The newest Russian T-14 Armata tank shows a new direction: a remotely controlled turret and standard systems common to all vehicles of the same family
Let's look at the countries that are still developing and producing their own main battle tanks
This year marks a hundred years since the beginning of the development of the tank, due to this vehicle they tried to resolve the stalemate on the Western Front. Although the origin of the tank is rooted in Western Europe - a region that, with the exception of Germany, has reduced its design, development and production of main battle tanks (MBT), in the industry of other countries the situation is practically the opposite, especially in Asia.
In Europe, industrial consolidation, shrinking budgets and lengthy combat vehicle programs have led countries that once created their own MBT capabilities - for example, Sweden with the Bofors S tank and Switzerland with the Pz 61 and Pz 68 tanks. - abandoned them in favor of finished imported products. Both countries opted for the Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) Leopard 2, while calming down the local industry a bit and throwing it a dice in the form of in-country manufacturing of subsystems such as the MTU diesel engine.
The Swedish Leopard is one of the most heavily defended tanks in the world, confirming the unusual trend in which many countries choose ready-made imported tanks rather than developing their own, and at the same time often get more combat-ready vehicles compared to the vehicles of the original developer.
For example, the 436 Leclerc tanks of the United Arab Emirates (the only export vehicles of this French MBT) have higher performance compared to the tanks of the French army, as well as improvements for operation in the hot climate of this country. Perhaps the most significant change is the 1500 hp MTU 883 diesel engine. instead of the original SACM engine. The MTU engine was also installed on the French Leclerc ARV armored recovery vehicle.
After entering service, the UAE upgraded their MBTs by installing the AZUR (Action en Zone Urban) protection kit developed by Nexter; these vehicles were recently deployed by the allied coalition in Yemen. By comparison, France has not opted for additional protection for its own Leclerc tanks.
KMW is currently the main contractor for the Leopard 2 tank, which has become the most successful European tank project in recent times, widely exported and underwent significant upgrades. Licensed production was also carried out in Greece and Spain, but at present, virtually all work on the Leopard 2 tank is focused on modernizing existing platforms, as European operators seek to get rid of cars and consolidate their fleets. The only exception is the production of 64 new tanks, which are to leave the production line and head to Qatar.
Even the new Leopard 2A7 tanks of the German army, ordered from the KMW company, represent the modernization of the Leopard 2A7 from the presence of the Dutch army, as well as the vehicles of the 2A4 variant that have undergone a major overhaul and modified to the new standard.
Although there are no specific plans for the near future, a replacement for the Leopard 2 tank may well be a new MBT, developed jointly with France, which will also need to replace its Leclerc MBTs in the long term. These capabilities have been bolstered by the recent merger of KMW and Nexter Systems, but to date all joint development efforts have failed due to conflicts of interest.
The modern plant of General Dynamics European Land Systems, built for the production of Leopard tanks in Spain (completely new, but at the moment there is silence in its workshops) is a symbol of the production of European MBT. If the tank building companies in Europe do not provide themselves with the modernization of tanks, their capacity and qualifications will degrade.
Russia
Even the clumsy Russian armored industry has been downsized and consolidated. The development and production of four main production sites has now been moved to Uralvagonzavod in Nizhny Tagil, which developed the T-62, T-72 and T-90 tanks; the latter is still being produced for overseas markets. The plant in Omsk, where the T-80 MBT was produced, has now become part of the huge Uralvagonzavod concern and, apparently, has focused on more specialized MBT platforms.
Following a false start from the T-95 MBT, which was armed with an externally mounted 152mm 2A83 smoothbore cannon, Russian efforts shifted to the development of the T-14 Armata MBT, which was officially shown at the May 2015 military parade.
The T-14 tank has a revolutionary layout: three crew members are placed in front in a very strong hull (including an active protection complex), shells are fed to the externally mounted smooth-bore 125-mm 2A82A cannon by an automatic loader installed in the aft recess of the turret. The basic T-14 hull (modifiable in some cases) will serve as the base for a full family of armored fighting vehicles, the first being the T-15 heavy infantry fighting vehicle.
