The Mirror is reporting that the British Army has twice as many horses than tanks currently. Obviously, these horses are not used in actual military service but rather are for ceremonial purposes. The Mirror is a tabloid and the article is written in a rather sensationalist style, including a rather ridiculous online poll asking people “What would you rather ride into battle, a tank or a horse?” That said, the article does point out the effects that budget cuts have had on the British Military, which currently has a total number of 227 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks with another 141 Challenger variants in use. The article notes that currently there are 485 horses in service with the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, the Household Division and at the Defence Animal Centre.
British Army has twice as many horses than tanks
Armata tank purportedly filmed
International Business Times is reporting that the new Russian tank Armata has purportedly shown up in a video released on Monday. According to the article, the video was uploaded to YouTube by a user named Alexander Smirnov, who captured the video at an undisclosed location using a handheld video camera from the drivers seat of a vehicle. The actual type of tank in the video has yet to be verified. The article notes that Oleg Siyenko, general director of Uralvagonzavod, which developed the Armata system, told ITAR-TASS that “a whole family of armored vehicles based on the Armata platform” would be displayed at this year’s Victory Day parade. Still photos of vehicles purported to be Armara tanks are available here.
David Fletcher’s Tank Chats #3: Medium Tank MkII
The Tank Museum has released the third of their Tank Chats videos featuring British tank historian David Fletcher. This episode looks at the 1920’s era British Medium Tank MkII.
Articles on Nicholas Moran, WoT’s “The Chieftain”
Military Times has published two new articles about Wargamming’s North American tank researcher and “chief evangelist” Nicholas Moran, aka The Chieftain. One article focuses on Moran’s role as an employee of Wargamming. It also looks at “The Chieftain’s Hatch” section of the World of Tanks forum where Moran publishes articles based on his research. Here is one of the more interesting excerpts from the article:
He sees part of his mission at Wargaming as helping dispel myths and misconceptions — perpetuated mostly by movies — about armored warfare during World War II.
Consider the M4 Sherman tank, he says, long disparaged as the scrappy, if inadequate, answer to the Nazis’ armored divisions. [Read more…]
Government settles with Journalists whose cameras were seized outside M1 Abrams plant
The Toledo Blade is reporting that the Government has reached an agreement to pay $18,000 in damages to the Toledo Blade after two of their reporters had their cameras seized and were briefly detained by security after taking pictures outside the Lima Ohio General Dynamics Joint Systems Manufacturing Center. This is the location where the M1 Abrams MBT is produced. The reporters were taking pictures of the plant from the street, which were intended for use as stock pictures for business articles. The confiscation of the film was done by US Army personnel under the command of TACOM, not by General Dynamics employees. Oddly enough, there is no shortage of pictures of the tank plant online. Full article here.
Video of armor repair facility in east Ukraine
Earlier this week AFP posted a video showing a facility in the Ukraine were battered military armor is repaired by Ukrainian separatists.
Christopher Foss on Hyundai K2 MBT
Here is a video of Jane’s reporter Christopher Foss describing the Hyundai K2 MBT, a model of which was on display at the IDEX conference.
Christopher Foss on Leclerc MBT
Here is a video of Jane’s reporter Christopher Foss describing the Leclerc MBT on display at the IDEX conference. This particular vehicle is the “tropicalized” version of the tank.
20 mph speed limit for UK armor causes traffic jams, affects crew and vehicles
The Telegraph is reporting that British Army battle tanks will be able to drive at 40 mph on public roads, reversing a change implemented 18 months ago that cut the speed limit for tracked vehicles to 20 mph. These changes were in response to concerns that drivers are attempting dangerous maneuvers when stuck behind a slow-moving military convoy. Tank crews are expected to train regularly on the highway in preparation for active service. Army records show that between November 2013 and July 2014, there were 36 near-misses caused by motorists attempting to overtake slow-moving armored convoys. The article notes that travelling at 20 mph on road is not idea for British crews and vehicles, stating that trainee tank crews had reported a range of “mild physiological effects” including pins and needles and joint aches after slow road driving. According to the article, travel at 20 mph creates vibrations within a “resonance frequency band” that is at a higher level than is ideal for the human body. Full article here.
British “Bulldog” to be in service 70 years
The Daily Express is reporting that the FV432 “Bulldog” armored personnel carrier will remain in service until 2030. Replying to a parliamentary question by Lord Stevens of Ludgate, the Ministry of Defense said that it had 883 of the vehicles and pointed out they were given an upgrade in 2006. According to the article, an MoD spokesman said: “It proved its worth on operations in Iraq and huge improvements including power upgrades and enhanced armor protection mean more performance, reliability and endurance on the battlefield.” The article states that by 2030, the Bulldog will be one of the oldest pieces of equipment in NATO. Original article here.
Tank and AFV News 