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International Debut for the Russian T-90MS Tank Upgrade at DefExpo 2012 The centerpiece of the Russian display at Defexpo 2012 is undoubtedly the T-90MS upgrade program developed by the Russian Uralvagonzavod corporation. The T-90MS upgrade was unveiled August 2011 at Nizhny Tagil, Russia following the demise of the T-95 program. It is making its international debut here in New Delhi. India is likely to be the most interested in the the Russian upgrade, put forward by Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport as a possible upgrade path for the Indian ‘Brishna’ (T-90S) tanks. India is the largest operator of the T-90S, along...

Armata instead of T-90 February 29, 2012 Alexander Korolkov, RIR Uralvagonzavod is to create the first prototype of Russia’s new main battle tank built on the Armata platform by 2013, whereas batch production and deliveries to the Russian armed forces are expected to start in 2015, Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and CEO of tank manufacturer Uralvagonzavod Oleg Sienko reported to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the Sverdlovsk-based Oblastnaya gazeta said. Until then, the Defence Ministry will continue the advanced modernisation of its armoured vehicles. Supposed Armata image. Source: btvt.narod.ru According to Sienko, Uralvagonzavod and military experts are running trials of the...

Fears for future of Merkava tank Manufacturers: Component orders have been on hold since October. 1 February 12 16:52, Yuval Azulai Israel Military Industries Ltd. (IMI) is deeply worried about the future of the Merkava Mark IV tank, which is wholly manufactured in Israel under the auspices of the Ministry of Defense's Tank Development Administration. The ministry has halted orders for components from scores of companies. "Globes" has spoken with several manufacturers in the past few days. They report that orders worth hundreds of millions of shekels have been on hold since October 2011. They added that they have received...

Greece examining ‘free’ US tank offer ATHENS — Cash-strapped Greece is considering a free offer of hundreds of redundant M1A1 Abrams tanks extended by the US government, the Greek army said on Wednesday. “This is a free offer,” army spokesman Yiannis Sifakis told AFP. “A delegation of officers has travelled to the United States to examine tanks in storage; we are departing on the premise of picking 400 of them,” he said. “The only cost will be that of transport, which is estimated in the region of eight million euros ($11 million),” the spokesman added. Ta Nea daily reported that...

Putin praises new Russian tank 12:55pm EDT NIZHNY TAGIL, Russia, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Vladimir Putin praised a new Russian tank on Friday, boosting the Uralvagonzavod company that made it after criticism of its design caused concerns that Moscow might turn to a foreign tank maker. Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said this year the new T-90S and other Russian tanks did not meet the needs of a modern army and another commander said Moscow could buy three German Leopard tanks for the price of one T-90S. But, visiting an arms fair in the Urals city of Nizhny Tagil,...

Ukraine to supply 49 Oplot tanks to Thailand Today at 10:22 | Interfax-Ukraine Ukraine will supply 49 Oplot main battle tanks to the Royal Thai Army, Ukraine's state arms exporter Ukrspecexport told Interfax-Ukraine on Friday. Representatives of Ukrspecexport and the Royal Thai Army signed the contract for the supply of tanks late on Thursday. The contract details have not been disclosed. The state company said that the deal was one of the largest in the defense sector. Sources in the defense sector told Interfax-Ukraine that the deal was estimated to be worth about $240 million. Ukraine is currently providing BTR-3E1...

Mid-air blast tank shell winner of Defense Prize By YAAKOV KATZ 07/06/2011 21:29 Kalanit can explode midair over hiding terrorists and can breach concrete walls; shell has been successful in hitting Gaza terror cells. What makes the Kalanit unique is the crew’s ability to choose between two different modes for the way it wants the shell to detonate. It can be shot just above anti-tank cells – which usually cannot be effectively targeted by standard tank shells – then stops in midair and explodes into six different charges scattering thousands of deadly fragments. The shell can also be used against...

Did Israel play kingmaker in the German-Saudi tank deal? By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL JERUSALEM POST CORRESPONDENT 08/07/2011 Analysis: Pure economic interests usually take priority over human rights in the Muslim world, Israel’s security and stability in the Middle East. BERLIN – German politicians and the major media have propelled Israel this week into the charged political debate over whether the Merkel administration’s decision to sell 200 tanks to Saudi Arabia conforms with Germany’s military export policies toward the Middle East. The Munich-based daily Süddeutche Zeitung headlined its Tuesday story “Israel approves tank sale,” suggesting that Israel played the kingmaker role when...

OpEd: Germany’s Shallow Remorse of Selling Big Guns New stumbling block in German defence policy: the Leopard 2A7+. Report of major Leopard 2A7+ deal with Saudi Arabia splits German politicians 10:00 GMT, July 5, 2011 defpro.com | If you are a reader from any country outside of Germany, honestly, what was the last news you heard or read about regarding German defence policy? Whatever it was, I will willingly bet that it included at least one aspect that caused you to incredulously shake your head. Be it the German government’s decision to abstain from US Security Council Resolution 1973 on...

<p>Germany has allowed the sale of 200 Leopard tanks to Saudi Arabia after decades of blocking heavy weapons sales to the kingdom, the Der Spiegel said Saturday.</p> <p>The federal security council approved the sale last week, the weekly news magazine said without citing sources.</p>

Bangladesh Eyes China Arms June 30, 2011 By Trefor Moss Bangladesh's military is set to make a big purchase of Chinese tanks. China is happy to oblige in the strategic sale. China has again underlined its strategic influence in what India might once have considered its own backyard, with the announcement of the latest in a string of arms sales to Bangladesh. Dhaka is procuring 44 Chinese MBT-2000s main battle tanks, Bangladeshi media have reported, for around $162 million. This represents a significant purchase for a country with a 2011 defence budget of $1.6 billion, and it’s the first time...

