South Korean armor on parade.
US Marines in Norway
February 19, 2016 by Leave a Comment
This video of US Marine Corps M1A1 tanks and Norwegian Leopard II tanks sliding around an icy track has been posted by various media sources. Most of the news stories have presented a shortened version with music focusing on the M1A1. These longer clips of US vehicles in Norway come from the AiirSource youtube page.
News from around the Net
February 17, 2016 by Leave a Comment
IHS Jane’s – Syrian military rolls out ‘missile jammers’
Syrian Arab Army (SAA) main battle tanks (MBTs), infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), and even armed pickup trucks have started to sport home-grown devices that are said to be able to defeat the types of anti-tank guided weapons (ATGWs) used by rebel forces, including US-made TOW missile systems.
Such a device was first noted by observers in early February when one was seen fitted in front of the crew hatches on the turret of a T-72 MBT. Since then further imagery has emerged showing similar devices installed on T-55 and T-62 MBTs, a BMP-1 IFV, and a pickup truck armed with a 23 mm ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun.
IHS Jane’s – Thailand outlines requirement for new main battle tanks
Thailand’s military government is planning the purchase of new main battle tanks (MBTs) after deliveries of on order Oplot MBTs from the Ukraine ran into difficulties.
IHS Jane’s understands that several MBT designs are under consideration including Russia’s UralVagonZavod T-90, the K1A1 built by South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem, and the MBT-3000 – also known as the VT-4 – made by China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO).
The Royal Thai Army (RTA) stated on 10 February that it will establish a procurement committee to acquire the MBTs but stressed that details about the procurement – including the number of tanks to be acquired – have not been finalised.
Defense News – Poland, Czech Republic to jointly make APC’s
Poland’s government is planning to cooperate with the Czech Republic to jointly acquire armored personnel carriers (APC) for the Polish Armed Forces. The program will be one of the priority military procurements that will be launched by Warsaw in the forthcoming months, according to Deputy Defense Minister Bartosz Kownacki.
Other planned acquisitions for the Polish military include unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and submarines with cruise missiles, Kownacki told pro-government daily Gazeta Polska Codziennie.
According to the deputy defense minister, the procurements will significantly bolster Poland’s deterrence capacity, and they will enable the transfer of new technologies to the country’s industry.
Video: Everything about made-in Ukraine Tanks
February 14, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Ukraine Today has released a new video called “Weapons: Everything about made-in Ukraine Tanks.” As might be expected, the video focuses on the T-64 MBT and has a rather pro-Ukraine tone.
Terrier CEV in the News
February 13, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Several news outlets have run articles in the past couple days about the British Terrier Combat Engineer Vehicle. The articles have focused on the introduction of a new telescopic investigation arm for the vehicle as well as it’s nickname of “Swiss army knife.” As is typical with mainstream news articles about AFVs, they Terrier is repeatedly referred to as a “tank” and a fair amount of hyperbole is used to describe the vehicle. An article from The Telegraph is fairly benign, aside from comparing the Terrier to a ‘Transformer.” New York Post claims that the Terrier “has more gadgets than the Batmobile.” The Daily Mail clearly fails to understand the role of a CEV, stating that the Terrier is “Capable of…causing wanton destruction in it’s wake, the British Army’s new battle tank looks like the stuff of Hollywood action films.” However, the award for most sensationalist reporting on the Terrier goes to Huffington Post UK for their headline “Terrier Vehicle Is The British Army’s Latest Terrifying Toy (But Where Will They Use Them?)”
For a more sober description of the Terrier, there is a video featuring Christopher Foss of IHS Janes describing the Terrier circa 2014.
Here is a video from October of last year showing some Terrier CEVs in the field.
And lastly, here is a video on the Terrier made by the manufacturer, BAE.
Photo of the Day 2/13/2016
February 13, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Two Abrams tanks of the 3rd Infantry division alongside a Leopard IIA4 tank of the Polish 10th Cavalry Brigade. More photos here.
M1 Abrams seen with Shia Militia
February 12, 2016 by 3 Comments
Multiple news sources are reporting on a recently released video which shows an M1 Abrams tank in the hands of Kata’ib Sayyid al Shuhada (KSS), an Iranian-backed Shia militia which operates in both Syria and Iraq. This is not the first time that an M1 Abrams has ended up in a video or photo put out by a Shiite militia. According to the blog Threat Matrix:
The Hezbollah Brigades, a US-designated foreign terrorist organization, showed an Abrams flying the Hezbollah Brigades flag earlier last year. Additionally, the group has also published two videos from Iraq’s Anbar province in which several US-made vehicles are used by its forces.
