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The Type 90 serving in the JGSDF is a capable tank but it was designed primarily to take on aRussian amphibious invasion during the Cold War. (Gordon Arthur)
MBTs
TANKED UP REGIONAL MAIN
BATTLE TANK PROGRAMMESGordon Arthur / Hong Kong
Up until recently there were some
commentators, and even some
militaries, who predicted thedays of the main battle tank
(MBT) were numbered. A classic
example is Canada, which decided to retire
its tank eet and instead rely on LAV III 8x8
armoured vehicles. A Mobile Gun System (MGS)
variant armed with a 105mm gun was to take on
the quasi-tank role. However, counterinsurgency
operations in Afghanistan caused a swift about-
face, with Canada despatching Leopard C2 tanks
to the land-locked country in October 2006.
This was followed by a decision in February
2007 to borrow 20 Leopard 2A6M tanks from
Germany, and to purchase 100 Leopard 2s from
the Netherlands. Afghan combat experience
has demonstrated manifold advantages of the
MBT. The 25mm cannon of the Canadian LAV
III proved totally inadequate when dealing with
thick mud walls in Afghanistan, plus the MBT
offers better mobility than wheeled vehicles insoft terrain and when negotiating watercourses.
Furthermore, the heavier armour of the Leopard
offers better protection against improvised
explosive devices (IED), the insurgent weapon of
choice.
The fact that several countries (Canada,
Denmark and USA) have deployed MBTs
to Afghanistan a country with notoriously
challenging tank terrain shows these are still
viable military weapon systems. Asias love affair
with the MBT is still growing, unlike the waning
passion of many European countries. Indeed,
there are ongoing indigenous MBT programmes
in China, India, Japan and South Korea, while
other countries like Malaysia and Singapore
have recently obtained MBT eets for the rst
time. In terms of MBT production, the Chinese
ZTZ99 and ZTZ96, Indian T-90S and Pakistani
Al-Khalid are dominating international markets,calculated to account for 60.38% of all new
production through till 2017.
EAST ASIA
Technologically advanced Japan has forged its
own path in MBT production. In service are the
Type 74 and Type 90, products of a bygone Cold
War era. Japan inducted 341 Type 90 MBTs,
but one disadvantage is its strategic mobility/
transportability in the small and crowded country.
Because of its 50-ton weight, these tanks are only
deployed in two regions Hokkaido and Mount
Fuji.
Japan started developing the Type 10 in
2001, which tips the scales at just 44 tons.
This Mitsubishi Heavy Industries design
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economic sanctions, the only country with the
potential to supply new MBTs to Taiwan would
be the USA.
China has been making giant leaps forward in
the capabilities of its tank eet. The latest MBT
type in service is the NORINCO Type 99A1.
It is based on the ZTZ99 that entered service
in 2001, and it features signicant advances in
explosive reactive armour (ERA) protection.
It has a 125mm ZPT98 main armament and
an autoloader that reduces the crew to three.
The ZTZ99 has never been offered for export.
The latest version under development is the
ZTZ99A2, which has improved ERA, modiedrear hull, new panoramic commanders sight,
upgraded FCS, digital BMS and APS similar
to the Russian Arena. A prototype tted with a
140mm smoothbore gun has also been tested.
Because of the expense involved in this top-
end ZTZ99 (estimated at USD2 million each),
the backbone of Peoples Liberation Army (PLA)
armoured divisions is the Type 96 MBT. The
ZTZ96 is the largest MBT production programme
globally, with an estimated 1,500+ tanks inservice at the present time after production
commenced in 1997. The newest version
unveiled in 2006 is the ZTZ96G that incorporates
ERA modules and weighs 41.5 tonnes. It is
reported the ZTZ96 has been deployed in Tibet
since 2010.
SOUTHEAST ASIA
The Malaysian Army has been transforming into
a conventional force under the auspices of the
The pride of Chinas MBT inventory is the Type 99A1, an example of which is seen here participating in Beijings 2009military parade. (Gordon Arthur)
MBTs
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Army 2 10 Plus 10 plan. In 2003, Malaysia
ordered its rst ever MBTs from Poland in the
shape of the Bumar Labedy PT-91M Pendekar.
Fitted with a Polish ERA package and SagemSAVAN 15 FCS, the rst 45.3-ton examples
were shipped in August 2007. The country
specied a number of modications such as
new 1,000hp PZL-Wola Type S-1000R engines
and RENK ESM350M transmissions, and their
integration caused initial difculties. However,
a total of 48 tanks are now serving with the
11th Royal Armoured Regiment, which was
declared fully operational on 1 September 2010.
While additional MBTs would be desirable, anydecision has been indenitely deferred while
other assets are prioritised for procurement.
Singapore followed suit soon after in 2006
when it procured ex-German Army Leopard
2A4 MBTs. A total of 66 refurbished Leopards
were purchased, as well as 30 platforms for
spare parts. These tanks have since been updated
with advanced modular armour from IBD, mine
protection, and bar armour tted on the hull
and turret rear. Because of the small size of its
territory, Singapore performs much of its armour
training externally in countries such as Australia.
Introduction of the modern Leopard 2 will allow
Singapore to gradually retire its AMX-13 SM1eet that was upgraded by ST Kinetics beginning
in 1988.
