MBT of the latest generation Type 10 is in service with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. A 44-ton Mitsubishi Heavy Industries vehicle armed with a 120-mm cannon
The traditional strongholds of armored vehicle production in Asia are China, Japan and South Korea, which have been doing their projects for many years, although newcomers from this region are beginning to attract attention even on the international stage
The countries of the Asia-Pacific region differ in different levels of production of combat platforms. The most interesting are the local projects of heavy armored vehicles, such as MBT, BMP and armored personnel carriers, which are not just manufactured and assembled under license. This is due to the fact that such machines are more difficult to develop and manufacture, and the best indicator of the state's technological development is the creation of a local production base.
East Asian heavyweights
The Chinese army is armed with approximately 7050 main battle tanks (MBT) and 5090 BMP / armored personnel carriers. The Chinese company China North Industries Corporation (Norinco) produces most of the armored vehicles, and its latest technology was shown at a military parade held in Beijing in September 2015.
A significant event of this parade was the demonstration of the duo MBT ZTZ99A and BMP ZBD04A. The technical characteristics of the ZTZ99A were not disclosed, but the chief designer of the tank, Mao Ming, called it "the world leader in terms of firepower, protection and maneuverability, and information technology." It is equipped with a 125-mm cannon, modified for firing sub-caliber projectiles with improved armor penetration, and its dynamic system for taking into account the thermal bending of the barrel increases significantly its accuracy. The tower has dynamic protection units (ERA), in addition, an active protection complex and a laser warning system receiver are installed on the ZTZ99A tank.
Chinese tank ZTZ99A
Chinese BMP ZBD04A
Shanghai-based military expert Gao Zhuo commented, "What adds combat capability to the tank is the adoption of a high-tech communication channel that allows the tank to access information about the battlefield from other combat platforms." This combat control system has a self-monitoring function, which allows, for example, to report the need for replenishment of ammunition or fuel.
Compared to its predecessor ZTZ99, the new ZTZ99A tank weighing more than 50 tons also has a more powerful 1500 hp engine. The day / night sight of the commander allows you to work in the search and strike mode (the commander captures the target, passes it to the shooter, who starts to fire at it, at this time the commander is looking for the next target). Although the ZTZ99A tank represents the pinnacle of Chinese tank building, production volumes remain relatively low due to its prohibitive price tag. More common in the Chinese army is the ZTZ96 family of second-generation tanks, also featuring a 125-mm smoothbore cannon.
The upgraded ZTZ96A tank weighing 41.5 tons was introduced in 2006. This MBT for export deliveries received the designation VT2; Bangladesh bought 44 of these tanks. Norinco also offers for export the 48-ton MBT-2000 (VT1 / VT1A) purchased by Myanmar (50 units) and Morocco (54). Pakistan manufactures this tank under license under the designation Al-Khalid. However, the even newer, fully digital MBT-3000 (VT4) tank weighing 52 tons has yet to wait for its first customer.
Debuting at the Beijing parade, the ZBD04A BMP features a turret with the same 100mm main cannon and 30mm automatic cannon as its predecessor, the ZBD04. BMP manufactured by Norinco ZBD04 (export designation VN11) weighing 21.5 tons very much resembles the Russian BMP-3, but the floating version of the ZBD04A is much closer in concept to the western BMP.
Mr. Gao said that “The new model has improved fire control and additional armor. The vehicle also has a modern information system that can be integrated with the information system of the Type 99A tank. Given the undoubted superiority over its predecessor, analysts expect a larger production volume of the ZBD04A BMP compared to approximately 500 ZBD04 vehicles.
Another notable vehicle of the Chinese army, seen at the parade, was the AFT10 anti-tank missile system. The launcher houses HJ-10 missiles with out-of-line guidance, which are likely to use fiber-optic guidance. Each ATGM AFT10 is armed with two launchers of four missiles, which allows eight 150-kg missiles to be fired before reloading.
