From January 21 to January 24, the next international military-technical exhibition International Armored Vehicles 2019 was held in the British capital. The theme of this event is armored combat vehicles of all major classes, including tanks. This time it was tank building that became the source of the most interesting news. During the recent London exhibition, major statements were made, as well as data on a number of promising samples were published. Everything suggests that the European states are seriously determined to modernize their armored forces and are implementing appropriate programs.
Sold company
Perhaps the most interesting news from the armored sphere sounded on the first day of International Armored Vehicles 2019. On January 21, the international company BAE Systems and the German concern Rheinmetall AG announced a deal for the actual sale of one of the British defense enterprises. On the basis of the sold organization, a joint venture will be created, which will continue to work in the defense sector.
Signing of an agreement between BAE Systems and Rheinmetall. Photo by Alex T / Flickr.com
BAE Systems decided to sell to the German side a part of the shares of its British branch, which is responsible for the development of land systems. After the closing of the deal, worth £ 28.6 million, Rheinmetall will have 55% of the shares in this company. It was announced that as a result of this deal, the owners of the land branch in the person of BAE Systems and Rheinmetall will form a joint venture RBSL (Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land), based in the UK.
The new company RBSL will have to win and fulfill the contracts of the British Department of Defense and the military departments of other countries. Its existence will, among other things, facilitate the promotion of Rheinmetall's products in the United Kingdom. At the same time, the new owners of the company made an important statement regarding the current high-priority project.
Until recently, BAE Systems and Rheinmetall were competitors in the Challenger 2 main tank modernization program and offered two different projects. After the sale of the British land division, BAE Systems actually loses control over its development. Nevertheless, Rheinmetall promises to continue parallel work on two projects at once and then submit them to the British military department. Regardless of which project the military chooses, the repair and modernization of armored vehicles will be carried out at the Telford plant, previously owned by BAE Systems.
It should be noted that the contract between BAE Systems and Rheinmetall caused an interesting reaction from specialists and the public. Most often, the observed irony of fate was noted. The country that created the first tank in the world gives the further development of its armored industry in the hands of another state. Moreover, most of the British tanks at one time were developed for confrontation with Germany. However, the political situation has changed, and now businessmen of the two countries are choosing mutually beneficial cooperation.
Challenger 2 LEP
The Rheinmetall concern is currently participating in a competition for the development of a promising project for the modernization of the main Challenger 2 tanks. The British Ministry of Defense wants to repair and update its armored vehicles, increasing their characteristics and ensuring the operation of equipment until the mid-thirties. Called LEP (Life Extension Project), there are two organizations participating in the program, and now they have a common owner.
Experienced Challenger 2 Black Night tank from BAE Systems. Photo Janes.com
One of the modernization projects, tentatively titled Black Night, was developed by the British division of BAE Systems. The second variant, with the uncomplicated designation Challenger 2 LEP, is offered by Rheinmetall. Until recently, German tank builders did not disclose the details of their project, but during the IAV 2019 exhibition they announced a number of interesting information. In addition, the public was shown the appearance of a prototype of a new type.
It is reported that within the framework of the German project, the British tank is undergoing significant changes. First of all, it is proposed to replace the units, and not only those installed inside the machine. Enhanced protection and replacement of weapons are envisaged in accordance with current requirements. Perhaps the Rheinmetall Challenger 2 LEP project will provide for a deep modernization of the power plant. The proposed solutions are now being tested at proving grounds using two experimental tanks. One of them received only a promising power unit, and the other is a full-fledged prototype with deep modernization.
The demonstrator tank received a completely new welded turret instead of the original cast one. This tower differs from the previous one in dimensions, contours, internal equipment, etc. In particular, the reworking of the reservation is announced, aimed at increasing the level of protection, but the principles of such modernization have not been disclosed. The turret aft niche has been seriously reworked, in which new types of ammunition should now be stored. In the future, the Challenger 2 LEP tank will be able to receive an active protection complex for one of the existing models. The prototype does not yet have such equipment, but it may appear later.
One of the main problems of the Challenger 2 tank is considered to be its armament. The vehicle is equipped with a 120 mm L30A1 rifled gun with separate loading. Because of this, British tanks cannot use standard NATO tank rounds, which leads to known problems. Rheinmetall proposes to get rid of such shortcomings by using a 120-mm smoothbore gun of its own design. The 55 caliber cannon will be able to use standard unitary rounds and will simplify logistics.
Thanks to the use of a new smoothbore cannon, the modernized Challenger 2 LEP tanks will be able to use promising ammunition, namely the DM53 armor-piercing projectile and the DM11 fragmentation projectile with a programmable fuse. Due to the use of unitary ammunition, the project from Rheinmetall provides for the processing of ammunition stowage. At the same time, a significant part of the ammunition load is placed in the aft niche of the tower.
Rheinmetall's Challenger 2 LEP prototype. Photo by Alex T / Flickr.com
In the new project, the fire control system is completely overhauled. Also, the workplaces of the commander and gunner were rebuilt. To search for targets and target weapons, the crew is invited to use Thales optical devices. The same sights are used on armored vehicles of the Ajax family. Due to the new MSA, it is planned to significantly increase the accuracy and effectiveness of fire.
It should be noted that the LEP project from Rheinmetall differs markedly from the competing development of BAE Systems. First of all, it provides for a major overhaul of the original machine. In particular, British engineers managed to do without replacing the turret and weapons. Nevertheless, such improvements provide certain advantages. Whether the customer will be interested in these benefits is unclear. The British Department of Defense has not yet chosen a specific project to modernize existing tanks.
