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Amid ongoing changes to the British Army under the banner of austerity, the bemusing statistic of four legged firepower outweighing the heavy metal variety persists. Recently, the Conservative Defence Minister Lord Astor admitted: “The Army currently has 485 horses, serving in the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, the Household Division and at the Defence Animal Centre." The last time horses were used in a combat role by the British Army was World War I, when a million were sent to the frontline and only about 62,000 survived. During World War II, General Orde Wingate and...

Chinese experts have given a thumbs up to the Arjun main battle tank (MBT), even as India's own army continues to sideline it, inexplicably preferring to continue a four-decade-long dependence on Russian armoured vehicles. Last week, a senior People's Liberation Army (PLA) officer at its premier tank design institution, the Academy of Armoured Forces Engineering in Beijing, told visiting Indian journalists that the Arjun tank is "very good", and well suited for Indian conditions. This could hardly have been pro forma politeness, as PLA is not given to praising India's military capabilities. It would appear that PLA officers, who work...

Like the AK-47 but for tanks, T-54 and T-55s endure on battlefields around the world. Simple to operate and maintain, these decades-old Soviet armored beasts are still popular in small nations and with non-state irregular forces — a true “people’s tank.” If a coup or fratricidal civil war breaks out in one of Moscow’s current or former beneficiaries, there’s good chances T-54 or T-55s are taking part. When Afghanistan collapsed in the 1990s, the Taliban and Northern Alliance coalition both inherited T-55s formerly belonging to the communist government. The tanks served in Yugoslavia’s multi-sided civil war during the same decade. Today, captured...

Russian Defense Ministry The Armata battle tank is part of a massive rearmament program costing hundreds of billions of dollars that aims to restore some of the military might that Russia lost after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russia's Defense Ministry on Tuesday published the first official photo of the country's much awaited new T-14 Armata battle tank. Ten Armata tanks are set to take part in Moscow's Red Square Parade on May 9, according to details published alongside a photo of the tank in an interactive section dedicated to Victory Day on the ministry's website. The Armata is...

The Chinese army appears to have fielded a brand-new light tank suitable for mountain warfare. New photos depict the diminutive fighting vehicle, which China has reportedly dubbed “ZTQ,” trundling across rough terrain. The ZTQ, which Beijing apparently developed in order to help defend China’s western land border, is impressive in a lot of ways—and not the least because the U.S. Army, the world’s leading ground combat force, tried and failed for years to acquire a similar vehicle. More and more, Beijing is matching American military capabilities with new warships, stealth fighters and combat helicopters. The ZTQ represents one military niche...

MUNICH --- To mark the handover of the first of an initial 20 LEOPARD 2 A7 tanks to the German Army, Frank Haun, Chairman of the Board of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) welcomed numerous guests from the worlds of politics, the military and business to the company's headquarters in Munich on 10 December. Representing the Inspector General was General Lieutenant Rainer Korff, who accepted the vehicle on behalf of the German Army from Frank Haun, the Canadian Ambassador Marie Gervais-Vidricaire and President of the Army Supplies Division (BAAINBw), Harald Stein. The LEOPARD 2 A7 is a product of collaboration between multiple...

Effective, affordable armaments prove popular with developing countries Chinese-made armaments have become increasingly popular in the international market, according to an industry insider. "We have observed several successive years of good revenue from the export of our products, and the sales figures keep rising year-on-year, "Liu Song, deputy general manager of research and development at China North Industries Corp, popularly abbreviated as Norinco, told China Daily at the 10th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition. The show, which closed on Sunday, was held in Zhuhai, Guangdong province. As the export wing of China North Industries Group Corp, the country's biggest...

The top secret Armata tank, which will be presented to the general public on the Victory Day anniversary parade in 2015, may be deployed in the Arctic. Yevgeny Chistyakov, representative of the Scientific Research Institute of Steel, a developer of the advanced material, said at the Interpolitech 2014 exhibition in Moscow that the new 44S-SV-SH steel armour does not lose its qualities and can be operated at Arctic temperatures. The Arctic may become a bone of contention between the major powers over energy resources located under the melting ice. Russia is already claiming its rights for a significant share of...

Pakistan is looking forward to testing its MBT3000 main battle tank designed by China North Industries Corporation based in Beijing this month, according to Kanwa Defense Review, a Chinese-language military magazine based in Canada. Unlike the older AL-Khali or MBT2000, the MBT3000 is installed with a 1300 horsepower diesel engine manufactured in China. This is slightly more powerful than the engine currently used by the Type 99G, the most advanced main battle tank used by the People's Liberation Army, with 1280hp. It indicates that the MBT3000 developed for the overseas market is indeed the most powerful tank made in China....

TOKYO -- Nearly three months after lifting its long-standing arms embargo, Japan recently approved plans to supply missile parts to the U.S. and conduct joint military research with a British company. Behind the scenes, however, there was a deal that fell through. Under new guidelines governing the transfer of defense equipment and technology, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on July 17 convened the National Security Council to look into two applications submitted by private companies. One was Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' request for permission to export seeker gyros used in Patriot surface-to-air missiles to the U.S. The other involved Mitsubishi Electric, which...

