We don’t know any details regarding this photo, but it appears to be an early model M4 Sherman modified to look like a German Panzer. We would guess this picture comes from a US training area in the South-West USA.
AFV News from around the Net
November 1, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Here are a few articles concerning AFVs that are circulating the internet today. These articles are a rather mixed bag in terms of quality. In particular, the Daily Mail piece on the Ajax comes off as a rather shoddy piece of journalism. That said, it’s bound to be read by a good many people so we figured it was worth pointing out. As always, click on the title to read the full article.
India Today – Army to have Russian T-90 tanks with ‘Make in India’ element as Pakistan threat looms large
The Indian Army plans to buy 464 advanced T-90 battle tanks from Russia for deployment on its western borders with Pakistan. The Rs 13,448-crore contract will include a Make-in-India element for integration at the Heavy Vehicles Factory in Avadi near Chennai. The 10 new regiments of T-90MS tanks, equipped with thermal imaging night sights to allow the tank commander to hit at enemy locations even during night battles, will strengthen army’s fire power along the land border stretch with Pakistan-from Jammu in north till the western flank in Gujarat.
The National Interest – America’s M60 Patton Tank: Can It Still Fight the World’s Best (At Over 50 Years Old)?
Just how far can you soup up a tank from the 1960s? The M60 Patton was the mainstay of the U.S tank fleet in the 1960s and 1970s, before being replaced by the M1 Abrams tank currently in service. However, more than five thousand Pattons remain in service in the armies of nineteen countries. Earlier this year, Raytheon unveiled its Service-Life Extension Package (SLEP) upgrade featuring a new engine, fire control system and 120-millimeter gun. This M60 SLEP is in competition with a pre-existing three-tier upgrade offered by Israel Military Industries for their M60 Sabra. Sabras in Turkish service, designated the M60T, are active on the battlefield of Northern Syria today, while older-model Pattons are fighting on both sides of the war in Yemen.
The Telegraph – British Army tank upgrade program could go abroad
A huge contract to modernize the British Army’s main battle tanks could see much of the work go abroad. The Ministry of Defense is updating its 227 Challenger 2 tanks with the digital capabilities needed to be an effective part of Britain’s military might, as well as extend their service lives. The Daily Telegraph understands military chiefs have now whittled down the bids to just two, who will each be asked to build a prototype vehicle as part of a final assessment phase. One of the groups is a consortium headed by BAE Systems and General Dynamics UK. Also involved are QinetiQ, Leonardo, Moog and Safran. The other joint venture is led by Germany’s Rheinmetall, which is working with Supacat, Thales UK and BMT.
Daily Mail – Army’s new £3.5bn mini-tanks are ‘DEATH traps’ that are only useful against ‘incompetent enemies’ who cannot hit them with heavy artillery
The Army’s new £3.5billion mini-tanks are ‘death traps’ that are only useful against ‘incompetent enemies’ who cannot hit them with heavy artillery, it is claimed. Hundreds of Ajax mini-tanks are due to be supplied to the Army next year with the full order of 600 delivered to the Ministry of Defense by 2024. Sources have claimed the delivery could be delayed due to complications with a revolutionary weapons system fitted on board each tank, although the MoD has insisted the project will be completed on time and will provide the ‘best’ tanks. Critics claim the ‘lightly armored’ tanks cannot stand up to heavy artillery and say the weaponry on board is not sufficient – with the gun having already ‘stopped working’ during foreign trials.
IHS Jane’s – NORINCO details VT5 lightweight MBT
China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO) debuted its VT5 lightweight main battle tank (MBT) at Airshow China 2016 in Zhuhai. The VT5 has been developed specifically for the export market and has a combat weight of between 33 and 36 tonnes, depending on the armour package fitted and measures 9.20 m (gun forward) in length, by 3.30 m (with side skirts) in width, and 2.50 m (turret roof) in height. The baseline hull and turret is all-welded steel armour to which a modular protection package can be fitted depending on the end user’s operational requirements. This can include advanced composite armour, explosive reactive armour (ERA), or a mix of the two.
Story of Zvika Greengold, hero of the Yom Kippur war, said to be false
October 30, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Back in August of 2015 we had linked to an article describing the actions of Zvika Greengold, an Israeli Medal of Valor recipient who was said to have single-handedly destroyed numerous Arab tanks during the Yom Kippur War. A new article in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz is making the claim that Greengold’s story was a tall tale spun to boost unit morale.
Excerpt:
A senior Israeli army officer who fought in the Yom Kippur War says he made up one of the most famous tales of Israeli heroism in that war, in an effort to boost morale.