Chinese anti-tank missile system AFT10
This rocket with a solid propellant booster and a microjet engine has a range of 10 km. The AFT10 missile, which entered service in 2012, provides the Chinese army with long-range anti-tank capabilities.
Reflecting the global trend of building wheeled armored vehicles, the Chinese army is armed with two main types. The first is the Type 09 8x8 family of Norinco production, in which the main variant is the ZBD09 infantry fighting vehicle weighing 21 tons with a two-man turret armed with a 30 mm cannon.
The same 8x8 platform has been available for export since 2008 under the designation VN1; today its only buyers are Venezuela. The VN1 is powered by a 443 hp Deutz diesel engine, thanks to which the car develops a speed of 100 km / h on land and 8 km / h on water. Also in service with the Chinese army is a variant of the ZLT11 artillery mount, on which a 105-mm cannon is installed.
The second type of wheeled vehicles is the floating ZSL92 6x6. A very popular armored vehicle - bought by Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Peru, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Tanzania. There are many variants, including the 17-ton ZSL92B with a turret armed with a 30 mm cannon.
Floating armored personnel carrier ZSL92 6x6
A 19-ton PTL02 anti-tank mount with a 105-mm cannon with low recoil forces was also created, of which about 350 are in service with the Chinese army. In 2008, China entered service with a 120-mm mortar / howitzer PLL05 weighing 16 tons.
Anti-tank gun PTL02
Specialized Chinese machines
Norinco manufactures specialized vehicles such as the ZBD03 (export designation VN10) 8-ton assault vehicle, which is intended for the Chinese People's Liberation Army's airborne forces. A turret with a 30-mm cannon is installed on the floating BMD ZBD03. The crew of this airborne vehicle is three people, and four paratroopers are housed in the aft compartment. The Chinese car ZBD03 is a copy of the Russian BMD, although in the Chinese version the engine is installed in front.
Norinco also manufactures the ZBD05 / ZTD05 amphibious combat vehicle for their country's army and marines. The platform was first introduced in 2006, reflecting the Chinese focus on amphibious operations. Wheeled BMP ZBD05 with a length of 9, 5 meters is armed with a 30-mm cannon, while the light tracked tank ZTD05 on the same chassis is armed with a stabilized 105-mm cannon. Machines weighing 26.5 tons develop a speed of 25 km / h on the water thanks to powerful water cannons installed in the stern. Up to 1000 ZBD05 / ZTD05 vehicles can currently be in service with the Chinese army, while Norinco offers them for export under the designations VN18 and VN16, respectively.
Chinese BMP ZTD05
India is fighting
With large military forces, India and Pakistan have made great efforts to develop their own armored vehicles. India, for example, has invested heavily in its Arjun MBT, developed by the defense research and development organization DRDO, but, nevertheless, 55% of the components of this local tank are imported.
At least 124 vehicles were manufactured, while the cost of the tank is prohibitive and there is an acute shortage of spare parts. Nearly half of Arjun's park was reportedly out of service last year.
The modernized version of the Arjun Mk II weighing 55 tons included 93 improvements, such as an infrared silencer, panoramic commander's sight, reactive armor, navigation system and improved tracks. India ordered 124 new vehicles, but things are still there, as the unhurried army tests, which began back in 2011, continue.
Indian tank Arjun Mk II
Difficulties with the Arjun tank may well mean that many problems are still ahead, as India wants to get into service with a promising FRCV (Future Ready Combat Vehicle) combat vehicle in order to replace its 1,900 T-72M1 tanks. In June 2015, New Delhi issued a request for information stating the following: "The Indian Army plans to develop a state-of-the-art next-generation combat platform to build its fleet of armored combat vehicles in the next decade."
The army hopes that the FRCV project medium tank will begin to enter service in 2025-2027. Two projects will be selected, after which different design bureaus will create their prototypes. Subsequent trials will determine the winning project and one or two designated manufacturers will manufacture the new machine in their factories.
