Jane’s is reporting that Algeria will be receiving another 360 upgraded BMP infantry fighting vehicles to compliment the 400 upgraded BMPs they had received initially. These vehicles are part of a contract being carried out by the Russian KBP Instrument Design Bureau. The vehicles being upgraded are BMP-1s, the work is being done at an Algerian armor repair plant with the help of Russian technicians. The upgrade package includes the Berezhok combat module, which is armed with four 9M133 Kornet-E anti-tank guided missiles and an AGS-30 30 mm automatic grenade launcher in addition to the 30 mm 2A42 main gun used on the BMP-2 IFV and the standard PKT 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun. The Berezhok upgrade also includes a new fire-control system and optics.
Algeria to get another 360 upgraded BMP IFVs
Reporters driving Armored Vehicles
For some reason, the last month has seen several articles in the media about reporters driving tanks and armored vehicles. Two of these pieces have appeared in Business Insider. The first of which is an article from March 23 by Lianna Brinded called “I went to Lithuania to drive a tank and it was one of the coolest things ever.” Of course, the use of the term “tank” in the headline is misleading. As usual the media call any vehicle with tracks a tank regardless of what it actually is. In this case, the tank in question was actually a FV432 APC.
A few days later Business Insider ran another story about a reporter goofing around with tanks called “We visited a farm in England that lets you crush cars with military tanks.”
Home-made armored vehicles of China
Today we came across this rather odd picture while searching for tank related news. This image is from a Business Insider piece, although it has little to do with the article itself, which is a roundup of world economic news.
The photo is accompanied with a caption reading: “Villagers look on as a home-made armoured vehicle, built by local 35-year-old farmer Liu Shijie (in the vehicle), drives on a dirt road at a village in Huaibei, Anhui.”
This is not the first time a home-made tank from China has made the news. A year ago there were multiple stories in the Western media about Jian Lin, who built a working three ton “tank” for his son.
From the Editor: M103 Heavy Tank in Dowagiac MI Picture Gallery
For those interested in the M103 heavy tank, here is a gallery of pictures we took two years ago of what appears to be an M109A2 on display in front of the National Guard Armory at 700 W Prairie Ronde St in Dowagiac MI. As can be seen in the photos, this vehicle is in desperate need of a new paint job. Also, the rear engine grills and engine deck are completely missing, having been replaced with some thin sheet metal! Oddly enough, wikipedia lists 25 M109 tanks on display in the United States, although this particular vehicle in Dowagiac is not included in that list. These were taken on a very sunny day with a relatively cheap digital camera so some shots are a bit washed out.
Armor for the Ages launches updated website
The folks at Armor for the Ages have launched a new version of their website. Armor for the Ages (AFTA) mission is to provide information on the General George Patton Museum of Leadership at Fort Knox, Kentucky and the National Armor & Cavalry Museum (NACM) at Fort Benning, Georgia and the volunteer programs that serve both institutions along with news on projects, events and exhibits. Information about the volunteer programs can be found in the volunteer section of the AFTA site. AFTA also offers information on the vehicles and weapons that have been or are currently in these museums’ collections. Currently the AFTA site contains profiles for the Panther G, T28 GMC, StuG IIIG, JagdTiger and Sturmpanzer as well as vehicle restoration projects Cobra King, SdKfz 251D/9 and the Patton Command Van. The AFTA site also includes descriptions of the different iterations of the Patton Museum at Fort Knox. Over the past 15 years there have been a number of changes concerning the location and public accessibility of historic armored vehicles in the US. The AFTA website is a valuable resource for people wanting to learn more about the changes affecting these vehicle collections at the Fort Knox and Fort Benning locations.
Book Alert: Hunnicutt’s Sherman and Stuart reprinted
As of March 26, Richard Hunnicutt’s books “Stuart” and “Sherman” have been reprinted are and available in both hardcover and softcover. These books have long been out of print and are highly prized by fans of American armor history. Prices on the original editions range from 200-300 dollars so while this reprint edition is not cheap, it is a welcome alternative to the rather pricey original copies. These editions have been published by Echo Point Books & Media, an outfit probably unfamiliar to most tank book readers. According to their website, Echo Point Books specializes in republishing out of print books.
Publisher’s Description for “Sherman”:
Book Alert: General Lesley J. McNair: Unsung Architect of the U.S. Army
Amazon has posted at April 7 release date for the book “General Lesley J. McNair: Unsung Architect of the U.S. Army” by Mark Calhoun. McNair was chief of staff, General Headquarters from 1940-42 and then commander, Army Ground Forces from 1942-1944. In that capacity, he had a great deal of influence on the formation, doctrine and policies of the US Army, including the Armor and Tank Destroyer branches. It is not uncommon to find his name mentioned in online discussions about US WW2 armor, particularly when it comes to the debate over the late introduction of the M26 Pershing tank into the ETO. Often, McNair is presented as the villain in such discussions, a characterization that is most likely unfair. While it is probable that the issues concerning tank deployment and development that so fascinate tank aficionados will only comprise a small part of this book, hopefully there will be much of value here for those interested in the development of the US Armor force in WW2.
Publisher’s Description:
Paladin M109A7 “PIM” program moves forward
Breaking Defense has posted an article on the Paladin PIM (Paladin Integrated Management), also known as the M109A7. The article points out that PIM is a substantial upgrade to the hull of the vehicle, replacing the old automotive systems of the M109 with that of the Bradley IFV, including a more powerful 600 volt power system and replaces the turret hydraulics with a new electric system. The article quotes BAE head of combat vehicle programs Mark Signorelli saying “M109A6 built a new turret and put it on the old chassis,” “M109A7 put a new chassis under the A6 turret, with a few upgrades to the turret, and effectively in two steps the Army built a new howitzer.” Certainly, the M109A7 is not as radical an upgrade as the cancelled Crusader SPG program which was ended in 2002 or the XM1203 Non-Line of Sight Cannon that was proposed as part of the “Future Combat Systems” program which was cancelled in 2009. However, M109A7 has one great advantage over these previous, more ambitious SPG programs; the ability to successfully survive the US Army’s less than stellar procurement system.
Read the Breaking Defense article here.
M10 Applique armor
Over at Status Report blog, contributor “Vollketten” has written a description of the applique armor system found on the M10 tank destroyer. The article is well researched and includes a nice selection of images drawn from wartime photos, patent applications and existing display vehicles. Vollketten has a reputation as one of the more knowledgeable and worthwhile participants at the WoT forums, we look forward to seeing more of his articles at Status Report.
Article excerpt:
Today, there appears to be only a single example of the M10 left anywhere with this spaced armour and it is this one on public display at Veckring near Le Hackenberg. The side armour is complete on the left hand side and missing a piece at the front on the right. Even then, the side armour could well just be re-fabricated post war. This particular vehicle has undergone restoration and repainting as at some point in its life it used to be known as ‘Rose Coombs’
Read the full article at Status Report.
Issue #2 of The Armor Journal released
Issue #2 of The Armor Journal has been released this week. Subtitled “the ultimate guide to rivet-counting”, this issue of the Armor Journal features articles on the 40/43M Zrinyi at Kubinka, the Soviet View of the King Tiger, Chinese Amphibious AFVs, and the Panzerfahre ferry vehicle. Also featured in this issue is an article on the Chieftain MBT written by noted author Rob Griffin! The magazine is available in either print or PDF version and can be purchased at The Armor Journal website.
Tank and AFV News 