1.
Russian Army
–
The Ground Forces of the Russian Federation are the land forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formed from parts of the collapsing Soviet Army in 1992. The formation of these forces posed economic challenges after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the primary responsibilities of the Ground Forces are the protection of the state borders, combat on land, the security of occupied territories, and the defeat of enemy troops. The Ground Forces must be able to achieve goals both in nuclear war and non-nuclear war, especially without the use of weapons of mass destruction. Furthermore, they must be capable of protecting the interests of Russia within the framework of its international obligations. The Main Command of the Ground Forces is officially tasked with the objectives, The training of troops for combat. The improvement of troops structure and composition, and the optimization of their numbers, the development of military theory and practice. The development and introduction of training manuals, tactics. The improvement of operational and combat training of the Ground Forces, the newly re-emergent Russia retained most of the ranks of the Soviet Army, with some minor changes. The principal difference from the usual Western style is some variation in generals rank titles—in at least one case, Colonel General, the gallery below shows a selection of insignia, common to the Ground Forces – LF. As the Soviet Union dissolved, efforts were made to keep the Soviet Armed Forces as a military structure for the new Commonwealth of Independent States. The last Minister of Defence of the Soviet Union, Marshal Yevgeny Shaposhnikov, was appointed commander of the CIS Armed Forces in December 1991. Among the numerous treaties signed by the republics, in order to direct the transition period, was a temporary agreement on general purpose forces. Thirty-seven divisions had to be withdrawn from the four groups of forces and the Baltic States, some idea of the scale of the withdrawal can be gained from the division list. For the dissolving Soviet Ground Forces, the withdrawal from the former Warsaw Pact states and the Baltic states was a demanding, expensive. However, the facilities in those districts were inadequate to house the flood of personnel and equipment returning from abroad, the need for destruction and transfer of large amounts of weaponry under the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe also necessitated great adjustments. The Ministry of Defence newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda published a plan on 21 July 1992. Later one commentator said it was put together by the General Staff to satisfy the public demand for radical changes. The General Staff, from that point, became a bastion of conservatism, the reform plan advocated a change from an Army-Division-Regiment structure to a Corps-Brigade arrangement
Russian Army
–
Tactical exercises of Radiological, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops units at Shikhani training ground (410-25)
Russian Army
–
Emblem of the Russian Ground Forces
Russian Army
–
BMP Kurganets-25
Russian Army
2.
Main battle tank
–
A main battle tank, also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the armor-protected direct fire and maneuver role of many modern armies. Through the 1960s, the MBT replaced almost all other tanks, today, main battle tanks are considered a key component of modern armies. Modern MBTs seldom operate alone, as they are organized into armoured units which involve the support of infantry and they are also often supported by surveillance or ground-attack aircraft. In World War I, tanks were classed into light, medium, and heavy based on weight, as tank combat evolved, tank design suffered from a number of limitations due largely to engine power and transmission capability. A designer could produce a tank with high maneuverability, armour, or a large gun, the first prioritised maneuverability, and thus had a limit on weight. These were known variously as cavalry tanks, light tanks, medium tanks and these tanks had different uses depending on the countrys tank doctrine but were generally used to exploit holes in the enemy lines and run far into the rear areas in self-supporting armoured groups. This would disrupt enemy logistics and command-and-control, as well as delay the movement of reserves to the front and it was believed operations of this sort would undermine or completely destroy the ability for the front-line troops to continue the battle. The second class prioritised armour and thus weighed more, limiting maneuverability and these were known as infantry tanks, heavy tanks, or assault tanks. They were generally designed to assault enemy lines, working in concert with front-line infantry, as these were expected to move forward at the same speed as the men, higher speeds were not required and the engine power could instead be used to carry a much greater load. Infantry tanks featured much larger amounts of armour, heavier guns, as the nature of tank warfare evolved, tanks designed for other specialised roles also saw development. This included dedicated tank destroyers, and engineer tanks such as Hobarts Funnies, Tank destroyers had varied successes and often ended up engaging enemy infantry instead of their intended targets. German assault gun armoured vehicles like the Sturmgeschütz III were found effective in an anti-tank role, in spite of a great amount of theory and pre-war testing, the plans for armoured combat quickly proved themselves outdated. The battlefield did not bog down like it did in World War I and this was especially evident in the great sweeping battles in North Africa and the Soviet Union, where armoured forces executed drives of hundreds of miles. In these cases the problems with having two became especially evident, the tanks able to go toe-to-toe with the enemy were generally found miles to the rear. Those able to maintain the drive were lightly armoured and proved easy prey for enemy anti-tank guns, as these evolved, the tanks own weapons had to grow larger in order to deal with enemy tanks with the same level of armour. This evolution led to the development of a more general-purpose medium tank, medium tanks formed the bulk of the tank combat forces. Generally, these designs massed about 25-30 tonnes, were armed with cannons around 75 mm, notable examples include the Soviet T-34, the German Panzer IV, and the US M4 Sherman. The widespread production of designs led to most others being pushed out of service or into niche roles
Main battle tank
–
German Army Leopard 2 A5 main battle tanks in August 2010
Main battle tank
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Centurion Mk 3
Main battle tank
–
Soviet T-64 undergoing decontamination
Main battle tank
–
A very early model M60 "Patton" with M48 turret and 105mm cannon
3.
Russian Ground Forces
–
The Ground Forces of the Russian Federation are the land forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formed from parts of the collapsing Soviet Army in 1992. The formation of these forces posed economic challenges after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the primary responsibilities of the Ground Forces are the protection of the state borders, combat on land, the security of occupied territories, and the defeat of enemy troops. The Ground Forces must be able to achieve goals both in nuclear war and non-nuclear war, especially without the use of weapons of mass destruction. Furthermore, they must be capable of protecting the interests of Russia within the framework of its international obligations. The Main Command of the Ground Forces is officially tasked with the objectives, The training of troops for combat. The improvement of troops structure and composition, and the optimization of their numbers, the development of military theory and practice. The development and introduction of training manuals, tactics. The improvement of operational and combat training of the Ground Forces, the newly re-emergent Russia retained most of the ranks of the Soviet Army, with some minor changes. The principal difference from the usual Western style is some variation in generals rank titles—in at least one case, Colonel General, the gallery below shows a selection of insignia, common to the Ground Forces – LF. As the Soviet Union dissolved, efforts were made to keep the Soviet Armed Forces as a military structure for the new Commonwealth of Independent States. The last Minister of Defence of the Soviet Union, Marshal Yevgeny Shaposhnikov, was appointed commander of the CIS Armed Forces in December 1991. Among the numerous treaties signed by the republics, in order to direct the transition period, was a temporary agreement on general purpose forces. Thirty-seven divisions had to be withdrawn from the four groups of forces and the Baltic States, some idea of the scale of the withdrawal can be gained from the division list. For the dissolving Soviet Ground Forces, the withdrawal from the former Warsaw Pact states and the Baltic states was a demanding, expensive. However, the facilities in those districts were inadequate to house the flood of personnel and equipment returning from abroad, the need for destruction and transfer of large amounts of weaponry under the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe also necessitated great adjustments. The Ministry of Defence newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda published a plan on 21 July 1992. Later one commentator said it was put together by the General Staff to satisfy the public demand for radical changes. The General Staff, from that point, became a bastion of conservatism, the reform plan advocated a change from an Army-Division-Regiment structure to a Corps-Brigade arrangement
Russian Ground Forces
–
Tactical exercises of Radiological, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops units at Shikhani training ground (410-25)
Russian Ground Forces
–
Emblem of the Russian Ground Forces
Russian Ground Forces
–
BMP Kurganets-25
Russian Ground Forces
4.
Uralvagonzavod
–
Uralvagonzavod is a Russian machine building company located in Nizhny Tagil, Russia. It is one of the largest scientific and industrial complexes in Russia, the full name of the company is Open Joint Stock Company “Research and Production Corporation “Uralvagonzavod”. It is a limited company. The name Уралвагонзавод means Ural Railroad Car Factory, the plant was built during 1931-1936, launched on October 11,1936, and named after Felix Dzerzhinsky. After the German invasion of 1941, Stalin ordered hundreds of factories in Ukraine, the KhPZ Factory No.183 in Kharkiv was moved to Nizhny Tagil by rail, and merged with the Dzerzhinsky Works, to form the Stalin Ural Tank Factory No.183. During the second world war it became the largest producer of tanks in the world, after the war, tank production was scaled down, and part of the Vagonkas manufacturing and design assets were transferred back to Kharkivs Diesel Factory No.75 during 1945–51. It also manufactures Russias newest Main Battle Tank, the T-14 Armata and its gradual privatization was planned, beginning in 2006. As of December 27,2016, UVZ has been transferred to Rostec, the companys main products include railway cars, tanks, road-building vehicles, agricultural vehicles, metallurgical products, tools and consumer goods. Production of T-90 main battle tanks accounts for 18–20% of the overall production. In 2008, Uralvagozavod produced about 175 tanks,62 T-90A for the Russian Ministry of Defence,60 T-90S for India and this represents the highest level of tank production at Uralvagonzavod and in Russia as a whole since 1993. Railway cars and other civilian production amounted to 2/3 of the overall output in 2008. In 2011, the revenue was $3 billion, and net profit was $0.33 billion
Uralvagonzavod
–
UralVagonZavod headquarters in
Nizhny Tagil,
SVE
Uralvagonzavod
–
Uralvagonzavod tram at
Innoprom industrial exhibit
Uralvagonzavod
–
Indian Army T-90
5.
Vehicle armour
–
Military vehicles are commonly armoured to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets, missiles or shells, protecting the personnel inside from enemy fire. Such vehicles include armoured fighting vehicles like tanks, aircraft and ships, civilian vehicles may also be armoured. These vehicles include cars used by reporters, officials and others in conflict zones or where violent crime is common, armoured cars are also routinely used by security firms to carry money or valuables to reduce the risk of highway robbery or the hijacking of the cargo. Armour may also be used in vehicles to protect from other than a deliberate attack. Some spacecraft are equipped with specialised armour to protect them against impacts from micrometeoroids or fragments of space junk, the design and purpose of the vehicle determines the amount of armour plating carried, as the plating is often very heavy and excessive amounts of armour restrict mobility. In order to decrease this problem, some new materials and material compositions are being researched which include buckypaper, rolled homogeneous armour is strong, hard, and tough. Steel with these characteristics is produced by processing cast steel billets of appropriate size, rolling and forging irons out the grain structure in the steel, removing imperfections which would reduce the strength of the steel. Aluminium is used when weight is a necessity. It is most commonly used on APCs and armoured cars, wrought iron was used on ironclad warships. Early European iron armour consisted of 10 to 13 cm of wrought iron backed by up to one meter of solid wood, titanium is roughly the weight of aluminium, but as strong as iron. So despite being rather expensive, it finds an application in areas where weight is a concern, such as personal armour, because of its high density, depleted uranium can also be used in tank armour, sandwiched between sheets of steel armour plate. Plastic metal was a type of vehicle armour originally developed for merchant ships by the British Admiralty in 1940, the original composition was described as 50% clean granite of half-inch size, 43% of limestone mineral, and 7% of bitumen. It was typically applied in a two inches thick and backed by half an inch of steel. Plastic armour could be applied by pouring it into a cavity formed by the backing plate. Bulletproof glass is a term for glass that is particularly resistant to being penetrated when struck by bullets. The industry generally refers to it as bullet-resistant glass or transparent armour, bullet-resistant glass is usually constructed using a strong but transparent material such as polycarbonate thermoplastic or by using layers of laminated glass. The desired result is a material with the appearance and light-transmitting behaviour of standard glass, the polycarbonate layer, usually consisting of products such as Armormax, Makroclear, Cyrolon, Lexan or Tuffak, is often sandwiched between layers of regular glass. The use of plastic in the laminate provides impact-resistance, such as physical assault with a hammer, the plastic provides little in the way of bullet-resistance
Vehicle armour
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The British
Fox CVR(W) was built largely of aluminum.
Vehicle armour
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Ballistic test of a bullet-resistant glass panel
Vehicle armour
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Plasan Sand Cat light (5t) military vehicle featuring integrated composite armoured body
Vehicle armour
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T-34 with appliqué armour welded on.
6.
Autoloader
–
In armored warfare, an autoloader or auto-loader is a mechanical aid or replacement for the personnel that load ordnance into crew-served weapons, such as tanks and artillery. The term is only applied to larger weapons that would otherwise have a dedicated person or persons loading them. It can and often replace a human loader. By automating the process, it can streamline and speed up the loading process. Also, since an autoloader can take up less volume inside a tank than a human, it allows for a lower profile. Autoloaders are mechanical devices, and therefore their reliability depends on how well they are designed, manufactured, autoloaders were developed at the beginning of World War II. Their first combat use was in aircraft such as the 75 mm caliber Bordkanone BK7,5 cannon-equipped Henschel Hs 129 B-3. Every Soviet- and Russian-derived tank since the T-64 main battle tank has used an autoloader and their use has been mostly shunned by American and British tanks, although the American T22 medium tank was one of the first to use an autoloader. In the modern era, autoloading is common on any large naval gun, the size of the shells, when combined with the more elaborate autoloading facilities available in the wider spaces of a ship, makes an autoloader much faster than human loaders. For example, the US 5/38 Mark 12 can load about 20 rounds per minute, the Soviet/Russian AK-130, using autoloading, can achieve up to 40 rounds per barrel per minute. The Italian 127 mm/5 Compact has similar performance, both weapons achieved a rate of fire of 12 rounds per barrel per minute, compared to 3-4 rounds per minute for the preceding hand-loaded weapons. The advent of jet aircraft, and the rate of required to engage them. Development of the systems was often problematic, and reliability was seriously compromised in many cases. The US 5/54 Mark 42 was derated from 40 rounds per minute to 34 to improve reliability, the Soviet/Russian AK-130 was so badly delayed that the missile cruiser Kirov was forced to use two older weapons in its place. The US 3/70 Mark 37 actually spent more time in design than in service due to severe unreliability and these problems are largely of the past and the field has advanced a great deal. A modern autoloader for a 120–125 mm caliber weapon in good condition can achieve about 10–12 rounds per minute and this rating may or may not include the time required to bring the gun to the appropriate loading angle and then bringing it back up to firing angle after loading. This is fast, but not quite as fast as a human loader, on the other hand, the very newest autoloaders claim to match this rate of fire. Furthermore, it is considered atypical to engage more than a few targets per minute in a tank, the autoloader may also have an advantage while travelling over rough terrain that may jar a human loader enough to disrupt his loading cycle
Autoloader
–
The American
Mobile Gun System autoloader holds up to 18 rounds.
7.
Kord machine gun
–
The Kord-12.7 mm heavy machine gun is a Russian design that entered service in 1998 replacing the older NSV machine gun. Externally the weapon resembles the NSV, however, the mechanism has been extensively reworked. Additionally the gas system has changed and the muzzle baffle redesigned. These changes give the reduced recoil compared with the NSV. The catalyst for the development of the weapon was a lack of any heavy machine guns in construction at that time in the Russian Federation. Prior to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the weapon that had functioned as the machine gun was the NSV. The main production centre for the NSV was located in what is now Kazakhstan, the weapon has also been chambered to handle the.50 BMG cartridge for export sales. The weapon employs new construction, and consequently is significantly lighter than its predecessor, the firing mechanism is very rugged, yet is capable of a greater rate of fire and significantly less recoil. Because a new barrel made of a high-tech alloy minimizes distortion and drop, unlike its predecessor, it may be fired from a bipod — a rather unusual feature for 12.7 mm/.50 caliber heavy machine guns. Its relatively light weight and lesser recoil allows stronger soldiers to move the gun around without assistance, 6P49, Baseline variant for vehicle mounting. Bipod provides +/-15° range of traverse, 6P50-3, Infantry version on a 6U16 multipurpose mount. Casing ejection is to the right side, 6P51, Co-axial version with left-hand feed system and forward casing ejection. List of Russian weaponry Koll, Christian, Soviet Cannon - A Comprehensive Study of Soviet Arms and Ammunition in Calibres 12. 7mm to 57mm. Degtyarev Plant – official site Modern Firearms Image of Kord on Tripod
Kord machine gun
–
Kord machine gun displayed at the Interpolitex-2011
8.
