Beer

BE-200 doing its job in quite a crazy way... Recent wildfires in Turkey.  
  

And this 
 

82-mm silent portable mortar 2B25 "Gall" 

 
 

Removable modular special armor packages (NERA/SLERA) of hull side of Merkava Mk4 MBT.

 

 

 

X-ray high-speed image of an APFSDS round after being engaged by AMAP-ADS (from a test conducted some time prior November 2013).

How much Ajax has costed since 2010/11
 
source: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2021-06-04/10609

Elbit's new SPH replacement finally breaks cover.
 
https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/elbit-systems-progressing-new-sigma-155-mm-artillery-system
 

Had the fantastic opportunity to PMCS, boresight, and road test a M1A2 SEPv3 from 4-9 CAV at Ft. Hood today.
 

 
https://i.imgur.com/X0GEL89.mp4
https://i.imgur.com/h0McxcP.mp4
 
Many images:
 
I can confirm the photo I posted previously that the turret weight of the SEPv3 31.5 tons (28.6 metric tons). I have a photo of the name plate but I haven't removed the serial numbers to upload it. 
 
I also made an extremely rough estimation of the turret armor LOS using my boot and then measuring my boot after (I didn't have a measuring tape on the tank nor did I want to piss off the crew). Using this very rough method I found the armor to be at least 1150mm LOS including the backplate. 
 
I may be able to get back on a SEPv3 next Monday. 

This is a couple of months old but in all the Ajax shenanigans I forgot to post it:

British Army ‘reviewing’ MRV-P options
 
Multirole Vehicle-Protected is a British Army program to replace the myriad of mine resistant vehicles acquired during the "War on Terror" with a common platform for all force elements.

MRV-P Requirements


 
Variants required would be split into 3 groups:

Group 1 - General Purpose
Group 2 - Troop Carrier, Ambulance
Group 3 - Recovery

Fast forward to 2016:
In classic British Army fashion the whole point of the program was defeated when the L-ATV was chosen for Group 1 without competition. Bushmaster and Eagle V 6x6 would compete for Group 2.
No choices were selected for Group 3 but the Recovery variants of Penman Metras, Supacat HMT 600 and Eagle 6x6 were known bidders.

Group 3 Candidates

 
The Army tried to justify this decision saying that the L-ATV was closet to the requirements (wut?), could be acquired quickly and it's low base price meant that even with the necessary modifications (convert to right-hand drive) no other could compete. A unit was acquired and multi-year testing commenced.


 
It should be noted that all this came shortly after the Brexit Referendum. In the wake of the vote the Government announced a new Industrial Strategy and prosperity agenda. Basically, buy British.

It was pointed out that an L-ATV buy would go against this and any UK content/involvement would be limited.
Further a couple of years after the decision rumours began to circulate that the Army had totally miscalculated the extent of modifications needed and the price of a British spec'd L-ATV would not only be comparable to other platforms but might even be more expensive. A price bandied about was £750k per for a deployment ready unit.

Group 2 trials were only mentioned as ongoing and Group 3 disappeared, seemingly cancelled.

Final decision and buy was supposed to happen in 2020.

After MRV-P again failed to appear in the 2021 White Paper the British Army said it was reviewing the programs options:

https://www.army-technology.com/news/mrv-p-review/

As was stated when first announced, L-ATV does not meet Government prosperity requirements and the MoD has refused the buy.
Notoriously the Army often sees US equipment as the "gold-plated" option and is still pushing for L-ATV.
 
 
This review may simply be for show.

However if it's not there are a few options that have confirmed British production line:

Thales - Pushing Bushmaster and a Hawkei recently turned up at their Glasgow facility. But 2 different platforms and Hawkei is unproven.

Penman - Metras is built on the Mercedes UNIMOG chassis and meets basically all requirements. 4x4, 6x6 and many variants built and tested. Composite crew module and higher than average agility due to competing for Protected Patrol Vehicle that saw Foxhound win.
Small company and so originally bid with BAE but Rheinmetall merger and Boxer production line may mean they will have to look for a new partner.

General Dynamics - Eagle V also mostly meets requirements and is built on the In-UK-Service DURO platform. On going tensions between Army and company won't help.

There are also the two in-service platforms in General Dynamics's Foxhound and Supacat HMT to consider. Both have proposed required variants, modular design and are currently being used to test hybrid drive.
Adding to the fleet would theoretically be much faster if only new modules needed to be tested rather than the entire platform.
 



 
 

Stolen from otvaga, tankoff did a summary post on Arena systems.
 
   Arena (1993) patent:

   1 are countermunitions in their launchers, placed around turret. 2 is radar station on top of the turret.
 
 
   Arena-M APS with correctable trajectory countermunitions:

   Compared to previous version much less countermunitions and launchers are used, subsystems are more compact. Less weight, statistically less vulnerable to fragmentation damage.
 
 
   Countermunition schematics. CM is connected to launcher with a wire, BTW.

 
 
   Patent for BMP-3 equipped with Arena, pic showing possible use of APS as a system to automatically turn turret of AFV in the direction from which AFV was shot at.

 
   Looks like Arena was offered to Germans in 90s. Pics from Wehrtechnisches Symposium, 1995.

 
 
   One of first article about Arena, 1996.

 
 
   2012 - model of Arena-M (or Arena with correctable countermunitions) was shown.

 
   At RAE-2013 T-72 with shown with similar system, but with some additional changes.

 
 
   Arena-E with correctable countermunitions, video by KBM.
 
50m detection range, minimal reaction time - 0.04s, same direction is covered by at least 2 countermunitions, can intercept incoming projectiles with speeds of 70 to 1000 m/s. Can work of 8 hours without stops, weight - up to 900kg.
   Laser sensors (same as on Shtora) can be part of Arena. APS can be intergrated into BMS.
 