The Badr Organization, another Iranian-backed Shiite militia, has also publicized photos showing its forces in possession of an Abrams. These photos showed the militia with the tank, and at least one US AT-4 anti-tank rocket, near Saqlawiyah in Anbar last year.
The Abrams tank appears at the 16 second mark in the video.
Marine Corp “Floating Tanks”
February 11, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The website for the US Marine Corps has posted an article about M1 Abrams tanks being floated across a river on rafts of the 8th Engineer Support Battalion. There is a small photo series attached to the article with some nice shots of Marine Corps M1A1 tanks. See the full article and photos here.
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Through strong winds and choppy waters, Marines with Bridge Company, 8th Engineer Support Battalion, prepared for Operation Iron Blitz by providing support to 2nd Tank Battalion by operating rafts, which allowed the tanks to cross a body of water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Feb. 4, 2016.
Bridge Company operated two seven-bay raft systems which would each carry two tanks at the same time across New River. The operation allowed 2nd Tanks to cross the river in less than 15 minutes.
“This operation definitely increases the mobility [of a unit],” said 1st Lt. Walter Williams, a platoon commander with Bridge Company. “You will save your tanks from having to cross a civilian bridge and you can literally cross any body of water as long as the shore conditions are correct.”
Transporting tactical vehicles over open bodies of water is typically the preferred method of travel when the opportunity is afforded.
News Round Up
February 6, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Here are some AFV related news stories from the past week:
Janes IHS: More details emerge on new Chinese light tank
A recent Chinese report and the first close-up image have revealed details of a new light tank that first appeared on Chinese web pages in late 2011.
The popular Chinese web portal Sina.com published a report on the tank on 23 January, offering an assessment of its history and missions and providing new details of its armament and features.
Confirming previous reports that it weighs about 35 tonnes, the Sina.com report noted that the new vehicle continued the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA’s) interest in light tanks that started in the 1950s due to a requirement to negotiate the unprepared roads, low-capacity bridges and rice paddies then common in southern China. This led to the 21 ton e Type 62/WZ-131 in 1962.
The Jakarta Post: Pindad Begins Production of Badak Armored Vehicle
State-owned weapons producer PT Pindad is preparing to produce its latest type of light-armored vehicle, called a Badak, for the Indonesian Army.
“Vice President Jusuf Kalla has ordered 50 units of Badak for the Army, and we are preparing to start production,” Pindad president director Silmy Karim told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
Kalla visited Pindad in Bandung last week and ordered 50 units of Badak. Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu and Industry Minister Saleh Husin accompanied Kalla during the visit.
Interaksyon.com: Philippine Army to “Recycle” Old Scorpion Tanks
The Philippines will “recycle” its decommissioned Scorpion light reconnaissance tanks to bolster the Army’s existing fleet of armored vehicles.
The Defense Department recently signed a P888-million contract with Israeli defense manufacturer Elbit Systems Land and C41 to upgrade 24 of the Philippine Army’s M113 armored personnel carriers.
A major part of the project is the transfer of the Scorpion’s two-man turret, which is equipped with a 76mm cannon and a 7.62mm machine gun, onto the M113 — transforming it from a “battle taxi” into a fire support vehicle.
The upgraded M113 fire support vehicle will be equipped with new fire control and thermal imaging systems that will give the FSVs all-weather capability to detect and engage targets at longer distances as well as improve weapon accuracy.
RBTH.com: No Immediate Plans to Buy Russian Tanks – Thai Official
Thailand does not have any immediate plans to buy Russian tanks, Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Udomdej Sitabutra told Xinhua news.
Sitabutra dismissed media reports that the Royal Thai Army has plans to purchase T-14 Armata and T-90 main battle tanks from Russia.
“There has been no such thing as talk over any Russian tanks as far as the army was concerned,” Udomdej told the news agency.
Alf-Adams Photo Bucket
February 3, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Today we would like to spotlight the excellent online collection of armor photos by Alfred Adams. His photobucket page contains pictures of vehicles from around the world, including North America, the UK, France, Australia, Germany and the Golan Heights. The photos range through various time periods as well, with some being from as far back as the 1970’s. Expect to spend some time clicking through all the great images here. Click on the image below to go to the photobucket page.
Tank and AFV News 