PKTM machine gun
–
The PK, is a 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun designed in the Soviet Union and currently in production in Russia. The original PK machine gun was introduced in 1961 and then the improved PKM in 1969 to replace the SGM and it remains in use as a front-line infantry and vehicle-mounted weapon with Russias armed forces. The PK has been exported extensively and produced in other countries under license. The Main Artillery Directorate of the Soviet Union adopted specification requirements for a 7.62 mm general-purpose company- and battalion-level machine gun, in 1958 a machine gun prototype, developed by G. I. Nikitin and Yuri M. Sokolov, successfully passed field tests, when the Nikitin-Sokolov machine gun was almost completed, a team of Izhevsk Mechanical Plant designers, headed by M. T. Kalashnikov, and further consisting of M. T, pushchin, A. D. Kryakushin, as well as Startsev, Kamzolov, Koryakovtsev, Yuferev, joined the competition. Their machine gun prototype was based on the well-proven gas-operated rotary-bolt design of the Kalashnikov-pattern arms, the Main Missiles and Artillery Directorate and the Ministry of the Defence Industry preferred the Kalashnikov design. The Kalashnikov design was found to be reliable and cheaper to manufacture than the design of Grigory Nikitin. The PK/PKS was put into production at the Kovrov Mechanical Plant and used the tripod mount, nikitins and Sokolovs machine gun design was later used in the 12.7 mm NSV heavy machine gun that was put into production in 1971. The original PK was a development of Kalashnikovs AKM assault rifle, the PK uses the 7. 62×54mmR Eastern Bloc standard cartridge that produces significantly more bolt thrust when compared to the Eastern Bloc 7. 62×39mm and 5. 45×39mm intermediate cartridges. The bolt and carrier design are similar to the AK-47 and other modernized Kalashnikov-pattern weapons, the bolt and bolt carrier are however oriented upside down compared to the AKM, with the piston and gas system being underneath the barrel. The rimmed 7. 62×54mmR cartridges are set in an ammunition belt. The belt is mounted from the side into the feedway of the PK machine gun. The PK uses a charging handle on the right side of the receiver to charge the gun. The breech is locked by a bolt, with two locking lugs engaging locking recesses in the receiver. The gas piston is hinged lo the bolt assembly. The protruding rear part of the carrier assembly features spiral shaped cuts. The mainspring is accommodated in the carrier assembly slide channel
PKTM machine gun
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PKM general-purpose machine gun with modern black polymer furniture and a 100-round ammunition box
PKTM machine gun
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Front to back: PKM prototype, model of Shpitalniy tank machine gun prototype, TKB-264
PKTM machine gun
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Rear iron sight element on a PKM receiver
PKTM machine gun
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Mongolian soldier with a PKM with a side-rail bracket mounted passive night sight (Polish 2.3× PCS-5)
9.
Automatic gearbox
–
The number of forward gear ratios is often expressed for manual transmissions as well. The most popular form found in automobiles is the automatic transmission. Similar but larger devices are used for heavy-duty commercial and industrial vehicles. This system uses a coupling in place of a friction clutch. These systems have a set of gear ranges, often with a parking pawl that locks the output shaft of the transmission to keep the vehicle from rolling either forward or backward. Some machines with limited speed ranges or fixed engine speeds, such as forklifts and lawn mowers. Despite superficial similarity to other transmissions, traditional automatic transmissions differ significantly in internal operation and drivers feel from semi-automatics and CVTs. In contrast to conventional automatic transmissions, a CVT uses a belt or other torque transmission scheme to allow a number of gear ratios instead of a fixed number of gear ratios. A semi-automatic retains a clutch like a transmission, but controls the clutch through electrohydraulic means. The ability to shift gears manually, often via paddle shifters, can also be found on certain automated transmissions, semi-automatics, the obvious advantage of an automatic transmission to the driver is the lack of a clutch pedal and manual shift pattern in normal driving. This allows the driver to operate the car with as few as two limbs, allowing amputees and other disabled individuals to drive, the automatic transmission was invented in 1921 by Alfred Horner Munro of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, and patented under Canadian patent CA235757 in 1923. Being a steam engineer, Munro designed his device to use compressed air rather than hydraulic fluid and they were incorporated into GM-built tanks during World War II and, after the war, GM marketed them as being battle-tested. However, a Wall Street Journal article credits ZF Friedrichshafen with the invention, zFs origins were in manufacturing gears for airship engines beginning in 1915, the company was founded by Ferdinand von Zeppelin. Modern automatic transmissions can trace their origins to an early horseless carriage gearbox that was developed in 1904 by the Sturtevant brothers of Boston and this unit had two forward speeds, the ratio change being brought about by flyweights that were driven by the engine. At higher engine speeds, high gear was engaged, as the vehicle slowed down and engine RPM decreased, the gearbox would shift back to low. Unfortunately, the metallurgy of the time wasnt up to the task, and owing to the abruptness of the gear change, the next significant phase in the automatic transmissions development occurred in 1908 with the introduction of Henry Fords remarkable Model T. The pedals actuated the transmissions friction elements to select the desired gear, in 1934, both REO and General Motors developed semi-automatic transmissions that were less difficult to operate than a fully manual unit. These designs, however, continued to use a clutch to engage the engine with the transmission, parallel to the development in the 1930s of an automatically shifting gearbox was Chryslers work on adapting the fluid coupling to automotive use
Automatic gearbox
–
An 8-gear automatic transmission
Automatic gearbox
–
Cutaway showing the typical positioning of an automatic transmission from the interior of an automobile
Automatic gearbox
–
A cutaway of an
8-speed ZF 8HP showing the major stages of a hydraulic automatic transmission: the
torque converter (left), the
planetary gearsets and
clutch plates (center), as well as hydraulic and electronic controls (bottom).
Automatic gearbox
–
A floor selection lever in a 1992
Ford Escort showing the P-R-N-[D]-D-L modes as well as the shift lock button on the top of the lever
10.
List of modern armoured fighting vehicles
–
Hunnicutt, R. P. Firepower, A History of the American Heavy Tank
List of modern armoured fighting vehicles
–
Leclerc main battle tank
List of modern armoured fighting vehicles
–
Panhard M3 VTT
List of modern armoured fighting vehicles
–
BDX used by the
Belgian Gendarmerie.
List of modern armoured fighting vehicles
–
CV9030
11.
Chonma-ho
–
The Chŏnma-ho or spelled as Chonma-ho is one of North Koreas secretive indigenous main battle tank designs. The tank is known by the name of 천리마 전차. The original Chŏnma-ho is based on the Soviet T-62, there are at least five different operational versions of the Chŏnma-ho. Since its inception, the Chŏnma-ho has apparently undergone several extensive upgrades, after the Armistice Agreement of the Korean War in 1953, North Korea found itself in need of much more modern equipment. Prior to the start of hostilities, North Korea had acquired 379 T-34s from the Soviet Union. According to a report to the United States Congress in 2000 and this means that between the years 1954 and 2000 the North Koreans were able to stockpile over 2,000 tanks, including Soviet T-55s and T-62s and Chinese Type 59s and Type 62s. A North Korean general who defected to South Korea also said that due to a lack of military exercises are limited. It is also possible that many of the vehicles used by the North Korean Peoples Army are not well maintained and have suffered from years of disuse. This still remains true even assuming good maintenance, and the North Korean army would not be the only military experiencing this, although not much is known about the North Korean military after the Korean War, it is known that they have many different types of tanks. These include the Type 59 and Type 62, as well as the T-54, T-62, the T-54 was probably sold to North Korea between 1960 and 1970, while the T-62 was reportedly sold in the mid 1980s. Unconfirmed reports indicate a few T-72s may have provided to North Korea in the early 1990s. It is known that the North Koreans still make limited use of vintage World War II T-34s as well as the Soviet-era PT-76/85 amphibious tanks. Up to 5,400 tanks are coupled with at least 12,000 self-propelled artillery pieces and thousands of other towed artillery pieces of unknown type, the North Koreans also have at least nine different types of armoured personnel carriers, including the BMP-1. The Chŏnma-ho has been issued to North Koreas premier armored formations, other armour is relegated to a secondary role in this corps or to North Koreas four mechanized corps. However, this forms the second echelon of North Koreas deployment to the DMZ, with the first echelon composed of four corps. The Chŏnma-ho is a product of North Koreas approach of Juche, or self-reliance, the idea of juche comes from a North Korean sentiment of abandonment by their allies, China and Soviet Union/Russia. This all manifests itself within the triangle of North Korean military development – armour, artillery, in that sense, North Korean military strategy is very mobile, and the large amounts of tanks underscores this. The Chŏnma-ho is an attempt to address the technology gap between its current dated tank forces and South Korean K1A1 and the US M1 Abrams tank
Chonma-ho
–
Ch'ŏnma-ho V (Ma) during the
Workers' Party of Korea 60th Anniversary Military Parade
Chonma-ho
–
Soviet
T-62. The Ch'ŏnma-ho is a direct copy of the T-62 with several upgrades.
12.
Al-Zarrar
–
The Al-Zarrar is a modern main battle tank developed and manufactured by Heavy Industries Taxila of Pakistan for the Pakistan Army. An upgraded variant of the Chinese Type 59 tank, the Al-Zarrar is cost-effective modern replacement for the Type 59 fleet of the Pakistan Army,54 modifications made to the Type 59 make the Al-Zarrar effectively a new tank. The Al-Zarrar development programme started in 1990, HIT began mass production of Al-Zarrar on 6 May 2003 under a renowned Project Manager, Engineer Mahmood Khan. First batch of 88 Al-Zarrar were delivered to the Pakistan Army on 26 February 2004, delivery ceremony was graced by General Pervez Musharraf. The idea was to upgrade the firepower, mobility and protection of the Type 59 to allow it to compete on the battlefield at a fraction of the cost of a modern main battle tank. The first phase of the programme was completed in 1997. Many systems originally developed for HITs Al-Khalid MBT were incorporated, the prototypes underwent extensive testing by HIT and the Pakistan Army, who selected the final version of the tank, dubbed Al-Zarrar. By mid 2004, it was expected that 50 AL-Zarrar tanks would be exported to other countries, al-Zarrars primary armament is a 125 mm smoothbore tank gun with an autofrettaged, chrome-plated gun barrel. It is capable of firing APFSDS, HEAT-FS and HE-FS rounds as well as guided missiles and a Pakistani DU round. Naiza is capable of penetrating 550 mm of RHA armour at a distance of 2 km, reloaded by a semi-automatic autoloader, the gun has a dual-axis stabilization system and thermal imaging sights integrated into the fire-control system for the commander and gunner. The image stabilized fire-control system includes a laser range-finder for accurate range information, an improved gun control system is also fitted. The Al-Zarrar is powered by a liquid-cooled 12-cylinder diesel engine, giving an output of 730 hp. A combat weight of 40 tonnes gives Al-Zarrar a power-to-weight ratio of 18.3 hp/tonne, crew comfort is improved over the Type 59 by a modified torsion bar suspension system. Al-Zarrar uses modular composite armour and explosive reactive armour to give improved protection from missiles, mines. The Pakistani ATCOP LTS-1 laser threat warning system is fitted to inform the crew if the tank is targeted by a laser range-finder or laser designator. Smoke grenade launchers are fitted to the sides of the turret, an automatic fire-extinguishing and explosion suppression system is installed to improve crew survivability. In October 2008, the chief of the Bangladesh Army met his Pakistani counterpart to discuss a programme to modernise Bangladeshs fleet of Type 59 tanks, a joint venture was formed with Pakistan to upgrade the Type 59/59II tanks to Al-Zarrar MBT standard. Pakistan will transfer the relevant technology to Bangladesh under the joint venture, about 300 tanks are expected to be modernized under the project, which will be carried out in Bangladesh at the Bangladesh Armys 902 Heavy Workshop
Al-Zarrar
–
Al-Zarrar MBT in service with the
Pakistan Army
Al-Zarrar
–
Al-Zarrar MBTs of the
Pakistan Army 's 27th Cavalry regiment stationed at
Kharian.
Al-Zarrar
13.
Al-Khalid tank
–
The Khalid is a main battle tank jointly developed by Pakistan and China during the 1990s. The original prototype was known as the MBT-2000, around 310 Al Khalid MBTs were produced by 2014. The Bangladesh Army ordered 44 MBT-2000s from China in 2011, the tank is also used by the Royal Moroccan Army. It was trialled by the Peruvian Army for possible acquisition, but was not purchased due to financial problems, Al-Khalid is named after the 7th-century Muslim commander Khalid bin al-Walid. An evolution of Chinese and Soviet tanks, the design is smaller and lighter than most Western main battle tanks. It is based on the Chinese Type 90-II, which combined technologies from several Soviet, the Al-Khalid is unusual in that it was designed to be adaptable for manufacture, so that it can be easily integrated with a variety of foreign engines and transmissions. The current production variant of the Al-Khalid uses a diesel engine, the first production models entered service with the Pakistan Army in 2001. Pakistan plans start the production of next generation Al-Hyder tank after the completion of orders for Al-Khalid MBT, the country placed an order with Ukraines Engine design bureau to further upgrade the tanks with a new engine. In the 1970s, the leaders of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army were concerned about the Soviet threat, thus in 1980, Norinco was formed, and the Inner Mongolia First Machine Group Corporation was tasked with developing a series of new tanks. A joint development deal was signed with Pakistan in January 1990, initial Chinese-built prototypes were tested in Pakistan in August 1991. Pakistan completed its manufacturing plant at Taxila in 1992, Pakistan spent more than US$20 million over the next eight years on the co-development of a model suitable for its needs and on creating a capability to manufacture it locally. The Director General of Heavy Industries Taxila Lt Gen Hamid Javaid, the design team modified the tank to accept a foreign-built engine. Installation of the Renk 304 transmission was considered but disregarded. An early version was armed with a Chinese gun and fire-control system, another version was equipped with a more advanced Western digital fire-control system and powered by a Perkins 1,200 hp Condor diesel engine and SESM ESM500 automatic transmission. This version was considered too expensive, and under-performed in the heat of southern Pakistan. Finally, a version was tested with the compact Ukrainian 6TD-21,200 hp diesel engine and this configuration was chosen by Pakistan for the production version of the tank and came to be known as Al-Khalid. Ukraine also sold T-80UD tanks to Pakistan, which were powered by a similar engine, the final tank design resulting from a decade of co-operative development was designated Type 90-IIM. The Chinese company Norinco showed the new Type 90-IIM during the March 2001 Abu Dhabi Defense Expo, the version powered by the Ukrainian engine, intended for domestic production in Pakistan, was named Al-Khalid
Al-Khalid tank
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Al-Khalid MBT on display at
IDEAS 2012 held at Expo Center, Karachi, Pakistan in November 2012.
Al-Khalid tank
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VT1A of the
Bangladesh Army
14.
