Countries in the Middle East and North Africa continue to enhance their armored combat vehicle (AFV) capabilities by purchasing new platforms or upgrading their legacy models to extend their lifespan.
Qatar is replacing its obsolete main battle tanks (MBTs) of French origin AMX-30 with the newest Leopard 2A7 + MBT from the German company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, its plant in Munich is currently producing 62 of these machines.
This is the most advanced version of the Leopard 2 MBT ever deployed and has many improvements. These include: the installation of the latest reservation kit, a remotely controlled weapon station on the roof, armed with a 12.7 mm M2 HB machine gun, an auxiliary power unit and a 120 mm Rheinmetall L55 smoothbore cannon, which can fire the latest generation of ammunition.
The Qatar contract also includes 24 self-propelled 155-m / 52 klb PzH 2000 howitzers, 32 Fennek reconnaissance vehicles (4x4) and a batch of the latest Dingo Heavy Duty (4x4) armored vehicles, for which Qatar is the first customer.
Under the contract with Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, the German company FFG will supply Qatar with six Wisent 2 support vehicles based on the hull of the Leopard 2 tank. In addition, Qatar receives 11 special kits from Pearson Engineering. These are four engineering, three evacuation and four kits for making passages, which will allow the Wisent 2 to be re-equipped for various tasks that are envisaged by the military doctrine of Qatar.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia operates a large fleet of 399 M1 A2S Abrams MBTs manufactured by General Dynamics Land Systems. Last year, the US Department of Defense approved the sale of another 153 M1 A2S MBTs plus 20 M88 armored vehicles. Serial production of the M1 A1 / M1A2 Abrams tanks has been completed, but the modernization of the vehicles is still ongoing at a state plant in the American city of Lima.
In addition to Saudi Arabia in the Middle East, the operators of the M1 Abrams tank are Egypt (M1A1 assembly at the Egyptian tank plant), Iraq (M1 A1SA), Kuwait (M1 A2) and Morocco (M1 A1SA).
Saudi Arabia is also the largest operator of the US-supplied M113 series armored personnel carriers and variants. For several years, the Turkish company FNSS Savunma Sistemleri has upgraded the M113 armored personnel carrier to the improved M113A4 standard on production lines in Saudi Arabia; now more than 1000 machines have returned to service with extended service life.
Upgrades to the M113A4 standard include a new diesel power unit and cooling system, an upgraded torsion bar suspension for improved ride performance, a new driver's station and night vision device, and new external fuel tanks on each side of the power aft ramp. The vehicles also have an increased level of protection, including hinged passive armor and internal anti-fragmentation linings.
In addition to upgrading the basic M113 armored personnel carrier, some special options were also upgraded, including the M577 control center, a mobile ATGM with TOW missiles, a 120-mm mortar and the M548 cargo version.
The Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG) continues to expand its capabilities with the acquisition of 136 self-propelled 155-mm / 52 klb CAESAR artillery mounts from Nexter Systems based on the Mercedes-Benz UNIMOG (6x6) chassis and a complete set of ammunition, including 155-mm Bonus rounds for attacks from above.
SANG also accepts deliveries from General Dynamics Land Systems Canada of the latest 8x8 Light Armored Vehicle (LAV) armored vehicles equipped with various weapons systems, including vehicles with a 120-mm NEMO mortar tower manufactured by the Finnish company Patria.
The German company Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles has done very well with its Fuchs 2 (6x6) armored personnel carrier, which was developed on its own initiative for the export market. Compared to the original Fuchs, the Fuchs 2 has a larger volume, higher payload and better protection.
Algeria signed a contract with the Germans for the supply of 980 Fuchs 2 armored personnel carriers, the first 54 vehicles have already been delivered from the Kassel plant, and the rest are to be assembled in Algeria, but the complete power unit still comes from Germany.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) accepted the delivery of 32 Fuchs 2 vehicles in three configurations for use in special reconnaissance missions of the PKO. Kuwait has also ordered 12 Fuchs 2 vehicles for WMD reconnaissance, three vehicles are currently being manufactured at the Kassel plant.
Russia was already a major supplier of armored combat vehicles to the Middle East; BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles produced by Kurganmashzavod were sold in large quantities to Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. The UAE also bought a batch of Finnish-made AMV armored vehicles in the 8x8L configuration, on which the BMP-3 turret was installed. This turret is armed with a 100mm 2A70 cannon (also a laser guided missile launcher), a 30mm 2A72 coaxial cannon and a 7.62mm PKT coaxial machine gun.
