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Russia will begin the serial production of its new state-of-the-art weapons which include a new Main Battle Tank T-95 and a multi-role fighter jet Mig-35, as the country braces to compete for a share in the global arms market, with India being a potential buyer.

Every time I write about tank sales I get the comment that Iraq should buy armored personnel carriers instead. The commenter always says they are less threatening to the neighbors and more useful for internal security. 1. Appeasement is a western concept and has failed repeatedly. Weakness is an invite to invasion in the mid-east mentality. 2. Tanks are a measure of power in the mid-east. Power makes enemies lay low in the mid-east. 3. Iraq has been buying armored personnel carriers and other vehicles for internal security. They have plenty in their inventory or on order already.

As his M1 Abrams tank, nicknamed Bonecrusher, rolled through Fallujah, Iraq, Gunnery Sgt. Nick Popaditch thought about the trail of dead insurgents left in its wake: “Fight and you die. Run and you die. Hide and you die. Hey, this works for me.” Popaditch, or “Gunny Pop” as his Marines called him, commanded a tank platoon during the first Battle of Fallujah in April 2004. Fighting only a week after four American contractors from Blackwater USA were captured, killed and their bodies hung from a bridge, Bonecrusher and Popaditch’s other tank were working with Marine infantry in clearing insurgents out...

It was named one of Time magazine’s best inventions of 2008, but Raytheon’s Active Protection System (APS), formerly known as “Quick Kill,” was nowhere to be found on the floor of the Washington Convention Center at the Army’s annual conference this week. I asked the Raytheon folks about its status and the best they could come up with was that the program is “maturing”; there was no APS on display nor were there videos showing field tests of the system. By contrast, over at the Israeli Military Industries booth, the Israelis were showing video of their “Iron Fist” APS in...

T-72 tanks moved to remote Sikkim area after China tests Indian defences Manu Pubby Posted online: Tuesday , Jul 28, 2009 at 0441 hrs New Delhi : Chinese moves to test Indian control of the strategic Finger Area in North Sikkim last year have prompted the Army to deploy heavy tanks and armoured personnel carriers in the region and strengthen defensive positions. In fact, the highest gallantry award to a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) personnel was conferred to a dozer operator, Zalim Singh, who cleared a strategic road near Theing village — he was decorated with a Bar to Shaurya...

Wow....now this is some decisive leadership eh? (h/t Weasel Zippers) The Obama administration might reevaluate its stance toward Iran if the violent crackdowns on dissidents were to escalate, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday. "Well, obviously, we are watching the events each and every day here at the White House," Gibbs said during his appearance on Fox News. The White House spokesman said that if an escalation were to take place along the lines of China's Tiananmen Square Massacre — an event to which Republicans critical of President Obama have compared the Iranian protests — then the administration...

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...

A line of M1A1 Abrams tanks sit in the Iraqi sun as Soldiers of the 9th Iraqi Army Division receive instruction on the basics of tank operation April 11 at Forward Operating Base Hammer. The Iraqi government has purchased 140 Abrams tanks and these Soldiers will be among the first to become certified.

Staff Sgt. Norbert Ferrell explains the finer aspects of an M1A1 Abrams tank to Iraqi Army Soldiers at Forward Operating Base Hammer, April 11. Photo by Sgt. Joshua Risner, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. BAGHDAD — The M1A1 Abrams tank is one of the newest additions to the Iraqi Army's (IA) arsenal. U.S. Army armor Soldiers and contracted civilians are assisting the 9th IA Division with getting their armored crewmen trained on the new equipment at Forward Operating Base Hammer. "We're here basically to help with mentoring the Iraqis with maintenance and with understanding of how a tank platoon is supposed...

Nicely produced video focused on the Abrams tank in Iraq. There is no way we can't be proud of the service of the crews to our country.