India is also implementing a program to create its promising infantry fighting vehicle FICV (Future Infantry Combat Vehicle) with the aim of replacing the 2610 BMP-1/2. The Indian army should receive 3,000 tracked FICVs within 20 years. Bidders for the floating 20 tonne platform submitted their proposals in 2010, but none of them were selected.
After some stagnation, India resumed its FICV project when it issued RFPs for ten Indian companies in January 2016. According to the request, the FICV platform should accommodate an 8-man assault force, have a crew of three, fire anti-tank guided missiles at a range of up to 4000 meters and be transported in military transport aircraft C-17 and Il-76.
For the development of two different projects, two companies will be selected, one of which will then be given the right to serially produce new machines. The four most likely contenders are Larsen & Toubro, Mahindra, Ordnance Factory Board and Tata.
Japan
Since the end of the Cold War, as part of its reorganization, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (YSS) have significantly reduced their armored vehicle fleet. In the directive of the national defense program, issued in 2010, it was proposed to reduce both the number of MBT and the number of artillery installations from 600 to 400 units. However, in the 2013 directive, these numbers were further reduced, to 300 units of each type.
In 2012, the YASS received the newest Type 10 MBT. It is lighter than its predecessor, the Type 90 tank, which was created with an eye to the possibility of a collision with the Soviets. At least 341 Type 90 tanks were manufactured, but with a combat weight of 50 tons, its transportation across Japan was impossible.
Japanese MBT Type 10
The Type 10 tank weighing 44 tons, manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), overcame this problem, and its adoption will allow, in the end, to write off the Type 74 MBT. The tank is armed with a 120-mm L / 44 smoothbore cannon, which can drive fire with a new armor-piercing sub-caliber projectile with greater armor penetration, the new battle control system will tie tanks and headquarters into a single network. By 2018, only 97 Type 10 tanks will be manufactured.
How the Japanese repaired a tank … their Type 10
MHI has also developed the MCV (Manoeuvre Combat Vehicle) 8x8, which is due to be delivered to YASS this year. The vehicle is armed with a local 105 mm L / 52 rifled cannon, but the fact that it cannot fire armor-piercing shells means that it does not pull the role of an anti-tank gun.
Over the next five years, 99 Type 16 MCVs will be manufactured, they will replace all MBTs on the largest Japanese island of Honshu. However, due to the fact that the MCV does not have sufficient anti-tank capabilities or sufficiently high levels of protection, there are concerns that the MCV will not be able to fully replace tanks. However, since the 26-ton MCV can be carried in the new Japanese C-2 aircraft, it has excellent strategic mobility for counterinsurgency and island defense missions.
Japanese mobile gun mount Type 16 MCV
BTR Type 96 8x8 manufactured by Komatsu entered service with YASS in 1996. Its production has slowed down, but Komatsu is developing the Improved Wheeled Armored Personnel Carrier as a replacement. MHI also did not stand aside and in mid-2014 presented its own 8x8 armored personnel carrier weighing 28 tons.
BTR Type 96 8x8
Australia
The most successful Australian armored vehicle is the Thales Bushmaster, of which 1,052 were ordered for the local army. This MRAP 4x4 vehicle has been sold to Indonesia (3), Jamaica (12), Japan (4), the Netherlands (98) and the United Kingdom (30). The Australian army operates the following options: armored personnel carrier, commander, mortar, mine clearance, fire support, ambulance and anti-aircraft installation.
The Bushmaster armored car has proven itself well in Afghanistan and Iraq; despite numerous improvised explosive device detonations, not a single soldier was killed in this vehicle. Australia will keep the Bushmaster in service until 2025. From mid-2017, Thales will also produce 1,100 Hawkei 4x4s for the Australian Army.