Ethiopia buys Ukrainian tanks Published: June 9, 2011 at 3:37 PM KIEV, Ukraine, June 9 (UPI) -- Ethiopia is in discussions with Ukraine to buy more than 200 T-72 tanks. The deal is projected to be worth more than $100 million, Ukrinform news agency reported Thursday. Ukrspecexport SC, the Ukrainian state-controlled arms exporter, stated that its deal with Ethiopia's Defense Ministry for 200 T-72 tanks is one of its largest contracts since the company's establishment in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991. The T-72 tank was originally produced in the Soviet Union in the...

Turkey's main battle tank will not include any foreign products Wednesday, May 11, 2011 ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency Turkey's first domestically produced tank, the Altay, a premier mockup of which is on display at the International Defense Industry Fair, of IDEF, in Istanbul, will not include any foreign parts or products, a senior Turkish official said Wednesday. The Altay tanks would be produced fully by Turkish means, said Murad Bayar, head of Turkish Aerospace Industries, or TAI. Bayar made his remarks at a signing ceremony between his Undersecretariat and Aselsan, a Turkish defense industry company, which will build electronic...

Turkey to domestically produce first tank soon 03 May 2011, Tuesday / EMRE SONCAN, ANKARA The prototype of Turkey’s first national tank-manufacturing project, carried out by Koç Holding’s Otokar in cooperation with South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem, will be shown to the public next year, defense authorities told Today’s Zaman on Monday. Under the “Altay” tank project, launched by the Undersecretariat for the Defense Industry (SSM), Otokar will build modern tanks in cooperation with Hyundai Rotem and Germany’s MTU. Turkey’s Aselsan, the Turkish Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKEK), Roketsan and South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem will participate as subcontractors in the...

New Designs Suit Tanks For Asymmetric War Apr 22, 2011 By David Eshel, Bill Sweetman Tel Aviv, Washington One trend in warfare and asymmetric combat (mostly urban) is the use of main battle tanks (MBTs) in small tactical assault forces. Tank versus tank fighting is virtually nonexistent. Even in high-intensity combat, tankers prefer firing at targets within visual range—2,000-3,000 meters (6,500-9,800 ft.). Longer-distance targets can be attacked with high-precision missiles directed by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and laser designation. Israel is among the countries adapting its MBTs, in this case the Merkava Mk4, for asymmetric combat. Evolving designs will enhance...

Pakistan produces its first tank gun Islamabad, April 18, (IANS): Pakistan's first locally-produced tank gun is ready to be fitted for its Main Battle Tanks (MBT), a media report said. Dawn Monday said that the tank gun is ready to be delivered to the Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) for Al-Khalid and Al-Zarar tanks. A tank gun is the main armament of a tank. HIT used to earlier procure 125 millimetre "blanks" from France for the army's two main battle tanks. Blanks are the final shape of the gun barrel before it is finished. It was then fitted into the tank...

New Russian Army weaponry 'inferior' to NATO's, overpriced T-90 © RIA Novosti. The most advanced weapon systems manufactured for Russia's ground forces are below NATO and even Chinese standards and are expensive, GF chief Col. Gen. Alexander Postnikov said on Tuesday. "The weapon models that are manufactured by our industry, including armor, artillery and small arms and light weapons, fail to meet the standards that exist in NATO and even China," he said at a session of the Defense and Security Committee of the upper house of the Russian parliament. He said that Russia's most advanced tank, the T-90, is...

Future of Main Battle Tank Looks Secure By Paul McLeary, Andy Nativi, David Eshel Washington, Genoa, Tel Aviv The decision late last year by the U.S. Marine Corps to send a tank platoon to Afghanistan was criticized by some analysts, who rejected the idea that M1A1 Abrams tanks could be useful in a counterinsurgency (COIN) environment. But for all the talk in recent years of the civilian population representing a center of gravity in COIN operations, and the corresponding need to cut back on air strikes, long-range artillery fires and other initiatives, one aspect of COIN has often been ignored—even...

Missile-firing capable Arjun Tank to go for user trials 2011-01-17 19:20:00 Last Updated: 2011-01-17 19:38:13 Tank Testing- Equipment New Delhi: The advanced version of the indigenously-developed Main Battle Tank (MBT) Arjun would be ready for user trials in June, which could set the stage for induction in the Army of the weapon system which will have missile-firing capabilities and laser finders. The tank would also be equipped with the indigenous explosive-reactive armour to protect it from enemy missiles and rockets. The tank is likely to be equipped with the Laser Warning Suites and missile-firing capabilities, which are an advancement over...

Iraqi army builds up first tank division Published: Dec. 21, 2010 BAGHDAD, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- The new Iraqi army has started building up its armored forces with the first batch of 140 U.S.-built M1A1 Abrams main battle tank, the same type that crushed Saddam Hussein's military in March 2003. The 9th Armored Division, based near Baghdad, will be the spearhead of an army that will likely have a strength of more than 300,000 troops in up to 20 divisions, six of them armored. That's a far cry from the 1 million-man army, with 5,500 mainly Soviet- built T-72 and...