Yolume 12 Issue 142

Published by
Orbis Publishino Ltd
@ Aerospace P"ublishing Lld 1986
Editorial Offices
War Machine
Aerospace Publlshing Ltd
179 Dalling Road
London W6 OES

Managing Editor: Stan Morse

Editorial: Trisha Palmer
Chris Bishop
Chris Chant
lan Drury

Design: Rod Teasdale

Golour Origination: lmago Publishing Ltd,
Thame, Oxon

Typesetting: SX Composing Ltd

Film work: Precise Litho Ltd
Consultant Editor: Major General Sir
Artists: Jeremy Moore KCB OBE MC, Comman-
Dave Etchell
Peter Sarson & Tony Bryan der of British Land Forces during the
Falklands campaign.

22865 Distribution and marketing offices:

Orbis Publishino Ltd
Orbis House "
20-22 Bedtordbury Picture acknowledgements
Printed in Great Britain London WC2N 4BT corer photognph: Fimish Amed Forces. 2821: Fimish Arined ForcedENcEsA. 2gz2rl,/Iarcon. zgzSl
by The Color Factory Telephone: 01-379 6711 RF/ENGESA. 2826: R.F./R.F. 282?: R.F. 2828: us Department otDeferee. 2829: us Department oiDetensey'
us Department of Deferee.2832t R.F./GIAT/R.F./R.F. 2834: R.F./R.F. z83s: R.F./R.F. 2036: Israel Mlitary
Subscription Manager: Christine Allen Circulation Manager: Brian Anderson Industries/ENGESA. 2832: GIAT/R.F./R.F. 2838: R.F./R.F. 2839: R.F. 2840: R.F. (iii): COL (iv): MAR6,
067240888 Marketing Manager: Paul Stelb IrincVMARS. LincVFMA

HOWTO OBTAIN ISSUES AND BINDERS FOR WAR MACHINE

lssues can be oblained by placing an orderwith your newsagent or direct from our Subscription AUSTRALlApleasewrite to: Gordon and Gotch {Aus) Ltd. '1 'l4William Street, pO Box 767G. Melbourne,
Department. lfyou havedifficultyobtaininganybackissues fromyournewsagent, pleasewriteto us victoria3001. MALTA. NEWzEALAND, slNGApoRE &sourH AFRtcA: Back numbers are avaitabte at
stating the issue(s) required and enclosing a cheque for the cover price of the issue(s). cover price from your newsagent. n case of d ifficu lty, write 10 the address given for bi nders.
I

UK/EIRE EUROPE MIDDLEEAST AMERICAS/ASIA/AFRICA FAR EAST

ISSUE PRICE: 99p/lR€1.25 ISSUE PRICE: 99p ISSUE PRICE: 99p ISSUE PRICE:99p ISSUE PRICE: 99p
SUBSCRIPTION: SUBSCRIPTION: SUBSCRIPTION: SUBSCRIPTION: SUBSCRIPTION:
6 Months; [28.60 6 Months air'. f47.32 6Months ai:152.78 6 lvlonths ai 16? 14 6 Months air: f66.82
1 \ear: f57 .20 surface: t34.14 surface: f38.74 surface: f38.74 surface: f38.74
BINDEB: Please send f4 25 l Year ai.
t94.64 1 Year air: f105 56 1 Year ai: f124.28 1 Year air: f133.64
per binder, ortake advantage surface: f71.4a sufiace. f7 /.48 surface: f77.48 surface: f77 48
of our special offer in early BINDEB:f5.55 BINDEB: f5.55 (including BINDER: f5.55 (including BINDER: 85.55 {including
issues. (inc. Poslage) surface rate postage; please surface rate postage; please postage;
surface rate please
apply in writing for airmail rates) apply in writing forairmail rates) apply in writinq forairmail rates)
MALTA
Obrain BINDERS f rom SOUTHAFRICA AUSTRALIA
your newsagent or ISSUE PRICE: AUS$2.15
obtain BINDERS from
Miller(lvlalta) Ltd. any branch of Central
obtain BINDEBS f rom
MAVassalli Street. NewsAgencyor First Post Pty Ltd,
Valetta. Malta lntermaq, PO Box Locked Bag No. 1.
Price: f4.25 57394. Springfield 21 37 Cremorne,
NSW2O9O
SINGAPORE NEWZEALAND
ISSUE PRICE: Sing$4.50 ISSUE PRICE: NZ $2.65
obrain BINDERS from obtain BINDERS from
IVIPH Distributors your newsagent or
601 Sims Drive IDS Direct.
o3-o1-21 PO Box 24235, Royal Oak,
Singapore '1 438 Auckland