LONDON — Germany was expected to reject a request by Saudi Arabia for hundreds of main battle tanks. A leading German newspaper said the Berlin government would not approve a Saudi request for up to 800 Leopard-2A7 MBTs. The newspaper, Bild, said the deal was opposed by leading members of the government of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, particularly Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel. “Without agreement from the economy minister, the deal has no chance,” Bild said. If correct, the newspaper report could signal the end of Berlin’s plans to become a leading military supplier to the Arab world. Many in parliament...

Based in the Golan Heights, the 7th Armored Brigade has relied on Merkava Mark II tanks for more than 20 years. An Armored Corps brigade based in the North is set to do away with its aged tanks and begin receiving the IDF’s last word in tank warfare, the Merkava Mark IV, equipped with the Trophy antitank- missile shield. Based in the Golan Heights, the 7th Armored Brigade has relied on Merkava Mark II tanks for more than 20 years. Some of the older tanks were manufactured in the late 1970s, but have since undergone a series of technological upgrades....

KIEV, February 5 (RIA Novosti) – Ukraine has delivered the first five main battle tanks to Thailand of a 2011 order worth over $200 million, a state-run arms exporter said Wednesday. The shipment is part of an order of 49 Oplot-M tanks to be put in service with the Royal Thai Armed Forces in the near future. The Ukrainian tanks arrived at the port of Sattahip on Tuesday and will undergo additional acceptance trials, Ukrspetsexport said in a statement. The Oplot is armed with a 125-mm smoothbore gun, a 7.62-mm coaxial machine gun and a 12.7-mm anti-aircraft machine gun. The...

ISTANBUL -- Turkey would like to see its next generation of combat tanks powered by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries technology, its defense minister says, as the country looks to collaborate with Japan on a variety of military equipment projects. Turkey wants to work with Mitsubishi Heavy to develop a 1,500-horsepower-class engine and transmission system for the tanks, Ismet Yilmaz told The Nikkei in writing ahead of a Jan. 6-8 trip to Japan with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey is developing the Altay main battle tank with South Korea. Plans call for prototype testing during the next two years and equipping...

U.S. Army in the Market for ‘Light’ Tanks Army paratroopers gave up their tanks in 1997. Now they want them back. “The infantry needs more protection and more firepower,” says Col. Ed House, Army Training and Doctrine Command manager for the infantry brigade combat team. Even in these times of deep budget cuts and a projected steep decline in purchases of military hardware, senior Army officials believe that a light tank is a high priority that should be funded. In a future war, they contend, Army airborne forces would parachute into a warzone equipped with only light weapons and might...

Russia Unveils ‘Terminator-2’ Tank Support Vehicle NIZHNY TAGIL, September 25 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s Uralvagonzavod defense manufacturer on Wednesday unveiled the BMPT-72 tank support fighting vehicle, dubbed the “Terminator-2,” at the Russia Arms Expo 2013 in Nizhny Tagil. The BMPT-72 is an extensive modernization of the world-famous T-72 main battle tank, also produced by Uralvagonzavod. Compared with its predecessor – the BMPT – the BMPT-72 has an improved fire control system and better turret weapon station protection. “The key advantage that the BMPT-72 gives to all the counties that operate T-72 tanks is that they can promptly and at minimal...

General Dynamics to beat out Germany for Saudi tank deal-report (Reuters) - U.S. defence firm General Dynamics is in talks to deliver battle tanks to Saudi Arabia, beating out German rival Krauss-Maffei Wegmann for the lucrative deal, a German newspaper reported. Handelsblatt daily cited industry sources as saying on Friday that a deal for Saudi Arabia to buy M1 Abrams tanks from General Dynamics was already in sight. General Dynamics and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann were not immediately available for comment. There has been speculation for months that Saudi Arabia could order more than 200 Leopard 2 tanks from Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, though...

Turkey said to eye Saudi tanks sale Turkish military vehicles firm Otokar Otomotiv ve Savunma Sanayi could sell hundreds of tanks to Saudi Arabia, according to a report in Turkey’s press. Bloomberg said that stock in the company jumped 5.7 percent to as high as 92.25 liras in Istanbul, its highest since the firm began trading in April 1995, after Hurriyet Daily News published the report, which cited unnamed defence officials. Otokar will reportedly begin construction of its Altay battle tank, said to be the first of its kind manufactured in Turkey, in 2015, state news reported late last year....

Proposed US Military buildup under a conservative U.S. Administration circa 2012-2024 CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL ARTICLE The following plan is based on a major US economic turnaround based on sound Free Market principles geared to US interests, energy independendece, a balanced budget, stabilization of Social Security & Medicare & eliminating unessary and wasteful entitlements & entire federal agencies. It is also based,under a conservative leadership in Washington, on adopting lower corporate and individual income taxes so the revenue to the treasury expands and increases significantly which will fuel the buildup necessary to remain technologically superior by two generations...

Russia Testing Italian Tank Italy's Centauro wheeled tank © Photo Jeffery Russell Russia is testing Italy's Centauro wheeled tank and considering building it under license, a representative of the Oto-Melara company which makes the tank said on Saturday. "The first two machines with 105-mm and 125-mm guns are on trial at a Moscow Region proving ground," he said. Two more Centauros with 120-mm and 30-mm guns will also join the trials in another six weeks. "The tanks will take part in laboratory, driving and firing trials," the Oto-Melara representative said. When the trials are complete at the end of this...