News from around the Web

Here is a roundup of tank related news from around the web.  These articles come from a variety of sources, some better quality than others.  Click on the headline to read the entire article.

Jane’s IHS – DSA 2016: Malaysian Army Chief states Condor APCs and Scorpion tanks are to be upgraded

Malaysian army chief, General Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor, stated that the army plans to initiate an upgrade programme for its fleet of Alvis Vehicles Scorpion 90 light armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) and Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles Condor 4×4 armoured personnel carriers (APCs) to enable them to continue operational service.

USNI News – Walsh: Marines May Protect Tanks With Active and EW Protection Systems, Much Like Ship Self-Defense

As anti-tank threats are growing increasingly sophisticated, the Marine Corps is looking at protecting its ground vehicles with active protection and electronic warfare systems to fend off incoming rounds the same way ships and planes do today.  Lt. Gen. Robert Walsh, deputy commandant for combat development and integration, said at a Senate Armed Services seapower subcommittee hearing on Wednesday that as technology proliferates, the anti-tank threat is rapidly evolving. The Navy is investing in protecting its ships and aircraft from similar threats, and Walsh said it’s time for the Marine Corps to take the same approach for its ground vehicles.

Sputnik International – Russia Produces 70% of World Tanks, Ready to Churn out Armata in 2016

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia produces 70 percent of all tanks produced worldwide, producing one tank per day, Uralvagonzavod General Director Oleg Sienko said.

“Today we hold 70 percent of the world market on tank construction. I mean tanks both produced in Russia and under our licensing in the world. We’ve held first place for several years already and aren’t willing to give that up,” Sienko told RIA Novosti in an interview.

Daily Mail – On the prowl… through a river: South Korea tests out its fleet of £6million Black Panther tanks that can drive through 14ft of water thanks to a special ‘snorkel’ system

Prowling through a river, these are South Korea’s Black Panther tanks that can move effortlessly through 14ft of water thanks to a special ‘snorkel’.  The £6million armoured vehicles were put though their paces in an underwater exercise across the South Han River in Yeoju, east of Seoul, today.

With its snorkel system, the turret becomes watertight but the chassis can take in some 500 gallons of water to counteract the buoyancy caused by the air pocket inside the tank.
The snorkel on top of the vehicle then serves as a look-out tower for the tank commander, keeping him above the surface.

Mirror – ‘PlayStation controls’ installed in British tanks in bid to attract ‘video game geeks’ to the Army

Tanks are being designed with controls that look like a PlayStation gamepad in a bid to encourage video game obsessive to join the army . The new British Challenger II’s firing mechanism is based on the Sony handset in order to make it instantly recognisable to new recruits.

Army chiefs believe hours playing Call of Duty make gamers the best gunners and hope the new-look controls will encourage them to sign up. Lance Corporal Shannon Wood, who teaches recruits how to use tank weapons systems, told the Daily Star that the Army is keen to harness people with technological abilities in the war against terrorism.