Media reports have debated Indonesias
planned acquisition of 100 second-hand Leopard
2A6 tanks from the Netherlands. The latter,
as part of cost-cutting measures, is selling off
its entire tank eet. The Indonesian military is
benetting from a more generous defence budget
after years of underfunding, but a potential deal
has met opposition from both Dutch lawmakersand Indonesian parliamentarians. Although
Indonesia needs a modern tank, it is questionable
whether the sprawling archipelagic country with
underdeveloped road networks can accommodate
the 57.6-ton vehicle. So far the government
has allocated US $280 million for the deal. It is
unclear how serious the Dutch government is,
but it is insisting any sale must be Government-
to-Government. Negotiations continue, and if
they are successfully concluded, this would
give Indonesia its rst ever MBT. Alternatively
Indonesia has the option of buying tanks directly
from Germany.
Thailand is also modernising its MBT eet. InSeptember 2011 the Thai government signed a
contract for 49 T-84 Oplot MBTs from Ukraine
for an estimated US $240 million. This followed
earlier contracts for BTR-3E1 8x8 APCs, and it
has further cemented Thai-Ukrainian military
cooperation. There was some controversy over
the selection of the Oplot with its autoloader
system, with local media reports suggesting
servicemen actually preferred the South Korean
K1A1. Up to 200 Oplots could eventually join theeet to allow retirement of decades-old M41A3
tanks.
SUBCONTINENT
India and Pakistan eld very large armoured
formations, with the Rajasthan plains providing
ideal terrain for tank combat. India, via the
Defence Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO), has worked on the indigenous Arjun for
40 years but it was not until 2004 that the Indian
MBTs
TIONS
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Singapore is small but its military is very capable. The Leopard 2A4 can circumnavigatethe entire country several times on a single tank of fuel! (Gordon Arthur)
Army grudgingly signed off on an acquisition
of 124 Arjun tanks. In 2010 a comparison test
against the T-90S nally granted some semblance
of self-respect for the Arjun. The DRDO has
been working on an improved Arjun Mk.II thatfeatures 93 modications such as an infrared
jammer, panoramic sight with night vision, ERA,
navigation system, improved tracking and the
ability of its 120mm gun to re the Israeli Laser
Homing Attack (LAHAT) missile. The Mk.II is
considerably heavier at 66 tons, and it will be
powered by an indigenous 1,500hp engine. The
DRDO is also collaborating with Elbit Systems
on a laser-warning receiver. A total of 124 Arjun
Mk.IIs were ordered on 9 August 2010, and the
rst should be introduced in 2014/15. The unit
cost is estimated at US $8 million apiece.
Because of incessant delays with the Arjun,
India turned to Russia in the interim and
purchased the T-90S Bhishma that had the
advantage of logistics commonality with the
T-72. Follow-on batches of the T-90M are
now being assembled locally by the Heavy
Vehicles Factory at Avadi in Tamil Nadu. TheT-90M includes Western technology such as the
Thales Catherine thermal sight and an Israeli
environmental control system, as well as Russian
Kaktus K-6 ERA. The rst locally produced
T-90Ms were inducted on 24 August 2009 and
full-rate production continues. Up to 1,000 T-90
tanks are expected to be eventually inducted and
their survivability is to be improved with the
addition of a hard-kill APS. A request for 1,657
systems to be retrotted on the T-90S was issuedin April 2008, and one contender that responded
was Saab Avitronics with its LEDS-150 system.
The bulk of the Indian Armys tank eet
comprises some
1,900 T-72M1
Ajeya vehicles and
these are being
upgraded via
Project Rhino. One
of the T-72s main
disadvantages is
its night blindness,
so the army isexploring how to
include a Thermal
Imaging Standalone
System (TISAS)
within an integrated
FCS. To this end
Raytheon has partnered with Larsen & Toubro to
offer a stabilised sight assembly. The full Project
Rhino upgrade includes a Drawa-T FCS, Tadiran
radios, muzzle reference system, gyro-basednavigation system, upgraded gun stabilisation,
ERA package and new 1,000hp engine. However,
this blue-ribbon standard is not being applied
to the complete eet. Because of the age of the
T-72M1 eet, a replacement will be needed
around the 2020 mark. The DRDO is currently
conducting feasibility studies on the 50-ton
Future Main Battle Tank (FMBT) that is slated as
its replacement.
Pakistan relies primarily on Chinese-sourced
tanks, but it turned to Ukraine for 320 T-80UD
MBTs that were delivered from 1997 onwards.
However, it has been collaborating closely with
Chinese industry on the MBT 2000, known
locally as the Al-Khalid. This MBT, based on
the Chinese Type 90-IIM, entered service in
2001, and the Pakistan Army is expected to
eventually induct some 600 examples. It features
a 125mm gun with an autoloader, and is powered
by a Ukrainian 1,200hp KMDB 6TD-2 diesel
engine. At 46 tonnes it is lightweight compared
to Western tank designs, but it incorporatestechnology such as ERA and Varta APS
(derived from the Russian Shtora). Incidentally,
Bangladesh also decided to acquire 44 MBT 2000
tanks from China, with delivery due over the next
two years.
An upgraded Al-Khalid I began testing in
2009, with improvements including increased
ammunition storage, enhanced FCS, faster
autoloader, Varta electro-optical jammer, and
Sagem thermal imager. It is believed an Al-Khalid II is in the early developmental stage as
well, with redesigned turret, upgraded modular
armour and 1,500hp power pack. Two prototypes
are thought to exist.
The strength of MBT programmes shows that
Asia is not fully following the European trend
towards lighter and more mobile military forces.
Instead, a signicant number of platforms are
being acquired across the region via indigenous
designs, licensed production or second-hand
imports from European countries. Asian
militaries continue to tank up. v
India opted for domestic development of the Arjun, but the programme has provedcostly and failed to deliver a workable solution until recent times. (Gordon Arthur)
MBTs