Jane’s IHS is reporting that at the recent KADEX 16 (Kazakhstan Defense Expo), South Africa’s Paramount Group displayed its Mbombe 8 infantry fighting vehicle. This new 8×8 vehicle is called the Barys 8 in Kazakhstan and will be produced at a factory that Paramount has set up in Astana with a state-owned company under the Kazakstan Paramount Engineering (KPE) joint venture. The KPE plant currently produces a version of the Marauder 4×4 called the Arlan. The KPE plant is capable of producing the entire Mbombe/Barys family, which includes the original 4×4 vehicle and the 6×6 Mbombe 6 that has been ordered by Jordan, as well as the new 8×8. Paramount says the technology is being transferred to enable the factory to fabricate complete Arlan hulls, but major sub-systems such as engines and drive lines need to be imported. The vehicle on display was fitted with the Russian-made AU-220M unmanned turret armed with a 57 mm dual-feed cannon and a 7.62 mm co-axial machine gun. A wide range of other turrets and weapon stations could be integrated on the vehicle.
Video of the Day: Going to the Club
We don’t know the full story behind this video, but we are pretty sure this is probably not the best way to try to get into a club.
The Matilda Diaries Part 3
From the Tank Museum at Bovington comes part 3 of the Matilda Diaries, a video series showing the restoration of their Matilda II infantry tank.
Video of the Day: T-80 Upside Down
From Ruptly TV comes this youtube clip of an upside down T-80U. This vehicle fell off a towing vehicle and rolled onto its turret, as it was being transported in the area of Naro-Fominsk in Moscow province, Thursday. No injured were reported.
From the Vault: Six-Ton Tank
From the Nov-Dec 1968 issue of ARMOR we present this article by Konrad Schreier on the US Six-Ton Tank. The article may be viewed as individual images below or you can download the entire ARMOR issue as a PDF here (article starts on page 183 of PDF)
From Our Readers: Operation Priority
Reader “Amazing Ace” has submitted the latest version of his document “Operation Priority”, a guide to the different varieties of Renault FT-17 tanks. It can be downloaded as a PDF here.
Tank Warfare on the Eastern Front: An Interview with Robert Forczyk
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How did you end up as an Armor officer? Can you give us a brief description of your career?
I was commissioned from ROTC in 1983. Armor was my second choice, after Military Intelligence. However, in the early 1980s the US Army wanted more armor officers, not MI. When I got to Fort Knox, I took the Cavalry Officer’s Basic Course.
You mention in the intro of “Schwerpunkt” that you commanded an M60 in Korea in 1986. Did you spend your entire career as a tanker in the M60?
I was trained on both M-60A3 TTS and M-1, but spent my whole time as a tanker in battalions equipped with the M60A3 TTS. At Fort Knox, we got to compare both tanks on a daily basis and I came away with the impression that the M1 is better suited to offensive warfare (speed, firepower, protection), but the M60A3 is probably a better defensive tank (better fuel economy with its diesel engine).
Video of the Day: Unconvincing Movie “Tigers”
Here is a fairly humorous video of the day. This clip comes from the unforgivably atrocious 1977 film Achtung! The Desert Tigers. In this particular scene, a group is shown attacking a German tank column equipped with…M4 Sherman tanks with AMX-13 (FL-10) turrets. As far as we know, only Egypt operated such a vehicle. Interestingly, these vehicles also portray German tanks in the 1969 film “War Devils”, which you can watch in its entirety here if you feel like punishing yourself.
Argentina reveals TAM upgrade
Jane’s IHS is reporting that Argentina has revealed a new prototype of a modernized TAM tank. This vehicle is being developed in collaboration with Israel Military Industries (IMI), Elbit, and Tadiran. An initial prototype called the TAM 2C was introduced in 2013. This new version is called TAM 2IP and consists of a new armor package. The armor is based on IMI’s Iron Wall Design and can be added to any TAM tank, either modernized or not. The prototype was displayed during the Argentine Army Day celebrations on May 29.
Inside the Chieftain’s Hatch: M3 Grant part 2
Nicholas Moran of World of Tanks gives a look at the inside of the M3 Medium. We have been looking forward to this one.
Tank and AFV News 