News from Around the Web

Here is a mix of articles from the past two weeks from various news sources.  Click on the headline to go to the full article.

 UPI: South Korea to build more K-2 Black Panther tanks

South Korea’s military has decided to build an additional 100 K-2 Black Panther tanks.  Seoul’s defense ministry already had planned 200 of the tanks, but is to turn out another 100 tanks of the same model in response to North Korea, local news service Newsis reported.  Pyongyang has been stepping up production of its armored fighting vehicles, and South Korea must be prepared, an unidentified military official told local press.

Scout.com: Russian Airborne Forces to Receive T-72 Tanks

The Russian Airborne Forces (Vozdushno-desantnye voyska Rossii—or VDV) are set to form six armored companies equipped with newly modified T-72B3M (also known as the T-72B3 biathlon) tanks in the second half of 2016. Over the next two years, those six companies will be expanded to battalion strength.

IHS Jane’s: Thailand to procure MBT-3000 tanks from China

The Royal Thai Army (RTA) has signed an agreement with China to procure the MBT-3000 main battle tank (MBT) produced by China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO), RTA officials confirmed to IHS Jane’s on 16 May.  The contract to procure the MBT-3000, which is also referred to by NORINCO as the VT-4, features an initial 28 units, with deliveries expected to commence before the end of 2016 and conclude within two years. The deal, thought to be valued at about USD150 million, makes Thailand the first known export customer of the type.

UPI: Iran says it has equipped tanks with anti-TOW jamming system

The head of Iran’s ground forces said Wednesday that the country has quipped its M60 tanks with anti-TOW missile jamming systems.  Brig. Gen. Ahmadreza Pourdastan said in an interview with the army magazine Saf, as reported by the semi-official Fars News Agency, that the new system will also disrupt other anti-tank missiles.

Al Arabiya English: Egypt receives first batch of mine-resistant armored vehicles from US

Egypt has received on Thursday its first batch of Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles from the United States, the state-run Ahram Online reported the US embassy in Cairo as saying in a statement.  “Today’s delivery is the first batch of a total 762 MRAP vehicles that the United States will transfer to Egypt,” said the statement.

Business Insider: Army says troops lost their way, went off cliff

An Army vehicle took the wrong road in the dark and was making a U-turn when it tumbled 250 feet off a cliff at a Colorado training range last year, killing one soldier and injuring five, according to a newly released investigative report.  The soldier who died had an unspecified medical condition at the time of the February 2015 crash at Fort Carson, and a physician assistant had recommended that he not go on the training exercise, investigators said.

Defense World.net: Russia’s New Typhoon Armored Vehicle Under Production

The first mock-up model of a new Russian assault armored vehicle for use during training is already in production, according to Russian Airborne Troops chief Vladimir Shamanov.
Shamanov told RIA Novosti that as part of the development work, specialists dealing with the Typhoon family of mine-resistant, ambush protected vehicles have worked out a new Typhoon 4х4 armored personnel carriers for use during reconnaissance and by special units of the Russian Airborne and Special Operations Forces.

Russia Beyond the Headlines: Soviet tanks in WWII: The fatal cost of errors

The organization of modern armed forces is an extremely complicated objective. Russia’s experience with the operation in Syria clearly demonstrates how serious this challenge is. However, in this case Russia is learning from its mistakes – 75 years ago these errors almost led the USSR and its army to ruin.