Pokpung-ho
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The Pokpung-ho or spelled Pokpung-ho is a North Korean main battle tank developed in the 1990s. The tank may incorporate technology found in the T-62, T-72, Type 88, outside parties codename the tank M-2002 because the tank went through performance trials on February 16,2002, although the tank may have been in existence since 1992. The Pokpung-ho is only known to be used in North Korea, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, a significant number of T-72s were decommissioned from Soviet service and scrapped for metal. North Korea acquired some of these scrapped T-72s and obtained core technology for use on the Pokpung-ho through reverse engineering, North Koreas interest in the T-90 was demonstrated in August 2001 when Kim Jong-il visited the Omsk Transmash defense plant which builds the T-90 during his visit to Russia. However North Korea failed to acquire T-90 since then, as South Korean and Russian governments agreed to supplying arms technology since 1994. What initiated the need to develop a new tank was likely the poor performance the export variants of T-72 displayed during the Gulf War. However, economic struggles and a lack of core technologies seem to have prevented North Korea from achieving high production numbers for the Pokpung-ho before the late 2000s. The capabilities of later variants have been augmented significantly, however, production seems to have picked up starting in 2010. The tank was witnessed by parties outside of North Korea in 2002, the Pokpung-ho was shown to the public during a North Korean parade in 2010, as well as during military exercises in 2012. The Pokpung-ho has better mobility, survivability and firepower than the Chonma-ho, the Pokpung-hos primary armament is almost certainly the 2A20 115mm gun in early examples, however, later versions seemed to be armed with the 2A26/2A46 125mm smoothbore gun. Which fires AP rounds produced in North Korea, the tank also has a heavy KPV anti-aircraft machine gun and a coaxial machine gun, as well as four smoke grenade launchers on the each side of the turret. The tank does not have the capability to fire ATGM from its main gun, the glacis plate of the Pokpung-ho is heavily sloped and protected by appliqué armor in the initial version with ERA added in later versions. The panels along the tracks seem to be made of a light laminar armour, although the horsepower of the Pokpung-hos engine has been speculated to be as high as 1500, the engine is likely to have around 1000-1100 horsepower. During aggressive missions, the Pokpung-ho can quickly engage the enemy due to its already excellent speed and acceleration, if the Pokpung-hos FCS is based on the T-72s, it may implement the PNK-3 or PNK-4 day and night sighting system with the 1K13-49 periscope combined passive/active sight guidance system. However the night sighting system is most likely to be the same with obsolete T-62, the quality of the equipment are likely inferior to the South Korean counterparts. The Pokpung-ho also has a sensor, a laser rangefinder. Pokpung-Ho I - The initial variant, Armed with the 115 mm 2A20 gun from the T-62 series and equipped with applique and spaced armor. First observed publicly during the spring of 2010, Pokpung-Ho II - A variant with heavily improved armament and protection, the Pokpung-Ho II mounts a 125 mm 2A26/46 smoothbore gun and has a new turret seemingly augmented with composite armour
Pokpung-ho
–
P'okp'ung-ho
15.
PT-91 Twardy
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The PT-91 Twardy is a Polish main battle tank. A development of the T-72M1, it first entered service in 1995, the PT-91 was designed at the OBRUM and is produced by the Bumar Łabędy company, a part of the Bumar Group, a Polish technical military consortium. Changes from the T-72 include a new dual-axis stabilized fire-control system, reactive armour, many of those elements were used to upgrade existing fleets of T-72 tanks in countries including the Czech Republic, Georgia and India. In the late 1980s the Polish Army modernized all of its obsolete T-55 tanks to the T-55AM Mérida standard, the successful conversion convinced the General Staff that similar modernization could also be applied to other Soviet-designed tanks made in Poland and used by the Polish Armed Forces. In late 1988 it was decided to prepare a project of modernization for the T-72M1 design – using the experience from production of licensed T-72M, T-72M1, the Gliwice-based Research and Development Centre of Mechanical Systems OBRUM was chosen as the main design bureau. However, initially the work progressed at a slow pace. After the political changes of 1989 and the dissolution of the Soviet bloc, Polish-Soviet talks on purchase of modern tanks came to a halt, the first design proposed by the bureau was code-named Wilk, but the project was cancelled. Instead, the priority was shifted to a different project named Twardy, the basic aim of the conversion of T-72 was to adapt it to the reality of modern warfare and fix its most visible deficiencies. Among those were low mobility, insufficient armour, lack of a control system and poor stabilisation of the main gun. An additional problem was lack of night vision aiming systems. Starting from July 1991 T-72 modernization programs were implemented by the Bumarcombine which had been producing T-72s under Soviet license, the modernized main battle tank was designated PT-91 Twardy. From base modification it differs in increased protection, fire control system, in 1993 the Polish Defense Ministry ordered 20 PT-91 tanks to be used for field trials and Armed Forces tests. The main battle tanks protection from high-explosive anti-tank projectiles and missiles is increased by the new Erawa dynamic armor developed by the Poland Military-Technical Institute and this protection consists of 394 tiles with explosives, detonating in case of a direct hit. The tiles cover 9 m2 on the tank,108 tiles are placed on the turret,118 on the hull and 84 on each sides anti-HEAT screens. The Twardy uses steel anti-HEAT screens instead of the used on the T-72. Erawas main difference from the Soviet analogs is that Erawas containers fit almost without gaps while on the Soviet modernized T-72 gaps reach 10–15 mm noticeably decreasing defense effectiveness, there are two Erawa modifications, Erawa-1 and -2, differing in weight of the explosives. Experiments showed that the Erawa dynamic defense decreases the high-explosive jet impact depth by 50–70%, furthermore, explosive containers do not detonate when hit by shot of up to 30 mm calibre, shell or mine fragments, or when covered in burning napalm or petrol. Additional armament comprises the 7.62 mm PKT coaxial general-purpose machine gun and 12.7 mm NSVT anti-aircraft heavy machine gun, the PT-91 has a thermosmoke device generating smoke screens from fuel and 24 grenade launchers fitted with smoke or anti-personnel frag grenades
PT-91 Twardy
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PT-91
PT-91 Twardy
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PT-91M "Pendekar" of Malaysian Army on display
PT-91 Twardy
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POD-72 commanders sight
PT-91 Twardy
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Drawa fire control system
16.
T-84
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The T-84 is a Ukrainian main battle tank, a development of the Soviet T-80 main battle tank. It was first built in 1994 and entered service in the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 1999, the T-84 is based on the diesel-engined T-80 version, the T-80UD. Its high-performance opposed-piston engine makes it one of the fastest MBTs in the world, the T-84 Oplot is an advanced version incorporating an armoured ammunition compartment in a new turret bustle, ten of these entered Ukrainian service in 2001. The T-84-120 Yatagan is a model intended for export, mounting a 120 mm gun capable of firing standard NATO ammunition. The T-84 is the latest Ukrainian development of the T-80 series, a main design objective was to make Ukraines arms industry independent of Russias, after resulting difficulties in fulfilling a contract to supply T-80UD tanks to Pakistan. An external difference from earlier models is the new Ukrainian welded turret, the T-84s outstanding feature is the 26 hp/t power-to-weight ratio. It has inherited the nickname Flying Tank from the T-80, the tank is also designed to perform well in hot climates, and even includes an air-conditioned crew compartment. Due to the collapse of Soviet Union, the Malyshev Factory was no able to obtain ceramic armour modules from Russia. Instead, later batches of T-84s composite armour is composed of special purpose rubber sandwiched between steel and alloy plates, the exact comparison of new and previous armor performance is not known and highly depend on performance of dynamic armor which continuously improved. Ukraine has demonstrated several upgraded prototypes of this tank, intended for domestic employment and international sale. T-84 Ukrainian Modernization of the T-80UD, new welded turret and Shtora-1 countermeasures suite, new electronics, new main gun, new armor, and 1,200 hp 6TD-2 diesel engine. T-84U Ukrainian upgrade of the T-84, T-84 Oplot T-84U with a new welded turret with separate crew and ammunition compartments with blowout panels on the ammunition compartment, a new bustle-mounted autoloader. T-84-120 Yatagan A prototype version of Oplot tailored for evaluation by the Turkish Army, mounts a 120 mm main gun which fires both NATO120 mm rounds and a special 120 mm version of the AT-11 Sniper ATGM. One visible feature is the new PNK-6 panoramic tank sight, Design The BM Oplot is a further development of the previous Oplot, which is based on the T-84 main battle tank. The tank has a layout with the drivers compartment at the front, fighting compartment in the middle and engine at the rear. The driver sitting in the centre is provided with a hatch cover that opens to the right. The commander on the right and the gunner on the left have single-piece hatches, Tank has a length of 9.7 m, a width of 3.4 m without removable side skirts, and a height of 2.8 m. The combat weight of the tank is 51 tons, armament The Oplot MBT is armed with a 125 mm smoothbore KBA-3 cannon, a KT-7.62 Coaxial machine gun and a KT-12.7 anti-aircraft machine gun
T-84
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An early model T-84 tank. Later versions have reactive armour integrated more smoothly with the hull.
T-84
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T-84 Oplot-M main battle tank (front view)
T-84
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BM Oplot guided onto a
tank transporter.
17.
T-90
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The T-90 is a third-generation Russian battle tank that entered service in 1993. The tank is a variation of the T-72B and incorporates many features found on the T-80U. Originally called the T-72BU, but later renamed to T-90, it is a tank in service with Russian Ground Forces. The T-90 uses a 125mm 2A46 smoothbore main gun, the 1A45T fire-control system, an uprated engine, standard protective measures include a blend of steel and composite armour, smoke grenade dischargers, Kontakt-5 explosive-reactive armour and the Shtora infrared ATGM jamming system. It was designed and built by Uralvagonzavod, in Nizhny Tagil, since 2011, the Russian armed forces have ceased any further orders for the T-90, and are instead anticipating the development of the T-14 Armata that is expected to enter service in 2016. The T-90 has its origins in a Soviet-era program aimed at developing a replacement for the T-64, T-72. The T-72 platform was selected as the basis for the new generation of tank owing to its cost-effectiveness, simplicity, development work was approved in 1986 and the first prototypes were completed by 1988. The vehicles resulting from the Object 187 program have not been declassified to this date, less than 200 T-90 tanks were delivered to the Russian Ground Forces before production was resumed in 2005 of an upgraded version. By September 1995, some 107 T-90 tanks had been produced, located in the Siberian Military District. The first 42 complete Indian tanks were delivered in 2001 and were designated T-90S, still equipped with the older cast turrets of the early series and powered by the V-84 engine making 840hp. This was followed up next year with delivery of 82 vehicles, now equipped with the new welded turrets, in 2005 the Russian army resumed delivery of the T-90, requesting the original specification for the vehicle with a cast turret. That same year saw delivery of an additional 18 new tanks - enough to one whole battalion. These new Russian tanks were powered by the V-92S2 engine, carried a T01-K05 Buran-M gunners sight and were protected by the most recent Kontakt-5 reactive armor with 4S22 explosive tiles, since 2008, the Russian army has received 62 tanks annually, suspending orders in 2011. Russia is developing the new Armata Universal Combat Platform to be ready for use by 2016 and it is expected to employ a more powerful engine, improved armor, main gun and autoloader, with ammunition storage separated from the crew. An early variant of the export-oriented T-90S allegedly saw combat action during the 1999 Chechen invasion of Dagestan instead of being delivered to India, according to Moscow Defence Brief, one vehicle was hit by seven RPG anti-tank rockets but remained in action. The journal concluded that with regular equipment, the upgraded T-90 seems to be the best protected Russian tank, especially with the implementation of Shtora-1, the T-90A was deployed to Syria in 2015 to support the Russian involvement in the Syrian Civil War. In early February 2016, Syrian Army forces began using T-90As in combat, in late February, a video was leaked on the internet which showed a T-90 survive a direct frontal turret hit by a TOW-2A missile in Aleppo. The first alleged footage of the targeted tank showed only minor damage to Shtora-1 jammer optics, in early May there was another TOW attack scoring a hit on a different vehicle operated by Syrian loyalist forces
T-90
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Russian Army T-90A tank on display during
parade festivities in May 2013.
T-90
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A T-90 during a military exercise in Russia, demonstrating underwater driving
T-90
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A Russian Army T-90A
T-90
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Indian Army 's T-90 Bhishma tanks take part in a military training exercise in the
Thar Desert, Rajasthan. The tanks have two different turret armour arrays.
18.
Type 10
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The Type 10 is a 4th generation main battle tank of JSDF produced by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force. Compared with other currently-serving main battle tanks in the JGSDF, the Type 10 has been equipped with enhancements in its capability to respond to anti-tank warfare, Development began in the 1990s, and production was expected to start in 2010–2011. A prototype was revealed on February 13,2008 at the Technology Research, Heavy emphasis was placed on C4I capabilities as well as on performance, firepower, protection and mobility. In the early 2000s, Japan decided to update its tank force to prepare for 21st Century warfare. One of the most important requirements for the new tank is the capability of having a C4I system, therefore the development of a new main battle tank capable of various future battle missions was necessary. The use of modular components significantly improved the side compared to the Type 90. The Commanders Panoramic Sight was moved to the right and is located at a position than the Type 90. The vehicles armor consists of sections, providing the ability to mount varying degrees of protection depending on the mission profile. Vehicle weight is about 40 tonnes in base configuration, and 48 tonnes when fully equipped, the prototype featured in 2008 at TRDI weighed 44 tonnes. It is indigenously developed by Japan Steel Works for the Type 10, Japan Steel Works is the same company which for years now has been manufacturing the Rheinmetall L44120 mm smoothbore gun under licence for the Type 90 MBT. There is an option for longer barrels of 50 and 55 calibers, the Type 10s new cannon can fire the normal JSDF developed JM33 APFSDS as well as all standard 120 mm NATO ammunition. One major improvement over the earlier Rheinmetall L44 cannon is that this new JSW gun mounted on the Type 10 tank can fire an improved round. However, it should be noted that the new Type 10 APFSDS ammunition is designed for. The Type 10 tank is equipped with C4I system, other features are as follows, Continuously Variable Transmission that allows the tank to reach 70 km/h forward as well as reverse. Hydropneumatic active suspension, which allows it to adjust its stance, day/night sights mounted around the turret, providing a full 360° coverage as well as providing input to the C4I system. The predecessor of Type 10, the Type 90 main battle tank, was deployed in Hokkaido due to the weight limit of roads. One of the purposes of Type 10 is to be able to deploy anywhere in Japan. Size and weight reductions have made Type 10 now 6 metric tonnes lighter than Type 90, 84% of Japans 17920 bridges are passable for the Type 10, compared to only 65% of passability of Type 90 and 40% of mainstream western main battle tanks
Type 10
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JGSDF Type10 Tank of the 1st Armored Training Unit,
Eastern Army Combined Brigade. In Camp Takeyama, Japan.
Type 10
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Prototype #3
Type 10
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Prototype #3 rear
Type 10
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Production Model
19.
Zulfiqar (tank)
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Zulfiqar is an Iranian main battle tank, conceived by Brigadier General Mir-Younes Masoumzadeh, deputy ground force commander for research and self-sufficiency of the armed forces. It is named after Zulfiqar, the sword of Ali, the fourth Caliph. The test prototypes of the tank were evaluated in 1993, six semi-industrial prototypes of the tank were produced and tested in 1997. The tank has a distinctive box-shaped, steel-welded turret of local design, the Zulfiqar is believed to be developed from major components of the Soviet T-72 and American M48 and M60 tanks. The suspension is modelled on the M48 /M60 Patton tanks supplied to Iran by the U. S, the SPAT1200 transmission also seems to be a local development of that of the M-60. Zulfiqar-1s combat weight has been reported to be 36 tonnes with a 780 hp diesel engine, some sources see resemblances between the Zulfiqar design and the Brazilian prototype Osório. The Zulfiqar is operated by a crew of three personnel, the automatic loader is believed to be the same one from the T-72 tank. The tank is armed with a 125 mm smoothbore gun 2A46 derived from that of the T-72 and its secondary armament consists of a 7.62 mm coaxial and a 12.7 mm machine gun. The Zulfiqar-1 uses the Slovenian EFCS-3 fire control system, the model used on the Type 72Z. The Zulfiqar allegedly mounts a laser-warning pod on the turret and its design enables the tank to use an Iranian-made package of reactive armor. He stated that the manufacture of 520 different kinds of parts,600 artillery parts, repair of 500 tanks. The facility, the Shahid Kolah Dooz Industrial Complex, will produce the BMP-2 armored personnel carrier. The Zulfiqar-1 is based on the M60 Patton model acquired under the pre-revolution era, the Zulfiqar-1 was first revealed in public in 1994. A total of six prototypes were completed and field tested in 1997, the Zulfiqar-1 is protected by a welded steel hull and the turret is reinforced by a composite armour. The Zulfiqar-1 is armed with a 125mm Smoothbore gun taken from a T-72, the Zulfiqar-2 is an interim main battle tank prototype used as a test bed. This variant is fitted with a new and more powerful engine and it has an extended chassis and possibly uses an improved autoloader. The Zulfiqar-3 is the most advanced variant of the Zulfiqar family and it features considerable upgrades to the fire control system, chassis, engine and main gun. The new variant is equipped with the 2A46125 mm smoothbore cannon with an autoloader, a laser rangefinder and it is also fitted with a reinforced turret and the wheels are covered by an armoured skirt
Zulfiqar (tank)
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An Iranian Army Zulfiqar-3 in September 2012.