A jewel in his collection is the German Panzer V Panther tank that the German army sank in a Polish river during World War II to keep it from the advancing Russians. The Panther sat submerged for decades, and Mr. Littlefield acquired it five years ago and began restoring it. "Restoration is very satisfying, especially with something like the Panther," Mr. Littlefield said in a 2007 interview with The Chronicle. "People say: 'You'll never get that thing running again.' Well, it was built once, and we can do it again."

Israel was poised last night for a big ground offensive in the Gaza Strip after allowing hundreds of foreigners to leave the devastated territory. The Times understands that by this morning Israeli troops and tanks could be operating inside the area as part of large-scale operation to prevent Hamas from firing rockets into southern Israel. One of the main thrusts of the attack could be the so-called Philadelphi Road that runs along Gaza's border with Egypt, under which Hamas has smuggled arms, missiles and men through a network of tunnels. Israel controlled the border until its army withdrew from the...

All-out warWeb posted at: 12/30/2008 5:27:4 Source ::: DPA Israel pounds Gaza for third day; tanks on the border GAZA/TEL AVIV: Palestinian militants launched missiles last night at Israeli targets which had not previously come under fire, as Israel, after three days of massive airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, was readying to expand its offensive against the group to a ground assault. The toll of Operation “Cast Lead”—launched Saturday to curb rocket and mortar attacks from the strip - reached to at least 345 Palestinians dead and 1,600 injured, Gaza emergency services chief Mu’awia Hassanein said. Four Israelis have also...

The U.S. Army is carrying out an aggressive development program to produce a new, lightweight composite armor for its next generation tank. This vehicle, part of the FCS (Future Combat System) series of vehicles, will weigh under 30 tons. The current U.S. tank, the M-1, weighs 70 tons. Composite armor was invented in Britain during the 1980s. The British developers had found that layers of different metals and ceramics made the armor lighter, and more resistant to penetration by solid shot or HEAT shells. The U.S. added a layer of depleted uranium to its composite armor, and produced the most...

Thanks to Jim for having the vision and follow though to create this site

U.S. Tanks to Lebanon?   By P. David HornikFrontPageMagazine.com | Wednesday, November 26, 2008 On Saturday, according to a report on Al-Arabiya, Hezbollah carried out military exercises south of the Litani river in Lebanon. UN Security Council Resolution 1701 of 2006 had “called for…the establishment between the [Israeli-Lebanese border] and the Litani river of an area free of any armed personnel…other than those of the Government of Lebanon and of UNIFIL” and had also mandated “the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon….” Although 1701 has long been a dead letter and a bad joke, Saturday’s maneuvers were particularly...

Excerpt - NAIROBI, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Rival Somali pirates arguing over what to do with a hijacked Ukrainian ship and its cargo of 33 tanks engaged in a shootout on board, killing three of their number, a maritime group said on Tuesday. ~ snip ~

Pirates who seized a Ukrainian ship off the coast of Somalia have reportedly demanded a ransom of $35m (£19m) to release the vessel and its crew.The pirates earlier warned against any attempt to rescue the crew or cargo of the MV Faina, which is carrying 33 battle tanks destined for Kenya. Pirates have seized dozens of ships near Somalia's coast in recent months. A Russian Navy vessel is heading to the region and the US says it is monitoring developments in the area. A spokesman for the pirates, who gave his name as Jalal Jama Ali, told a Somali website...

Excerpt - MOSCOW — A Russian warship on Friday rushed to intercept a Ukrainian vessel carrying 33 battle tanks and ammunition that was seized by pirates off the Horn of Africa — a bold hijacking that heightened fears about the surging piracy and high-seas terrorism. ~ snip ~

Hong Kong, China — China has recently exported T85IIM main battle tanks to Uganda, according to a military industry source. But the tanks may be more for display than for defense. “This is a very small batch, intended for a military parade only,” the source said. This would be the first instance for the Ugandan army to employ China-made tanks. The same type of main battle tank made an appearance at Sudan’s National Day military parade last year. Yet according to the source, the tanks were exported from China much earlier, possibly six or seven years ago, also in small...