ADDRESS FOR SUBSCRIPNONS,
Orbis Publishing Limited
Lambourn Woodlands
Berkshire
RG167TW
Telephone; 0672-40888
BACK ISSUESAND BINDERS Back issues are sold at the cover price and we do not charge postage within the UK or Eire.
All cheques/postal orders should be made payable to Orbis Publishing Limited. Prices include postage and packaging
and are given in sterhng.
NOTE
Binders and back issues are obtainable subject to availability of stocks. Whilst every attempt is made to keep the price ol
the issues and binders constant, the publishers reserve the right to increase the stated prices a1 any time when
circumslances dictate. Binders depicted in this publication are those produced forthe UK, Eire and Australian markets
only. Binders and issues may be subject to import duty and/or local taxes which are not included in the above prices
unless stated.
The New
A new generation of armowed fighting vehicles is entering
production. Main battle tanks are evoluing to cowrter the
threats posed by gttidedrnissiJes, and a new breed of light
tanks has appeated, with much the same firelnwer as an
MBTbut at afraction of the cost.
Previous studies in this serres have concentrated on one particular type
of armoured flghting vehicle, for example main battle tanks, reconnaiss-
ance vehicles, and tracked or wheeled armoured personnel carriers.
Thls study is rather different as it covers a wide range of armoured
vehicles that have been developed in recent years, some ofwhich have
yet to enter production or sewice, Many of these vehicles (such as the
AMX-40, Vickers Mk 7 and Strngray) have been designed specifically as
private ventures with company fundrng, and are aimed at the export
market,
For many years armorrred flghting vehicles were deslgned and built
only by highly industrrahzed Western countries, Since the early 1970s,
however, other countries have started their own armoured vehrcle
industries, Brazil being a good example The ENGESA company started
building the Cascavel and Urutu 6x6 armoured vehicles, and in 1985
unveiled its EE-T1 Osorro MBT which is at present competing against
European tanks in the Middle East market. Egypt has recently designed
and built the Fahd armoured personnel carrier to meet the require-
ments of the Egyptran army and other potential customers in the Middle
LdSL,
Some countries are now placrng increased emphasis on their air-
borne or airmobile forces, so this study includes the Wiesel lightweiqht
armoured vehicle which should enter service with the West German
army later this decade, and the private-venture Cadrllac Gage Stingray
Finland is one of the latest countries to receive the T-72 main battle tank from
the Soviet Union. The Soviets have managed to keep secref ffie critical details
of the tank's fire control systems and the composition of its armour; exported
ve hicle s m ay, of cou rse, be diff er ent to those in the R e d Army.
and FMC Close Combat Vehicle - Light, which have been designed to
be transported and dropped by parachute from a standard Lockheed
C-130 Hercules transport aircraft,
The Soviets continue to field new weapons and equipment: some-
times these are in advance of anything in the West, while in other areas
they lag behind, A good example is the ZSU-23-4 self-propelted anti-
aircraft gun system which was first fielded in lg60s and caused the
Israeli air force much trouble rn the 1973 and 1982 Middle East conflicts.
In 1985 the US cancelled its Sgt York DIVAD twin 4O-mm arr-defence
system as it had so many shortcomings. The US Army now urgently
needs a low-level air-defence system, and will probably have to buy
something already in production, perhaps from Europe,
Armoured fighting vehicle design is now at the crossroads, and future
tanks may well look quite different to the ones in sewice today, Automa-
tic loaders are already installed in the Slank and Soviet T-64/T-Z2
vehicles, and it has been confirmed that the new French MBT expected
to enter servrce in the I990s wrll also have a three-man crew and an
automatic loader,
Although anti-tank gnrided weapons have been introduced on a largre
scale over the past 20 years, the armoured fighting vehicle (especially
the MBT) still has a key role on the battlefield of the future and perhaps
has no real substitute,
The Brazilian arms industry has beenadvancing by leaps and bounds, and
ENGESA have now produced the Osorio main battle tank, seen here firing its
B ritis h R oy al O rdnance I 0 5 -mm ( 4. I 3 - in) gun. D eveloped wi th the ex por t
m ar ket fi rmly in mrhd, lft e ciassjs will fom the basis tor a s eries of AW s.
ffi ftartr*an air-defence system
Mechanized forces have always been
lrrlnerabie to attack from the air, but in
recent years this threat has grown with
the advent of new and dedrcated
attack arrcraft which can fly very low
and attack tarqets on the first pass, The
introduction of the attack helicopter
carryinq gmided mrssiles, rapid-firing
cannon and ungurded rockets has
added a new dimension to land combat.
A number of countries in the West
have fielded complete self propelled
antr-aircraft systems (for example the
West German Gepard and French
AMX-30 DCA) to protect mechanized
forces agalnst attack by such aircraft
and helicopters.
Marconi Command and Control Sys-
tems has desiqned and built air-de-
fence radars for land and sea applica-
tions over a perrod of many years, and
some years ago undertook a market
survey which showed that there was a
gap in the market for a complete all-
weather air-defence turret which
could be fltted onto existinq Chieftain,
Challenger, Centurion, T-54/T-55,
Type 59, M4B M60 and Vickers tank
chassis wrth the minimum of modifrca-
tron, By using a chassis already in ser-
vrce the user would have signiflcant
cost advantages as not only would the
crews already be familiar with the
automotive aspects of the chassis but
spare parts would already be avail-
able,
The flrst prototype of this air-de-
fence turret, called Marksman, was
completed 1n mid 1984 and shown for
the first time at the British Army Equip-
ment Exhibition on the Vickers Mk 3
MBT chassis,
Major sub-contractors to Marconi
Command and Controi Systems are
Vrckers Defence Systems of Newcas-
tle upon Tyne, whrch built the all-steel
turret, and Oerlikon-Bilhrle, which
supplied the twin 35-mm KDA cannon
and ammumtion
The tunet is of all-welded construc-
tion providing the crew with complete of about 12 km (7.5 miles). The cannon can also be laid with the With the ominous exception of
protection from small arms fire and A considerable amount of effort has aid of the roof-mounted siqhts, this Britain, most armies use a mixture of
shell splinters. The commander sits on qone into the design of the fire-control being of particular use when electro- guns andmissiles to defend
the left and the gunner on the right, and system to make its operation as stmpie nic countermeasures are being used themselves against air attack.
in addition to having periscopes for as possrbie. '1 he compiele syslem In- to degrade the performance of the Marksman is an AA gun system
all-round observation with the hatches cludes the roof-mounted radat, com- radar. developedbyMarconiand is able to
closed, each has a roof-mounted qyro- puter, transmitter, synthesizer, signal By early 19BO the prototype Marks- fit on to most tank chassis with
stabilized sight with magniflcattons of processing unit, control console (vtsi- man turet have been tested on Centu- minimal modification.
x3 and x1O, The gmnner's sight also ble to both crew members), data ex- rion, Challenger and T-series tank
has a laser rangefinder. traction unit and radar power am- chassis In the case ofthe Challenger, Tracer) for engaginq ground targets,
The turret armour provtdes com- plifier The system has a number of the Marksman turret was rnstalled and
plete protection against 14.5-mm (0.57- operating methods, including fully operatrng rn just under one and a half Specification
in) rounds over the frontal arc and automatic. In this mode the radar picks hours Marksman
against 7.62 mm (0.3-in) armour-pLe.rc- up the target, checks that it is hosttle The 35-mm cannon are the same as Crew:2
ing bullets over the remainder. and then starts to track the target; the those installed in the Gepard, and the Armament: two 35-mm cannon
Mounred on rhe rool oi Lhe turret IS d turret is then traversed, the guns ele- gmnner can select single shots, bursts Ammunition: 230 anti-aircraft and 20
Series 400 radar, which is unusual in vated, and the qunner informed when or full automatic fire. Each cannon has anti-armour rounds per barrel
that it uses a single antenna for surveill- the target is wrthin effective range; all 230 rounds of ready-use air defence Turret traverse: 360'
ance and tracking, and this has a max- the gunner then has to do is press the ammunrtion and 20 rounds of APDS-T Cannon elevation: - lO' to + 85"
imum range in the surverllance mode flring button. (Armour-Piercing Discardiner-Sabot Weisht: 11000 kg (24,250 lb)