Pre-production T-14s are currently being tested and, if successful, Russia plans to produce at least 2,000 vehicles that will replace the T-72, T-80 and, in the long term, the T-90, although it is not clear whether funding is sufficient for this. Meanwhile, Russia continues to manufacture and export MBTs and support foreign manufacturers.
Russian tank T-90
Russian tank T-72M1M
Ukraine
In Soviet times, Ukraine has accumulated extensive experience in the design, development and production of MBTs, including the T-80UD model, which was equipped with a compact and with a good power density local diesel engine, rather than the gluttonous and expensive gas turbine engine of Russian T-80U tanks.
The work continued after the collapse of the Soviet Union; further development of the T-80UD tank led to the creation of the T-84 variant. Subsequently, in the late 1990s, the T-84 was sold to Pakistan, although the unsettled relationship between Russia and Ukraine meant that there was some disagreement, such as Russian objections to cast turret technology. In this regard, some vehicles were delivered with turrets from the T-80 tank.
The design of the tank is carried out by the Kharkiv Design Bureau for Mechanical Engineering. Morozov, and the state tank plant named after V. I. Malysheva. This plant manufactured and began deliveries of the first batch of 49 BM Oplot tanks to Thailand in early 2014, but the exact status of this deal is not clear in light of the current situation in Ukraine and the decision taken in early 2015 to focus all developments and production to meet the needs of the Ukrainian armed forces.
Tank BM Oplot
Israel
The assembly line of Abrams M1A1 tanks at a tank plant near Cairo makes Egypt the only country in North Africa with the capacity for the production of a modern tank, but in the Middle East, the only country that has developed its own MBT is neighboring Israel. And even then, the tank in the latest version of the Merkava Mk 4 is not produced (although modernization is underway), and its diesel engine is imported (it is a version of the GD883 General Dynamics MTU engine).
And yet, the fact that a family of innovative tanks has been successfully designed and manufactured speaks volumes. The Merkava tank, developed by a consortium of Israeli companies, has strained the national defense industry in ways that would have been impossible in most other countries. Its creation, the final chord of which was the assembly by the Israeli Ordnance Corps, required a very high level of cooperation and integration between many Israeli companies.
All Merkava MBTs have good protection and are distinguished by an unusual layout with a front engine. Tank of the latest configuration Mk 4 equipped with KAZ Rafael Trophy
The design of the tank is unusual in that the power unit is located in front, and the tower is shifted to the rear of the vehicle. The designers argue that this arrangement increases the survivability of the crew (the crew can leave the car through the rear hatches, while providing at least some protection from enemy fire), and also allows space for the detachment of the landing force.
The Mk 4 tank has many locally developed systems, including the Rafael Trophy active protection complex.
Turkey
Having gained significant experience in modernizing outdated MBTs, Turkey decided in the last decade to build its own tank and in August 2008 signed a contract with Otokar for the Altay project.
The contract, worth $ 500 million, provided for the design, development and manufacture of an experimental model to test the running characteristics of the MTR (Mobility Test Rig), an experimental model for firing tests FTR (Firing Test Rig) and two prototypes (PV1 and PV2), all tests of which are currently moment completed. Negotiations are currently underway for the production of the first batch of 250 Altay tanks powered by a 1,500 hp MTU EuroPowerPack engine, although Turkey wants to produce its own power unit developed by local enterprises in the future.
In accordance with general standard Western European practice, the Altay tank is armed with a 120 mm L / 55 smoothbore cannon, which is also installed on many Leopard 2A6 tanks and other MBTs. The manual loading cannon is connected to a local fire control system (FCS), and guidance is carried out using stabilized day and night sights.
The capabilities of the Turkish tank will be developed in stages. Although a production vehicle is envisaged to install, for example, a modern booking kit, in the long term it is expected that it will be equipped with an active protection complex from Aselsan.
