With one of the largest armies in the world, the Asia-Pacific region (APR) is one of the procurement centers for armored combat vehicles (AFVs), as the local military strives to modernize their outdated MBT, BMP, armored personnel carriers and armored vehicles through local production or foreign purchases.
In its research and forecast for the armored vehicle market for 2019-2029, Shephard's Defense Insight predicts that Asian countries will top the list of major buyers in the next decade. It notes that in 2029 the global armored vehicle market will cost $ 33.3 billion, in which the Asia-Pacific region will become the largest regional player with total expenditures over the next ten years $ 107.6 billion.
The report estimates APR spending on AFVs in 2019 at $ 6.9 billion, which will grow sharply by 2029 to $ 12.2 billion, with the most significant share coming from China, India, Japan and South Korea. Defense Insight analysts argue that wheeled armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles will occupy the largest market segment globally in 2019-2029, followed by MBT and then tracked armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles.
Heavy machinery
China has the largest MBT fleet in the Asia-Pacific region, at least 7000 vehicles. The Norinco concern is a traditional long-term supplier of heavy armored combat vehicles to the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA), and the best in this fleet is the 50-ton ZTZ99A tank, of which there are at least 600 vehicles. The tank is equipped with a 125-mm cannon and a commander's day / night sight, which allows it to work in search and strike mode. It is equipped with dynamic protection units, a complex of optical-electronic suppression and receivers of the laser warning system.
If the ZTZ99A tank is technically the pinnacle of the PLA's armored vehicles, then in terms of quantity, cheap tanks of the ZTZ96 family, also armed with a 125-mm cannon, are more common (according to some estimates, about 2000 vehicles). The upgraded 42.8 ton ZTZ96B model was shown in 2016, it has a more powerful engine, a new transmission, a modified chassis with suspension and an improved fire control system.
Another heavy vehicle in the PLA's arsenals is the ZTQ15 light tank (photo above). The 123rd combined-arms brigade in the southern district was the first to receive this tank, the 54th brigade stationed in Tibet received the second. The tank has a crew of three and is armed with a 105 mm cannon; The ZTO15 has a top speed of 70 km / h. The turret has an automatic loader, which is typical of Chinese MBTs.
Norinco's export version of the ZTQ15 was designated VT5. The mass of the tank, depending on the installed armor set, is 33-36 tons, length 9.2 m, width 3.3 m and height 2.5 m. difficult terrain, such as mountainous areas or soft ground. The commander has a panoramic sight for work in search and strike mode.
China also sells its tanks overseas. Bangladesh bought 44 VT2 tanks - an export version of the Tour 96, while Myanmar received 50 MBT-2000 tanks. The same tank is produced by Pakistan under the local designation Al-Khalid.
South Korea remains somewhat wary, despite the apparent detente in relations with the North Korean regime. The MBT of the South Korean army easily outperforms the tanks of North Korea thanks to the base fleet of 1,500 K1 / K1A1 vehicles from Hyundai Rotem, although Pyongyang has about twice as many tanks. In early 2015, Hyundai Rotem began upgrading these MBTs to the K1A2 standard by adding a friend or foe system, a battle control system and a driver's camera. In the same 2015, the company began modernizing old K1 tanks with 105 mm guns to the K1E1 standard by installing similar systems.
Since 2014, the Korean army has received the first batch of 100 K2 MBTs, on which 1500 hp engines were installed. German company MTU and transmission Renk. According to the contract signed in December 2014 for the second batch, worth 820 million, 106 K2 tanks with a 1500 hp DV27K engine were to be delivered. produced by the local company Doosan and the S&T Dynamics EST15K automatic transmission. However, problems with the reliability of the transmission caused a two-year suspension of production and Hyundai Rotem only in the middle of 2019 started production of K2 tanks. On the tanks of this second batch, the local engine will be installed with the Renk transmission. The South Korean army may eventually deploy up to 600 K2 tanks, and its production will finally allow to write off the obsolete M48 tanks from the 50s.
