People don’t typically think of snow when they think of Israeli armor. However, here is a picture of a Merkava MBT and a Pereh ATGM tank in the snow.
UK report on armor quality of Panther, Tiger tanks
April 17, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Three British reports on the quality of German armor plate on the Panther, Tiger and Tiger II tanks have been making the rounds in the internet forums lately. The reports are available on Google photos where they can be viewed and downloaded. Due to the length of these reports and work responsibilities, we have not had a chance to go through these reports in great detail or provide any typed transcripts. However, from reading the conclusions it seems the British were generally more impressed with the armor quality on the Tiger than the Panther, which they found to be brittle.
Click on the links below to view the reports.
Comprehensive Firing Trials against German Panther Pz. Kw. V.
Firing Trial against German Tiger Pz. KW. VI
Armour Quality & Vulnerability of Royal Tiger
Tank Talk: The British Mark V Star
April 17, 2016 by 1 Comment
In this episode, Len Dyer of the National Armor and Cavalry Restoration Center discusses the World War I era British tank, the Mark V Star.
Media praise for “Beast of Hit”
April 14, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Several articles have appeared in the US media praising a U.S.-trained Iraqi crew working with a U.S.supplied M1A1 Abrams tank now known as the “Beast.” This particular tank played a major role in taking and clearing the town of Hit in western Anbar province of ISIS fighters and was singled out for praise by US military spokesman Col. Steve Warren. According to Warren, “The “Beast” was one of three Iraqi Abrams tanks backing Iraqi forces as they entered Hit but the two other tanks broke down. The Beast’s crew have been awarded the “Hero of the Day” award several days running, which is apparently something being given by the US to Iraqi troops fighting in Hit.
For more on this story click on this article from Military.com.
Photo of the Day: Canadian Leopard in the Mud
April 14, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Here is a picture of a Canadian Leopard 2 bogged down in some Afghanistan mud.
This does not look like fun.
Video: Japanese Type 74 and Type 10 tank
April 14, 2016 by Leave a Comment
This video recently was posted in the tank videos thread at tank-net.com. It shows a Japanese Type 10 and Type 74 tank performing for a crowd. Early in the video, both tanks use their hydropneumatic suspensions to bow to the audience. The rest of the video consists of the new Type 10 tank demonstrating it’s superior mobility against the much older Type 74.
Engineering version of Namer APC
April 14, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The site IsraelDefense has posted about a new version of the IDF Namer intended for combat engineering forces. According to the post, operational testing of the vehicle has begun at the Bahalatz 14 Military Combat Engineering School. Three versions of the engineering Namer have been developed, one with a bulldozer scoop, one with breaching abilities, and one with towing and bridging abilities. The post notes that all new Namer APC’s are equipped with the Trophy active defense system, providing protection against anti-tank missiles. Currently, IDF engineering vehicles include the Puma,which is based on the venerable British Centurion tank.
Iranian Tiam battle tank
April 13, 2016 by 1 Comment
Defense Blog has posted about a new Iranian tank called the Tiam. This tank is described as an optimized version of the Sabalan tank. The Sabalan is a heavily modified US M47M tank. The M47M was a version of the M47 never used by the US military but only offered as an export vehicle. It consisted of an M47 with the engine and fire control elements of an M60A1. According to the website Military-Today, 400 of these tanks were provided to Iran, of which almost 170 are still operational. The Sabalan has a heavily modified or new turret mounting a 105mm gun, whereas the original M47M had a 90mm gun. The new Tiam appears to have a similar hull to the Sabalan but a smaller, different shaped turret. The Defense Blog post notes that the Tiam is armed with the M68 105mm gun and a new fire control system. It also appears from the available photos that it is equipped with some sort of ERA.
Tiam tank
Sabalan tank.
Inside the Chieftain’s Hatch: Sentinel Part 2
April 12, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Part 2 of the Inside the Chieftain’s Hatch video featuring Nicholas Moran on the Australian Cruiser Mk 1.
Photo of the Day: Centurion in Chains
April 12, 2016 by Leave a Comment
This photo from 1976 shows a Swedish Centurion tank equipped with hanging chain standoff armor. More pictures of this vehicle available here. Modern Israeli Merkava tanks employ a similar chain system on the back of their turrets.
Tank and AFV News 