ffi Vi"t
"r,
Mk 7 main battle tank
In the late 1970s Vickers Defence Sys-
tems designed and bullt as a private
venture the Valiant MBT which made
rts flrst public apperance durrnQr the
1980 British Army Equipment Exhibt-
tlon, This was armed with a 120-mm
(4,72-tn) Royal Ordnance tank gun and
a Marconi flre-control system, and was
desiqned to have the new Chobham
armour, The Valiant was demonstrated
ln the Middle East but no ordets wete
placed,
Vickers Defence SYstems then dis-
covered that a number of customers
believed that the turret of the Valiant
could be marrted to a chassis incor-
porating automotive components of the
Leopard 2 MBT currently in service
with the West German and Dutch
armies, and also ordered by the Swiss
army. The first prototype of this tank,
called the Vickers Mk 7, was com-
pleted in mld-1985 and later in that
year went to Egypt for trials. This tank
has been desigtned speciflcally for the
expofi market as the Britlsh armY ts
already taking delivery of the heavier
Challenger MBT armed with the same
QUn,
The Vickers Mk 7 is fltted with the
standard Royal Ordnance l2O-mm
Ll1A5 tank gnm, a McDonnell Douglas
Helicopters 7.62-mm (03-in) Charn
Gun berng mounted co-axial with the
main atmament. A total of 38 rounds of
120-mm and 3,000 rounds of machrne-
gtm ammunition are carried,
As an alternative to the LllAS a
West German Rheinmetalal 120-mm
smoothbore Qun can be installed,
The Vickers Mk 7 has a Marconr
Command and Control Systems Cen
taur I flre-control system: both the
commdnder and gn-Lnner can alm and
fire the gnm, and'he matn armament ts
stabilized in both elevatlon and
traverse The commander rs provideci
with a roof-mounted French SFIM
panoramic siqiht that allows him to scan
throuqh 360'without moving his head
The srqht also incorporates a lasel
ranqefinder. The qn-rnner has a Vtckers