Neighboring Japan is undergoing large-scale modernization of its armed forces to meet the need for rapid deployment. As part of the restructuring, the army sharply reduced the number of MBTs from 600 to 300 units. It was very important for Japan to adopt the new Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Tour 10 tank, which happened in 2012. It is lighter than its predecessor, the Ture 90, of which 341 were manufactured. The mass of the Ture 10 tank is 44 tons, which simplifies its transportation within the country. The Ture 10 tank is armed with a 120 mm L / 44 smoothbore cannon; its appearance would make it possible to write off the outdated model of the Tour 74, although only 103 cars have been manufactured to date.
Jungle cats
The most powerful BMV of the Indonesian army is the Leopard 2 tank of the German company Rheinmetall; by 2017, it delivered 61 modernized Leopard 2RI tanks, 42 Leopard 2+ tanks and 42 Marder 1A3 infantry fighting vehicles. However, in addition to imports, Indonesia produces its own medium tank Harimau (formerly called the Kaplan MT); This is a joint project of the Turkish FNSS and the Indonesian RT Pindad, which was launched in 2014. RT Pindad has received a $ 135 million order for 18-21 machines. Medium tank production should be completed within three years.
The Harimau tank with a crew of three has a John Cockerill CMI-3105HP turret armed with a 105 mm cannon. The director of the company RT Pindad said that about 100 vehicles will be manufactured to meet the basic needs of the Indonesian armies, although eventually 300-400 platforms may be required.
Singapore also ordered Leopard 2 tanks. From 2007 to 2012, it received 161 vehicles from the presence of the German army in the 2A4 variant, some for disassembly for spare parts, while the rest were upgraded to the 2SG standard. Later, Germany transferred seven more Leopard tanks in 2016 and 18 vehicles in 2017, local media reported that at least some of them were in the latest Leopard 2A7 configuration, although official Singapore denies this.
Russian AFVs are also quite popular in this region. For example, Moscow at the end of 2017 began deliveries of the first of 64 T-90S / T-90SK tanks ordered by Vietnam, the final deliveries took place in 2019. The Vietnamese army reportedly also upgraded several dozen obsolete T-54B tanks to M3 standard with the help of the Israeli company Rafael. At the end of 2018, Russia began deliveries to Laos of the upgraded T-72B1 "White Eagle" MBT.
The last batch of six Ukrainian T-84 Oplot-M tanks arrived in Thailand in July 2018, completing the delivery of 49 vehicles under the contract received in 2011. Tanks "Oplot-M" were originally planned to be delivered within three years, but the pace of production fell seriously due to the military conflict in this country.
As proof of the growing Sino-Thai ties, in April 2016, the Thai army ordered 28 Norinco VT4 tanks for $ 137 million. The first batch arrived in Thailand in October 2017, received by the 3rd Armored Division. The Thai army plans to purchase an additional 14 VT4 tanks in the future.
Due to years of problems with its Arjun MBT, it is not surprising that India turned to Russia for the purchase of additional T-90 tanks. In April, Delhi approved the purchase of 464 T-90MS tanks worth $ 1.93 billion. Uralvagonzavod will supply assembly kits to the state-owned Heavy Vehicles Factory, although earlier at this plant the assembly of T-90S tanks was carried out at a rate lower than expected. According to Defense Insight, only 887 T-90s out of almost 1,000 ordered have been delivered to date.
The Indian army received 124 Arjun Mk I tanks, but the improved Arjun Mk II will not be ready for production until 2021/2022 at best. The prototype Mk II "suffers" from a heavy weight of 68.6 tons, in connection with which the army demanded a change in the design of the hull and turret. However, an intermediate version of the Arjun Mk IA was adopted and the army will order 118 vehicles, the production of which was to begin at the end of 2019. This variant of the Mk IA features 14 major improvements, such as an automatic target tracking, automatic transmission and improved suspension.
Difficulties with the Arjun project may signal upcoming problems, since India intends to adopt a promising FRCV (Future Ready Combat Vehicle) combat vehicle in order to replace 1,900 T-72M1 tanks. In June 2015, Delhi issued a request for information and since then little has been heard about this FRCV project. The Indian army plans to adopt the FRCV medium tank in 2025-2027.
Australia has 59 M1A1 AIM tanks on supply, in accordance with Project Land 907 Phase 2, it is upgrading them to the M1A2 SEP V3 standard with a planned commissioning in 2025. In addition, the Australian army wants to buy more Abrams tanks, most likely about 31-41 vehicles. The army also wants to have three options based on the Abrams tank: a barrier vehicle, a tank bridgelayer and an engineering vehicle.
