Marsh
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Posts posted by Marsh
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One of the things I find interesting is the efforts by what's left of the Syrian army, to improvise upgrades of their MBTs. Previously, through the course of several wars, there had been little attempt to do so. Beyond changing tracks, and very basic repairs, there was little engineering capability evident to modify or improve AFVs. Things have changed considerably.
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Hi Walter,
18 year old conscripts. Rough terrain. Powerful machinery. An exceptionally poor, (at least by UK/USA standards) driving culture, which blends aggression with flawed technique. What could possibly go wrong?
cheers
Marsh
The only worse standard of driving I have seen was in Crete, 20 years ago, out in the sticks.
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I am lucky enough to have handled two of the prototypes and years ago chatted to one of the retired officers involved in the testing process. The ergonomics are much better than the Galil.
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Small Arms are not really my thing, but didn't the Uzi Gal assault rifle (pity the Gail won the contest) have the same unusual bolt carrier?
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Like the beefed up side skirts .....
Now I know what this beast was intended for (Casualty evacuation apparently)., I must say it' a bloody silly design. Surely converting one of the many mothballed Merkava IIs, would have made more sense. Rear hatch etc for bringing in stretchers.
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Israel is trying into maskirovka
I am genuinely surprised that the Hyena decoy system has been declassified.
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Hi,
Walter is right. Centurions started to convert to the L7 in the early 1960s. The Shot Kal programme, which replaced the original engine and transmission etc, as well as the gun (for those tanks not already converted to the 105 mm weapon), started after some delay in 1970.
Not all tanks had been converted to the Shot Kal standard by 1973, but all, as far as I know, all had the 105mm L7 by October 1973.
Cheers
Marsh
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AFAIK the Chieftain was used in a different scene, the tank driven by Brosnan/Bond was a T-55. There was a scene were multiple "Soviet" tanks could be seen, some of them T-55s and some Chieftains.
I don't think so, but I will check with Sean and post again, in a day or so.
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The movie trivia is wrong. The tank used in the movie is owned by a good friend of mine. It is a Vismod Chieftain, which now stands in a field outside his house in the Curragh, Ireland.It couldn't be because the actual driver of that tank was on the right side while Pierce Brosnan was standing up in the other hatch acting like he was driving?
And the movie trivia on Goldeneye says it's a T-55.
I have added a link. I have also been reminded that th3e tank was put up for sale and I would have to check if it is still outside his house.
http://www.rte.ie/tv/fourlive/2011/1111/thetankaccount172.html
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Question to the Israeli tank rivet-counting experts; do Sho't Kals have an L7 or an M68? The pictures I've seen seem to show an eccentric bore evacuator, which would lead me to believe it's an M68.
Did t
hey ever have L7s, or did they go straight from 20 pounders to M68s?
Hi,
To the best of my knowledge, all the Shot Kals were fitted with L7s and not M68s. I don't know of any examples of the Shot Kal, be they conversions of Centurion MKs 3, 5 or 7, that were fitted with the M68.
Having said that, in the wacky world of IDF tank uprgrades, which tend to be done in relatively small batches, it is not impossible if unlikely, any Shot Kal received the M68.
Cheers
Marsh
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Does anybody here know what those "ears" are for?
Yes, but as it is probably OPSEC still, no comment.
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Simple, the magazine of the semi auto rack only holds 5 rounds.
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Sorry lads, my bad. I was being imprecise.
I meant that the Merkava 4 has no unprotected ammunition stored above the turret ring.
SH_MM, sorry but you are mistaken re both the Merkava 3 having rounds stored in the turret and not having a semi-automatic ready rack. The Merkava 3 does in fact have a semi-automatic armoured drum magazine housing 5 ready rounds. The drum is mounted on the base of the turret basket. It is triggered by a foot switch and lifts the chosen round toward the loader so that he can complete his task more quickly.
As far as I am aware, doctrine is not to have any unprotected rounds above the turret ring. Certainly all Merkavas were designed so that all ammunition should be protected and within the hull.
cheers
Marsh
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Hi Collimatrix,
The author of your quoted piece is correct in that the Merkava is not intended to carry infantry and ill-suited to carry any passengers except in a dire emergency. Obviously, it is not an APC. Some of the information though is either a misunderstanding or deliberate disinformation. For instance, to the best of my knowledge, no ammunition is normally carried above the turret ring.
