IHS Jane’s youtube channel features a number of new videos of reporter Christopher Foss at the recent Eurosatory 2016 expo.
News From Around the Web
June 6, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Here are some articles from the past week or so that we didn’t think warranted being shared as individual posts.
IHS Jane’s – Israel’s Engineering Namers in first exercise
Israel’s new Engineering Namer armoured vehicles have completed their first combat drill, the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced on 2 June. Held in the Golan Heights, the drill was the first time the engineering variant of the Namer armoured personnel carrier (APC) has taken part in a platoon-level Combat Engineering Battalion exercise. The vehicles crossed steep anti-tank ditches and assembled a bridge for other vehicles to cross after them.
IHS Jane’s – Slovakia unveils 8×8 Corsac infantry fighting vehicle
Slovakia’s MSM Group has unveiled a new air-transportable 8×8 wheeled infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) prototype called the Corsac, which is based on the General Dynamics European Land System (GDELS) Steyr Pandur II armoured personnel carrier. Developed by a team lead by MSM Group with partners including EVPU, Konstrukta Defence, and GDELS-Steyr, the Corsac is designed to meet the requirements of the Slovak Armed Forces and is fitted with the Turra 30 remotely-operated turret.
IHS Jane’s – Brazil receives surplus US armored vehicles
The Brazilian Army has formally received 50 tracked armoured vehicles from the US Department of Defense through the Excess Defense Articles (EDA) programme. The fleet includes 12 M113A2 armoured personnel carriers (APCs), 34 M577A2 command post vehicles, and four M88A1 recovery vehicles. These vehicles, all formerly fielded by the US Army, are to soon be moved from Anniston Army Depot in Alabama and Sierra Army Depot in California to New York, and then shipped by sea to Paranaguá in Brazil by US firm Tigers Global Logistics, the Brazilian Army told IHS Jane’s on 2 June
Bangkok Post – Tank order latest push for closer China ties
Two years since it took office, the military regime has continued to strengthen ties with China, especially through closer military cooperation. The push for closer ties as guided by the regime’s “big brother”, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon, is signified via the arms purchase that covers 28 main battle tanks, the Model VT4, worth US$4.9 million (178 million baht). There is a plan to buy more for three battalions.
The National Interest – Inside the US Army’s Lethal New M1A2 SEP v.3 Abrams Main Battle Tank
General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) will start to deliver the first production M1A2 SEP v.3 Abrams to the U.S. Army starting in 2017. Out of a total of nine prototypes built, the company has delivered seven prototype tanks for field-testing at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona and the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. “Testing commenced in Jan. 2015 and ends in Mar. FY2020,” said Donald Kotchman, General Dynamics Land Systems’ vice president for tracked combat vehicles in a statement to The National Interest. “Prototypes are currently in reliability test and performing well.”
Russia Beyond the Headlines – Soviet tanks in WWII: Correcting the errors of the first 2 years
Following the German invasion of June 1941 it took a long time for the USSR to recover from the miscalculations made in the pre-war years, and it cost the country vast losses in infantry and materiel. But by the third year of the war many of the errors had been fixed, and the Red Army had got rid of its massive unwieldy machines, leaving it with a 100-percent modern mechanized force. But while the tank divisions could now boast better motorization and better-trained crews, problems still remained, the most important of which concerned tactics for using the armored forces. Here the Soviet generals still had a lot to learn.
NBC News – Jelly Belly Family Sued After Man Accidentally Crushed by WWII-Era Tank
The family of a man crushed to death by a World War II-era tank is suing the Jelly Belly chairman and the tank driver over the accident last summer on the candy maker’s California estate. The lawsuit, filed last week in California Superior Court, claims negligence and wrongful death after Kevin Wright, a 54-year-old contractor, was run over on Aug. 22. Wright, who was hired to help maintain the family’s tank collection, was asked to hop on the vintage 1944 M5 tank owned by Jelly Belly chairman Herman Rowland Sr., the complaint says.
Paramount displays Mbombe 8 IFV
June 6, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Jane’s IHS is reporting that at the recent KADEX 16 (Kazakhstan Defense Expo), South Africa’s Paramount Group displayed its Mbombe 8 infantry fighting vehicle. This new 8×8 vehicle is called the Barys 8 in Kazakhstan and will be produced at a factory that Paramount has set up in Astana with a state-owned company under the Kazakstan Paramount Engineering (KPE) joint venture. The KPE plant currently produces a version of the Marauder 4×4 called the Arlan. The KPE plant is capable of producing the entire Mbombe/Barys family, which includes the original 4×4 vehicle and the 6×6 Mbombe 6 that has been ordered by Jordan, as well as the new 8×8. Paramount says the technology is being transferred to enable the factory to fabricate complete Arlan hulls, but major sub-systems such as engines and drive lines need to be imported. The vehicle on display was fitted with the Russian-made AU-220M unmanned turret armed with a 57 mm dual-feed cannon and a 7.62 mm co-axial machine gun. A wide range of other turrets and weapon stations could be integrated on the vehicle.