Caterpillars don't give up
Chinese BMPs traditionally copy Russian vehicles, so the appearance of the ZBD04A amphibious vehicle with an improved fire control system, additional armor and a broadband data channel has become a kind of deviation from the traditional path. Nevertheless, this BMP, like the previous version of the ZBD04 (about 500 units made), is equipped with a turret with an armament unit consisting of 100-mm and 30-mm cannons.
The Chinese Air Force operates niche tracked infantry fighting vehicles in the form of a ZBD03 airborne assault vehicle weighing 8 tons manufactured by Norinco. This amphibious and landing platform is armed with a 30mm cannon. It gives the impression of a copy of the Russian BMD, although on the Chinese counterpart the engine is installed in front.
The South Korean company Doosan DST (currently Hanwha Defense) at one time was engaged in the manufacture of BMP K21 with a 40-mm cannon. The country's army began deploying this amphibious system in 2009 after completing an initial order for 466 vehicles. Currently, the army is considering the possibility of replacing them, having determined the need for up to 1000 vehicles.
The newest tracked infantry fighting vehicle in Southeast Asia appears to be the Hunter of the Singapore Army. This tracked vehicle, originally designated Next-Generation AFV by developer ST Engineering, entered service on 11 June 2019. It is equipped with a Rafael Samson 30 remotely controlled weapon station (DBM) armed with a 30 mm MK44 Bushmaster II cannon, a 7.62 mm machine gun paired with it and two Spike LR missiles.
With an electronic control system, the Hunter armored vehicle weighing 29.5 tons is the first fully digital armored combat vehicle of the Singapore army. The crew of the car is three people, in the troop compartment there are 8 more people. The cornerstone of the Hunter is the modernized ARTEMIS (Army Tactical Engagement and Information System) information and control system, which integrates weapons and equipment condition monitoring systems. Currently, there are five variants of the Hunter: combat, command, engineering, evacuation and bridgelayer. The first Hunter vehicles will be fully operational in 2020 and assigned to the 42nd Armored Regiment, which is currently equipped with Bionix vehicles.
The Philippine Army plans to upgrade 49 of its M113 armored personnel carriers. 44 of them will receive a DBM with a 12.7-mm machine gun, and the remaining five will be converted into mobile mortars with an 81-mm Soltam CARDOM complex installed. Under this M113 Firepower Upgrade program, worth $ 20.5 million, almost half of the 114 M113A2 vehicles received from the presence of the American army in 2015 will also be upgraded.
28 M113 vehicles have already been modernized, 14 of them received towers with a 76-mm cannon from decommissioned FV101 Scorpion tanks, four received uninhabited towers with a 25-mm UT-25 cannon, and six received 12.7-mm DBM.
In February 2019, India approved the purchase of an additional 156 BMP-2 / 2K, which will be manufactured under license by the local Ordnance Factory Board (OFB). With a permit issued in mid-2017, India is modernizing 693 of its BMP-2 / 2K Sarath armored vehicles.
Delhi is also implementing a program for a promising infantry fighting vehicle FICV (Future Infantry Combat Vehicle) with the aim of replacing the 2610 BMP-K2. It is planned to produce about 3,000 tracked FICVs within 20 years. Bidders for this 20 tonne floating platform submitted bids in 2010, but there is no visible movement under this program, despite the interest shown by ten Indian manufacturers in a request for proposals in January 2016. The four biggest contenders here are Larsen & Toubro, Tata, Mahindra and OFB.
In August 2018, as part of Project Land 400 Phase 3, Australia issued a tender request for 450 melee vehicles and 17 combat support vehicles to replace their M113AS4 armored personnel carriers. The tender also provides for the supply of 15 mortar launchers, 25 ammunition delivery vehicles, 27 logistics vehicles and 50 protected amphibious vehicles for delivering troops from ship to shore. After the deadline for applications in March, four contenders remained: CV90 from BAE Systems, Ajax from General Dynamics, AS21 Redback from Hanwha Defense and KF41 Lynx from Rheinmetall.
Australia announced selected applicants in September 2019, with Rheinmetall and Hanwha advancing to the next round. The risk reduction phase, for which each of the manufacturers will supply three cars, will last until the end of 2021. The Australian military will make its recommendations to the government in 2022.