Zulfiqar (tank)
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Zulfiqar 1
Zulfiqar (tank)
Zulfiqar (tank)
20.
Ariete
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The C1 Ariete is the main battle tank of the Italian Army, developed by a consortium formed by Iveco-Fiat and Oto Melara. The chassis and engine were produced by Iveco, while the turret, the vehicle carries the latest optical and digital-imaging and fire-control systems, enabling it to fight day and night and to fire on the move. Six prototypes were developed by 1988, which were subject to testing the following year during which the vehicles travelled a combined 16,000 km. Deliveries were first planned for 1993, but in fact took place in 1995 due to delays, final delivery occurred 8 years later in August 2002. The gun is adapted to fire most NATO-standard rounds of the same calibre. It carries 42 rounds,27 of which are stored in a special magazine inside the hull, the remaining ammunition is stored in the rear turret bustle, separated from the crew compartment with an armoured door. The gun barrel has an insulating sleeve and a fume extractor. This computer is also a component of the navigation system. The commanders sight also has a traverse from −10° to +60° from the horizontal. During night fighting, the commander and gunner both share the thermal sight which is able to resolve a 2. 3×x2.3 m target from a distance of 1,500 m. The Arietes armour is a steel and composite blend, similar to the British Challenger 2, the Ariete features two side-mounted, electronically fired grenade launchers. Each launcher consists of four barrels which can be intermixed with either smoke or chaff grenades, the smoke grenades are capable of shrouding the tank from visual or thermal detection, while the chaff grenades disperse the tanks radar cross section. The tank is fully NBC protected, the Ariete is powered by a 25. The computer-controlled transmission allows it to climb grades rated up to 60%, the entire engine and transmission assembly can be replaced in under 1 hour. The Arietes independent suspension system consists of 14 torsion bars with suspension arms,10 hydraulic shock absorbers and 14 friction dampers, during the first years of adoption, the Ariete MBT showed some deficiencies regarding the powerplant. The Arietes engine had to run at a high RPM to perform well, moreover, to retain a good power-to-weight ratio, the total weight of the tank had to be kept below 60 tonnes. The relatively light weight of the Ariete helped lower consumption and facilitated the transport, as an improvement, Iveco developed a new version of the MTCA engine. The new engine had to be adopted during the first general revision of the existing vehicles, as for the armour, Oto Melara developed two different sets of adjunctive armour, shown for the first time at Eurosatory 2002
Ariete
–
Ariete
Ariete
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C1 Ariete front view.
21.
Arjun (tank)
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The Arjun is a third generation main battle tank developed by Indias Defence Research and Development Organisation, for the Indian Army. The tank is named after Arjun, the main protagonist, a prince of the Indian epic Mahabharata. The Arjun features a 120 mm main rifled gun with indigenously developed armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding-sabot ammunition, one PKT7.62 mm coaxial machine gun, and a NSVT12.7 mm machine gun. It is powered by a single MTU multi-fuel diesel engine rated at 1,400 hp, and can achieve a speed of 67 km/h. It has a crew, commander, gunner, loader and driver. Automatic fire detection and suppression and NBC protection systems are included, all-round anti-tank warhead protection by the newly developed Kanchan armour is claimed to be much higher than available in comparable third generation tanks. In March 2010, the Arjun was pitted against the T-90 in comparative trials, the Army placed an order for an additional 124 Arjun Mk-I tanks on 17 May 2010 and 124 Arjun Mk-II Tanks on 9 August 2010. The Arjun entered service with the Indian Army in 2004, the tanks were first inducted into the 43 Armoured Regiment, Indian Army Armoured Corps while the latest induction has been into the 75 Armoured Regiment on 12 March 2011. When first accepted for service in the army, the Arjun relied heavily on foreign components, initially close to 50% of the tanks components were imported, which included the engine, transmission, gun barrel, tracks, and fire control system. However, several of these have since replaced by indigenous systems or are being supplied by Indian companies. Recent comments from Army sources indicate that the Russian T-90S will form the mainstay of its future force, the Arjun project experienced serious budget overruns and repeated delays that resulted in a development time of over 37 years. A complicating factor was that advances in technology and the environment in the intervening years led to multiple revision of requirements by the Army. While the government sanctioned ₹155 million for the design in May 1974, by 1995, DRDO had spent ₹3 billion on development due to changing requirements. The Indian Army ordered 124 Arjuns in 2000, expected to cost US$471.2 million, early development versions of the Arjun were held by 43 Armoured Regiment which were shown in display in the Republic Day Parade of 2001. The first batch of 16 production version Arjun tanks were received in 2004, the regiment was later made up to 45 tanks on 25 May 2009 making it the first Arjun regiment of the Indian Army. More than 100 tanks have been delivered to the Indian Army by June 2011, the latest regiment to be completely equipped by the Arjun tank is 75 Armoured Regiment which was the last regiment in the Indian Army to hold the T-55 tank. The Arjun MK-II variant is being developed in coordination with and with the involvement of the Indian Army, DRDO developed a Laser Warning Control System in cooperation with Elbit Limited of Israel to be equipped on the Arjun at regimental level. LWCS includes the defensive aids mentioned, and will reduce the signatures of the tank in the battle field
Arjun (tank)
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Arjun MBT conducting driving test on sand berms
Arjun (tank)
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Arjun gunnery simulator.
Arjun (tank)
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Arjun Mk II
Arjun (tank)
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Arjun Mk II at DefExpo 2014 in the user configuration, with mine ploughs, remote controlled weapon system and additional protection tiles on the turret.
22.
BM Oplot
–
The T-84 is a Ukrainian main battle tank, a development of the Soviet T-80 main battle tank. It was first built in 1994 and entered service in the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 1999, the T-84 is based on the diesel-engined T-80 version, the T-80UD. Its high-performance opposed-piston engine makes it one of the fastest MBTs in the world, the T-84 Oplot is an advanced version incorporating an armoured ammunition compartment in a new turret bustle, ten of these entered Ukrainian service in 2001. The T-84-120 Yatagan is a model intended for export, mounting a 120 mm gun capable of firing standard NATO ammunition. The T-84 is the latest Ukrainian development of the T-80 series, a main design objective was to make Ukraines arms industry independent of Russias, after resulting difficulties in fulfilling a contract to supply T-80UD tanks to Pakistan. An external difference from earlier models is the new Ukrainian welded turret, the T-84s outstanding feature is the 26 hp/t power-to-weight ratio. It has inherited the nickname Flying Tank from the T-80, the tank is also designed to perform well in hot climates, and even includes an air-conditioned crew compartment. Due to the collapse of Soviet Union, the Malyshev Factory was no able to obtain ceramic armour modules from Russia. Instead, later batches of T-84s composite armour is composed of special purpose rubber sandwiched between steel and alloy plates, the exact comparison of new and previous armor performance is not known and highly depend on performance of dynamic armor which continuously improved. Ukraine has demonstrated several upgraded prototypes of this tank, intended for domestic employment and international sale. T-84 Ukrainian Modernization of the T-80UD, new welded turret and Shtora-1 countermeasures suite, new electronics, new main gun, new armor, and 1,200 hp 6TD-2 diesel engine. T-84U Ukrainian upgrade of the T-84, T-84 Oplot T-84U with a new welded turret with separate crew and ammunition compartments with blowout panels on the ammunition compartment, a new bustle-mounted autoloader. T-84-120 Yatagan A prototype version of Oplot tailored for evaluation by the Turkish Army, mounts a 120 mm main gun which fires both NATO120 mm rounds and a special 120 mm version of the AT-11 Sniper ATGM. One visible feature is the new PNK-6 panoramic tank sight, Design The BM Oplot is a further development of the previous Oplot, which is based on the T-84 main battle tank. The tank has a layout with the drivers compartment at the front, fighting compartment in the middle and engine at the rear. The driver sitting in the centre is provided with a hatch cover that opens to the right. The commander on the right and the gunner on the left have single-piece hatches, Tank has a length of 9.7 m, a width of 3.4 m without removable side skirts, and a height of 2.8 m. The combat weight of the tank is 51 tons, armament The Oplot MBT is armed with a 125 mm smoothbore KBA-3 cannon, a KT-7.62 Coaxial machine gun and a KT-12.7 anti-aircraft machine gun
BM Oplot
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An early model T-84 tank. Later versions have reactive armour integrated more smoothly with the hull.
BM Oplot
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T-84 Oplot-M main battle tank (front view)
BM Oplot
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BM Oplot guided onto a
tank transporter.
23.
Challenger 2
–
The FV4034 Challenger 2 is a British main battle tank in service with the armies of the United Kingdom and Oman. It was designed and built by the British company Vickers Defence Systems, Vickers Defence Systems began to develop a successor to Challenger 1 as a private venture in 1986. A £90 million deal for a vehicle was finalised in January 1989. In June 1991, the Ministry of Defence placed a £520 million order for 140 vehicles, production began in 1993 and the units tanks were delivered in July 1994, replacing the Challenger 1. The tank entered service with the British Army in 1998, with the last delivered in 2002 and it is expected to remain in service until 2035. The Royal Army of Oman ordered 18 Challenger 2s in 1993, the Challenger 2 is an extensive redesign of the Challenger 1. Although the hull and automotive components seem similar, they are of a design and build than those of the Challenger 1. The tanks drive system provides a 550 km range, with a road speed of 59 km/h. The Challenger 2 is equipped with a 120-millimetre 55-calibre long L30A1 tank gun, the Challenger 2 is also armed with a L94A1 EX-347.62 mm chain gun and a 7.62 mm L37A2 machine gun. Fifty eight main armament rounds and 4,200 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition are carried, the Challenger 2 is considered to be one of the best protected tanks in the world. The turret and hull are protected with second generation Chobham armour, on one occasion, in August 2006, during the post-invasion stage of the Iraq War, an RPG-29 was fired at a Challenger 2 that was climbing over a ramp. The armour on its front underside hull, which was not augmented with an explosive reactive armour package, was damaged, the tank subsequently returned to base under its own power and was quickly repaired and back on duty the following day. As a response to the incident, the reactive armour package was replaced with a Dorchester block. It has seen service in Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq. The Challenger 2 is the vehicle of this name, the first being the A30 Challenger. The second was the Persian Gulf War era Challenger 1, which was the British armys main battle tank from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s, Vickers Defence Systems began to develop a successor to Challenger 1 as a private venture in 1986. Following the issue of a Staff Requirement for a next-generation tank, the demonstration phase contained three milestones for progress, with dates of September 1989, March 1990, and September 1990. At the last of these milestones, Vickers was to have met 11 key criteria for the tanks design, in June 1991, after competition with other tank manufacturers designs, the MoD placed a £520 million order for 127 MBTs and 13 driver training vehicles
Challenger 2
–
A Challenger 2 tank patrolling outside Basra, Iraq, during Operation Telic.
Challenger 2
–
Challenger 2 Tank of the
Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Squadron D) during live fire training exercises on
Bergen-Hohne Training Area (Germany)
Challenger 2
–
A Challenger 2 firing its main gun during an exercise. The round is visible to the left of the smoke cloud
Challenger 2
–
Close-up of muzzle showing rifling
24.
K1 88-Tank
–
The K1 is a South Korean main battle tank in use with the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, developed by Hyundai Precision. The K1A1 entered service in 1999, upgraded with a 120mm smoothbore gun, and outfitted with modern electronics, ballistic computers. Hyundai Rotem produced 1,511 K1 and K1A1 tanks between 1985 and 2010, in the 1970s, the Republic of Korea was desperately in need of additional main battle tanks. Meanwhile, North Koreans had both numerical and technological advantages over the South Korean armor with their T-62 main battle tanks, at first, attempts were made to obtain the United States M60A1 Pattons, but they ended in failure. In light of this, the Park Chung-hee administration announced plans to domestically produce main battle tanks that were comparable to the generation of main battle tanks. However, having no experience in the design, development and manufacture of main battle tanks to speak of. Upon realization of this, foreign designs were considered and evaluated, the winning design was based on the XM1, the prototype of M1 Abrams, by Chrysler Defense, the company which was later sold to General Dynamics and renamed General Dynamics Land Systems. Soon afterwards, South Korean officials were dispatched to General Dynamics Land Systems for supervision of the design, with its design being based on XM1, the XK1 shared various similarities with it. However, upon inspection, numerous differences can be found. The differences included the weight, height, engine, transmission, the development of the vehicle was completed in 1983, with a prototype being delivered to the South Korean government in the same year. Hyundai Precision, now known as Hyundai Rotem, took responsibility for manufacturing the tanks, the vehicle was not, however, unveiled until 1987 for security purposes. Foreign journalists were invited to the ceremony, and a massive training exercise using the new tanks took place during the event for publicity. After the production of approximately 450 K1s, the Gunners Primary Sights designed by Hughes was replaced by the Gunners Primary Tank Thermal Sights by Texas Instruments. While the exact composition of the armor has not been released. The vehicle is equipped with an automatic fire extinguishing system. The engine compartment detector is thermocouple wire, and the crew compartment detector is an optical sensor, the extinguishant used is Halon1301, commonly used by western main battle tanks. Production remained at approximately 100 units per year at its peak, on August 6,2010, during a live firing exercise at Paju, a round exploded in the barrel of a K1s 105mm gun, destroying the gun, but leaving crew uninjured. This was reported to be the latest in a series of such accidents since the K1 entered service
K1 88-Tank
–
K1
25.
K2 Black Panther
–
The K2 Black Panther is a South Korean main battle tank that will replace most of the M48 Patton tanks and complement the K1 series of main battle tanks currently fielded by the Republic of Korea. Mass production commenced in 2013 and the first K2s were deployed with the forces in June 2014. The K2 costs over US$8.5 million per unit, in 1995, the South Korean Agency for Defense Development was given the task of developing a modern armored fighting vehicle based upon Korean state-of-the-art domestic technologies. Emphasis upon indigenous technologies would allow the proposed vehicle to enter the export market without licensing difficulties. Early design variants included a version with a turret, which was later scrapped in favor of manned turret designs. The K2 was subsequently reconfigured for the 120 mm/L55, though it is capable of mounting the 140 mm gun with minimum modifications should the need arise, however, this encountered recurrent technical trouble in testing, leading to a delay in operational deployment of the K2 for 2 years. When compared to the K1A1 tank, the K2s main gun reloads quicker, although both are 120 mm, the K2s barrel is 1.3 m longer, resulting in a higher muzzle velocity of 1,400 m/s for greater accuracy and armor penetration. The first 15 K2 Black Panther tanks were put into service in June 2014, faulty indigenous engines and transmissions previously halted production, but the lowering of required acceleration performance allowed it to enter service. The power pack of tank is intended to be locally developed, until that occurs, they will employ German-made MTU power plants, making possible the deployment of around 100 K2s by 2017. Tanks under the contract, after the first 100 models, will be built with the domestic Doosan DST1,500 hp engine and S&T Dynamics automatic transmission. Main armament, The Black Panther is armed with a 120mm L/55 smoothbore gun indigenously developed by Hyundai Wia and this is complemented by an autoloader, similar to that designed for the Leclerc tank, it can fire up to 10 rounds a minute. The ammunition for the gun is loaded in a 16-shell magazine. The tank has an ammunition capacity of 40 rounds for its main armamment. Secondary weapons,12.7 mm K6 heavy machine gun,7.62 mm coaxial machine gun, the system is capable of a lock-on mode, which can acquire and track specific targets up to a range of 9.8 km using a thermographic camera. This allows the crew to fire accurately while moving as well as engage low-flying aircraft, the FCS is also linked to an advanced gun stabilizer and trigger-delay mechanism to optimise accuracy while moving in uneven terrain. This will delay the FCS from activating until the beam is re-aligned, the commander of the tank has the ability to override the command to take control of the turret and gun from the gunner. Moreover, unconfirmed reports state that, in the event of an emergency, the Korean Smart Top-Attack Munition is a fire-and-forget, top-attack anti-tank munition with an effective operating range of 2–8 km, developed specifically for use with the K2. It is launched as an energy projectile, fired from the main gun in a high trajectory profile comparable to that of a mortar
K2 Black Panther
–
The K2 Black Panther on static display
K2 Black Panther
–
K2 tank crossing water pool submerged with snorkel
26.
