MBT's

[FASTBOAT TOUGH]

Didn't have chance to include any info on the SPIKE NLOS in Post 280, so I put some info here below. However note that the system will attack laser designated targets by the time it was actually fielded and or exported; some articles as late as the summer of 2012 indicated that feature would be available at a later date. Also it does carry different warheads depending on the mission and combat environment.
http://www.rafael.co.il/marketing/SI...LES/6/1026.pdf
http://www.armyrecognition.com/israe...ata_sheet.html
http://www.military.com/video/operat...2477197733001/

I might have to go with this alone as I haven't heard from GingerTanker since late winter.

Regards,
Pat

[FASTBOAT TOUGH]

Well I wasn't going to do much around here but I'm coming out of my hole a little sooner then some. However recently some eye surgery "my team" has been putting off for a couple of plus years can no longer be pushed back. I'll be out of commission from the end of next month to the mid-point+ of Sep. So take care of them and get them checked yearly. I know that'll break a couple of my co-workers hearts . But well-they better just enjoy the break while they can . So here's what I'll working/tracking with some news.

What if...
Well a lot of new tanks and designs post cold war died on the vine simply because of the massive goult of tanks that flooded the market or were just given away after the Cold War. These are for you designer folks.
France...
http://www.military-today.com/tanks/mars_15.htm

This might be a case of when or how soon vs. what if due to the continued crisis in the Ukraine. The BTMP-84 would be only the second tank in the world to be troop capable in transporting 5 fully armed troops vs the 8 the MERKAVA IV can hold.
http://www.military-today.com/tanks/btmp_84.htm

First off I've only done a cursory check of the OOB's so let's just call this "the official/unofficial work list" for the time being. If it's on here it's ready or very close within a couple of years to be fielded/or modified.

Light Tanks...
China...
http://www.military-oday.com/tanks/n...light_tank.htm

Medium Tanks...
Iran...Let's take something old and make it better but still obsolete. The SABALAN.
http://www.military-today.com/tanks/sabalan.htm

Israel...MEGACH SPIKE NLOS.
http://www.armyrecognition.com/weapo..._with_12_spike

Engineering...
Finland I didn't see this in the OOB so here you go...
http://www.military-today.com/engine...atria_hmbv.htm
They now have added an engineering section to the website that might be worth a look for some.

Changes...
Canada/Denmark...Vision upgrade: "Canada’s Leopard 2A6CANs and Denmark’s Leopard 2A5s will install ATTICA in both commander and gunner’s sights, creating the ability to seamlessly pass views from commander to gunner with no change in quality." ATTICA is a game changer as used on the LEO 2A7+. I thought I still had the article, but, the German later model LEO 2A6 tanks have already received the ATTICA system as well. That article I suspect is within this thread. These tanks will have TI/GSR 50.
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/...8/#2011–2014

India...ARJUN MKI with LAHAT start date moved to 2017. Might effect MKII as well. Gun vs. LAHAT issues that DRDO hopes to have resolved by early 2016.

South Africa...Minor tweaks remain for OFILANT tanks some corrected in last patch.

Turkey...Remember this?
Well I made the comment in this thread or elsewhere I thought that the whole Turkish tank issue was as easy as this diagram showed with minor tweaks for the later tanks entered about 2 or 3 Patches ago. Well it is and I have the documentation from SIPRI to prove it. Mostly from the import of tanks from Germany and the USA. This situation is in this thread and or the FB Patch Page thread.

I'll finish out the TI/GSR updates I started work on a couple of years ago. We managed to get some tanks addressed in the last Patch I believe it was. Tanks of note for the next batch will be @50 TI/GSR: UK-CHALLENGER 2 latest mod, Russian ARMATA (If ready.), Italy CENTURO TD and Ukraine OPLOT-M (Though this might have been fixed already.).
45-50 TI/GSR 45-50: France LECLERC again latest mod. This tank has really vexed me on this issue and it art of 2 yrs to resolve it's FCS capabilities. This is why I'll say now and based on some ups done in the last couple years I'd go with 50 as noted on the lead in (And you think this is easy.)
TI/GSR 45: Italy refuses to upgrade the ARIETE to the C2 upgrade (This would be @50.) The current ARIETE C1 can only be rated at TI/GSR 45 at best. Why? It only uses certain components of the GALILEO FCS, whereas the CENTURO TD uses the full GALILEO FCS. I thought the LECLERC was bad, this took the cake in trying to track down which components of the GALILEO FCS it used. It would be a generous 45 and still might be a "game day decision" when all said and done. The Italians again in the current defense budget shot down the C2 upgrades but did decide to buy ~250-300 each of the CENTURO series (Heavy on the TD model.) and the VBM FRECCIA IFV.
http://www.military-today.com/tanks/ariete.htm
http://www.military-today.com/apc/vbm_freccia.htm


