Fans of British early Cold War armor may find this item entertaining. Sent to us by author and researcher P. M. Knight (see his excellent histories of WWII British armor here), this is an archival document from the British Army Operational Research Group. The report is dated June of 1954. The topic of the report is the combat effectiveness of the Conqueror, Conway and Charioteer tanks. As might be guessed, this report is pretty theoretical since these vehicles never saw combat. We take these sorts of reports with a grain of salt, especially when they come to the conclusion that the Charioteer has “an effectiveness of unity against this Russian tank (the IS-3)”.
The report is posted below as a series of pictures. We have also posted the images as a PDF that can be downloaded here.
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s military and procurement authorities have fine-tuned their multibillion-dollar competition for the production of an indigenous battle tank with a view to selecting a winner in mid-2018. “A timetable has shaped up,” according to a procurement official familiar with the tank program. “The procurement/management side has been synchronized with the military requirement.” The initial phase of the Altay tank program involves the serial production of a batch of 250 units. Military officials say the program would eventually reach 1,000 units. Industry sources say the final figure could reach billions of dollars.
KIELCE, Poland — South Korea is this year’s featured country of MSPO, Poland’s annual defense industry show, where defense giant Hanwha Corporation is pitching its flagship K9 self-propelled howitzer to Eastern European allies. Jinhwan Jeong, the director of the overseas business division of Hanwha Land Systems, told Defense News that some of the major contracts under development in Eastern Europe include the planned howitzer procurement to Estonia.
NEW DELHI ― As preparation for a possible conflict with China in high, mountainous areas, the Indian Army’s armored directorate has begun setting requirements for a small tank order, according to a source in the Ministry of Defence. Military planners in the MoD asked the Army to draw up requirements for a light tank after China tested its homegrown light tank, Xinqingtan, which is equipped with a 105mm main gun and a 1,000-horse-power engine.
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND: The Army is rapidly upgunning its 8×8 Stryker vehicles to better deter the Russians in Eastern Europe, as we wrote yesterday. But soldiers are still figuring out how they’ll use the new vehicles. And the service as a whole is struggling to update the entire armored force, from the 20-ton Stryker to the 70-ton M1 Abrams, let alone develop all-new vehicles the way Senate Armed Services chairman John McCain would want.
Central Florida law enforcement agencies applauded a White House decision that will once again allow them to acquire a range of surplus military equipment. At least two local agencies are planning to take advantage of the overhaul and buy their tanks back after they were recalled in 2015 due to restrictions by former president Barack Obama that banned certain military-style equipment, including grenade launchers, bayonets and high-powered firearms.
Several years ago, the United States debated supplying Syrian rebels with high-tech armaments such as anti-tank and surface-to-air missiles. Critics contended that the weapons might fall into the hands of US-designated “terrorist organisations”. But it is in Iraq, that the fear has become real: the US has armed American-killing Iranian proxies and terrorist groups with its best tank, the M1 Abrams.
A Spanish company vying for a $30 billion Navy ship building contract is using a Youtube video to imply its landing craft can carry Australia’s heavy tanks despite the boat sinking too low in water when the armoured vehicle was put on board. Navantia, one of three contenders for Australia’s $30 billion Future Frigates contract, has a contract worth about $240 million to supply Australia with 12 landing craft supposedly capable of carrying the army’s 62 tonne M1A1 Abrams tanks.
Designers at Kyiv Armored Plant presented on Aug. 20 a new, upgraded version of the Soviet-era T-72 main battle tank, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko reported on his page on Facebook. The battle effectiveness of the tank has been improved with the help of lessons learned on the front in the east of Ukraine, the president’s post says. Ukrainian defense industry concern UkrOboronProm said the new tank, called the T-72AMT, is based on the T-72A, which went into service with the Soviet army in 1979.
The Somali National Army (SNA) released photographs on 3 September showing new tactical vehicles it has received. One photograph showed at least 12 Chinese-made Shaanxi Baoji Special Vehicles Company Tiger 4×4 light armoured vehicles parked in what appeared to be a secure compound in Somalia. A second showed at least 13 Ford Super Duty double cabin pick-up vehicles fitted with weapon mounts.
by Jose Duquesne. Published by Histoire and Collections, this is a 128 page hardcover book.
is a 400 page hardcover volume. According to the Stackpole website, Dieter Stenger is is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and has worked in the museum field for two decades, including stints at the Marine Corps Air-Ground Museum, the U.S. Naval Academy Museum, the National Museum of the Marine Corps, and the U.S. Army Center of Military History, where he is senior arms curator. We haven’t had a chance to look at this book so that’s all we can really say about it.
Tank and AFV News 