At the moment, the tank forces of Indonesia are armed with 275 models of the AMX-13, 15 PT-76 and 60 Scorpions-90 tanks, which belong to the representatives of the light class of military equipment. All these models were released a long time ago and at the moment they no longer provide sufficient combat effectiveness. Due to the lack of modern armor protection, all of them are easily penetrated by almost any of the modern large-caliber machine guns.
To solve this problem, the Indonesian military plans to purchase new tanks in the near future. Three models have been named among the likely contenders at the moment: Russian-made T-90S, Ukrainian BM "Bulat" and Leopard-2A6.
The T-90S is produced by Uralvagonzavod and is in service with the armies of Russia, Algeria, India, Uganda and Turkmenistan. The technical characteristics are as follows:
Weight - 46.6 tons.
The crew consists of 3 people.
Armament - 125-mm cannon and 12.7 and 7.62 mm machine guns.
Engine - 1 thousand liters. forces.
Cruising range - up to 550 km.
The tank is equipped with a modern firing system with a thermal imaging sight, which makes it possible to effectively conduct hostilities in all weather conditions, day and night. It is possible to install additional equipment at the request of the customer, including the "Shtora" active protection and optoelectronic suppression complexes, automatic target tracking, air conditioning. At the exhibition in Nizhny Tagil, the T-90MS was recently demonstrated, a fully equipped version that surpassed the base version in many respects.
The Ukrainian-made contender - BM "Bulat" - is a highly modernized version of the T-64B tank, produced before 1987. Specifications:
Weight - 45 tons.
The crew consists of 3 people.
Armament - 125-mm cannon and machine guns of 12.7 and 7.62 mm.
Engine - 850 HP forces.
The power reserve is up to 400 km.
Unlike the T-90S, the basic package does not include a thermal sight, but it is possible to install it. Additional modifications also include a 1000 hp engine. and a complex of active protection. Currently, the tank is produced in small batches, mainly for the Ukrainian armed forces.
The last of the candidates is the Leopard 2A6, a tank that was in service with the Dutch army until May of this year. Specifications are as follows:
Weight - 62 tons.
The crew consists of 4 people.
Armament - 120 mm cannon and 2 7.62 mm machine guns.
Engine - 1500 hp forces.
The descriptions of the capabilities of this tank in various reference books are quite impressive. The declared speed is over 70 km / h. However, the results of the tests carried out in Greece showed that for the most part they are advertising, often not reflecting the real capabilities of the car. For example, the tank was unable to overcome the slope of 30% the first time. Only after replacing track rollers, on the second try, he was able to do it. The power reserve during the tests was 375 km, and after a 50-kilometer night march at the "Leopard" there was a failure of the driver's night vision device. In total, 2 skating rinks demanded replacement, during the march of a thousand kilometers.
Naturally, testing in Indonesia would be the best answer to the question of which tank is better to buy. But even now we can conclude that, in comparison with Russian and Ukrainian vehicles, the Leopard's operating cost is much higher. It will also require a high level of service. It is also known that the Germans are scrupulous in matters of supplying weapons to areas of potential conflicts, which in the future may cause problems with spare parts necessary for repairs.