News...
China designing a new MBT...
http://www.armyrecognition.com/july_...s_2907146.html

Germany... As a continuation of the German/Saudi tank deal posted earlier here's the primary source I didn't have at the time.
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/...-saudis-06993/

India also moving forward a new MBT sometime in our lifetime. However have heard the active protection system discussed here will be on the ARJUN MKII.
http://www.armyrecognition.com/july_...n_2907142.html

Indonesia got the first of the "now again" LEO 2A6 and MARDER 1A2 upgraded IFV. Might need a date change here not sure. Thought we settled on Oct. this year, if so, we're in the 6 month "swag" we've discussed in the past. Leaving the tank alone as I'm not chasing the 2A4 (Which were reportedly upgraded to the 2A6 level anyway.) vs. the 2A6 as is in the game now after much discussion.
http://www.armyrecognition.com/june_...v_2706142.html


Israel was to have have sold the MERKAVA IV to Columbia a couple of years ago making them it's first export customer, however the deal fell through. Now it appears there's another player out there as yet unidentified. Tracking this "tightly" but I think Columbia might be back in it. Though another country "lingers" in my mind as well.
http://www.armyrecognition.com/july_...y_0707142.html


USA improvements coming to the M1A2 SEP V2 to include an IED ECM device and a new armor package for practical game purposes first of them will be in the field in 2017.
http://www.armyrecognition.com/weapo...m_0411121.html[/b]

Please remember I never single source these are representative of others I use. Enough said and back to work later today.

Regards,
Pat

[DRG]

Originally Posted by fastboat tough

engineering...
finland i didn't see this in the oob so here you go...
http://www.military-today.com/engine...atria_hmbv.htm
they now have added an engineering section to the website that might be worth a look for some.

the heavy mine breaching vehicle (hmbv) was developed in finland by patria to meet operational requirements of finnish defense forces. sometimes this vehicle is referred as leopard 2r

unit 358

[FASTBOAT TOUGH]

Well I can't use my current eye situation or blame it on a cataract since the last one was done in 5/07 and I can't even fall back on
"First off I've only done a cursory check of the OOB's..." since I did say "Finland I didn't see this in the OOB so here you go...". So it would appear that I've been done in by my own words and worse my own ref., would a smudge across glasses be viable at this point!?! How about I didn't feel well . Didn't think so either; I guess there's no way out of this but to take the now and thank you for saving me from wasting my time on the matter down the road!

My own ref what's the world coming to!?!
Regards,
Pat

[FASTBOAT TOUGH]

I remember when the Dutch had this many tanks not so long ago and now have none. The SDSR (or just SDR) plan of 2010 spelled out the cuts to the British military which is known as "the future force 2020", many of the cuts since have gone deeper then the SDSR original plan by way of the related story below concerning the state of their armored units. And some have just not made sense such as the billions of pounds spent to refurbish the RAF/RN HARRIER GR.7 and GR.9 fighter-bombers which, the USMC ended up buying at well below "bargain basement prices" so that we would have plenty of spare parts for our USMC AV-8B HARRIERS. The best example for me is that, the RN had to press ahead with the two Queen Elizabeth class carriers because it was more expensive to stop and scrap them then to just finish them off. I bet the RN wishes they had kept their HARRIERS now since a money making decision was made to redesign them with the traditional "jump" deck. Anyway here's your tank story...
The one and only...Royal Tank Regiment...
http://www.armyrecognition.com/augus...aine_0308.html

I'll have to do some checking but the TES mod might be a good start point for the CHALLENGER 2 TI/GSR upgrade as discussed recently and in the past.