Leclerc
–
The Char Leclerc is a main battle tank built by GIAT, now Nexter of France. It was named in honour of General Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque who led the French element of the drive towards Paris while in command of the Free French 2nd Armoured Division in World War II. The Leclerc is in service with the French Army and the army of the United Arab Emirates, in production since 1991, the Leclerc entered French service in 1992, replacing the AMX30 as the countrys main armoured platform. With production now complete, the French Army has a total of 406 Leclerc, the price in 2011 was €9.3 million, which made it the most expensive tank in history at the time. Following the devaluation of the Euro its price fell dramatically, in 1964 studies were initiated about a possible replacement vehicle for the AMX30, the Engin Principal Prospectif. In 1975 a working committee was created that in 1977 agreed on a list of specifications, fundamental disagreements about its desired configuration led to a failure of this cooperation in December 1982. It was announced that a purely French battle tank would be developed, called EPC, importation of foreign equipment, like the M1 Abrams, the Leopard 2, or the Merkava had been studied and rejected. In contrast to most Western programmes of the time, much consideration was given to active, besides passive protection, mobility for evading enemy fire and fire control systems were given particular attention. In 1986, the project was started under the name of Leclerc, mass production started in 1990 with the four-unit Batch 1, used mainly for comparative tests in foreign countries. The 17 units of Batch 2 were shipped, with improvements in the turret and these units were diagnosed with problems in the engine and suspension, and were quickly retired. Batch 3 followed with some improvements and have used to define the doctrine of use. Batches 4 and 5 were better built, eliminating the recurrent problems in the powerplant, the second series started with Batch 6, with an added climate control system in the right rear of the turret. Batch 7 introduced a system to the command vehicle. It also incorporated improvements in the visor. Batch 8 was a modernisation of the system, and Batch 9 replaced the thermal imaging ATHOS by a SAGEM Iris with better resolution. All previous batches will be modernised up to the standards of Batch 9 from 2005, in 2004, Batch 10 was presented, incorporating new information systems which could share the disposition of enemy and friendly units to all vehicles on the battlefield, and a new armor package. This was the beginning of the 96-unit third series, by 2007,355 tanks should have been operational,320 of them incorporated in four regiments, each of 80 Leclerc vehicles. As of 2010, after a French defence review, each of the four regiments operated 60 Leclerc tanks for a total of 240 in operational units, due to finance cuts, only 254 tanks were fully operational in 2011
Leclerc
–
Demonstration of a Leclerc tank in Paris, on
Bastille Day, July 14 in 2006
Leclerc
–
The gunner's position, looking down from the turret roof.
Leclerc
–
Closeup of the front of the Leclerc's turret; the 12.7mm coaxial machine gun can be seen below and to the side of the 120mm main gun
Leclerc
–
A Leclerc on manoeuvres.
27.
Leopard 2
–
The Leopard 2 is a main battle tank developed by Krauss-Maffei in the 1970s for the West German Army. The tank first entered service in 1979 and succeeded the earlier Leopard 1 as the battle tank of the German Army. Various versions have served in the forces of Germany and 12 other European countries. All models feature digital fire control systems with laser rangefinders, a stabilized main gun and coaxial machine gun. The tank has the ability to engage moving targets while moving over rough terrain, even as the Leopard 1 was just entering service, the German military was interested in producing an improved tank in the next decade. This resulted in the start of the MBT-70 development in cooperation with the United States beginning in 1963, however already in 1967 it became questionable whether the MBT-70 would enter service at any time in the foreseeable future. Therefore, the German government issued the order to research future upgrade options of the Leopard 1 to the German company Porsche in 1967 and this study was named vergoldeter Leopard and focused on incorporating advanced technology into the Leopard design. The projected upgrades added an autoloader, a coaxial autocannon and an independent commanders periscope, the anti-air machine gun could be operated from inside the vehicle and a TV surveillance camera was mounted on an expendable mast. The shape of the turret and hull was optimized using cast steel armour, while the suspension, transmission and the engine exhaust vents were improved. Two prototypes with differing components were built with the aim to improve the conception of the Leopard 1 in such a way that it would match the requirements of the MBT-70. The resulting vehicles were nicknamed Keiler, two prototypes of the Keiler were built in 1969 and 1970, both of them being powered by the MB872 engine. The MBT-70 was a design, but after large cost overruns and technological problems. The Eber used a modified MBT-70 turret and hull, with the driver being seated in the hull, only a wooden mock-up was made. One year later, a choice was made to continue the development based on the earlier Keiler project of the late 1960s, in 1971, the name of the design was determined as Leopard 2 with the original Leopard retroactively becoming the Leopard 1. Originally two versions were projected, the gun-armed Leopard 2K and the Leopard 2FK, which would be armed with the XM150 gun/launcher weapon of the MBT-70 and that year 17 prototypes were ordered, but only 16 hulls were built as the production of hull PT12 was cancelled. Ten were ordered initially before another seven were ordered, the 17 turrets were designated T1 to T17, and the hulls were designated PT1 to PT11 and PT13 to PT17. To test a number of components and concepts, each prototype was fitted with components not found on the other prototypes. Ten of the turrets were equipped with 105 mm smoothbore guns, hulls PT11 and PT17 were fitted with a hydropneumatic suspension based on the MBT-70 design
Leopard 2
–
Leopard 2A5 of the
German Army (Heer)
Leopard 2
–
Leopard 2 prototype (pre-series) PT 19, 1978
Leopard 2
–
Ammunition storage in a Leopard 2A4
Leopard 2
–
View through the panoramic PERI R17 sight
28.
M1 Abrams
–
The M1 Abrams is an American third-generation main battle tank. It is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army chief of staff, highly mobile, designed for modern armored ground warfare, the M1 is well armed and heavily armored. Notable features include the use of a powerful multifuel turbine engine, the adoption of sophisticated composite armor, weighing nearly 68 short tons, it is one of the heaviest main battle tanks in service. The M1 Abrams entered U. S. service in 1980, the M1 remains the principal main battle tank of the United States Army and Marine Corps, and the armies of Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Iraq. Three main versions of the M1 Abrams have been deployed, the M1, M1A1, and M1A2, incorporating improved armament, protection and these improvements and other upgrades to in-service tanks have allowed this long-serving vehicle to remain in front-line service. In addition, development for the improved M1A3 version was reported in 2009, the M1 Abrams was developed during the Cold War as a successor to the canceled MBT-70. The M1 Abrams contract went to Chrysler Defense and was the first vehicle to adopt Chobham armor, adaptations before the Persian Gulf War gave the vehicle better firepower and NBC protection. Being vastly superior to Iraqi tanks, very few M1 tanks were hit by enemy fire, Upgrades after the war improved the tanks weapons sights and fire control unit. The Abrams participated in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, exposing vulnerabilities in urban combat that were addressed with the TUSK modification, the Marine Corps sent a company of M1A1 Abrams tanks to Afghanistan in 2010. The first attempt to replace the aging M60 tank was the MBT-70, the MBT-70 had advanced features such as a height-adjustable air suspension and a very low-profile chassis with the driver located in the turret. The MBT-70 ultimately proved to be too heavy, complex, as a result of the imminent failure of this project, the U. S. Army introduced the XM803, using some technologies from the MBT-70 but removing some of the more troublesome features. This succeeded only in producing a system with capabilities similar to the M60. Congress canceled the MBT-70 in November and XM803 December 1971, and redistributed the funds to the new XM815, prototypes were delivered in 1976 by Chrysler Defense and General Motors armed with the license-built version of the 105 mm Royal Ordnance L7 gun along with a Leopard 2 for comparison. The turbine-powered Chrysler Defense design was selected for development as the M1, in February 1982, General Dynamics Land Systems Division purchased Chrysler Defense, after Chrysler built over 1,000 M1s. A total of 3,273 M1 Abrams tanks were produced 1979–85, Production at the government-owned, GDLS-operated Lima Army Tank Plant in Lima, Ohio, was joined by vehicles built at the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant in Warren, Michigan from 1982 to 1996. The M1 was armed with the version of the 105 mm Royal Ordnance L7 gun. An improved model called the M1IP was produced briefly in 1984, the M1IP models were used in the Canadian Army Trophy NATO tank gunnery competition in 1985 and 1987. Production of M1 and M1A1 tanks totaled some 9,000 tanks at a cost of approximately $4.3 million per unit, by 1999, costs for the tank were upwards of US$5 million a vehicle
M1 Abrams
–
An XM1 Abrams, during a demonstration at Fort Knox, Kentucky in 1979
M1 Abrams
–
Abrams move out on a mission during Desert Storm in 1991. A
Bradley IFV and logistics convoy can be seen in the background.
M1 Abrams
–
A destroyed M1A1, lost to friendly fire.
M1 Abrams
–
Abrams crossing the
Euphrates River at Objective Peach on ribbon assault float bridge deployed by the 299th Engineer Company in 2003.
29.
Merkava
–
The Merkava is a main battle tank used by the Israel Defense Forces. The tank began development in 1973 and entered service in 1978. Four main variants of the tank have been deployed and it was first used extensively in the 1982 Lebanon War. The name Merkava was derived from the IDFs initial development program name, design criteria include rapid repair of battle damage, survivability, cost-effectiveness and off-road performance. Following the model of contemporary self-propelled howitzers, the assembly is located closer to the rear than in most main battle tanks. With the engine in front, this layout is intended to grant additional protection against an attack, especially for the personnel in the main hull. It also creates more space in the rear of the tank that increased storage capacity. This allows the tank to be used as a platform for medical disembarkation, a command and control station. The rear entrances clamshell-style doors provide overhead protection when off- and on-loading cargo and it was reportedly decided shortly before the beginning of the 2006 Lebanon War that the Merkava line would be discontinued within four years. On August 16,2013, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon announced the decision to resume production of the Merkava main battle tank for the IDF Armored Corps, in 1965, Israels military establishment began research and development on a domestically produced tank, the Sabra. Initially, Britain and Israel collaborated to adapt the United Kingdoms Chieftain tank that had entered British Army service in 1966, however, in 1969, Britain decided not to sell the tank to Israel for political reasons. By 1974, initial designs were completed and prototypes were built, after a brief set of trials, work began to retool the Tel HaShomer ordnance depot for full-time development and construction. After the new facilities were completed, the Merkava was announced to the public in the International Defense Review periodical, the first official images of the tank were then released to the American periodical Armed Forces Journal on May 4,1977. The IDF officially adopted the tank in December 1978, the first Merkava Mk.1 tanks were supplied to the IDF in April 1979, nearly nine years after the decision to produce the Merkava Mk.1 tank was taken. The lead organization for system integration of the Merkavas main components is Israel Military Industries, the Israeli Ordnance Corps are responsible for final Merkava assembly. More than 90% of the Merkava 4 tanks components are produced locally in Israel by Israeli defense industries, bental Industries, a TAT Technologies subsidiary, produced the brushless motors used in the Mark IVs turret and gun control system. The Merkava Mark I and II were armed with a 105 mm M68 gun. The Mark III, Mark III Dor Dalet BAZ kassag, each model of the Merkava has two roof mounted 7.62 mm machine guns for use by the commander and loader and another mounted co-axially with the main gun
Merkava
–
Merkava Mk 4m Windbreaker, fitted with
Trophy Active Protection System, during
Operation Protective Edge 2014.
Merkava
–
Merkava Mark I at
Yad La-Shiryon.
Merkava
–
The Merkava Mark III
30.
Sabra (tank)
–
The Sabra is an extensively upgraded M60 Patton tank developed by Israel Military Industries. MkII version of this package was used in one of Turkish Armys modernization programs. The Sabra is known as the M60T in Turkish service, the Sabra was initially developed as a further evolution of the Magach 7C. The ballistic profile of the armor was improved, and it incorporated the MG253120 mm gun developed by IMI. The upgrade package was first offered to Turkey as an option for its modernization program. The first Sabra Mk. II was delivered for Turkish trials in 2005,170 were upgraded between 2007 and April,2009. The upgrades were undertaken by the Turkish Armys 2nd Main Maintenance Center Command, Sabra Mk. I The Mk. I was essentially an upgraded Magach 7C. It incorporated a new 120 mm gun developed by IMI, improved armor. The running gear would also be upgraded from the Magach to improve cross-country mobility, the hybrid electric and hydraulic system from the Magach 7C is replaced with an all-electric system. This version would include a Commanders Independent Thermal Viewer. The Mk. II also uses a more powerful MTU Friedrichshafen engine built under license in Turkey, the Mk. II is also equipped with explosive reactive armor. The tanks were upgraded by the Turkish militarys 2nd Main Maintenance Center with Israeli cooperation, all the systems except the armor package were built under license with technology transfer in Turkey. Sabra can carry 500 litres of diesel fuel, Sabra Mk. III The Sabra Mk. III incorporates armor technology, cannon, the RWR/IR warning system, and tracks from the Merkava Mk. IV. Magach – Served as the point for the Sabra design. M60-2000 – An alternative upgrade option from General Dynamics Land Systems which was offered to Turkey. IMI Systems Upgraded M-60 Federation of American Scientists
Sabra (tank)
–
Sabra Mk II
31.
Type 99 tank
–
The Type 99 or ZTZ99 is a Chinese third generation main battle tank. The tank entered Peoples Liberation Army Ground Force service in 2001, the development of the the domestic 3rd generation MBT was started in 1989, under Chinas eighth five year plan. In the early 90s China produced one of its second generation protoypes, the Type 90-II was designed by studying the T-72 tank. The chassis was to be based on the T-72s hull but with Chinese subsystems, the Type 90-II had a 125mm smoothbore cannon with an autoloader, modular composite armor and a centered driver position. While the Type 90-II series ultimately did not enter Peoples Liberation Army service, the Type 98 or WZ-123 was Chinas domestic Type 90-II derivative. It was first seen in rehearsals for the 1999 National Day parade and was revealed on 1 October 1999. It sported a distinctive appearance with the hull and crew layout similar to the Russian T-72, an improved version was shortly produced and was named the Type 98G or Type 99. The Type 99 sported the same hull that was based on the T-72 like its previous iterations, an updated Type 99 model was officially introduced at the 2015 Victory Day Parade as the Type 99A. This variant had previously used by PLA troops during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization military exercises in 2014. Although the PLA has not distinguished between this variant and older models, some sources have named this latest variant the Type 99A2, by 2008,200 Type 98 and Type 99 tanks may have been deployed to the Beijing and Shenyang Military Regions. The Type 99 has seen less deployment than other tanks in PLA service due to cost factors, the main armament is a 2-plane stabilized 125 mm smoothbore gun with a carousel-style autoloader. The gun may be fired under both computerized and manual control, the tank can carry 42 rounds including 22 in the autoloader. The rate of fire is 8 rounds per minute using the autoloader, the Type 99A mounts an improved 125 mm gun. The 125 mm gun of the Type 99 is capable of firing APFSDS-T, HEAT, Frag-HE-T, the gun may fire a range of Chinese, Russian, and ex-Warsaw Pact ammunition. The Type 99 can fire tandem shaped charged ATGMs similar to the Russian Invar with a range of up to 5 kilometres, in 1998 the 9M119 ATGMs were approved for domestic license production by Russia. Secondary armament consists of a 12. 7mm machine gun on the commanders cupola, the 12. 7mm MG has an elevation of -4 to 75 degrees. The Type 99 possess hunter-killer capabilities and an ISFCS-212 fire control system with an IR automatic target tracker and it is capable of firing on the move with a stabilized gunners thermal sight and laser range finder. The gunner has a target acquisition range of 5 kilometres
Type 99 tank
–
A Type 99 tank at the
China People's Revolution Military Museum in
Beijing during the 2007 Our troops towards the sun exhibition.
