up a gas can, which was sitting on the passenger seat of the car. (She) then used a lighter to use as a light to observe how full the can was," police said....

WTF?

MOSCOW. July 1 (Interfax-AVN) - The number of tanks belonging to the Russian armed forces will be cut to 2,000, a Russian Defense Ministry source told Interfax on Wednesday. "As part of the armed forces reform, the General Staff endorsed the organizational structure of the Armor Forces within ground brigades and the Navy's coast forces. The Armor Forces will include two independent tank brigades and over 20 tank battalions within permanent alert brigades," the source said. The independent tank brigades will be stationed in the Siberian and Moscow Military Districts, he said. "The overall number of tanks of various versions,...

at first which are various quotes from a book, concerning tanks; that part not copied-and-pasted to hereOkay, a whole lot of questions, from a professional civilian. (a) What were the significant differences between a Sherman tank and a Soviet T-34; one has the impression they were very much alike? (b) A by-then-antique British Centurion tank has been the only tank I myself have ever seen up close, and operating (although not in combat, of course); how did that tank compare with the Shermans and T-34s? (c) One gets the impression the Allies did in fact have some heavy tanks, comparable...

The Defence Research and Development Organisation handed sixteen tanks (cumulative 45 Arjun tanks) to Lt. Gen. D. Bhardwaj, Director General Mechanised Force (DGMF), for formation of the first Arjun regiment at a function in Avadi today. "The regiment of 45 tanks will be subjected to a conversion training and field practice for a period of three months. Thereafter, the Army is planning to conduct a comparative trial with T 90 tanks in October or November 2009 to assess the operational deployment role of the tanks. The present batch of 124 tanks will be delivered by March 2010," a Defence Ministry...

NEWPORT, Rhode Island (Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Department will take a "hard look" at whether it needs a projected $13.2 billion General Dynamics Corp program designed to hurl combat-ready Marines from ship to shore, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday. Widening a drive to reshape the U.S. military for what he sees as its most likely future fights, Gates raised questions about the "expeditionary fighting vehicle," or EFV, an amphibious tank being developed by General Dynamics for the Marine Corps.

Video on siteThe M1 Abrams is a main battle tank produced in the United States. The M1 is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of US military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972. It is a well armed, heavily armored, and highly mobile tank designed for modern armored ground warfare. Notable features of the M1 Abrams include the use of a powerful gas turbine engine, the adoption of sophisticated composite armor, and separate ammunition storage in a blow-out compartment for crew safety. It is one of the heaviest tanks in service, weighing in...

A Saginaw man stuck his finger where he shouldn't have. Lucky for him, help wasn't far away. Victor Harris, 25, was pouring a fuel additive into his Lincoln Navigator at 7-Eleven, 614 S. Washington, about 5 a.m. Thursday when a paper lid from the additive fell into the gasoline tank. Harris tried to fish the paper out but his index finger became stuck in the tank. ''My hand started getting numb about 7 or 8,'' he said. ''I started getting nervous.''

World just not into U.S. battle tanks anymore WASHINGTON — The end of U.S. dominance over the main battle tank market has been projected. A leading U.S. consultant asserted that non-U.S. MBTs were expected to dominate the global market over the next decade. In a report, Forecast International asserted that MBTs from China, Pakistan and Russia would account for most of the market through 2018. "In terms of sheer numbers, Forecast Internat ional expects Pakistan's Al Khalid, the Type 98 of the People's Republic of China, and the Russian Federation's T-90 — including India's licensed T-90S production program — to...

BAGHDAD — Program managers from the United States and Iraq, along with representatives from the General Dynamics Contract Logistics Support (CLS) group, met to discuss the fielding of M1A1SA Abrams tanks for the Iraqi Army, March 4. The tanks are scheduled to arrive over an 18-month period in groups of 35, according to Mark Bangsboll of Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq’s (MNSTC-I) Joint Headquarters Army Advisory Training Team Planning Office. Charles Campbell, JHAATT M1A1SA program coordinator, said, “This meeting is meant to initiate dialog on the support and sustainment required for the M1A1SA program, as well as setting-up delivery,...

At about 45 seconds, the sniper ceases to exist.

BAZAR-E PANJWAII, Afghanistan - After more than a year of rumbling across the bomb-scarred roads and dusty plains of southern Afghanistan, positive reviews are coming in on the 62-tonne Leopard 2 tanks used by the Canadian Forces. The Canadian army borrowed 20 Leopard A6Ms from the Germans in the summer of 2007 to quickly replace its own nearly 30-year-old Leopard tanks which were not suited for use in Afghanistan. ... The military has since completed a deal to buy an additional 100 surplus tanks from the Dutch, and will return the loaners once the newer tanks are delivered. The Leopard...

In this Oct. 31, 2008 file photo, Iraqi Soldiers are introduced to the tanks their Army will use in the future. Photo by Spc. Chase Kincaid, Joint Combat Camera Center Iraq. TAJI — The Iraqi Army Armor School here hosted an M1A1 tank orientation for the first group of 28 Iraqi Army M1A1 tank crewmen, Dec. 21. The crewmen, selected from the cadre of current Iraqi Army Armor School instructors and Iraqi Army 9th Mechanized Infantry Division, will continue their orientation through Jan. 2.  Final selectees will then participate in a three month train-the-trainer course with U.S. Army instructors at...

The current two day drop of the DJIA figure is the largest post election crash in U.S. History. The DJIA figure was off 915.92 a few minutes ago, that's 9.5% since Obama became President elect. Pundits who just days ago were saying that U.S. Citizens had more faith in Obama when it related to the economy are now having to hurriedly work up stories reassuring the public that this drop isn't related to public fear that Obama is not up to the task of managing the current economic problems.

Click here for video. This terrifying slow motion video shows the destructive power of a tank canister shot, blazing across an entire battlefield. It's so spectacularly crystal-clear that you can easily understand why it is one of the most feared weapons by infantry soldiers. The canister shot is not new, however. This simple and incredibly effective technology has been wreaking havoc in ground fronts since the Napoleonic Wars. Designed to create a destructive cloud to do major damage on a large group of soft bodies, the canister shot has played a central role in ground battles since the 18th century....

Russian aggression is the worst it has been in 40 years, Georgian civilians are dying in the streets, Poland is threatened with nuclear annihilation, and Ukraine looks to be in the crosshairs. McCain is hammering the Russians every day while Condoleeza Rice goes to Georgia to demand Russia's immediate withdrawal. And here is Obama, in a picture worth a thousand (wrong) words.

An American tank that formed part of the 1944 D-Day invasion force was discovered buried under a street in northern France. French bomb disposal experts were brought in to ensure the military vehicle posed no danger before it was dug out from its muddy grave in near perfect condition. Council workers came across the M5 tank as they carried out routine repairs to the road in Chartres, 55 miles south-west of Paris. It is thought the tank from the 31st Tank Battalion formed part of the invasion force that liberated France from the Nazis more than six decades ago. Residents...