South Korea
The Turkish company Otokar is assisted by the South Korean company Hyundai Rotem, which has its own experience in the development and production of the K1 and K2 main battle tanks. South Korea is now completely self-sufficient in the development and production of tanks, tracked and wheeled armored vehicles.
This process began with the development of the first prototype of the K1 tank, manufactured by the American company Chrysler (now General Dynamics Land Systems) in 1983. Then the Korean vehicle went a long way, including four main development and modernization cycles, at the end of which (and finally!) In 2013, the current K1A2 tank entered service.
In total, about 1500 machines were manufactured, but no orders from foreign countries were received for this machine.
In parallel, as part of a completely new project, Hyundai Rotem developed the K2 MBT with a higher level of protection, armed with an L / 55 smoothbore cannon with an automatic loader located in the aft recess of the turret, which made it possible to obtain a significantly higher rate of fire compared to the K1 tank (up to 10 rounds per minute).
In line with the general trend, the K2 tank was supposed to be equipped with a local power unit, but development problems associated with achieving sufficient power and reliability of the new engine forced Hyundai Rotem to return to the MTU MT833 engine, although development was not stopped.
The general layout of the Korean tank is quite traditional, but it is not devoid of several innovative features, including the active suspension, which allows you to adjust the ground clearance and hull tilt within fairly large limits. The vehicle can "kneel" and fire at targets from cover or "turn up its nose" in order to increase the vertical guidance angle for firing at high-lying targets. Also, the entire body can be raised and lowered depending on the terrain to be overcome.
Serial production began in 2013, the first tanks entered service in June 2014, and since then their production has continued (100 tanks are expected to arrive by 2017). At the moment, there are no export orders for the tank, but it is regularly demonstrated to interested potential customers, including participating in the competition for the Peruvian MBT, competing with the Ukrainian Oplot and the Russian T-90.
China
Like most of the Chinese military equipment, the tanks of this country are based on the Russian MBT. At first, Soviet copies were made in large quantities, but later the local industry began to gain experience and gain it until China was able to develop its own projects from scratch. China started with the T-54, on the basis of which the Type 59, Type 69 and Type 79 tanks were created. They were followed by the Type 80, which had a new hull with a turret armed with a NATO-standard 105 mm cannon connected to a computerized control system. Further development in the 80s and 90s resulted in vehicles with an increasingly characteristic Chinese look.
The newest MBT that entered service with the Chinese army was the Type 99 (the number indicates the year the tank was shown at the military parade). Although its hull is similar to that of the T-72 tank, the experience of this tank's participation in hostilities was carefully studied during development, including the Russian presence in Afghanistan and the unsatisfactory combat qualities of Iraqi tanks during Operation Desert Storm, in order to increase the level of protection and approbation of some innovations. Among them, for example, an active protection complex and a laser blinding device.
The tank also received a new turret with a 125-mm smoothbore cannon, which is fed by an automatic loader located under the turret ring.
All tanks were produced in large quantities for the local market, but the capabilities of the Chinese industry also allowed it to supply various tank models to many countries around the world. The Chinese company North Industries Corporation (NORINCO) is currently promoting the MBT-3000 (VT-4), MBT-2000 and VT-2 tanks, all with a 125mm smoothbore cannon and automatic loader.
Little is known about future plans for Chinese MBTs, but the latest developments include the Type 62 light tank with a 105mm cannon (also known as the ZTQ). At a time when the main battle tanks of other countries are becoming heavier, the light Type 62, designed for operations in mountainous terrain, has a mass of only 21 tons and a crew of 4 people.
Hyundai Rotem's K2 is the second MBT created by South Koreans, but the development of a local power unit turned out to be not such an easy matter and the cars of the first batch are equipped with an MTU engine.
