Issue #3 of the online magazine The Armor Journal has been released. This issue features articles on the BTR-152, the Flakpanzer IV, The Lima Locomotive Works, the Mark VIII Liberty tank, book reviews and part II of an article on the Chieftain tank by Rob Griffin. All in all, a very nicely done magazine that is getting better with each issue. Check out their website here. They have also launched a kickstarter campaign to take the magazine from the digital realm into the world of print.
Issue #3 of The Armor Journal released
August 20, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Russia wins Tank Biathlon
August 19, 2015 by Leave a Comment
The Russian hosted “Tank Biathlon” concluded this past week and perhaps not unsurprisingly, the Russian team took first place. NBC News is reporting that Russia won in all 13 categories to remain undisputed champions in the two-week competition.. The host has also won every single challenge since the event’s inception in 2013. Seventeen countries participated this year, including China, India, Venezuela, Angola and Nicaragua. No Western nation participated and the tanks used in the competition were exclusively T-72B3 tanks with the single exception of China who brought their own Type 96A tank.
Below is a video from RT showing the final relay race event at the Alabino military training grounds.
T-90A tanks reportedly spotted in Ukraine
August 19, 2015 by 4 Comments
Ukraine Today is reporting that T-90A tanks have been identified operating near Luhansk in east Ukraine. If true, this would be evidence of Russian involvement in the fighting in Donbas. According to the article, Ukrainian activists on August 14-15 published photos of the Russian armor on their facebook page.
Frankly, we are not experts on modern Russian armor so we will leave it to others to correctly identify the exact model of the vehicles in these images. We are not vouching for the accuracy of this article, however we thought it was news worthy and will let the reader make up their own mind. Tank and AFV News is an apolitical site. We do not take any stance in regards to the situation in Ukraine, we are only interested in reporting on news relating directly to tanks and AFVs. Please be advised that comments of a political nature will not be approved.
Video: Sakal IFV (upgraded BMP-2)
August 16, 2015 by 1 Comment
This video is from the IDEb 2014 conference last year although it seems not to have been posted to the web until recently. The video shows the Czech Sakal IFV, a substantially upgraded BMP-2. Created by Czech arms manufacturer Excalibur Army, this vehicle features a number of improvements over the original BMP-2, details of which are available here.
Here is a video from Excalibur Army showing the exterior and interior of the Sakal.
Video: Norwegian Tank joins Bike Race
August 15, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Here is a short video of a Norwegian Leopard II temporarily joining the second leg of the Arctic Bike race.
Nicaragua to buy T-72?
August 15, 2015 by 1 Comment
ICR News is reporting that Nicaragua is seriously considering the purchase of T-72B3 tanks following its participation in the Russian hosted “World Tank Biathlon.” According to the article, Nicaraguan ambassador to Russia said that “We hope that soon our army will receive the T-72. I think we can discuss a purchase.” Ties between Russia and Nicaragua have been growing, including a visit to Nicaraqua by Russian President Putin last year. Currently, the heaviest AFV used by the Nicaraguan armed forces is the T-54/55, originally acquired via Bulgaria & Libya.
T-14 Armata stealth claims questioned by experts
August 12, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Jane’s has posted an article about how armor experts are sceptical over claims made by the manufacturer of the new Russian T-14 Armata that it is essentially invisible to radar. According to the article, the invisibility claim was made by the director of the Nizhi-Tagil-based UralVagonZavod (UVZ) plant, Vyacheslav Khalitov, on Ekho Moskvy radio on 3 July. Khalitov said the T-14’s hull is coated with special radar-absorbing paint and other materials and appliqués that make it difficult to be detected. The article quotes and unnamed retired US army flag-rank officer with experience in AFV development who states that “these claims would have to be proven. Placing heat-generating components ‘deep inside’ in the vehicle won’t help; modern thermal technology is very sensitive and when the tank is moved, or a weapon is fired, or a person is exposed, the thermal signature will light up. Plus, no matter where the engine is, when an engine big enough to move a 40- to 50-ton tank is fired up, it will have a signature.” The article also notes that Russian specialists familiar with radar signature reduction techniques said that most of the research in this area has been done with aircraft in mind and that the technology is not optimised for protecting ground targets.
War is Boring blog declares T-80 overrated
August 11, 2015 by 7 Comments
The blog War is Boring has posted an article declaring the T-80 to be Russia’s most overrated tank. For those interested in reading their analysis, you may do so here. The article has also appeared on the National Interest website with the even more inflammatory headline ” This is Why Russia’s T-80 Tank is a Total Disaster.” The article seems to basing it’s conclusions on the fact that the T-80 did not perform well during the 1994 Chechen war and that the T-80 was relatively expensive an suffered from high fuel consumption. Do these factors justify calling the vehicle a “total disaster?” In our opinion probably not.
AMX Leclerc deployed in combat in Yemen
August 10, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Jane’s has posted an article about how armored units from the UAE have spearheaded a breakthrough in the conflict in Yemen. The Emirati armored brigade helped pro-government forces push out from the southern port city of Aden and capture Al-Anad Air Base 48 km to the northwest. While the UAE did not publically announce the deployment of its armored forces in the conflict, it became apparent to astute observers that the vehicle types appearing in pictures indicated UAE involvement. By the end of July, BMP-3 IFVs had been filmed by AL-Jazeera and in early August, news footage showed Leclerc MBTs advancing in a column. Somewhat amusingly, one of the best quality videos that emerged of these Leclerc tanks is a clip from RT Ruptly which mistakenly identifies the vehicles as “Hundreds of Abraham M1 Abrams, provided by Saudi Arabia.” This represents the first use of the Leclerc MBT in combat, although it had been previously used in peace keeping missions Kosovo and Lebanon by French forces.
Also identified have been the SPG Denel G6. Video of this vehicle was taken during fighting for Anad airbase.
According to the Jane’s article, some of the Leclercs in Yemen are equipped with the AZUR urban warfare protection package. The UAE is known to have bought at least 13 AZUR kits, so the presence of Leclercs without the additional armor suggests a second battalion has been deployed to Yemen. The Leclerc tanks operated by the UAE are known as the “tropicalised” variant, differing from French Army Leclerc in that the UAE vehicles have a MTU MT883 engine and Renk transmission rather than the French SACM V8X Hyperbar engine and SESM ESM 500 transmission.
Photo gallery of UAE armored vehicles in Yemen
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- Leclerc with AZUR armor kit
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- Leclerc without AZUR kit
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- Leclerc
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- Leclerc
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- Leclerc DNG armored recovery vehicle
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- Leclerc DNG armored recovery vehicle
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- BMP-3
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- BMP-3
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- BMP-3
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- BMP-3
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- One of the first images of the Leclerc in Yemen, August 2
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- G6 self-propelled howitzer
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- G6 self-propelled howitzer
Armata themed food truck?
August 9, 2015 by 4 Comments
These pictures were brought to our attention in a forum recently. Apparently the Russians are so excited about the Armata that they are painting them on the side of food trucks? Anyone care to translate the text on the truck for us?
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