In a report broadcast Friday night on Channel 2, Israel Defense Forces Brig. Gen. (res.) Yair Nafshi said he concocted the story about how IDF tank commander Lt. Zvika Greengold single-handedly destroyed dozens of Syrian tanks in the Golan Heights in October 1973, holding off the Syrian advance.
Nafshi, a battalion commander in the 188th Brigade in which Greengold also served, said he created the story in order to improve morale in the unit, which had lost a large number of troops in the war.
“We had to rebuild [the unit] from nothing. What did you want? We needed some kind of story,” said Nafshi.
Another officer interviewed for the report, Col. (res.) Amnon Sharon – who fought with Greengold and was taken prisoner by the Syrians – said that when he finally met up with him, Greengold made no mention of destroying the tanks. “The public needs to know the truth, so I can’t remain silent any longer,” said Sharon.
30mm Gun Turret Stryker Prototype Unveiled
October 30, 2016 by Leave a Comment
From a local news channel in the Detroit area comes this news report of the unveiling of the first prototype of the “Dragoon” Stryker vehicle with 30mm gun turret.
For more on this story, check out articles from ArmyTimes and Breaking Defense.
The Matilda Diaries Part 7
October 30, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The Tank Museum video series documenting the restoration of their Matilda II infantry tank continues in part 7.
An Unofficial High-speed Tour of The Tank Museum Bovington (Part 2)
October 28, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Nicholas “the Chieftain” Moran of World of Tanks continue his high-speed tour of the Tank Museum.
In case anyone is wondering which book the Chieftain is referring to when he talks about the British Covenantor, we suspect he is talking about A13 Cruiser Mk.V Covenanter: A Technical History by P.M. Knight.
Photo of the Day: Casting a Tank Hull
October 28, 2016 by 4 Comments
This rather dramatic picture is of the manufacturing process of a cast tank hull. While the photo does not have a caption, we think this is the hull of a Swiss PZ 61 or Pz 68 tank. If that is correct, then this photo would be of a facility of the George Fischer company of Schaffhausen.
Tank Museum discovers lost AA Milne poem hailing WWI invention of the tank
October 28, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The Telegraph of London is reporting on a long lost poem by Winnie the Pooh creator AA Milne on the invention of tanks during WWI. We had posted about this story last month as part of a “news around the net” style post, but we figured since it has come up in a major newspaper, the story merits mentioning again. Anyway, it’s not often that we get to post about poetry.
Excerpt:
A‘lost’ poem by Winnie the Pooh author AA Milne heralding the invention of the tank in World War One has been discovered.
The work was penned by the former soldier six years before he created the Pooh stories. It was for a fundraising performance to support the Tank Corps Prisoners of War Fund in November 1918.
The poem eulogises the new British weapon which Milne repeatedly describes as ‘those wonderful tanks’.
He writes how the tanks ‘will flatten a wood if the covers too good’ and how its guns ‘rat-tat-tat, as it opens on Fritz, and he runs like a rat’.
Full article here. Also, be sure to check out the Tank Muesum’s Tank 100 blog to read more about this story.
12th Armored museum’s tank mural gets a face-lift
October 28, 2016 by Leave a Comment
From the Abilene Reporter News comes this story about the restoration of a tank themed mural at the 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum. The article can be read here. For those curious about the 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum, check out their website here.
Picture of the Mural being repaired
Video about the 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum:
The Female Tankers in Somalia
October 28, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Foreign Policy.com has posted an article on the rather interesting story of the Ugandan female tankers serving as peace-keepers in Somalia. Hats off to these brave women.
Excerpt:
ARABISKA FORWARD OPERATING BASE, Somalia — It was 9:30 a.m., in a desolate corner of Somalia, and Lt. Cpl. Juliet Uwimana was taking her tank for a test drive. She and the rest of Uganda’s Battle Group 18 had been in the war-torn Lower Shabelle region for only a week, but already the Battle Group was on high alert.
Al-Shabab militants had overrun three similar forward-operating bases in the last year, killing more than 100 soldiers. They had also attacked dozens of other bases, including one just six miles from their post in Arabiska. But this morning was a quiet one — hence Uwimana’s test drive in the T-55 tank. She stood on a metal seat as the machine jerked forward, spewing smoke from its massive treads and rolling through sand so deep it threatened to swallow the vehicle whole.
Uwimana is one of roughly 500 women in the Ugandan contingent of AMISOM, the 17,000-strong African Union force tasked with battling al-Shabab and securing the troubled Horn of Africa nation so that a political process can take root. They serve as drivers, gunners, and technicians in the motorized infantry division — roles that women were barred from in the U.S. military until as recently as last year. But in Somalia, female peacekeepers have been serving in these positions for years.
Tank and AFV News 