Wheel options
China, according to some estimates, has 5,090 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers. As for wheeled platforms, the Ture 08 8x8 family from Norinco is of particular importance to motorized infantry brigades, as they require good maneuverability. One of the main options is the ZBD09 BMP weighing 21 tons with a two-man turret armed with a 30-mm cannon. At the same time, the Chinese army has adopted many options on the base 8x8 chassis.
The PLA also extensively operates the Type 92 6x6 amphibious vehicles. A wide range of variants has been developed, including the 17-ton ZSL92B vehicle with a 30-mm cannon, a PTL02 anti-tank mount with a 105-mm cannon and a 120-mm mortar / howitzer PLL05. Series 92 machines are very popular abroad, especially in Africa and Asia.
The South Korean military has embarked on extensive modernization. For example, by the end of 2020, the army will reduce the number of troops from 520 to 387 thousand; in accordance with this process, the infantry will be equipped with wheeled armored combat vehicles for the first time. Seoul announced at the end of 2018 that Hyundai Rotem had won a $ 358 million contract for the K808 8x8 and K806 6x6 vehicles. Although the number was not officially announced, it will most likely be 100 K806 vehicles and 500 K808 vehicles. Their production should last until the end of 2023.
The K808 floating armored vehicle weighing 20 tons is equipped with a combat module with a 12, 7-mm K6 machine gun and a 40-mm K4 automatic grenade launcher, while the K606 16-ton non-floating vehicle, designed to protect the rear areas and escort transport convoys, is armed with only 7, 62- mm machine gun; in order to save money, the DBMS was not installed on it. Ultimately, the need for the South Korean army could be 2,700 wheeled armored personnel carriers, this is due to the desire to improve the protection and mobility of infantry units by 2030.
In accordance with its philosophy of rapid deployment, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces received the Tour 16 8x8 Maneuver Combat Vehicle (MCV) from MHI. This armored vehicle weighing 26 tons is armed with a 105 mm L / 52 rifled cannon. 99 MCV platforms will be manufactured within 5 years. Japan has taken the bold step of relying on the Tour 16 as concerns exist that it lacks anti-tank capabilities or armor protection. However, the ability to transport the MCV by C-2 aircraft determines its superior strategic mobility necessary to fight the insurgents and defend the islands.
In September 2019, Japan announced that Mitsubishi's Armored Vehicle, Patria's AMV, and General Dynamics Land Systems' LAV 6.0 were selected as test platforms as the country wants new next-generation APCs.
Taiwan is another country that has developed its own 8x8 armored vehicle, having gone this way due to the desire to be self-sufficient and the lack of foreign suppliers. The 22-tonne Cloud Leopard family of vehicles was developed to replace the CM21 tracked vehicles and to improve the mobility of motorized infantry brigades in the event of any invasion from the mainland.
After the official selection in 2010, the first batch of 368 Cloud Leopard vehicles was delivered, including the commander's SM32 and the SMZZ armored personnel carrier. The newest version of the CM34 is equipped with a turret armed with a 30mm MK44 Bushmaster II cannon; by 2021, 284 of these machines will be manufactured. In addition, the Taiwan Manufacturing Center is currently developing the second generation Cloud Leopard 8x8 platform.
Heading south
After the first order of 34 vehicles in 2017, Thailand in January 2019 approved the purchase of another 39 VN1 8x8 armored vehicles from the Chinese concern Norinco. The second batch included three VN1 infantry fighting vehicles, 12 mobile 120-mm mortars, 12 command vehicles, three ambulances and 9 evacuation vehicles. VN1 armored vehicles of the first batch are already in operation in the Thai army, they supplemented the 217 BTR-3E1 8x8, purchased from Ukraine.
The Thailand Defense Technology Institute DTI, with the participation of the British company Ricardo, has also developed the Black Widow Spider 8x8 armored personnel carrier. The prototype weighing 24 tons, first presented at Defense & Security 2015, had an uninhabited Adder turret from ST Engineering with a 30 mm MK44 Bushmaster II cannon. DTI is working on another option for the Thai Marines. While these 8x8 platforms are in line with the country's goal of becoming more self-sufficient, it will not be easy for the Thai military to believe in them.