   Countermunition launch. Small holes just under cap/cover probably are impulse jets to rotate countermunition after launch.
 

   Upper schematics proably shows those impulse jets.
 

   Launch.
 
 
   Question if it is actually capable of intercepting top attack threats in configurations shown to public is still open. Max detection range is 50 meters, but how much radars can see "up" is question that i don't know answer for. Vertically aimed launchers suggest that at least ATGM that "overfly" target (like Bill 2 or TOW-2B) are covered by modernised system. Original Arena (at least in 1995 config) was not capable of intercepting overfly ATGMs.   
   Another question without answer is how much "correction" measures can change facing of countermunition. 
 
   Against top attack threats there were ideas to place CMs nearly horizontaly and aim them upwards.

 

Some more pics of Sukhoi's LTS

 
 
   Sections near engine nozzle looks movable to me...

 
 

Kayman with Adunok RCWS with 30 mm AC.

 
 

Although this looks like civilian one , it looks like there are add on armor panels on front doors , folding rotors also hint towards shipborne use
 
Again new composite fuselage 
 
Figures presented at MAKS indicate that that maximum speed rose to 134kt (250km/h), up from 118kt; range grew to 302nm (560km), from 260nm; while payload for the 3.6t helicopter grew to 1,000kg (2,204lb), up from 785kg.
 
 

 

Seems like there is some new developments with helos as well
 
Mil 171 'Gazprom' looks like completely new machine combining new fuselage with Mil28 power train and rotor system. Will it also end up as cheap alternative to Mil 38 for the military?
 
Considering how smooth it is i gather its mostly composite  construction which should also saved some weight
 


 
 
 

Some detail on the hull faults on AJAX:

- inconsistent lengths
- hull sides not being parallel 
- substandard welding 
- etc 

Regretfully, I have not done a full CAD model on the Leo 2 (yet), so I can not tackle the volume/mass distribution from that angle in any meaningful way.
 
Here are numbers coming from German and Swiss sources/publications (some of them are somewhat contradictory):
 
This is for a Leopard 2 with B-Technology special armor, as far as i know:
 
Total Combat Weight: 55,15 t / max: 55,55 t
Hull without ammunition, equipment and crew: 37,80 t / max: 38,16 t
Hull Shell: 12,1 t
Turret with armament but without ammunition, equipment and crew: 16,0 t / max: 16,99 t
Turret Shell: 8,91 t
Main gun with breech: 1,97 t (1,995 t is also given)
Main gun without gun mantlet: 3,10 t
Main Gun Tube: 1,20 t
Engine (dry): 2,71 t (with air filters)
Transmission with cooling unit (wet): 2,97 t
Powerpack including cooling unit (wet/dry):  6,05 / 5,61 t
Tracks: 2,70 t
Mass of fuel: 1,03 t
 
Mass distribution in %:
 
Electronic Equipment, Equipment, etc: 7% --> 3,86 t
Armament and ammunition: 8% --> 4,41 t
Powerpack with fuel:15,5 % --> 8,55 t
Running gear/Suspension System/ tracks: 21, 5% --> 11,86 t
Turret and Hull Shell: 48% -->26,47 t   (this is odd)
 
For the Swiss Panzer 87:
 
Combat Weight: 56,5 t
Turret weight with gun: 16 t
Powerpack (wet/dry): 6,12 / 5,57 t
Engine: 2,86 t
Transmission (wet/dry): 2,45 / 2,17 t
Suspension arm with / without damper: 0,226 t / 0,182 t
Torsion bar: 0,059 t
Return Roller: 0,025 t
Idler Wheel: 0,034 t
Idler Wheel arm: 0,11 t
Bump Stop: 0,012 t
Track link mass: 0,033 t
Tracks: 2,75 t
 
More on the gun system:
 
With mantlet: 3,655 t (max 3,8 t)
Without mantlet: 3,015 t
Mantlet: 0,640 t
Gun, Total: 1,905 t
Gun Tube: 1,150-1,175 t
Gun breech: 0,683 t
Gun breech block: 0,110 t
Bore Evacuator: 0,0135 t
Thermal Shroud Front: 0,0135 t
Thermal Shroud Back: 0,0128 t
 
I might find more, but this is it for now.
 
 
 
 
 
 

A new detail about Czech Spyder acquisition. The number of batteries is four as already announced but now we know that each battery is going to have three Python-5 launchers and one Derby launcher together with one Elta EL/M-2084 radar. The complete system will be mounted on Tatra 815-7 vehicles but that's hardly a surprise (moreover when Spyder was already addapted for Tatra chassis in India). 

we got this, programmable 40x53 mm grenade with similar effect like AHEAD(which we also have for our 35mm Korkut SPAAG)

Here is 15's turret without composite armor module:
https://imgur.com/Qbtseue
 
For comparison, here is 99A's turret with out composite armor module
https://imgur.com/JcPJiMa
 
You can clearly see that 15 has a pretty pathetic armor, mainly due to the fact that it is not deigned to engage tanks such as T-90S.
The amour (composite plus era) was intended to defeat hand held anti tank weapons and medium caliber auto cannon rounds.

Sone pics, including few by Yuri Pasholok

 
 
   Timeline planned for LTS

2023 - first flight of LTS
2024-25 - Test LTS production
2026 - First serial production batch
 
 

https://diana-mihailova.livejournal.com/6752408.html
 
 

i'm only about turret, mantlet is simple 50mm RHA(or even less) + rotor(cradle) which can't be much thciker than 200-250mm
 

 

 

 

 
those "v" shaped weldments on mantlet also strange...