2822
Vickers Mk 7 mainbattletank (continued)
telescoprc laser sight and a roof-
mounted periscope sigrht,
Also mounted on the tuffet roof rs a
Philips UA9090 gyro-stabilized panor-
amic sight which provides a thermal
picture on a TV screen at both tank
commander's and gunner's positions,
A very useful auto-scanntng device is
flttedr this scans a pre-set arc, and if
there is a change in the thermal picture
an alarm sounds, so alerting the crew.
The MTU dresel engine is coupled
to Renk HSWL 354/3 automatic trans-
mission with four forward and two re-
verse qears,
Standard equipment includes an
NBC pack and a fire-extingutshing sys-
tem for engrne compartment, while
optional equipment includes a roof-
mounted anti-arrcraft machine-gun, a
fully automatic flre detection and sup-
pression system for the crew compart-
ment, and an air-conditionrng system
The New Generation of Fighting Vehicles
which is considered to be essential for
operatlons in the Middle East,
Specification
Vickers Mk 7
Crew:4
Weights: empty 52640 kq (116,050 ib);
loaded 54641 kq (120,460 lb)
Powerplant: one MTU MB 873 Ka 501
I 2-cylinder turbocharged diesel
developing 1,500 bhp (1119 kW)
Dimensions: length, gun forward
10.95 m (35 ft 1 1 in) and hull 7.72 m
t25 tt 4 in): wrdth 3 43 m 1l I ll 3 rn;:
heiqht overall 3.00 m (9ft l0 in)
Performance: maximum road speed
72krn/h( 5 mph); ranqe 500 km (310
miles); fording I 7 m (5 ft 7 in); vertical The Vickers Mk 7 is a private venture by the company aimed purely at the
obstacle L i m (3 ft 7 rn); trench 3.0 m export market. It combines the turret of thevaliant MBT, which failed to gain
(9 ft 10 in) gradrent60percent, side any orders, with automotive components of the German Leopard 2.lt carries
slope 3O per cent the powerful Royal Ordnance I 20-mm (4.72-in) gun.

