In the second part of the “Inside the Chieftain’s Hatch” episode about the M4A1 Sherman, Nicholas Moran takes a look inside the vehicle.
Tank Chats #30 M3 Grant
January 27, 2017 by Leave a Comment
The thirtieth in a series of short films about some of the vehicles in our collection presented by The Tank Museum’s historian David Fletcher MBE.
From the Vault: CIA Report on The Tank and Assault Gun Industry of the USSR
January 26, 2017 by Leave a Comment
From the CIA reading room website comes this 1953 report on the Tank and Assault Gun Industry of the USSR. This is a pretty substantial report, coming at in over 60 pages. Given the age and nature of this CIA report, obviously not everything found in its pages will be accurate. However, it is a rather interesting in piece in that it shows what exactly the US thought it knew about Soviet AFVs and AFV production at the time. There are quite a few tables in this report, with production numbers as well as charts showing the amounts of different types of metals used in Soviet tank production. Below is an example of this sort of chart. The report can be downloaded in PDF format here.
Video: Sullivan Cup 2017 – Best Tank Crew Competition
January 26, 2017 by Leave a Comment
This video showed up on youtube yesterday. It was produced for the US Army Office of the Chief of Public Affairs so it has a bit of a “rah-rah” quality to it. That said, there is still some interesting content.
Stuart Tank Memorial Association in Berwick PA prepares museum site
January 26, 2017 by Leave a Comment
From WNEP 16 comes this update about the efforts to open a museum commemorating the Stuart light tanks built at the factory in Berwick PA.
To learn more about this effort, be sure to check out the “Bring Stuie Home” page. Those who will be in the area this summer may want to reserve July 22 and 23 on their calendars as the Stuart Tank Memorial Association will be presenting their 2nd Annual World War II Weekend.
Ukraine to Develop Next-Generation Turret for Legacy Tanks
January 25, 2017 by Leave a Comment
From the Quwa Defense News & Analysis Group comes this article about a Ukrainian company that plans to create Armata-like upgrades for legacy platforms such as the T-74 and T-72.
Article excerpt:
Named “T-Rex”, the turret will seek to emulate the technology feats achieved by the Russian T-14 Armata, most notably the unmanned main turret. As per the Ukrainian news publisher Gazeta, the T-Rex will also offer 360-degree viewing coverage and combat analytics system. The turret will be centered on a 125-mm main gun with a remote-controlled automatic loader and remote-controlled machine guns.
T-Rex MBTs will be manned by three personnel. No time estimates have been provided into when the T-Rex will be prototyped and put into production.
Notes & Comments:
In the backdrop of its tension with Russia, Ukraine has been working to revitalize its defence industry. Its confrontation with Russia contributed to critical delays in the production of Oplot-M MBTs for the Royal Thai Army. However, in 2016 Ukraine succeeded in securing major overseas contracts and partnerships for its initiatives, most notably with Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. With a USD $600 million contract for 200 6TD-2 1,200 hp diesel engines and other projects, Pakistan is a major armour client (albeit with the state-owned Malyshev Factory, which is different from Arey Engineering Group).
Read the full article here
Images of the “T-Rex”, click on an image to enlarge it.
Stars and Stripes: Army tanks, other ground combat weapons in danger of falling behind
January 25, 2017 by Leave a Comment
According to a new article from Stars and Stripes, a recent Congressional Research Service report says that the US Army’s primary ground combat weapons systems are growing outdated and being surpassed in some cases by those of other countries.
Excerpt:
The tanks, infantry-fighting vehicles, self-propelled howitzer cannons and multiple-launch rocket systems fielded by America’s front-line combat soldiers were developed in the 1970s and first fielded in the 1980s, and the Army does not have any active programs to replace them, according to the Jan. 18 report titled, “Selected Foreign Counterparts of U.S. Army Ground Combat Systems and Implications for Combat Operations and Modernization.” Those U.S. weapons have been routinely upgraded with new technology, but other nations – including rivals Russia and China – have developed entirely new systems in recent years.
Some of those systems have “outpaced” American military technology, the report added.
The Army has faced steep budget cuts in recent years mandated by the Budget Control Act of 2011, forcing the service to focus on combat readiness over modernizing its weapons. The service’s top general, Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, has said the Army will continue its focus on readiness in 2017, though it would make a “major effort” to modernize its systems.
Read the full article here.
Photo of the Day: M47 for sale
January 25, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Looking for an M47 that needs a little work? Check out this one on Ebay.
Vehicle listing description:
This M47 Patton Medium Tank was built in 1955 at the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant (DATP) in Warren, Michigan while under Government contract. It was overhauled multiple times during the development of the “Patton” series tank at the Red River Army Depot (RRAD) including 64′ 67′ and a final time in 68′ before it was sent to the Italian armed forces under a “Lend Lease” agreement in ending in the 80’s. A total of 2,480 M47s were leased or sold directly to the Italian Army during this time. This M47 was returned stateside and was designated as a range target at Ft Hood after demil but ended up being sold to a private collection due to the rarity of the vehicle by 89′. Of all the Patton M46/M47/M48 tanks only under 9000 were built of the M47 making it a rare vehicle. Most M47 variants were sold overseas, unable to be imported back into the US, those who stayed in the US were destined to be range targets in the 70’s then scrapped or sold.
Photo of the Day: M56 Scorpion
January 23, 2017 by 1 Comment
The Photo of the Day comes from Armorama.com who recently posted a photo gallery walk-around of an M-56 Scorpion on display at 45th Infantry Division Museum in Oklahoma City. You can view the entire gallery as well as read a short description of the vehicle at the Armorama website.
Video: T-90 on fire
January 23, 2017 by 1 Comment
This short video appeared on youtube today. It claims to show a Russian T-90 tank on fire after being destroyed by ISIS. However, nothing regarding this footage has at yet been verified as far as we can tell.
Tank and AFV News 