Turkey is the only NATO country to start a program for the development and production of its own MBT Altay
India
India's efforts to develop its Arjun MBT are well known, they perfectly illustrate the general problems associated with the development of a competitive machine within the country, as well as problems specific only to India. Numerous delays, technical problems and the sky-high cost of delivering 124 problematic Mk1 vehicles in 2004 (30 years after development began), a second "far-fetched" order for another 118 tanks upgraded to the Mk2 standard in 2014, as well as the cost of one vehicles, according to various estimates, ranging from 8 to 10 million dollars, all this makes the Arjun MBT the most expensive tank in the world.
Indian tank Arjun
While essentially considered a modern project, the Arjun has a few odd drawbacks, including the 120mm rifled cannon, which confronts India with the same firepower issues faced by the UK and Oman with the Challenger.
In order to compensate for the problems associated with the development of its tank, India bought Russian T-72M1 and T-90 tanks, which were manufactured under license and upgraded by installing ready-made systems, for example, Thales Catherine sights. So, despite a lot of development problems, India has gained a lot of experience in the production of tanks domestically.
Pakistan
Pakistan, instead of starting the development of a new MBT from scratch, made a much more prudent decision, establishing close cooperation ties with China.
The two countries have been cooperating for quite some time. They started with a batch of Chinese Type 59 MBTs manufactured by NORINCO, which Pakistan modernized at its plant (including the installation of a new 105-mm rifled cannon and a computerized control system), followed by the local assembly / production of Type 69-II, Type 85 and, in ultimately, the MBT-2000, which received the Pakistani designation Al Khalid. Since 2001, more than 300 Al Khalid tanks have been manufactured and their production continues.
Pakistani tank Al Khalid
After the successful Al Khalid project, Pakistan is now hatching plans to start production of a localized version of the NORINCO VT-4 / MBT-3000 tank under the designation Al-Hyder, which was successfully tested at the end of 2014. That is, at present, this country is guaranteed to retain the ability to produce modern tanks.
Japan
For now, we'll stay in Asia and take a look at Japan's capabilities in this area. This country has extensive experience in the development and production of MBT, but its pacifist policy does not allow (yet, but will soon allow) it to offer its tanks to other countries.
The newest Japanese MBT Mitsubishi Type 10 clearly illustrates the advantages of developing a tank in accordance with national requirements, since this 44-ton tank goes against the general trend of increasing mass. Japan needed to develop a lighter tank with smaller dimensions, as the previous Type 50 and Type 90 had difficulty navigating the country's roads and railways.
Japanese tank Type 10
United States
The armored power of the United States will be based on the M1 Abrams tanks until the 2050s. In order for the tank to meet modern threats, it goes through several successive upgrades, starting with the M1A3 configuration expected at the beginning of the next decade.
The production of this tank continues, the vehicles were exported to Australia (M1A1 ATM), Egypt (co-production M1A1), Iraq (M1A1SA, several tanks were lost in battles with the Islamic State), Kuwait (M1A2) and Saudi Arabia (M1A2), so the USA have all the capabilities and know-how that will make it possible to create the next generation tank.
Meanwhile, in connection with the replacement of Abrams tanks in the American army, there is a lot of talk about the possibility of developing uninhabited light tanks for use in scenarios that large and heavy MBTs will not be able to meet, or about building up its combat capabilities as part of the concept of combining manned and uninhabited systems. similar to that implemented with attack helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.
American tank M1A2 Abrams
A comment
While the death of MBT has been predicted several times, especially after the defeat of the tank groups of Syria and Egypt in the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and in connection with the end of the Cold War, there is still no other weapon system that could replace the MBT.
Although its main role in destroying other MBTs was largely taken over by other weapons systems, the tank has repeatedly proved its value, supporting dismounted infantry during the hostilities in Russia, Afghanistan and Iraq.
It remains only to guess what the future MBT will look like, for example, the T-14 Armata project with a remotely controlled turret offers its own vision of the future.
Fully remotely controlled platforms are already used in special operations, for example, they take part in demining, and in the future such systems may be further developed with the aim of participating in hostilities.