Leclerc with increased firepower
At the recent IAV 2019 exhibition, the French company Nexter, which is part of the international holding KNDS, also boasted of its successes. German and French enterprises from the latter are currently participating in the MGCS (Main Ground Combat System) program, which provides for the development of a promising main battle tank. In order to work out some solutions related to the armament complex, an interesting prototype was made based on the Leclerc serial tank.
In the course of ongoing experiments, the Leclerc main tank lost its standard 120-mm smoothbore gun. Instead, the latest 140-mm cannon of joint French-German development was installed in the turret. Together with her, an automatic loader was mounted on the tank for a unitary 140-mm shot, a new weapon stabilizer and other devices.
Nexter indicates that its prototype is the first tank in its class in the world to receive a 140 mm smoothbore cannon and has been tested. Starting last year and before the opening of the London exhibition, the French experimental tank managed to pass part of the checks. He fired over two hundred shots, probably with the use of ammunition for various purposes. All new devices and units have shown decent results. These test results allow continuing work on the new project and the entire MGCS program as a whole.
An experimental Leclerc tank with a 140 mm cannon. Photo Warspot.ru
The goal of the current work is to significantly increase the main parameters of the gun, which can have a positive effect on the combat qualities of the tank. By increasing the caliber of the gun by 20 mm, it is planned to obtain a 70% increase in power. Increasing the energy parameters of the weapon, in turn, will improve the basic fighting qualities. However, the implementation of such proposals is not an easy task. If it is successfully solved, the program for the development of a promising MGCS tank will receive a new weapon. The existing 140-mm cannon or a variant of its development will be integrated into the project of a promising armored vehicle.
Nexter emphasized that the current experiments with the 140 mm gun are purely for research purposes. Modernization of Leclerc tanks with the use of such weapons is not envisaged and is not planned. The existing main tank serves only as a platform for testing units intended for the tank of the future.
It should be noted that the current experiments with the installation of a 140-mm cannon on the Leclerc tank are not the first of their kind. The design of a tank with increased firepower began almost immediately after the completion of work on its basic version. In 1996, their result was the experimental Leclerc T4 tank, also known as the Terminateur. This machine has been tested and collected the necessary data. However, the military was not interested in the new weapon, and the experienced tank was sent for disassembly. According to some reports, some units of this machine were used in the recent past in the construction of a new prototype with a 140-mm cannon.
Leclerc XLR
Armament experiments are intended for future programs, but existing tanks will not be left without modernization. At a recent exhibition, Nexter again spoke about the Leclerc XLR armored vehicle upgrade project. The already known information was supplemented with new details. In addition, they announced the expansion of plans to modernize equipment from combat units. According to current plans, all existing Leclercs will be upgraded to XLR, and not 100 units, as previously reported.
The proposed tank upgrades are part of a larger SCORPION ground forces upgrade program. Within the framework of the latter, tanks and other armored vehicles should receive new communication and control systems that ensure effective combat work. In addition, various modifications and replacements of on-board systems are offered, as well as the use of new devices, due to which the general characteristics of the equipment should increase.
Experienced Leclerc XLR at one of the past exhibitions. Photo Armyrecognition.com
The Leclerc XLR project provides for the addition of the tank's own armor with new attachments - ballistic and anti-cumulative protection. The body itself and most of its contents remain unchanged. In particular, the power department remains without modifications. The turret and armament also remain the same, but receive new controls. For example, it is proposed to unify the crew jobs in the fighting compartment with other modern French-made armored vehicles.
The crew will have to work with the SCORPION SICS global information system, ATOS combat control equipment and the CONTACT communications complex. Replacement of fire control devices is proposed. An interesting innovation will be the HUMS complex - it will combine various sensors and sensors into a system for monitoring the technical condition of the tank and the health of the crew. It is planned to supplement the standard surveillance equipment with its own unmanned aerial vehicles. UAVs will have to take off directly from the tank and provide visibility beyond the capabilities of their own tank optics.
According to the published data, the serial modernization of equipment for the Leclerc XLR project will begin in the near future. The first updated tank is planned to be returned to the troops in 2021. Then, over the course of several years, all other armored vehicles of the French army will undergo repair and modernization. It is not known whether the XLR project will be offered to foreign customers.
Business, modernization and development
The recent exhibition International Armored Vehicles 2019 and the news from the field of tank construction announced there show several major trends in the development of this industry in Europe. Perhaps the most notable news was the sale of the British division of BAE Systems to the German concern Rheinmetall. This event clearly shows that the optimization of business processes in the production of armored vehicles and other military products continues in Europe. How useful and effective these steps will be - time will tell.
The presented projects of tanks confirm the long-known facts. European states, in general, are planning to create new models of armored vehicles and even launch relevant projects - first of all, this is the French-German MGCS program. However, until the appearance of serial tanks of a fundamentally new type, armies will have to use only existing equipment. Cash tanks are in need of repair and modernization, for which various companies are creating various projects that provide for the replacement of certain components, but not a cardinal restructuring of equipment.
It is noteworthy that projects for the modernization of tanks for the armies of France and Great Britain are still being developed, and the actual updating of equipment will start only in the future. This serves as a transparent hint of when the armored forces of European states will be able to update their fleet of equipment and get new capabilities that meet the requirements of the time. The supply of completely new tanks, in turn, is still a matter of the distant future.
As you can see, European tank building - including in countries that previously held leading positions in the industry - is still going through hard times, but the situation is beginning to change. New modifications of the existing equipment are being created, and the search for the optimal appearance of the tanks of the future is underway. All this allows the European armies to look to the future with restrained optimism. However, they should not forget that all the desired results are still a matter of the future.