ENGESA EE-T I Osorio main battle tank

Since the early 1970s the ENGESA The Osorio is not a particularly
company has built over 4,000 of rts innovative tank design, but it is an
Jararac 4x4 scout cars, EE-9 Cascavel attractive MBT for smaller countries
6x6 armoured cars and EE-ll Urutu which lack their own manufacturing
6x6 armoured personnel carriers, capability and forwhom the latest
sales having been made to virtually European or American vehicles are
every contrnent. Several years ago the too big, too complicated and too
company decided to desiqn and burld expensive.
a new MBT whrch would meet the
needs of both the home and export
markets, The first prototype, armed
with the combat-proven British Royai
Ordnance 105-mm (4, 13-in) rifled tank
gun, was completed in 1985. This was
demonstrated in Saudi Arabia late in
19BS and the second prototype, armed
wrth a French GIAT 120-mm (4.72-tn)
smoothbore gun, was completed early
in l9BO Vickers Defence Systems oi
the UK desrgned both the 105-mm and
120-mm turrets specifically to meet the
requirements of ENGESA Mounted on each srde of the turret is Specification 1 1 in); vertical obstacle 1. 1 5 m (3 ft
The EE-TI Osorio has an all-welded a bank of electrically-operated smoke- EE-TI Osorio 4 rn); trench 3,0 m (9 ft 10 in); gradient
hull and turret. The conventional layout dischargers, and optional equipment Crew:4 60per cent; side slope 30 per cent
locates the driver at front left, the turret (aparl irom rhe chorce oI main arma- Weights: empty 37000 kq (B 1,570 1b),
in the centre, and the engine and ment and flre-control systems) in- loaded 39000 kq (85,979 ]b)
transmlssion at the rear, The 12 cylin- cludes an NBC system, a flre detection Powerplant: one 2-cyhnder diesel
1

der turbocharged diesel is coupled to and suppression system a land developing 1,000 hp (745 kW)
a fully automatrc transmission with four navigatron system, a laser detector and Dimensions: length, gmn forward Osorio is offered with a choice of
forward and two reverse gears indirect flre control equipment, 9,995 m (32 ft 9.5 in) and hull 7.08 m armament, either the proven British
The suspension is of the hydro- Usinq components of the EE-Tl Q3fr2.75 in); width3.26 m(10 ftB.3 in); 105-mm gunused allover theworld
pneumatic type and has been de- Osorro, ENGESA is now developing heisht 2.371 m (7 ft 9.3 in) or the F rench GI AT I 20-mm smooth-
signed by Dunlop of the UK. It has sx other variants includinq an armoured Performance: maximum road speed bore. The turrets for bothweapons
road wheeis with the drive sprocket al recovery vehicle, a bridgelayer, and 70 km/h (43,5 mph); maximum range were desigmed byVickers Defence
the rear and idler at the front; there are an anti-arrcraft qun vehicle, 550 km(342mrles); fordinsr 1.20 m(3 it Sy s tem s to ENG ESA's requiremen ts.
three track-return rollers.
Turret traverse rs electnc and con
trols are provided for both tank com-
mander and gunner. At present two
fire-control systems are available for
the EE-Tl Osorio. The firsr oprion is a
an jnlegrated hre control system rn
which the gunner has a day/niqht sight
with a laser rangefinder and the com
mander a day/night sight The second
frre-control option inciudes a stabrliza-
tion system for the main armament
allowing the gun to be fired against
movinq tarqets while the tank rtself is
moving across country, The tank com
mander has a roof-mounted SFIM sta-
brlized periscopic sight with a laser
rangeflnder while the gunner also has
an SFIM stabrhzed sight with laser
rangefinder, To enable targets to be
detected and engagred at night,
mounted on the turret roof is a Phi[ps
stabilized thermal camera which pro-
vides a TV picture on screens at the
commander's and gunner's posrtions