Type 99 tank
–
Type 98 during rehearsal of the 1999
National Day parade.
Type 99 tank
–
Chinese Type 98 MBTs on parade in Beijing
Type 99 tank
–
Type 99 front right view. Note the distinct wedged shaped turret and applique armor panels on turret front and sides in contrast to the Type 98
32.
Altay (tank)
–
The Altay is a modern main battle tank, designed and developed by Otokar, a subsidiary of Koç Holding, for the Turkish Army and export markets. It is named in honor of Army General Fahrettin Altay who commanded the 5th Cavalry Corps in the stage of the Turkish War of Independence. This is Turkeys first MBT development program since 1943, when prototypes of a Turkish national tank were produced in Kırıkkale, Otokar, a company owned by Istanbul-based Koç Holding, is one of the major automotive manufacturers in Turkey. Otokar has produced more than 25,000 military vehicles as of 2008, the Turkish Ministry of Defense allocated a budget of $1 billion for the development of the Altay. Another state company Roketsan designs an indigenous armor, once the prototypes are produced and tested, the Undersecreteriat for Defense Industries of the Republic of Turkey will prepare and execute a separate order for the first lot of 250 tanks. A total of 1000 MBTs are planned to be produced in four lots of 250 units. Every delivered lot is expected to have additional upgrades, first 3D picture of Turkey’s new main battle tank, Altay, was released to public on 7 April 2010 during a press release by SSM. According to reports, an envoy from Colombia was also present at the press meeting to obtain more information about the tank. In April 2013, officials of the Saudi Arabian Army reportedly became interested in the Altay main battle tank, at IDEF-2013, the Azerbaijan Army expressed interest in the Altay tank. Otokar placed a bid for 77 Altays for a tender in Oman in August 2013, the first prototype Altay Tank is ready to use by the end of 2016. In January 2016, Turkey reported that the Altay had received interest from Pakistan, the tank is projected to have a 120 millimetres smoothbore gun and will include CBRN defense elements, to protect it from chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons. The planned maximum speed is set at 70 kilometres per hour, provided by an 1,800 hp engine, and the MBTs will be able to function under 4.1 metres of water. The tank will benefit both from indigenously developed systems and from the technology of the South Korean K2 Black Panther. The first two batches will be powered by the 1,500 hp MTU engines whereas the last two batches will be powered by an indigenous 1,800 hp engine. The tank will be fielded with a STANAG4579 compatible battlefield target identification system that ensures interoperability among small tank units, there are seven wheels, which translates to a longer hull, heavier armor and increased survivability. While moving at speeds, to evade ATGM attacks, sudden brakings. Isolated ammunition compartment is designed to save tank crew from explosions alongside fire, the tank is equipped with sensors for the detection of air contamination sourced from chemical and biological weapons. Otokar General Manager Serdar Görgüç has announced that the company is considering the development of an engine for the Altay
Altay (tank)
–
Prototype of Altay MBT during a test drive.
33.
Black Eagle (tank)
–
The Black Eagle tank, was a presumed prototype main battle tank produced in the Russian Federation. It was thought to have developed by the KBTM design bureau in Omsk in the late 1990s. A production version of tank has never been publicly demonstrated. The Black Eagle has been cancelled, with all production and development halted, the company that was developing the tank, Omsk Transmash, has gone bankrupt, and its designs and projects have been absorbed into Uralvagonzavod and state owned services. Uralvagonzavod was developing the T-95 in competition to the Black Eagle, development started during the 1980s, when the design bureau of the Leningrad Kirov Plant developed a new design based on the stretched T-80U chassis. Later, when the closed, the documentation was transferred to KBTM in Omsk. A mock-up of the Black Eagle was first demonstrated at the VTTV arms exposition in Omsk, in September 1997, making a single brief pass, far from the reviewing stands. The tank appeared to be a standard T-80U hull, topped by a large turret and gun, obscured by camouflage netting. The turret later turned out to be a crude mock-up, an early prototype was shown at an arms exposition in Siberia, in June 1999. This tank had a hull with seven pairs of road wheels instead of the T-80s six. The tank was based on a lengthened T-80U hull, with a pair of road wheels. It appeared to have had very thick front armour and new-generation Kaktus explosive reactive armour on the hull, the turret had a very large, box-shaped turret bustle instead of the traditional dome shape of previous Soviet and Russian main battle tanks. S. M1 Abrams, the German Leopard 2, British Challenger 2, French Leclerc, the prototype had a 125 mm tank gun, but it was stated that it may have accommodated a larger 152 mm gun. There was debate whether the Black Eagle would incorporate the Drozd or Arena Active Protection System. The Black Eagle project was cancelled in 2001. This included the Black Eagle, which was promptly cancelled, the manufacturers, Omsk Transmash, attempted to appeal the decision, but were unable to pursue the appeal after filing for bankruptcy in 2002. As of July 2008, the Russian army planned to adopt a new Uralvagonzavod tank after 2010, however, development of the T-95 tank was also cancelled, in May 2010. Colonel Vladimir Voitov, head of research at the Main Directorate of the Armored Troops, there was no such project. and those 20-year-old pictures show a mock-up of a futuristic tank which remained just a product of someones imagination
Black Eagle (tank)
–
Чёрный Орёл "Black Eagle"
34.
M-95 Degman
–
The M-95 Degman is a prototype Croatian main battle tank, developed by the Đuro Đaković company. It is a modernization of the Yugoslav M-84 tank, which is, in turn, the Đuro Đaković factory is best known for its principal role in the production of M-84 in the Yugoslav era. Đuro Đaković thermal imaging allows enhanced night activity and optional 1,200 hp engine, there are numerous smaller changes in fire control, communications equipment, track etc. The Degmans autoloader is 15% faster meaning 9 shells can be fired in a minute instead of 8 shells. The Degman M-95 has not entered serial production yet, however two prototypes were ordered by the Croatian Government, a M-95 model and the other M-84D sample, Đuro Đaković is going to be producing the export version the M-84D for Kuwait and other potential buyers. The Kuwaiti Army has confirmed interest in modernizing its 149 dated M-84 to the new M-84D standard, the M-95 Degman tank was largely based on the older M-90 Vihor tank. A full working prototype of the Vihor tank completed basic testing at the Đuro Đaković factory, Đuro Đaković was already working on a second prototype but due to the hostilities work on the second Vihor prototype stalled until 1994 when it was completed with the new turret. Meanwhile, the first prototype was upgraded and modernized, a more powerful 1200 hp engine was installed which provided a higher power-to-weight ratio, a storage basket and slat armor at the back of the turret were added, increasing armour protection. The optics and fire system was developed by Fotona, a Slovenian company. The Vihor/M95 tank received new laser range finder, LIRD-4B - a laser warning system. A Fotona/Končar/Đuro Đaković digital battlefield computer has also added to improve battlefield performance. Diehl provided new tracks giving the better performance both on and off road. This project received considerable assistance from Elbit of Israel, explosive Reactive Armor developed by Elbit is one major upgrade and gives a distinctive look to the M95 tank. Rafael - Samson Remote Controlled Weapon Station which consist of a 12. 7mm calibre heavy machine gun and this Remote Controlled Weapon Station acts also as the commanders independent thermal viewer. Additional upgrades are planned, including a new 120mm compact gun developed by RUAG Defence of Switzerland and few additional defensive, currently, two M-95 tanks are operational. Croatia, the Croatian Army has four examples, and 78 M-84A4s are being converted into M-84Ds. List of military equipment of Croatia M-84 M-84D PT-91 Twardy T-72 T-84 LAHAT RCWS http, //www. ddsv. hr/tenk_degman_eng_1. html http, archived from the original on 1 July 2012
M-95 Degman
–
M-95 Degman
M-95 Degman
–
"M-95" redirects here. For other uses, see
M-95 (disambiguation).
35.
M-84AS
–
The M-84AS is a modernized version of the M-84 main battle tank produced by Yugoimport SDPR in Serbia. M-84AS is sometimes referred to as M-84AB1 and M-2001, the modernization gives an improved fire-control system with integrated day/night sight. The M84A1 gun is replaced with a similar but improved gun which, along with better control characteristics, enables easy, the M-84AS tank is able to fire anti-tank guided missiles with laser guidance through the barrel, which enables accurate engagement of enemy tanks up to 5 km. The M-84AS is equipped with non-explosive and non-energetic reactive armour which offers protection against modern tandem charge warheads on missiles and it is also equipped with the modern Shtora electro-optical system for defense against wire and laser guided anti-tank missiles. The new turret will provide protection against Kinetic Energy anti-tank guided missiles and its new 9M119 Refleks is a laser beam riding guided anti-tank missile designed to penetrate 900 mm of RHA. No serial production has been undertaken yet, apart from external differences to the M-84, it also has different internal structure and equipment, far surpassing the M-84AB in both capability and durability. Developed originally from the M-84, the M-84AS is more than just a tweak to bring it up to standard. Many improvements were adopted from what can be argued to be its sister tank, with slight differences in armour and maneuverability, the T-90 is better armoured while the M-84AS is faster and more maneuverable. Considering the speed perspective, the M-84AS moves at 75 km/h on road while the T-90 moves at 60 km/h on road with off road speeds varying according to terrain. The armor on the T-90 is somewhat superior with thicker composites, NBC protection as well as having the option of Active Protection System, aside from the propulsion and armor, the targeting system is equivalent. M-84 T-84 PT-91 T-90 Article on the M84-AB1, published in Odbrana Article on M-84 published by UK parliament commons Forecast international on tank engine Canadian assessment of ordnance
M-84AS
–
Serbian M-84AS
36.
T-95
–
T-95 is the common informal designation of a Russian fourth generation tank that was under development at Uralvagonzavod before being cancelled in May 2010. The project was first reported in 1995 and announced by Russian official sources in 2000 and it was due to be introduced in 2009, but was repeatedly delayed. The Russian government terminated its involvement in the project in May 2010, most information about this tank was speculative. The design was presumably a significant departure from the Soviet-era tanks currently in service, T-95 was a name given to the tank by media, it was not an official name. According to published sources, development of a new tank called Object 195 began at the Uralvagonzavod design bureau in the early 1990s, the prototype tank was announced by the Russian Minister of Defense Igor Sergeyev in 2000. On July 10,2008 the Russian government announced that the Russian armed forces would start receiving new-generation tanks superior to the T-90 main battle tank after 2010, the T-90 MBT will be the backbone of the armored units until 2025. However, in May 2010, deputy minister and chief of armaments Vladimir Popovkin announced that a number of programs for development of new armor. The main victim is the Object 195 program, Popovkin said the military will focus on modernization of the T-90 instead. However without state funding or export permits, the company would be unable to proceed to production, the Chinese have a T-95 tank that draws very heavily on this latest Russian prototype. Known as the T-95e, it does indeed have a hybrid drive system. This is only a prototype, the model, if any, is to be the 99/4e. The primary advantage of an electric, or hybrid drive is the ability to be able to move on a moments notice, the engine need not be started, with its visible diesel exhaust smoke. Again, the tanks in question are prototypes and were produced in limited numbers for testing. RusBusinessNews Urals Uncases Secret Russian Tank T-95, Uralvagonzavod T-95 tank on Russian Defence Expo 2010, at. Uralvagonzavod T-95 tank on Russian Defence Expo 2010, at, Uralvagonzavod T-95 tank on Russian Defence Expo 2010, at. Saudi in talks with Russia over weapons sales, Diplomat AFP report at The Peninsula, Uralvagonzavod Main Battle Tank, at fas. org. Nizhny Tagil New Main Battle Tank, at Vasiliy Fofanovs Modern Russian Armour Page, Russia develops new low profile main battle tank, at Janes. com. Critique of T-95, at V. Chobitoks ArmourSite, in Armor vol 108, no 4, p 21
T-95
–
Prototype of the tank T-95
37.
Tank EX
–
Tank Ex, or MBT Ex, was the code name of the main battle tank developed by the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation in 2002. It was rumoured the tank would be called Karna, after one of the heroes of the Indian epic The Mahabharata, Tank Ex was developed as a second attempt after the development of the Ajeya by DRDO in order to capitalize on the technology developed for that project. It underwent six months of trials, but was rejected by the Indian Army. At least two Tank Ex prototypes were built, the Tank Ex MBT uses the chassis of the T-72M1 and turret and weapon system of the Arjun. It was developed in 2002 as a venture and was intended to provide a solution for upgrading the Indian Armys ageing T-72M1 fleet. It was rejected by the Indian Army after two prototypes and six months of trials, on July 5,2008, Gen. Dalip Bhardwaj, the Indian Armys Director General of Mechanized forces, declared that the army had rejected Tank Ex. Weighing in at 47 tons, the Tank Ex is heavier than the T-72M1 and it has a 1,000 hp power plant giving a power-to-weight ratio of 21 hp /ton for a total weight of 47 tons. This represents an improvement over the T-72M1s 20 hp /ton, with a weight of 41 tons, the Tank Ex utilizes the Arjun MBTs 120 mm rifled gun firing unitary APFSDS and HESH semi combustible cartridge case ammunition. A total of 32 rounds are carried, as compared with 39 in the Arjun and 45 two piece rounds in the T-72, a global positioning system is provided for accurate navigation. This is a common to both the Arjun MBT and the Combat Improved Ajeya. The Tank Ex utilizes the Kanchan composite armour, especially over its frontal arc, the usage of the Arjun turret design indicates that the Tank Ex may also have its ready ammunition stored in the bustle, separated from the crew and provided with blow-off panels. This would be a significant protective feature comparable with Western design practices, the Tank Ex retains the T-72s mobility, with a road speed of 60 km/h and a cross-country speed of 40 km/h. With a maximum gradient climb of 30 degrees, it remains in line with all variants of the T-72, the Tank Ex is better at trench crossing with a capability of crossing 2.6 meters as compared to the T-72M1s 2.28 metres. The Tank Ex can also climb vertical obstacles up to 0.85 metres tall, the tanks shallow fording capabilities are quoted as 1.2 metres. The Tank Ex should also have the capability to fire the Israeli LAHAT missile from its gun-barrel, like the Arjun
Tank EX
–
Three-quarter front view of a Tank Ex in parade
38.