While Australia intends to select off-the-shelf projects for its two main armored vehicle programs, they are expected to have a large proportion of local components. A request for a tender for the Land 400 Phase 2 program, issued in February 2015, will allow the Australian Army to receive 225 combat reconnaissance vehicles from 2021. Last year, Australia also issued a request for information on the Phase 3 stage for 450 BMPs and 17 combat support vehicles, which will begin to enter the troops from 2025.
South Korea
South Korean manufacturers have made great strides in meeting the needs of their army for armored vehicles. The South Korean army's fleet of tanks consists of 1,500 Hyundai Rotem K1 / K1A1 MBTs, but the company is currently working hard on an initial order for 100 K2 MBT tanks, which are powered by a German MTU engine and a Renk transmission.
Korean tank K2
However, in accordance with the second contract, K2 tanks weighing 55 tons with a 1500 hp Doosan DST engine will be supplied. and S&T Dynamics transmission; first deliveries are scheduled for late 2016. The Korean company Hyundai Rotem also provides technical assistance under the Turkish Altay MBT program, although Turkey canceled some clauses of the contract due to delays in the program.
Since the beginning of 2015, Hyundai Rotem has been upgrading the K1A1 MBTs in service to the K1A2 standard. It provides for the installation of a "friend or foe" identification system, a battle control system and a camera for the driver. In September 2015, Hyundai Rotem began upgrading even older K1 tanks to the K1E1 standard, which basically follows the K1A2 standard.
At ADEX 2015 in Seoul, Hyundai Rotem Chief Engineer Haihun Li revealed that his company is also developing a combat engineer vehicle (CEV). The K1 tank chassis will be equipped with a Pearson Engineering mine plow, an excavator boom and a minefield marking system. Production of the CEV machine will begin on schedule in 2019.
In line with restructuring plans, the South Korean army will reduce its strength from 520,000 to 387,200 by 2020. It will eliminate 20 infantry divisions and create 11 brigades equipped with 675 armored wheeled vehicles, for which Hyundai Rotem was designated the preferred contractor in 2012. Serial production of the KW1 6x6 and KW2 8x8 platforms should begin in 2017. The basic variant in the line of 8x8 amphibious vehicles is an armored personnel carrier with a manned turret armed with a 7.62 mm machine gun and a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher. The heavier 8x8 model weighing 20 tonnes has enhanced armor compared to the non-floating 6x6 model weighing 16 tonnes. Depending on funding, the total needs of the South Korean army could reach 2,700 new wheeled vehicles.
Doosan DST is currently manufacturing the K21 BMP with a turret armed with a 40 mm cannon. After the execution of the initial order for 466 vehicles, the army began to deploy this system in 2009. After two K21 machines sank while overcoming a water hazard, production was stopped, but modifications carried out on the machines in service allowed it to resume in September 2011.
In order to increase buoyancy on the BMP K21, inflatable balloons were installed behind the side screens. Interestingly, Doosan DST introduced in 2013 as a K21 chassis concept with a CMI Defense XC-8 turret armed with a 105mm Cockerill cannon.
Doosan DST has completed the production of K200A1 armored personnel carriers for the South Korean army, but with the expectation of modernizing the outdated K200 armored personnel carriers, it presented the K200A1 vehicle with a single turret at ADEX 2015 as a concept. Doosan DST is partnering with Belgian CMI Defense on this turret, and the company's overseas chief said the turret could accept a 20mm, 25mm or 30mm cannon. The 13.2 tonne machine also features Soucy rubber tracks to reduce vibration and noise.
Doosan DST is currently developing the K200A1 14-tonne 120mm mobile mortar with a semi-automatic weapon system, which will be provided by S&T Dynamics. Also, on the basis of the K200A1, a new WMD reconnaissance vehicle has been developed, the production of which will begin this year.
Australian Army Bushmaster command vehicle exits the hold of a landing craft during Talisman Saber 2013 exercise.