aaaa
TheFVSO FamfllU
TheSwedish armyhas adopted a
number of innovativeAFVs in the past,
and is now evaluating a new family of
vehicles which wiII sewe in a multitude
ofdifferent roles. Extensive use of
existing automotive parts will minimize
unitcosts.
The Swedish army currently operates a fleet of
over 1,000 Pbv 302 armoured personnel car-
riers built by Hdgglund and S6ner between
1966 and 1971. In addition to the basic APC with
a turret-mounted 20-mm cannon, more special-
ized versions include an artillery fire direction
post vehicle, an armoured command post vehi-
cle, and an armoured observation post vehicle.
The Bqbv 82 armoured recovery vehlcle and
the Brobv 941 armoured bridgelayer also
share a number of common components with
the Pbv 302,
When originally fielded, the Pbv 302 was an
excellent desrgn and had a number of adv-
anced features not found on other armoured
personnel carriers of thrs period, such as the
British FV432 and the American MI13.
Prototypes of a product improved version of
the Pbv 302 were bul]t, but in the end it was
decided to develop a whole new family ofveht-
cles under the qeneral designation Stridsfor-
don 90, or Fighting Vehicle 90 (fV90)
Before takrng the decision to develop the
FV90, the Swedish army looked closely at other
light vehrcles on the world market and evalu-
ated a British Alvis Scorpion llght tank and an
Alvis Stormer armoured personnel carrier, but
a decision was eventualiy made to push ahead
with FV90,
Prime contractor for the FV90 is HB Utveck-
ling AB based in Stockholm, a company formed
some years ago to undertake design and de-
velopment of a new MBT for the Swedish army
and then an articulated tank destroyer armed
with a 120-mm (4.72-in) Rheinmetal] smooth-
bore gnrn, The former was never built and the
latter was dropped after trials with a prototype.
HB Utveckling is only a small company with
less than l0 staff and has two main subcontrac-
tors: AB Bofors which built all of the S-tanks for
the Swedish army, and Hdgglund and Soner
which have extensive experience in buildtng
llght tracked vehicles.
At present it is envisaged that there wi]l be at
least seven members of the FV90, all of which
TheW90 in action: infantry dismountfrom thePbvLAPC. Fittedwith atwo-man power-operated turret,
thePbvG can carry achoice of weapons, includinga 60-mm high-velocitygun developed by Israel
Military Industries or theubiquitousBofors 40-mmL/70 gun, firing aspecially developed APFSDS
projectile which wilL penetrate the sjde and rear armour of most main battle tanks and sftool a ny other
APC topieces.
9r,',ifu'l:..
;r!.*snt'
..:': :l*I:i.,:..
'.i-..*l.i.,:
:fi::r,ii:.ii. ,:ir:
r"!il,!:1i
wlll share the same basic chassis and cci:=-::-
automotive components such as engine. :-s-
mission, tracks, suspension and so on. This -r, --
not only help to reduce procu-rement cos=-c--
also make for easier training and muc: r:-
duced life cycle costs, which are beco::-:-g
ever more crrtical as pressure bui.:ds :::
Sweden's defence budget,
Wherever possible standard commer::='
automotive components, such as a diese. e:--
gine coupled to an automalic iransm-rssion are
being used in the FV90,
The main improvements of the FV90 over'-ne
cwrent Pbv 302 can be summarized as drama
trc improvements in armour protection, mobil-
ity and firepower whrch wtl1 lead to greater
survrvability on the battlefieldA11 of the series
have virtually the same chassis and automolive
characteristics.
Pbv L armoured personnel carrier
This is the basrc APC of the serles and will be
able to carry eight fully equipped infanlrymen
plus a three-man crew consisting of comman-
der, qunner and driver, The maln armament
will be a 25-mm rapid-flre cannon with much
improved armour-penetrating capabilities
over the present 20-mm cannon insialled in the
Pbv 302. In addition a Bofors BILL top-attack
wire-guided anti-tank missile can be fitted
over the roof of the rear troop compartment to
engage MBTs out to a range of 2000 m (2 187
yards),
The rnfantry will be able to enter and leave
the vehicle rapidly via twin doors in.the hull
rear, which will also have firing ports and vision
blocks, No provision wrll be made for the infan-
try to use their 5,56 mm (0.219-1n) rifles in the
sides ol the hull.
The Pbv G will have the same complement
as the basic Pbv L but will be fitted with a
two-man power-operated turret armed with an
automatic cannon and a 7,62-mm (0.3-rn)
machine-gun.
A number of main armament types are under
consideration, includrng the Bofors 40-mm L 70
and a 60-mm (2 36-in) hrgh-velocity weapon
from Israel Military Industries, The former is
based on the well known anti-aircraft gun and,
in addition to the normal range of ammunitton,
fires a specially developed APFSDS (Armour-
Piercing Frn-Stabihzed Discarding-Sabot) pro-
jectile which will easily penetrate vehicles
l ti '
The basic Armoured Personnel Carrierversion of
the FVgA ts desigmated the Pbv L and carries eight
fuW quipped inlantrymen and a crew of three
(ammander. gtnner and driver).ltis armedwith
a25-mm cannon and can alsomountthe Bofors Bill
topattackATGM.
s::::..< -:e Scl'ret BMP-l mechanized infantry
ccria: -,-ericle, and go through the sides and
rear c: NIBTs.
The :urre: -wrll be fitted with a full range of
rugh:--,asicn equipment and two Bolors 7l-mm
(219-n) L1'ran lnortars which fire flares to pro-
-ncie :arget i,llumination at night.
On each side of the turret will be a bank of six
elecirically-operated smoke-discharqers,
These are '.ised to provide a smoke screen
behind whrch the vehicle can withdraw. in
add-riion the dischargers can'also fire grenades
to decoy and confuse anti-tank gutded
weapons,
Supportvehicles
l,owlevel alr defence of the Swedish army is
at present carried out by towed Bofors 40-mm
anti-aircraft guns and Bofors RBS-70 surface-to-
arr missiles, the latter in both man-portable and
self-propelled configurations. But the threat
from low-flying aircraft grows year by year,
and the advent of the armed attack helicopter
has added a new dimension to land warfare.
The Swedish army intends to counter this
threat with a mix of guns and missiles, wlth the
Lvkv A'2 system playing a key role. The vehicle
wril be virtually identrcal to the previous ver-
sion (havrng the same hull, turret and arma-
ment) but will be optrmized for the air-defence
 The New Generation of Fighting Vehicles

