News for all things related to Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles
From the youtube channel of The Tank Museum:
Part Two of the Matilda Diaries explores the sub-assemblies which power the turret, cooling system, drivers sight and hydraulics system. Throughout the course of this series The Tank Museum aims to lift the lid on the overhaul of its Second World War Matilda II tank. Viewers will have a chance to see the challenges involved with the project overall, as well as the nitty gritty of dismantling and reassembling a 70 year old vehicle.
Task and Purpose.com posted an interesting interview today with a former US Army M1A2 SEP Abrams tank commander:
World War II was arguably the heyday of tank warfare; however, tankers have continued to serve on the frontlines in the Global War on Terror, particularly during the early years of the Iraq War.
While infantry provides the boots on the ground for combat operations, armor, and in particular, tanks, bring the muscle.
In addition to the main gun, which is a devastating cannon that can level a city block with ease, the M1 Abrams boasts a host of other weapons, including a coaxial machine gun, the loader’s machine gun, and the tank commander’s .50-cal.
The Army’s M1 Abrams is typically crewed by four men: the driver, the gunner, the ammunition loader, and a tank commander. Because of the confined quarters of a tank, its crews are notoriously tight knit, and like any unit that spends endless hours together in a small space, they develop their own unit rituals, traditions, and have unique outlets for dealing with the day-to-day stressors of military life.
In 2006, while deployed to Forward Operating Base Rustamiyah, east of Baghdad, Iraq, Army Capt. Aaron Doft was in charge of 15 other soldiers and four M1A2 SEP tanks — SEP meaning systems enhancement package.
Task & Purpose spoke with Doft about what it’s like to have the awesome power of a tank at your fingertips and what exactly goes on inside while you’re out on a mission.
To read the interview, click here to go to the Task & Purpose site.
IHS Jane’s reporter Christopher Foss at SOFEX 2016 showcasing the Mbombe 4 6×6 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC).
According to Amazon, as of May 15 a paperback edition of the The Rockenbach Report: Operations of the Tank Corps A.E.F.
is available.
Publishers Description:
The Rockenbach Report: Operations of the Tank Corps A.E.F.” is widely cited and quoted by historians but only a few typed copies are known to exist. It has never been published—until now. Here is the verbatim transcript of that famous document, written by the Father of the American Tank Corps, Samuel D. Rockenbach. In it he details how he designed, organized, manned, trained and finally deployed American Tank forces into the Western Front of 1918 Europe. Appended to the original Rockenbach Report—and reprinted here—are supporting documents with even more information on those early Tank Corps days. These include after-action reports on the St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne and Le Catelet-Bony offensives by: Lieutenant Colonel George S. Patton, Jr., Commander of 304th Tank Brigade; Colonel Wahl, Commander of French Tanks assigned to American forces; Major Sereno E. Brett (who assumed command of the 304th after Patton was wounded at St. Mihiel); and Major R. I. Sasse, Commander of the 301st Battalion fighting with the British E.F. Also included is an organization chart of 1st Army Tank Corps as of September 10, 1918 listing its units and names of officers assigned. This report may be 100 years old, but it is still relevant today. The lessons learned then—how to wage a war, even while fundamentally changing the way that war is fought—are even more valuable in today’s constantly changing and ever more dangerous world. For too long the Rockenbach Report has been available to only the lucky few able to travel to one of the rare sites where it is stored. With this reprint, Rockenbach’s exhaustive treatise on the development of early tank warfare is available to the larger public. So save yourself the trip. Here is the Rockenbach Report.
The The Rockenbach Report: Operations of the Tank Corps A.E.F.
is available on Amazon here.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
IHS Janes is reporting that German gun maker Rheinmetall will be revealing a new 130mm smoothbore tank gun at the Eurostatory exhibition this June. The article, while quite short, notes that the new 130mm gun should be in production by 2025. A new turret to house this 130mm gun is being designed, based off the existing Leopard II turret.
Read the IHS Jane’s article here.
Jane’s IHS is reporting that Jordan has introduced a new version of their heavy APC at the SOFEX 2016 exhibition. Called the Al-Dawsar, this vehicle is designed by King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) and is based on the hull of the Jordanian Tariq MBT, a modified Centurion tank. According to Jane’s, 283 Tariq tanks were built but have since been phased out of frontline service, freeing them up for conversion. The Al-Dawsar retains the AVDS-1790 engine, Allison CD 850-6A transmission and hydropneumatic suspension of the Tariq.
From the Jane’s IHS Article:
The raised crew and troop compartment is at the front of the hull. In addition to the commander/gunner, it can carry seven dismounts seated individually facing inwards. However, alternative seating arrangements could increase this to up to 10 dismounts. The area to the rear is used to stow equipment such as ammunition.
In addition to the four hatches (three left and one right) in the roof is a hydraulically operated opening in the front left side of the hull. The top part opens upwards and the lower part opens downwards to form a ramp.
The driver’s position is at the front right and has the same yoke-type steering controls as those fitted to the upgraded Tariq, rather than the original tillers/sticks of the Centurion, plus a single-piece hatch and periscopes for observation over the frontal arc.
In this new video filmed at SOFEX 2016 in Jordan, IHS Jane’s reporter Chris Foss reports on the Jordanian armored vehicles on display.
Stars and Stripes is reporting that the tank platoon from the German Bundeswehr has won the Strong Europe Tank Challenge at Grafenwoehr Training Area. This was the first such exercise held since 1991 and included tank platoons from six NATO countries, Germany, Poland, USA, Slovenia, Italy and Denmark. The German platoon competed with the Leopard 2A6 main battle tank, while Denmark and Poland used the Leopard 2A5. The US platoon compete with the Abrams M1A2, the Italian platoon with the Ariete MBT and Slovenia with the M-84. The German team was rewarded the top prize while Denmark took second place and the Poles secured third place. It seems bragging rights may be in order for the Leopard 2 tank.
According to an article from www.army.mil, the competition consisted of the following:
Platoons rotated throughout the three events, vying for a possible 1,000 points. Crews conducted both offensive and defensive operations involving fire and maneuver for 350 possible points in each lane.
Mounted orienteering had a possible 300 points that was combined from six 50-point tasks, including a mystery physical challenge that emphasized teamwork. Platoons navigated through an obstacle course with 13 challenges. Soldiers fired 10 rounds from three different locations using their own service weapons during the combat pistol shoot lane. The vehicle identification lane tested the platoons’ abilities to identify 25 friendly and threatening vehicles while traversing through a course. Crews had to recover, hook up and tow vehicles while under a simulated chemical attack. Finally, multinational teams reacted to an improvised explosive device, assessed and treated a casualty, and requested a medical evacuation.
Here is some footage showing Italian Ariete tanks participating in the Strong Europe Tank Challenge event at Grafenwoehr Training Area. The SETC is co-hosted by U.S. Army Europe and the German Bundeswehr, May 10-13, 2016. The competition is designed to foster military partnership while promoting NATO interoperability. Seven platoons from six NATO nations are competing in SETC – the first multinational tank challenge at Grafenwoehr in 25 years.
Tank and AFV News 