Today we present an article from the 1923 July-August edition of the Journal of the Army Ordnance Association on German Tanks. Authored by R. Kruger, this six page article gives a fairly detailed technical description of the tanks designed by Imperial Germany during the war. In particular, the heavy A7V is examined as well as the A7V -U and the Light LK I and LK II tanks. On the final page of the article is a short piece on “Who invented the tank?” In this piece, it is pointed out that while the British were the first to use tanks in combat, the first patent issued for a tracked fighting machine was given to Gunther Burstyn of Austria in 1912.
Analysis of new Armata and Kurganets vehicles
May 10, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Defense Update has posted some articles analyzing the new Russian armored vehicles displayed on the May 9 Victory Day Parade. Be advised that these articles are somewhat speculative in nature. Defense Update notes that the analysis will be updated throughout the week as new information comes to light.
New Russian Armor – First Analysis: Armata.
The Russian Ministry of Defense today publicly presented the first members of the Armata family of heavy armored vehicles – the T-14 main battle tank and T-15 armored infantry fighting vehicle. The two vehicles are designated to become the spearhead of the armored formations of the Russian Army – replacing the T-72, BMP-2 and MT-LB-based platforms. In Armata-centered formations, these two combat vehicles will be augmented by additional variants that have not yet been unveiled, which could include a combat engineer and counter-mine vehicle (BREM), support platforms mounting automatic cannons, missiles (Terminator) and thermobaric rockets (TOS), self-propelled guns (Coalitzia), bridge layers (MTU), and armored recovery vehicles (ARV).
New Russian Armor – First Analysis Part II: Kurganets-25
Kurganets-25 family of armored combat vehicles includes two members of a new family of medium- armored vehicles designed to replace the BMP-2 and MT-LB platforms in mechanized formations of the Russian army. Like their predecessors, the new vehicles have amphibious capability, enabling uninterrupted mobility across rivers. The Kurganets is manufactured by Kurganmashzavod, the plant that produced the previous generations of BMP-1, BMP-2 and BMP-3 vehicles.
Victory Day Parade footage
May 10, 2015 by Leave a Comment
On May 9, the much anticipated Victory Day parade took place in Moscow, showcasing several new armored vehicles of the Russian Military. Photos and details of these vehicles have been leaking into the press over the past couple months, generating a good bit of speculation and discussion. The official description and pictures of these new vehicles is available here from the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Video of the entire parade:
Here is footage of the T-14 Armata:
Of course, an event as big as the Victory Day Parade is bound to have a few glitches happen. Here is video of a Russian tracked missile carrier briefly catching fire as it parades down the street.
Tank loading fail
May 8, 2015 by Leave a Comment
This video appeared on Youtube earlier this week. It shows what happens when an attempt to load a 2S3 Akatsiya self propelled gun onto a tank carrier goes wrong.
More bad news for Indian Arjun MBT
May 8, 2015 by Leave a Comment
According to an article from Defense News, most of India’s fleet of Arjun Mark-1 tanks are not operational due to technical issues and lack of imported components. According to an unamed Indian Army official, “Nearly 75 percent of the 124 tanks with the Army are grounded.” The Army official noted that there are more than 90 issues affecting the tank, primarily with its transmission, targeting and thermal sights. The Indian Army purchased 124 Arjun tanks, primarily because of political pressure so that Avadi factory could remain open. The Indian Army primarily relies on the Russian designed T-90 to meet their MBT needs.
New Turkish Kaplan-20 IFV unveiled
May 8, 2015 by Leave a Comment
At the recent IDEF conference in Istanbul Turkey, FNSS reveled their new Kaplan-20 IFV. According to Jane’s Defense, the 20 ton vehicle is a working prototype and trials are planned to begin later in 2015. Although not created for a current Turkish military requirement, Turkey is expected to be in the market for a new IFV in the near future. According to Jane’s, The Kaplan-20 is available with two turret options, with both a two-person and an unmanned version of the FNSS Teber turret being offered. Either can be fitted with a 30-40 mm automatic cannon, with the IDEF display vehicle being equipped with an unmanned turret armed with a an ATK Bushmaster Mk 44 30 mm dual-feed cannon. Both turret configurations are armed with a 7.62 mm coaxial chain gun. Kaplan means “tiger” in Turkish.
More footage of Armata breakdowns
May 7, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Since our post from yesterday on the Armata tank that apparently broke down during a parade rehearsal, a couple new videos have come to our attention. Here is one that shows a Russian ARV attempting to pull the broken down T-14 Armata. The ARV is unable to budge the heavier Armata tank, spinning it’s tracks on the pavement.
Next up is a clip of a T-15 Armata heavy IFV attempting to drive up onto a tank transporter. The vehicle seems to have issues half way onto the truck bed and then stalls out as it pulls back down onto the pavement.
And here is a clip of another T-15 apparently stalling out while on parade.
Tank Chats #5 Lanchester Armored Car
May 7, 2015 by Leave a Comment
The Tank Museum has released the fifth video in their series of “Tank Chat” videos featuring tank expert David Fletcher. This episode features the Lanchester Armored Car.
Armata suffers apparent breakdown during rehearsal
May 7, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Business Insider is running an article claiming that one of Russia’s new Armata tanks suffered a mechanical malfunction during a dress rehearsal for the upcoming Victory Day Parade. This was also reported at the RT website, which stated:
All seemed to be going to plan until one of the mighty machines unexpectedly stopped right in front of the Lenin’s mausoleum. Its engine was still running, but the tank would not move. An attempt to tow it away failed, before the T-14 eventually managed to restart and rumble off around 15 minutes later.
The most amusing part of the incident may be the announcers insistence that the tank malfunction was a planned event and that “We wanted to show how an evacuation of a tank would take place. It was planned that the tank would stop.” A parade showcasing tank recovery techniques would be a rather odd parade indeed.
AAF Tank Museum In Danville Virginia may consider staying in current location
May 7, 2015 by Leave a Comment
The local ABC affiliate in Danville Virginia is reporting that the American Armored Foundation (AAF) Tank Museum is reconsidering their announcement from last November that they would relocate to Ohio. Local government commissioned a study to find out if the tank museum could remain viable in it’s current location. The study recommended that the primary problem facing the museum is a lack of marketing. Museum Director Daniel Gasser said they spend the little money they get from admissions on fixing up the warehouse which leaves nothing for advertising. “It’s all on a budget,” Gasser said. “We’re putting out as much as we can right now. If we stay open longer hours, it’s going to cost me more than what is going to come through the door, and I can’t make that money back.” The 330,000-square-foot facility on U.S. 29 in Blairs. According to the AAF website, the museum has 120 tank and military pieces, 150 machine guns, mortars, and flame throwers, more than 65 small arms, more than 340 international tank and cavalry generals’ uniforms, more than 2,200 hats and helmets, more than 350 tank and artillery optical instruments and more than 400 tank and AVF toys and other items.
Tank and AFV News 