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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...