Video of the Day: Going to the Club
June 6, 2016 by Leave a Comment
We don’t know the full story behind this video, but we are pretty sure this is probably not the best way to try to get into a club.
Argentina reveals TAM upgrade
June 2, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Jane’s IHS is reporting that Argentina has revealed a new prototype of a modernized TAM tank. This vehicle is being developed in collaboration with Israel Military Industries (IMI), Elbit, and Tadiran. An initial prototype called the TAM 2C was introduced in 2013. This new version is called TAM 2IP and consists of a new armor package. The armor is based on IMI’s Iron Wall Design and can be added to any TAM tank, either modernized or not. The prototype was displayed during the Argentine Army Day celebrations on May 29.
Nordic Tank Challenge Videos
May 31, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Controversy in Israel over tank parts containing Asbestos
May 31, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Ynet news.com is reporting that despite the danger of being exposed to carcinogens, the former Israeli Minister of Defense Moshe Ya’alon permitted the Israeli Defense Forces to continue to install new parts made of asbestos in tanks and armored personnel carriers. Ya’alon insisted on their installation even though outgoing Minister of Environmental Protection Avi Gabai and his staff repeatedly warned that the parts can threaten the health of soldiers and their installation is illegal.
Approximately two months ago Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the IDF is installing new parts, which contain asbestos, in tanks and APCs, even though the Asbestos Law, which is supposed to apply to the military, forbids importing anything that contains asbestos. Ministry of Environmental Protection staff discovered the asbestos when they toured an IDF facility and observed the negligent removal of asbestos from old armored vehicles.
Christopher Foss at SOFEX 2016
May 28, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Over the past week IHS Jane’s has posted a number of videos featuring reporter Christopher Foss at SOFEX 2016. Below are the videos that feature AFVs. Unfortunately, the sound quality of some of these clips is not as good as usual for this type of video.
Ukraine announces 1500HP version of 6TD engine
May 24, 2016 by 3 Comments
According to IHS Jane’s, the State Enterprise Malyshev Plant in Ukraine is marketing a 1500 HP version of the 6TD series of engines. The 6TD is a liquid cooled, two-stroke multifuel engine with six cylinders and 12 pistons. According to the Jane’s article, the engines “ejection-type cooling system enables the MBT to operate in high ambient temperatures of up to 55°C without loss of power when using diesel fuel.” The article also notes that “the highly efficient cassette/cyclone air filter is claimed to ensure air filtration with an efficiency rating of up to 99.8%, which is critical for operating in desert conditions”.
The 6TD was developed from the earlier 5TD engine which originally equipped the Soviet T-64 MBT. As the names imply, 5TD was a five cylinder engine while 6TD is a six cylinder engine. The 6TD was introduced in 1979, tanks equipped with the 6TD usually designated with an “M” added to their designation, for example, T-64AM, T-64BM, etc. The 5TD was rated at 700 HP, the original version of the 6TD (6TD-1)rated at 1000 HP, with later versions of the 6TD (6TD-2) being rated at 1200 HP.
The 6TD is an unusual engine in that it is a two stroke diesel with an opposed piston configuration. The opposed piston design allows for two pistons per cylinder, leading to a rather compact unit with high power output (not to be confused with a “flat” engine layout such as the Continental AOS 895.) This style of diesel engine was first pioneered by Germany in the 1930’s with the Junkers Jumo 205, one of the few successful diesel aircraft engines. In the postwar period, but the USSR and the UK developed tank engines based on the Jumo concept, the USSR creating the 5TD and the UK the Leyland L60 which powered the Chieftain MBT. Both the L60 and the 5TD suffered a fair number of issues when first put into service, requiring a fairly lengthy period to iron out the “teething” problems. Since the T-64 and its engine were developed by the Kharkiv based Morozov Design Bureau and the Kharkiv Diesel Factory No. 75, these facilities became part of independent Ukraine following the break up of the USSR in 1991. Currently, the 6TD engine serves as the powerplant for the Pakistani al-Khalid MBT.
Botswana to Purchase K2 Black Panther?
May 21, 2016 by Leave a Comment
IHS Jane’s is reporting that the government of Botswana is planning to purchase a number of new weapons systems, including armored fighting vehicles. According to the article:
Botswana’s The Sunday Standard newspaper reported in February that, in the wake of Khama’s visit to South Korea, the BDF was planning to spend BWP2 billion on eight T-50s and was also expected to buy K2 Black Panther tanks from South Korea.
More recently, on 16 May, the newspaper reported that the country was planning to spend nearly BWP2 billion on 45 Piranha 8×8 armoured vehicles made by General Dynamics Switzerland – presumably a reference to General Dynamics European Land Systems Mowag (GDELS-Mowag) – and turrets armed with 30 mm guns.
The BDF already uses Piranha III vehicles, 45 of which were delivered from 2003 .
Given the cost and complexity of the K2 Black Panther, this seems like a rather ambitious (and somewhat unrealistic) purchase for a country ranked only 118th in terms of GDP. Currently, the most capable MBT operated by a Central or Southern African country is the South African Olifant MBT, which is a significantly upgraded version of the venerable British Centurion tank.
Tank and AFV News 