Island programs
Taiwan lagged behind its neighbors in developing its own armored vehicles, but was forced to do this due to the small number of foreign suppliers willing to cooperate. The 22-ton Yunpao (Clouded Leopard) family of vehicles was designed to replace obsolete vehicles and increase the mobility of motorized infantry brigades in line with a retaliatory policy against any Chinese invasion.
In 2010, the Yunpao project was officially selected, and by the end of 2014, approximately 205 machines had been manufactured. Variants of the CM32 armored personnel carrier, which are part of the first batch of 368 vehicles, are equipped with a remotely controlled combat module (DUBM) armed with a 40-mm T91 automatic grenade launcher and a 7, 62-mm T74 machine gun. There is also a commanding variant of the CM32.
Taiwanese Yunpao armored personnel carrier
At the end of last year, a Yunpao machine was shown with a 30mm MK44 Bushmaster cannon from Orbital ATK. The Taiwanese army considered that the existing Yunpao weapons were not capable of penetrating the armor of Chinese vehicles of this class, and therefore it was decided to increase the platform's firepower. In 2017-2021, about 284 of these BMPs will be manufactured. Also, sanitary, evacuation and anti-aircraft options have been developed. One of the military factories is developing a mortar complex with an interchangeable 81/120 mm barrel, a prototype of which was shown at the TADTE 2015 exhibition.
Southeast Asia
Although in countries in Southeast Asia, products of their own production appear, but here no one could come close to Singapore. He produces a variety of combat vehicles for his armed forces and not only.
ST Kinetics has been manufacturing the tracked BMP Bionix IFV for the Singapore Army since 1999. The vehicle has several variants: Bionix 40/50 (40mm grenade launcher and 12.7mm (.50 cal) machine gun), Bionix 25 (25mm M242 Bushmaster cannon) and Bionix II (30mm MK44 Bushmaster cannon). It is armed with approximately 720 BMP Bionix plus recovery vehicles, bridgelayers and Trailblazer demining vehicles.
Singapore BMP Bionix-2
ST Kinetics also manufactures the Bronco amphibious tracked all-terrain vehicle, which is operated in several variants in the Singapore army. The platform achieved great success in 2008, when the British Army ordered 115 Warthog vehicles on an urgent request for operation in Afghanistan.
Although the UK decided to decommission the aircraft earlier and not enter them into the main fleet, its development continues, and at the Singapore Airshow 2016 the company showed a modified version of the Bronco New-Gen, ready for production, with better protection and modularity.
Another notable ST Kinetics platform is the 24-ton Terrex 8x8. After the contract was issued, its production began for the Singapore army and by mid-2015, presumably all three contracts, which provided for the production of a total of 405 Terrex machines, were completed.
The main version of the armored personnel carrier is armed with an EOS R-600 DBM with an integrated combat control system. The Singaporean army is also armed with engineering and sanitary options. In addition, production of the following types is planned: ATGM (Spike); commander; evacuation; reconnaissance and target detection; artillery observers (STORM). Another option could be a mobile mortar unit with a 120-mm SRAMS (Super-Rapid Advanced Mortar System) complex, also produced by ST Kinetics.
At the Singapore Airshow 2016, an upgraded version of the Terrex 1+ was presented. In an incomprehensible way, it did not match the option chosen by the US Marine Corps for its Amphibious Combat Vehicle 1.1 (ACV 1.1) amphibious vehicle program, nor the configuration proposed for the Australian Land 400 Phase 2 program.
A spokesman for ST Kinetics said that with a mass of 30 tons, the Terrex 2 is, of course, heavier, but it has a more powerful 600 hp engine, a double V-shaped hull for maximum protection, additional buoyancy is implemented, which allows you to overcome various water barriers. As one of the two remaining applicants for the ACV 1.1 program, ST Kinetics is building the first 13 machines. According to the company, the Terrex 2 is 8 meters long, 3.6 meters wide and 2.8 meters high. For the new Terrex variant, ST Kinetics can also offer optional front-mounted tracks to improve flotation on soft ground.