Perhaps this explains why the Thai army ordered US Strykery armored vehicles in 2019. Thailand will buy 37 vehicles in the M1126 variant, as well as 23 base chassis, which will come from the presence of the American army. Since the Stryker vehicles are intended to equip infantry units, this will not affect the purchase plans for Chinese VN1 vehicles.
The Thai company Chaiseri Metal and Rubber managed to sell its First Win 4x4 vehicles (photo above) of the MRAP category to the Thai military, while the Malaysian army also bought 20 units in a modified AV4 configuration with a 2 + 1 door scheme. The Malaysian vehicles are armed with a roof-mounted 7.62mm Dillon Aero M134D machine gun. Chaiseri is currently working on the second generation First Win.
Thailand has a significant number of obsolete V-150 armored vehicles, which it wants to modernize, and two local companies, Chaiseri and Panus Assembly, are fighting for this. In addition to upgrading the AFV-420P Mosquito, Panus is also developing its own R600 8x8 platform.
For its part, the Indonesian Ministry of Defense has signed a $ 82 million contract for the local production of 22 Pandur II 8x8 amphibious vehicles. Deliveries will last for three years, with local company RT Pindad receiving all related technologies. Presumably, the vehicles will be equipped with an Ares UT30MK2 DBM (Brazilian division of Elbit Systems), armed with a 30mm MK44 Bushmaster II cannon and two 7.62mm machine guns. RT Pindad said that the Indonesian army would like to receive up to 250 Pandur II vehicles.
The Philippine army is not averse to purchasing light tanks, because 44 vehicles are needed to equip three tank companies of a mechanized division. However, after the bloody conflict on Maravi Island, it is clear that priority is now given to two types of wheeled armored combat vehicles based on one 8x8 chassis - an anti-tank mount with a 105-mm cannon and a vehicle equipped with an uninhabited turret with a 30-mm cannon.
In 2011, the Malaysian army issued a contract to the Turkish company FNSS for 255 Pars III 8x8 vehicles in 12 variants. The AV8 Gempita platforms are manufactured by the local company Deftech, many of which are equipped with weapons systems from the South African company Denel. However, the production of these platforms is slow, with a creak. As of April 2019, a total of 118 vehicles in nine variants were delivered to the customer.
Meanwhile, India also expects to receive new 8x8 armored vehicles. Local company Tata Motors is developing the Wheeled Amphibious Armored Platform (WhAP). The prototype weighs about 26 tons, and Tata hopes that this wheeled solution can take up about 20% of the planned production volume of FICV machines.
The most successful Australian armored vehicle is the Thales Bushmaster, the country's army ordered 1,052 of these platforms. In turn, over the past two years, Japan has received four additional Bushmaster machines, while Fiji has received 10 such machines, and five are operated by New Zealand special forces.
In accordance with the Project Land 400 Phase 2 program, the Australian army will receive 211 (originally planned 225) Boxer CRV (Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle) reconnaissance vehicles. The Boxer armored vehicle of the German company Rheinmetall weighing 38, 5 tons bypassed the Patria AMV35 platform in the fight for a contract worth 4.09 billion dollars; it will replace the Australian Light Armored Vehicle. The first pair of 25 German-assembled vehicles moved to Australian soil in July 2018, the remaining vehicles will be assembled at the local site. The first of three reconnaissance regiments is to be equipped with these vehicles by 2022.
Boxer reconnaissance vehicles (133 ordered) are equipped with a Lance turret armed with a 30mm MK30-2 / AVM cannon, a coaxial 7.62mm MAG 58 machine gun, 12.7mm DBM and Spike LR2 missiles. Other options include: commander (15 ordered), repair (10), evacuation (11), fire support (8), surveillance (21), and multipurpose (13).
Finally, it is worth mentioning the Chinese ZBD05 / ZTD05 amphibious assault vehicle and the AAV7 family of American landing platforms. Among the operators of machines in the AAV7A1 RAM / RS version, Taiwan (90) and Japan (58), plus the South Korean Hanwha Techwin, delivered eight KAAV machines to the Philippines in 2019.
In addition, the Indonesian Marine Corps in April signed a contract for the supply of 22 BMP-ZF and 21 BT-ZF (photo above) manufactured by Kurganmashzavod. This is the third batch of BMP-ZF for Indonesia, which will bring the total number of these vehicles to 76.