Tank
–
A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat, with heavy firepower, strong armour, and tracks providing good battlefield maneuverability. The first tanks were designed to overcome the deadlock of trench warfare, now they are a mainstay of ground forces. Modern tanks are versatile mobile land weapon platforms, mounting a large-calibre cannon in a rotating gun turret. In both offensive and defensive roles, they are units that are capable of performing tasks which are required of armoured units on the battlefield. As a result of advances, tanks underwent tremendous shifts in capability in the years since their first appearance. Tanks in World War I were developed separately and simultaneously by Great Britain and this was a prototype of a new design that would become the British Armys Mark I tank, the first tank used in combat in September 1916 during the Battle of the Somme. The name tank was adopted by the British during the stages of their development. While the British and French built thousands of tanks in World War I, Germany was unconvinced of the tanks potential, Tanks of the interwar period evolved into the much larger and more powerful designs of World War II. Tanks in the Cold War were designed with these weapons in mind, improved engines, transmissions and suspensions allowed tanks of this period to grow larger. Aspects of gun technology changed significantly as well, with advances in shell design, during the Cold War, the main battle tank concept arose and became a key component of modern armies. Modern tanks seldom operate alone, as they are organized into combined arms units which involve the support of infantry and they are also usually supported by reconnaissance or ground-attack aircraft. The tank is the 20th century realization of an ancient concept, the internal combustion engine, armour plate, and continuous track were key innovations leading to the invention of the modern tank. Many sources imply that Leonardo da Vinci and H. G. Wells in some way foresaw or invented the tank, leonardos late 15th century drawings of what some describe as a tank show a man-powered, wheeled vehicle with cannons all around it. However the human crew would not have power to move it over larger distance. In the 15th century, Jan Žižka built armoured wagons containing cannons, the caterpillar track arose from attempts to improve the mobility of wheeled vehicles by spreading their weight, reducing ground pressure, and increasing their traction. Experiments can be traced back as far as the 17th century and it is frequently claimed that Richard Lovell Edgeworth created a caterpillar track. It is true that in 1770 he patented a machine, that should carry and lay down its own road and his own account in his autobiography is of a horse-drawn wooden carriage on eight retractable legs, capable of lifting itself over high walls. The description bears no similarity to a caterpillar track, armoured trains appeared in the mid-19th century, and various armoured steam and petrol-engined vehicles were also proposed
Tank
–
An
M4 Sherman tank in Italy in 1943 during WW II.
Tank
–
German Tiger II tanks of
Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 503 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 503) 'Feldherrnhalle' posing in formation for a German newsreel
Tank
–
Model of Leonardo's proposed vehicle.
Tank
–
British World War I Mark V* tank
39.
History of the tank
–
Though initially crude and unreliable, tanks eventually became a mainstay of ground armies. By World War II, tank design had advanced significantly, the Cold War saw the rise of modern tank doctrine and the rise of the general-purpose main battle tank. The tank still provides the backbone to land operations in the 21st century. World War I generated new demands for armoured self-propelled weapons which could navigate any kind of terrain, the great weakness of the tanks predecessor, the armoured car, was that it required smooth terrain to move upon, and new developments were needed for cross-country capability. The tank was designed as a special weapon to solve an unusual tactical situation. It was a designed for one simple task, crossing the killing zone between trench lines and breaking into enemy. Few recognised during World War I that the means for returning mobility and shock action to combat was already present in a device destined to warfare on the ground. With increased firepower and protection, these forces would, only some 20 years later. Numerous concepts of armoured vehicles had been imagined for a long time. With advent of trench warfare in World War I, the Allied French and British developments of the tank were largely parallel, in the 15th century, a Hussite called Jan Žižka won several battles using armoured wagons containing cannon that could be fired through holes in their sides. But his invention was not used after his lifetime until the 20th century, in 1903, a French artillery captain named Léon Levavasseur proposed the Levavasseur project, a canon autopropulseur, moved by a caterpillar system and fully armoured for protection. This arrangement gave them the maximum of adaptability to the contours of the ground and they crawled level along the ground with one foot high upon a hillock and another deep in a depression, and they could hold themselves erect and steady sideways upon even a steep hillside. In the years before the Great War, two practical tank-like designs were proposed but not developed, in 1911, the Austrian engineering officer Günther Burstyn submitted a proposal for a fighting vehicle that had a gun in a rotating turret. In 1912, the Australian civil engineer Lancelot de Moles proposal included a model of a functional fully tracked vehicle. Both of these were rejected by their respective governmental administrations, benjamin Holt of the Holt Manufacturing Company of Stockton, California was the first to file a US patent for a workable crawler type tractor in 1907. The centre of innovation was in England, and in 1903 he travelled to England to learn more about ongoing development. Holt paid Alvin Lombard US$60,000 for the right to produce vehicles under Lombards patent for the Lombard Steam Log Hauler. Holt returned to Stockton and, utilising his knowledge and his companys metallurgical capabilities, he became the first to design, in England, David Roberts of Hornsby & Sons, Grantham, obtained a patent for a design in July 1904
History of the tank
–
A British
Mark I tank in action on 26 September 1916 (moving left to right). Photo by
Ernest Brooks.
History of the tank
–
The
Levavasseur project described a crawler-tracked armoured vehicle equipped with artillery as early as 1903.
History of the tank
–
1904 illustration of
H.G. Wells ' December 1903
The Land Ironclads, showing huge
ironclad land vessels, equipped with
pedrail wheels.
History of the tank
–
A Holt tractor in the
Vosges during the spring of 1915 serving as an
artillery tractor for a French army
De Bange 155 mm cannon.
40.
Tank classification
–
Tank classification is a taxonomy of identifying either the intended role or weight class of tanks. The weight classification is used in the same way truck classification is used, many classification systems have been used over a hundred years of tank history. As World War II progressed, the separation of infantry and cruiser roles generally disappeared, classification has always been determined by the prevailing theories of armoured warfare, which have been altered in turn by rapid advances in technology. No one classification system works across all periods or all nations, in particular, with the world-wide adoption of the modern main battle tank designs, which favour a modular universal design, these sorts of classifications are mostly eliminated from modern terminology. All main battle tanks are typically armed with weapons with similar characteristics and these are complemented with light tanks, typically in the role of reconnaissance. Development of a classification system started in World War I, when tanks were separated into light tanks and tankettes, medium tanks. Heavy tanks were required to be large to cross trenches, Medium tanks were smaller and had help to cross trenches so weighed less. Light tanks were smaller and lightweight, allowing transport on lorries. These tanks started to be used in different roles based on armour, Light tanks could provide mobile machine gun support for infantry, medium tanks could be used to react and exploit situational advantages, heavy tanks could be used for the main advance. As tank doctrine developed, the role of tanks started to be defined. F. C. By 1936, these settled on the roles of tanks for reconnaissance, infantry tanks to support an advance. The works were further explored by Heinz Guderian in the development of German tank doctrine, other nations continued to use the light, medium and heavy designations. US and Russian forces also incorporated the tank concept, allowing their light, medium. Russian forces added the concept of the tank, armed with a flamethrower. During the course of the war, German forces added command tanks and this idea caught on with other nations. Development of British doctrine added howitzer-armed close support tanks, similar to the older torpedo tank role and these soon became critical to launching smoke, and post-war smoke dischargers became common on tanks. Both command and close support tanks were based on the type of tank they were supporting. Infantry tanks proved capable in this new role however, and the designation was applied outside of experimental production
Tank classification
–
The
Challenger 2 is a
main battle tank
Tank classification
–
The
BT-2 tank of 1932 was the first Soviet improvement of J. Walter Christie's design.
Tank classification
–
Churchill Crocodile flame tank
Tank classification
–
A British
Matilda tank displaying a captured Italian flag
41.
Tanks in World War I
–
The development of tanks in World War I was a response to the stalemate that had developed on the Western Front. Research took place in both Great Britain and France, with Germany only belatedly following the Allies lead, in Great Britain, an initial vehicle, nicknamed Little Willie, was constructed at William Foster & Co. during August and September 1915. The prototype of a new design that would become the Mark I tank was demonstrated to the British Army on February 2,1916, although initially termed Landships by the Landships Committee, production vehicles were named tanks, to preserve secrecy. The term was chosen when it became known that the workers at William Foster referred to the first prototype as the tank because of its resemblance to a steel water tank. The French fielded their first tanks in April 1917 and went on to far more tanks than all other combatants combined. The Germans, on the hand, began development only in response to the appearance of Allied tanks on the battlefield. Whilst the Allies manufactured several thousand tanks during the War, Germany deployed only 1680 of her own, the first tanks were mechanically unreliable. There were problems that caused considerable attrition rates during combat deployment, the heavily shelled terrain was impassable to conventional vehicles, and only highly mobile tanks such as the Mark and FTs performed reasonably well. The Mark Is rhomboid shape, caterpillar tracks, and 26-foot length meant that it could navigate obstacles, especially wide trenches, along with the tank, the first self-propelled gun and the first armoured personnel carrier were also constructed in World War I. The conceptual roots of the tank go back to ancient times, with the coming of the Industrial Revolution and the demonstrable power of steam, James Cowan presented a proposal for a Steam Powered Land Ram in 1855, towards the end of the Crimean War. Lord Palmerston is said to have dismissed it as barbaric, at one point in 1908, Major William E. Donohue of the Mechanical Transport Committee remarked to Roberts that he should design a new machine with armour, capable of carrying its own gun. But, disheartened by years of ultimately fruitless tinkering for the Army, in later years he expressed regret at not having pursued it. The Austrian government said it would be interested in evaluating it if Burstyn could secure commercial backing to produce a prototype, lacking the requisite contacts, he let it drop. An approach to the German government was similarly fruitless, De Moles proposal already had the climbing face, so typical of the later World War I British tanks, but it is unknown whether there was some connection. De Mole noted in 1919 that he was urged by friends before the war to approach the Germans with his design, before World War I, motorized vehicles were still relatively uncommon, and their use on the battlefield was initially limited, especially of heavier vehicles. Armoured cars soon became commonplace with most belligerents, especially in more open terrain. Armored cars did indeed prove useful in open land such as in deserts, the other issue was that it was very hard to add much protection or armament. The main limitation was the wheels, which gave a high pressure for the vehicles weight
Tanks in World War I
–
A British Mark V (Male) tank
Tanks in World War I
–
A British Mark V* tank —on the roof the tank carries an unditching beam on rails, that could be attached to the tracks and used to extricate itself from difficult muddy trenches and shell craters
Tanks in World War I
–
1917: a British tank destroyed by the Germans in the
Western Front during WWI
Tanks in World War I
–
Mark 3II; tank no. 799 captured near Arras on 11 April 1917
42.
Tanks of the interwar period
–
This article discusses tanks of the interwar period. World War I established the validity of the concept and between the two world wars, many nations needed to have tanks, but only a few had the industrial resources to design. During and after World War I, Britain and France were the leaders in tank design. This early lead would be gradually lost during the course of the 1930s to the Soviet Union and, to a lesser extent, the final tank designs of 1918 showed a number of trends. The joint US and British Mark VIII tank was supposed to be a heavy tank design for them. The design should have overcome the limitations of the earlier British heavy tanks, the 34-foot-long, 37-ton armored vehicle was powered by a 300-hp V-12 engine and capable of 7 mph cross-country. Worldwide, many sizes of tank were considered, and much of the development effort went into light tanks that were primarily against infantry or for colonial police-type work. The worldwide economic difficulties of the 1920s and 1930s led to an emphasis on light tanks as they were much cheaper to produce than medium or heavy tanks. However, the Spanish Civil War showed that tank-versus-tank engagements and tank-versus-towed antitank gun engagements would now be a consideration for the future of tank warfare. It became clear that tanks would need to be heavily armoured, Tank shape, previously guided purely by considerations of obstacle clearance, now became a trade-off between a low profile, desirable for stealth, and weight savings. In Britain, a deal of study on the future of tank warfare was carried out. In the U. S. J. Walter Christie developed a series of fast tanks and this was combined with very high power-to-weight ratios achieved by fitting large aircraft engines in his tanks. Christies prototypes were purchased by the Soviet Union, and were to be developed into the BT tanks and eventually, on the eve of World War II. Today it may be difficult to understand why the idea found such resistance from the leadership of several armies. Part of the explanation is that the automotive industry was in its infancy. Tanks were rightly considered unreliable, troublesome equipment as late as the early 1930s, weak engines, poor transmissions, and fragile, short-life tracks contributed to this reputation. The international success of the Vickers six-ton tank is due more to its high reliability than any brilliance in the design, however, as the decade passed, engines, transmissions and tracks all improved. By the beginning of World War II, reliable engines and transmissions, a final trend in the between-the-wars period was changes in manufacturing methods
Tanks of the interwar period
–
Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf. An on display at the Deutsches Panzermuseum Munster, Germany.
Tanks of the interwar period
–
Mark VIII (Liberty) Tank
Tanks of the interwar period
–
The
BT-2 tank of 1932 was the first modification of
Walter Christie's design.
Tanks of the interwar period
–
The British
A-13 Cruiser Mk IV tank.
43.
Tanks in World War II
–
Tanks were an important weapons system in World War II. Although tanks were the subject of research in the inter-war years. However, during World War II most armies employed tanks, Tank usage, doctrine and production varied widely among the combatant nations. By wars end, a consensus was emerging regarding tank doctrine, the tank was invented by the British in World War I, with nearly simultaneous development in France. Tanks of the First World War reflected the novelty of the idea, World War I tanks moved at a walking pace, were relatively unreliable, and the best usage of them was still developing up to the wars end. In addition to support, tanks fulfilled traditional cavalry roles, provided mobile artillery support. Tank design gradually improved in the period also. Reflecting the growth of the industry, tank engines, transmissions. By the beginning of the war in September 1939, tanks were available that could travel hundreds of miles on their tracks with a number of breakdowns. The war accelerated the pace of change in design, in particular, the gun-vs-armor race of the war led to rapid improvements in firepower and armor. The United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, the early tanks of Germany were inferior to many of their opponents tanks in the areas of armor and firepower. However, in their tactical employment the German tanks dominated all rivals early in the war, German doctrine stressed the use of rapid movement, mission-type tactics and combined-arms where tanks operated with mobile infantry and air support, this doctrine was popularly called Blitzkrieg. This doctrine required the Germans to equip their tanks with radios, in contrast, for example, almost 80 percent of French tanks lacked radios, essentially because their battle doctrine was based on a more slow-paced, deliberate conformance to planned movements. This required fewer radios at all levels, French tanks generally outclassed German tanks in firepower and armor in the 1940 campaign, but their poor command and control doctrine negated these advantages. By 1943, two-way radio was nearly universal in all armies, a trend towards heavier tanks was unmistakable as the war proceeded. In 1939, most tanks had maximum armor of 30 mm or less, by 1945, typical medium tanks had maximum armor over 60 mm thick, with guns in the 75–85 mm range and weights of 30 to 45 t. Light tanks, which dominated most armies early in the war, turrets, which had always been considered, but were not previously a universal feature on tanks, became recognized as essential. Also, mounting the gun in a turret ensured that the tank could fire from hull down cover, hull-mounted guns required that most of the vehicle be exposed to enemy fire
Tanks in World War II
–
Combined arms in action: US
M4 Sherman, equipped with a 75 mm main gun, with infantry walking alongside.
Tanks in World War II
–
A
German Tiger I tank in combat during the
Battle of Kursk in 1943
Tanks in World War II
–
T3E2 tank with Christie suspension crossing an obstacle during tests in 1936
Tanks in World War II
–
Early war production.
44.
Tanks in the Cold War
–
During the Cold War, the two opposing forces in Europe were the Warsaw Pact countries on the one side, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries on the other side. The Warsaw Pact was seen by the West as having an aggressive force outnumbering the NATO forces, Soviet domination of the Warsaw Pact led to effective standardization on a few tank designs. In comparison, NATO adopted a defensive posture, the major contributing nations, France, Germany, the USA, and the UK developed their own tank designs, with little in common, while the smaller nations of NATO purchased or adapted these designs. After World War II, tank development continued largely as it had been because of the Cold War, Tanks would not only continue to be produced in huge numbers, but the technology advanced dramatically as well. Tanks became larger and their armour became thicker and much more effective, aspects of gun technology changed significantly as well, with big advances in shell design and terminal effectiveness. However, nowadays most tanks in service still have manually breech-loaded guns, many of the changes in tank design have been refinements to targeting and ranging, gun stabilisation, communications and crew comfort. Armour has evolved to keep pace with improvements in weaponry, but there have been no fundamental changes. The design and budgeting of tanks has known severe ups and downs, right after the war, tank design budgets were cut and engineering staff was often scattered. The Korean War proved that tanks were useful on the battlefield. Medium tanks gradually evolved into the new concept of the battle tank. This transition happened gradually in the 1950s, as it was realized that medium tanks could carry guns that could penetrate any practical level of armor at long range. The World War II concept of heavy tanks, armed with the most powerful guns and heaviest armor, likewise, World War II had shown that lightly armed, lightly armored tanks were of little value in most roles. Even reconnaissance vehicles shown a trend towards heavier weight and greater firepower during World War II, speed was not a substitute for armor, an increasing variety of anti-tank weapons and the perceived threat of a nuclear war prioritized the need for additional armor. The additional armor prompted the design of more powerful cannons. The main battle tank thus took on the role the British had once called the Universal tank, typical main battle tanks were as well armed as any other vehicle on the battlefield, highly mobile, and well armored. Yet they were enough to be built in large numbers. The classic main battle tanks of the 1950s were the British Centurion, the Soviet T-55 series, and these three basic vehicles were upgraded significantly over time. For example, the Centurion began life with the highly effective 17-pounder gun, the Russian T-55 started with a 100 mm gun, but has been upgraded with both 115 mm and 125 mm guns, much improved fire control systems, new engines, track, etc
Tanks in the Cold War
–
A US Army M60A3 main battle tank moves along a street in Germany during Exercise REFORGER '85
Tanks in the Cold War
–
The M26 Pershing, one of the US tanks designed near the end of
World War II and used during the
Cold War.