On SDSR 2010...
https://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consu.../dg_191634.pdf

On the Carriers...
http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/the-equi...rcraft-carrier
https://www.defenseindustrydaily.com...updated-01630/

This last will "unlock" at a later date just us members get a first look at the updates/rewrites before the general release on the site.

The HARRIER issue I covered from the start in the Jets and Planes Thread if you desire further reading.

Regards,
Pat

[FASTBOAT TOUGH]

Well the article below is an easy read on the direction some Eastern European Countries are taking and have been preparing to do prior to the Ukrainian crisis. Some of this I've addressed separately already in other threads but the below bundles it all nicely together. The nasty "economics" issue pops up that some people don't like here but, this is one "real world" that does effect/or impact the game in equipment terms i.e. and in general how many prototype pieces of equipment got into the game that have been removed over the years? Let Don, Andy, others and myself count the hulks and fuselages on the field of "I saw it here or there..." instead of "the budget was approved for the..." and "it is operational/or fielded". Anyway all Russia has done was spur on the "fence sitters" to get off the fence and isn't Article 5 going to be a pain for them as well.
http://www.army-technology.com/featu...ation-4387406/

Just in case it's needed...
http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/...exts_17120.htm

Regards,
Pat

[Suhiir]

Yep, nice to have a capable enough self defense force that you won't overrun before you allies can react. Or at least one capable of putting up enough of a fight a potential enemy has to bring a few significant formations to bear, and moving them into position telegraphs possible intent.

[FASTBOAT TOUGH]

Anyone please...Is there a way to copy a word document to this thread that has both standard text AND columned text without having to go through the tedious process of trying to reorganize the columns once copied over? Feeling REALLY stupid that I can't manage this. If someone knows a way, well, by all means take advantage of the situation at my expense. I feel the document is worth that much!! The document is from SIPRI.

Thanks.

Regards,
Pat

[Suhiir]

Originally Posted by FASTBOAT TOUGH

Anyone please...Is there a way to copy a word document to this thread that has both standard text AND columned text without having to go through the tedious process of trying to reorganize the columns once copied over? Feeling REALLY stupid that I can't manage this. If someone knows a way, well, by all means take advantage of the situation at my expense. I feel the document is worth that much!! The document is from SIPRI.

Thanks.

Regards,
Pat

The only way is to make a .jpg or similar and post it as an attachment photo style. The forum automatically removes all formatting.

[FASTBOAT TOUGH]

Suhiir,
Thanks for your last suggestion but, it looks like I'll have to do it the old fashioned way of printing it and scanning from my printer to "My Pictures" file. And since I'd feel bad about people looking just to see this some news would be appropriate here...

1. Most people know I like my mil-tech and a U.S. company has about reached the "Holy Grail" of armored hull design and protection.
http://www.armyrecognition.com/octob...otection_.html

2. Ah yes war is good (Sort of.) with a little help from the West financially Ukraine's defense industry is humming along and there's plenty of jobs to go around which is spurring along some technology developments as well and verifies Russia's claims that Ukraine had somehow gotten the "formula" for the very advanced KONTAKT ERA. Russia is not happy about this now and when I posted this in here somewhere of their suspicions of this a year ago or more.
http://www.armyrecognition.com/octob..._vehicles.html

3. Ah but there's always a flip side and it would seem the situation will not allow for Russia to back down from the ARMATA tank like they did with the BLACK EAGLE or the T-95. I don't say this lightly but I feel this MBT will keep people awake at night. In my humble opinion the ARMATA will be what the ABRAMS was when it came upon the scene. This is Russia's first new tank design from the ground up in decades.
http://www.armyrecognition.com/octob...5_1210145.html

Easy reads on the above tanks to include the first one I posted in this thread the BLACK EAGLE the main picture shown I believe is the prototype with the 152mm SB MG.
http://www.military-today.com/tanks/t12_black_eagle.htm
http://www.military-today.com/tanks/t95.htm
http://www.military-today.com/tanks/armata.htm

Now I feel better that you hopefully didn't waste all your time here.

Regards,
Pat