If passengers have to be carried, then much of the ammo has to be dumped. The passengers do not sit crouched in that cramped space. They sit on the floor with their backs to the tank hull facing inwards, their feet facing the opposite outer wall. It is hardly comfortable and is impractical for any long term carry. The soldier crouched painfully in the restricted space is taking the piss, that is not how they would travel. it would break and dislocate joints.
As stated by the author of the quoted piece, the rear hatch is useful for bailing out from a tank that has been hit, relatively safely. It does make the resupply of tank shells much quicker and the space at the rear can be used to evacuate surviving crewmen from other tanks.
A friend of mine was a Merkava battalion commander. In 2006 during the clumsy IDF fight against Hezbollah. He ensured that a small number of his tanks had most ammo stripped from them. Some operated as armoured ambulances and casualty evacuation vehicles others were stripped of their war load to act as logistic carriers. The rational was that the battle space was so fire swept and dangerous that the M113 ambulances and logistic/supply vehicles simply could not survive.
Nowadays I believe that there are both Achzarit and Namers equipped as ambulances and even the standard Namer, has been designed so that it can be rapidly configured as a casualty evacuation vehicle. In addition, there is a wheeled trailer that Merks can tow filled with supplies if needs be.
cheers
Marsh
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Two of the most prevalent and irritating myths on the Web are;-
1. The S-Tank was designed as a tank destroyer or as a tank only fit for just defensive missions.
2. The Merkava was designed for asymmetric combat in an urban environment, rather than full scale armour versus armour battle.
Both these myths are endlessly propagated and make me want to spit feathers.
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As far as I am aware,no ERA. The Eitan was designed to be more survivable than other wheeled APC available for purchase. In combat configuration it will be heavier than any other current wheeled APC. I believe it is somewhat smaller than the Boxer, yet heavier. We can speculate as to what constitutes it's passive armour, but we don't know.
I find its mini-Namer configuration interesting. The rear sponsons, presumably containing NBC and air-conditioning plant, does mean that the rear access door is narrower than most APCs. This was a deliberate design choice. Remember though, this is a pre-production prototype and things can change.
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Hi,
Yep re Sparky.
However, this beastie is almost double the weight of a Stryker and will be fitted with an active protection system. So, hopefully, it will be more survivable than most wheeled APCs. Which, I am not a great fan of, to be honest.
cheers
Marsh
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Yep. That's the Eitan APC which I believe was declassified today. Good catch with those photos.
Cheers
Marsh
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Camo by Fibrotex.
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Hi LoooSeR,
At least two different 30mm cannon/ATGM capable RCWS have already been trialled on the Namer for years now. The problem is funding and to an extent doctrine. It was the intention of MANTAK to introduce such a firepower support Namer, right from the earliest days of the concept. However, no funds were available..
Cheers
Marsh
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That is media noise that have nothing to do with actual situation. The vehicle serial number was known for a long time, AFAIK tank was found to be not a tank with missing crew. And Israel accepted vehicle as participant of that battle, not as evidence for investigation.
You are exactly right. I hope this exchange helps build and repair relations between the two countries. It amazes me when I visit Israel. just how many Russian speakers there are and how significant Russian culture still is for many second generation immigrants.
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So Russia and Israel just exchanged two Magach 3 tank so Israel could get that Magach 3 back for research?
As already mentioned. They do want to search for any evidence of the fate of the captured crewmen. Sadly, any new information is unlikely. I would not be surprised if the returned Magach was to become a memorial for soldiers missing in action.
Syrian tanks at war. Some pictures and words between them.
in Mechanized Warfare
Posted
Hi Collimatrix,
In the case of Syria though, the lack of innovation wasn't just in peacetime. Through the endless conflict with Israel, the Syrians seemed absolutely unable to upgrade or otherwise fix their tanks. One IDF tanker once told me, only half-joking, anything more than a thrown track and the Syrians just expected the Soviet Union to provide a new tank. That mind set has now apparently gone.