Tanks in the Cold War
–
British Centurion Mk 3
main battle tank at
Eastbourne Redoubt
Tanks in the Cold War
–
M48 Patton
45.
Russian language
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Russian is an East Slavic language and an official language in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and many minor or unrecognised territories. Russian belongs to the family of Indo-European languages and is one of the four living members of the East Slavic languages, written examples of Old East Slavonic are attested from the 10th century and beyond. It is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia and the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages and it is also the largest native language in Europe, with 144 million native speakers in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Russian is the eighth most spoken language in the world by number of native speakers, the language is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Russian is also the second most widespread language on the Internet after English, Russian distinguishes between consonant phonemes with palatal secondary articulation and those without, the so-called soft and hard sounds. This distinction is found between pairs of almost all consonants and is one of the most distinguishing features of the language, another important aspect is the reduction of unstressed vowels. Russian is a Slavic language of the Indo-European family and it is a lineal descendant of the language used in Kievan Rus. From the point of view of the language, its closest relatives are Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Rusyn. An East Slavic Old Novgorod dialect, although vanished during the 15th or 16th century, is considered to have played a significant role in the formation of modern Russian. In the 19th century, the language was often called Great Russian to distinguish it from Belarusian, then called White Russian and Ukrainian, however, the East Slavic forms have tended to be used exclusively in the various dialects that are experiencing a rapid decline. In some cases, both the East Slavic and the Church Slavonic forms are in use, with different meanings. For details, see Russian phonology and History of the Russian language and it is also regarded by the United States Intelligence Community as a hard target language, due to both its difficulty to master for English speakers and its critical role in American world policy. The standard form of Russian is generally regarded as the modern Russian literary language, mikhail Lomonosov first compiled a normalizing grammar book in 1755, in 1783 the Russian Academys first explanatory Russian dictionary appeared. By the mid-20th century, such dialects were forced out with the introduction of the education system that was established by the Soviet government. Despite the formalization of Standard Russian, some nonstandard dialectal features are observed in colloquial speech. Thus, the Russian language is the 6th largest in the world by number of speakers, after English, Mandarin, Hindi/Urdu, Spanish, Russian is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Education in Russian is still a choice for both Russian as a second language and native speakers in Russia as well as many of the former Soviet republics. Russian is still seen as an important language for children to learn in most of the former Soviet republics, samuel P. Huntington wrote in the Clash of Civilizations, During the heyday of the Soviet Union, Russian was the lingua franca from Prague to Hanoi
Russian language
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Russian language street sign in
Russia.
Russian language
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Russian minimarket in
Limassol, Cyprus; translation: "Teremok market. Russian goods. Phone number: 96 74 19 63"
Russian language
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This page from an "ABC" book printed in Moscow in 1694 shows the letter
П.
Russian language
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The
Ostromir Gospels of 1056 is the second oldest
East Slavic book known, one of many medieval
illuminated manuscripts preserved in the
Russian National Library.
46.
Armata Universal Combat Platform
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The Armata Universal Combat Platform is a Russian prototype of an advanced next generation heavy military tracked vehicle platform. It is also intended to serve as the basis for artillery, air defense, the new Armata tank platform is meant to replace the older Russian MBTs and APCs that are currently used by the Russian military. If the systems on the Armata are reliably reported, the tank surpasses comparable NATO technology by a generation at least, the combat platform is formally designated as prospective family of heavy unified battlefield platforms. This was wrongly transcribed as Armada by journalists on several occasions, the Armata combat platform has been under design and development since 2009 by Uralvagonzavod headquartered in Nizhny Tagil. Prototypes of heavy armored vehicles based on the Armata combat platform were presented at the defense exhibition Russian Arms Expo in Nizhny Tagil in September 2013, in November 2014 trials of the 2S35 Koalitsiya-SV self-propelled gun variant were under way. The first vehicles of were shown to the public in the 2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade, Russian media has previously stated that mass delivery will start in 2015 or 2016. A total of 2,300 MBTs are expected to be supplied by 2020, the Uralvagonzavod plant is expected to roll out around 500 T-14 Armata tanks per year. At a 2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade practice drill run on the Alabino training grounds several types of armored vehicles described as various Armata models appeared with their turrets covered, Russian Defence Ministry signed a long-term contract for delivery of tanks and heavy IFVs on the Armata basis. Serial production of the Armata Platforms ceramic armor components began in mid-2015, Russian Lieutenant-General Yuri Kovalenko states that the Armata combat platform will utilize many features of the T-95 tank, of which only a few prototypes have been built. According to preliminary reports, the new tank designated T-14 will be less radical and it will weigh less, therefore being more agile and more affordable when compared to its more ambitious predecessors. Additionally, the T-15, Kurganets-25 IFV and Bumerang IFV will be able to equip the same 30mm Epoch Remote Control Turret, the tank will have an unmanned, remotely controlled turret. It will be controlled by a crew-member located in a separate compartment. It is believed that this would lead to the development of a fully robotic tank. Vehicles of the Armata platform will be equipped with the radar and they include a Ka band radar based on AESA radar. The devices should be ready by 2015, the Armata will use a new type of lightweight armor designated 44S-SV-SH, developed by Steel Scientific Research Institute enterprise. This armor does not lose its qualities when used in low temperatures. The Armata tank will have a remote weapon station turret and a control system. The secondary armament will consist of a 30 mm cannon and a 12.7 mm machine gun, bMO-2, Heavy armored personnel carrier for flamethrower-squads
Armata Universal Combat Platform
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T-14 Armata MBT
47.
List of main battle tanks by generation
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Main battle tanks are often classified as belonging to a particular generation, although the actual definition and membership in these generations is not clearly defined. The military of the Peoples Republic of China also recognizes three generations of its own tanks, in 1983, Rolf Hilmes saw three tank generations and three intermediate generations, which consisted mainly of upgraded vehicles. The first generation of battle tanks were based on or influenced by designs of World War II, most notably the T-34. The second generation was equipped with NBC protection, IR night vision devices, the third generation is determined by the usage of thermal imagers, digital fire control systems and special armour. However, Hilmes acknowledged that tanks cannot be grouped by generations, as each tank-producing country develops and introduces its tanks in tune with its own ideas. He also states that breakdown of postwar tanks by generations is based on timeframe and technical factors, the first generation consists of the medium tanks designed and produced directly after World War II that were later redefined as main battle tanks. The second generation had enhanced night-fighting capabilities and in most cases NBC protection, most western tanks of this generation were armed with the 105 mm Royal Ordnance L7 tank gun or derivatives of it. Next Generation or Third Generation Advanced are still under development or at early stages of their generation, Third Generation Advanced been stated, rather than Next Generation in many premieres for these tanks. Those described as Third Generation Advanced are normally upgraded variants using the framework of the standard third generation tank. They have their advancements built into existing or newly designed frames than being an add-on technology and those described as Next Generation have had their tanks and their advanced features designed and built from scratch and are not considered upgrades of previous existing tanks. The second generation MBTs have better sights in comparison to the first generation MBTs, also second generation MBTs were the first ones to use laser sights and APFSDS rounds. The third generation consists of tanks armed with high caliber and velocity guns like M1A1 Abrams, Third generation tanks also use composite armour as well as armour made out of highly resistant sintered ceramic materials. Third generation tanks also have full stabilization system for the main gun and it also lacks engine power to be a third generation MBT and has ammunition with less quality. Are the Days of the Main Battle Tank Over, in Armor vol 108, no 4, p 21. Fort Knox, KY US Army Armor Center, hunnicutt, R. P. Patton, A History of the American Main Battle Tank. Kampfpanzer der Die Entwickelungen der Nachkriegszeit
List of main battle tanks by generation
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AMX Leclerc
48.
2nd Guards Tamanskaya Motor Rifle Division
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The 2nd Guards Motor Rifle Tamanskaya Division named after M. I. Kalinin, also known as the Tamanskaya Division, Taman Division and Taman Guards, is one of the most famous and decorated divisions of the Russian Ground Forces. The 127th Rifle Division was formed 8 June 1940 in Kharkiv, the division was initially garrisoning Kharkiv, Chuhuiv and Bohodukhiv. It was transferred to Rzhyshchiv in May 1941, the 127th Rifle Division was with 19th Armys 25th Rifle Corps, along with 134th and 162nd Rifle Divisions on June 22,1941. It formed part of the High Command reserve, by August, it was with the Front troops of the Soviet Reserve Front. At that time, the 535th Rifle Regiment has lost its way,4 August 1941, the 127th division has traversed Dnieper river 13 km south of Yartsevo as part of the general Soviet retreat. Afterwards, it was relieved of front line duty and sent to Dorogobuzh for replenishment, the for the distinguished combat service, the division was renamed to 2nd Guards Rifle Division 18 September 1941. At the end of September 1941, it fought in Hlukhiv area,3 October 1941 the division was transferred to Kursk area and fought a defensive battle around Tim town. 22 December 1941, the division has started to advance as a hart of Winter Campaign of 1941–42. Acting together with the 1st Guards Rifle Division and 87th Rifle Division, it advanced through Cheremisinovo51. 88°N37. 26°E /51.88,37.26, by 28 January 1942, the division was located in Stary Oskol. After participating in the Novorossiysk-Taman offensive in September-October 1943, the division was renamed to 2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division after the city of Taman, Russia. Starting from 3 November 1943, the division acted in the spearhead of Kerch-Eltigen Operation in northern Yenikale beachhead, during the Crimean Offensive the division has liberated Alushta city 15 April 1944, acting under command of Separate Coastal Army. 19 May 1944 it was relieved from the front line duty, reassigned to the Soviet Strategic Reserve, 2nd Guards Army and it restarted combat operations 8 July 1944 after the 2nd Guards Army was given to the 1st Baltic Front. The division participated in Šiauliai Offensive and later in October 1944 - in Battle of Memel, on 2 July 1946, the division received the honorific named after M. I. The division was called to Moscow for security duties following the death of Joseph Stalin on 5 March 1953, in December 1953, the division was renamed to 23rd Guards Tamanskaya Mechanised Division. In March 1957, the division was renamed to 23rd Guards Tamanskaya Motor Rifle Division, in November 1964, the division was renamed to 2nd Guards Tamanskaya Motor Rifle Division. The division has played a prominent role in two of the political crises of recent Soviet and Russian history. Boris Yeltsin delivered a speech standing on top of tank no,110, strengthening his own position significantly, both domestically and abroad
2nd Guards Tamanskaya Motor Rifle Division
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A member of the Tamanskaya division, 1992
2nd Guards Tamanskaya Motor Rifle Division
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2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division
49.
Smoothbore
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A smoothbore weapon is one that has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars, the majority of shotguns are smoothbores and the term can be synonymous. Early firearms had smooth barrels that fired projectiles without significant spin, to minimize inaccuracy-inducing tumbling during flight their projectiles required stable shape, such as a sphere. However, the Magnus effect causes even spheres rotating randomly during flight to curve when spinning on any axis not parallel to the direction of travel, rifling a barrel with spiral grooves or polygonal rifling imparts a stabilizing gyroscopic spin to a projectile that prevents tumbling in flight. Not only does this more than counter Magnus-induced drift, but it allows a longer, heavier round to be fired from the same caliber barrel, artillery weapons were smoothbore until the middle 19th century, and smoothbores continued in limited use until the 1890s. Early rifled artillery pieces were patented by Joseph Whitworth and William Armstrong in the United Kingdom in 1855, in the United States, rifled small arms and artillery were gradually adopted during the American Civil War. However, heavy coast defense Rodman smoothbores persisted in the US until circa 1900 due to the tendency of the Civil Wars heavy Parrott rifles to burst, some smoothbore firearms are still used. A shotgun fires multiple, round shot, firing out of a barrel would impart centrifugal forces that result a doughnut-shaped pattern of shot. While this may be acceptable at close ranges this is not desirable at longer ranges, the cannon made the transition from smoothbore firing cannonballs to rifled firing shells in the 19th century. However, to penetrate the thick armor of modern armored vehicles many modern tank guns have moved back to smoothbore. These fire a long, thin kinetic-energy projectile, too long in relation to its diameter to develop the necessary spin rate through rifling. Instead, kinetic energy rounds are produced as fin-stabililzed darts, not only does this reduce the time and expense of rifling barrels it also reduces the need for replacement due to barrel wear. The first tank with a gun was the Soviet T-62. Today all main battle tanks field them except the British Challenger 2, while the 73 mm gun of the early Soviet infantry fighting vehicles BMP-1 and BMD-1 was a smoothbore, their more recent successors BMP-3 and BMD-4 use a rifled 100 mm gun. The Russian navy conducted experiments with large-caliber smoothbore naval guns, which were halted by budget cuts, the armour-piercing gun evolution has also shown up in small arms, particularly the now abandoned U. S. The ACR rifles used smoothbore barrels to fire single or multiple flechettes, rather than bullets, per pull of the trigger, to long range, flat trajectory. Just like kinetic-energy tank rounds, flechettes are too long and thin to be stabilized by rifling, the ACR program was abandoned due to reliability problems and poor terminal ballistics. Mortar barrels are typically muzzle-loading smoothbores, since mortars fire bombs that are dropped down the barrel and must not be a tight fit, a smooth barrel is essential
Smoothbore
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Replica of "Twin Sisters" smoothbores used in the
Battle of San Jacinto (1836)
Smoothbore
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A
81mm L16 smoothbore mortar
Smoothbore
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A smooth-bore, cast-iron ship's cannon, from the
Grand Turk, a replica of a mid-18th century three-masted frigate
Smoothbore
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USS Monitor (1862) with the muzzle of one of its two 11-inch smoothbore
Dahlgren guns showing.
50.
2A46 125 mm gun
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The 2A46 is a 125mm/L48 smoothbore cannon of Soviet origin used in several main battle tanks. It was designed by OKB-9 in Sverdlovsk and it was developed by the Spetstekhnika Design Bureau in Ekaterinburg in the 1960s originally for the T-64A tank. They were subsequently manufactured at Artillery Plant No.9 in Ekaterinburg, versions include 2A46, 2A46M, 2A46M-1, 2A46M-2, 2A46M-4, 2A46M-5 and the Ukrainian KBA-3. The 2A46 can fire armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot, high-explosive anti-tank, the ammunition for the 2A46 gun is in two pieces, the projectile is loaded first, followed by a separate propellant charge. The early version of the 2A46 suffered from a barrel life. The Ukrainian KBA guns are derived from the 2A46 gun, the 2A46 has been used in numerous tanks, almost exclusively Soviet/Russian designs or foreign derivatives thereof. armor. kiev. ua/
2A46 125 mm gun
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2A46M1 in Motovilikha Plants museum
2A46 125 mm gun
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v
T-14 during night time rehearsal of the 2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade.
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