Singapore APC Terrex 2
It is rumored that ST Kinetics developed a light tank for the Singapore army, but officials at the show denied such a program existed.
However, ST Kinetics is actively cooperating with the Thai Institute of Defense Technology DTI on the development of the Black Widow Spider 8x8 machine. A prototype of a 24-ton vehicle with an uninhabited ST Kinetics Adder turret armed with a 30mm MK44 Bushmaster cannon was unveiled at Defense & Security last November.
Thai armored personnel carrier Black Widow Spider
DTI conducted the first operational tests of the Black Widow Spider amphibious vehicle in June last year, while the Thai army will conduct its tests in 2016. A British company was selected to assist in the design of the machine and ST Kinetics as technical consultant. A DTI spokesman said more than 60% of the components on the Black Widow Spider will be locally sourced. While this work reinforces Thailand's goal of becoming more self-sufficient in defense production, there is no guarantee that the project will make it to production.
There is another company in Thailand that manufactures, among other things, military products. Chaiseri Metal and Rubber manufactures the First Win 4x4 armored vehicle of the MRAP category weighing 11 tons. The Thai army has ordered 21 vehicles, and the Special Investigation Department has ordered 18 vehicles for operations in the troubled south of Thailand.
The First Win armored car is also sold abroad. This year, the Philippines will accept delivery of a left-hand drive variant to guard Clark Airport. The Malaysian army also ordered the First Win, although the local Deftech company gave it the AV4 designation.
Armored car First Win of the Chaiseri company
Chaiseri has modified the AV4 enclosure to provide a 2 + 1 door configuration instead of the usual 4 + 1 door configuration. The Malaysian vehicles, which will be deployed to Borneo, have a rooftop turret armed with a 7.62mm M134D Minigun machine gun from Dillon Aero. Malaysia is reported to be buying 20 cars; Deftech will assemble approximately three quarters of the machines and begin deliveries this year.
Malaysia received good experience in the assembly of tracked vehicles ACV-300 Adnan of the Turkish company FNSS, and now, according to the contract, 257 vehicles should be manufactured at the local plant from 2014 to 2018.
The 8x8 vehicle, based on the Turkish Pars platform, received the designation AV8 Gempita. The contract with Malaysian Deftech (DRB-Hicom), worth 559 million dollars, provides for 12 variants, including an infantry fighting vehicle with a 30-mm Denel GI-30 cannon or a 25-mm M242 cannon, and an ATGM armed with Ingwe missiles from the South African company Denel. The first 12 BMP-25s entered service with the Malaysian army in December 2014.
BMP K21 was developed by the South Korean company Doosan DST. The production of vehicles with a two-man turret armed with a 40-mm cannon continues for the army of this country.
Indonesia
The state-owned PT Pindad in Indonesia began production of the Anoa-1 6x6 armored personnel carriers in 2008, and the subsequent version of the Anoa-2 appeared in 2012. The latter option was finalized for participation in a peacekeeping mission in Lebanon; variants of this family include sanitary, armored personnel carriers, command, cargo, evacuation and mortar installations.
A company spokesman said 280 Anoa machines had been manufactured at the end of 2014. At Indo Defense 2014, the Badak 6x6 was shown, based on the Anoa-2 hull. It is the fruit of a collaboration with Belgian CMI Defense, which supplied it with its 90mm Cockerill CSE90 LP 90 cannon and twin turret. These machines will be manufactured in Indonesia under a technology transfer agreement.
Indonesian armored personnel carrier Anoa-2
In December 2015, the Badak machine was successfully tested and upon completion of certification in 2016, it should begin to enter service with the Indonesian army at a rate of 25-30 pieces annually. In addition, back in November 2014, PT Pindad and the Turkish FNSS signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in a project on a new medium tank with a 105mm cannon. It is expected that two prototypes weighing 25 tons will be produced by 2017.
