AFV News from around the Net

Here is our first installment of AFV News from around the Net for 2017.  Click on the article headline to go to the full piece.

Defense World.net – New Light Tank For Chinese Army Likely

China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is likely to be equipping its ground units with new light tanks, according to the photos published on Chinese online forums.  Posted on 31 December on the CJDBY and FYJS websites, the images disabout 10 tanks on railway flatbed cars, resembling the Guilin railway station in China’s southern Guangxi Province. The tanks were first seen in 2011. The tanks’ transit through Guilin could indicate their initial delivery to units assigned to the PLA’s new Southern Theatre Command, IHS Janes’ 360 reported Thursday.

The Independent – Ministry of Defence ‘turns down German tank deal for fear of negative press’

Britain declined the opportunity to buy a fleet of German tanks due to “worry about negative press headlines,” a defence source has claimed.  German manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann offered to sell between 100 and 400 second-hand Leopard 2 tanks to the Ministry of Defence in 2015, but despite it being allegedly the best deal, the offer was turned down.  The German proposal was one of several being considered for a £700 million contract to upgrade Britain’s Challenger 2 battle tank fleet.

Military.com – US Tanks, Heavy Equipment to Flow into Europe Next Week

Army M1 tanks and trucks will begin arriving in Europe on Jan. 8, marking the beginning of a nine-month rotation of a U.S. armored brigade designed to strengthen deterrence against Russian aggression.  The planned arrival of the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, out of Fort Carson, Colorado, is part of the effort to support Operation Atlantic Resolve.  “The United States is demonstrating its continued commitment to collective security through a series of actions designed to reassure NATO allies and partners of America’s dedication to enduring peace and stability in the region in light of the Russian intervention in Ukraine,” Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said Thursday.

ABC 13 News – Drivetanks Living Military Museum Offers Explosive Excitement with Real Tanks and Live Artillery

UVALDE, TX (KTRK) — In Uvlade, Texas on a sprawling 18,000 acre hunting ranch, sits the home of a living military museum. A portion of the land has been turned into a simulated battlefield where World War II-era and newer tanks, more often than not, are driven by those who have never spent a day in the service.  Opened six months ago, DriveTanks co-founder Todd DeGidio says it’s the only place in the world where you can drive a tank and blow things up without ever enlisting.  “I think it’s important for us to keep this part of our history alive,” said DeGidio.

The Diplomat – Russia to Upgrade Tank Force With Deadly New Fire Control System

The Russian Ground Forces are reportedly slated to upgrade an unknown number of T-72 and T-90 main battle tanks (MBT) with a new automatic target tracker and fire control computer also found on the third-generation T-14 MBT, according to local media reports in December. The T-14 is Russia’s most advanced armored fighting vehicle, based on the “Armata” universal chassis system  The Russian Ministry of Defense intends to field the first upgraded T-72s and T-90s in two to three years, the Izvestia daily newspaper revealed. Russia’s operates around 300 T-72B3s, an upgraded variant of the original Soviet-era T-72 MBT, out of a total T-72 force of roughly 1,900, and around 350 advanced T-90A, and T-90SM, (other designations T-90AM or T-90MS), the latest and most modern version of the T-90, specifically designed for export.