role, Mounted on the turret rear will be a Swed- An armoured recovery version of the FVSO tion of the crew from small arms fire and shell
ish Ericsson 3D radar designed to detect air- family is planned, as armoured vehicles often splinters, and the ability to carry more ready-
craft and hovering helicopters, the latter being break down, get stuck in rough terrain, or are use rounds.
notably difficult to pick up. Thrs radar was de- disabled by enemy action, Whatever the In addition to the normal hrgh explosive and
veloped several years ago and has been suc- cause, such disabled vehicles have to be re- smoke bombs, the 120-mm mortar will prob-
cessfuily tested on the ARMAD model of the turned to their unlts as soon as possibie, ably fire the new FFV Strlx gmided mortar pro-
Bofors RBS-70. Mounted at the front ol thrs version, called jectile which has been designed to attack the
The 40-mm Bofors gun can fire a variety of the Bgbv, rs a hydraulically-operated blade vulnerable upper surfaces of tanks and other
ammuniiion including pre-formed high expio- which can be used to stabilize the vehicle dur- armoured vehicles.
slve, high capacity hrgh explosrve, high explo- ing liftlng or recovery operatrons, or used as a
sive tracer, armour-piercing capped tracer, dozer blade to ciear away battlefield obstacles First prototypes in 1988
the new armour-piercing fin-stabilized dis- or to prepare fire positions, Other equipment By using proven components, the normal l0-
cardrng-sabot round, and target practice trac- will include a winch to recover damaged and year development progtramme has been con-
er, The first of these (pre-formed high explo- disabled vehicles, and a hydraulic crane for siderably shortened and hopefully this w111
sive, with a proximity fuse) wouid normally be changing complete powerpacks (engrine, lead Lo significant cost savings.
used rn the air-defence role. transmissison and cooling system) and other In the summer of 1985 the Swedrsh army
TVro command and control vehicles are in- components. placed an order for five prototypes of FV9O,
cluded in the series; the Stripv armoured com- and the first of these is expected to be com-
mand post, whlch will be fitted with extensive Mortar carrier pleted in 1988 The five prototypes will consist
communicatio4s equrpment, and the Epbv At present the BI-mm (3 2-in) and 120-mm of one each of the anti-aircraft/antrhelicopter
armoured obse{vation post, which wili be the (4.72 in) mortars used by the Swedish army are vehicle, the armoured infantry fightlng vehrcle,
eyes and ears of towed and self propelled artrl- not mounted in armoured vehicies: the former the armoured personnel carrier, the recovery
Iery unirs. To catry out its mrssion it will have is carried disassembled and the latter on a vehicle and the mortar carrrer, If trials of these
communications pquipment and sensors sirch two-wheeled carriage towed behind a truck, are successful, the first production vehicles
as a laser rangeflhder, i The installation of a l20-mm on an armoured could be delivered to the Swedish army in
i!1'r chassis offers a number of advantages, lnclud- 1992. For both the development and produc-
1i ing faster into- and out-of-actton times, protec- tion phases, Hdgglund and Soner will buiid the
1i
11
chassrs whlle Bofors will be responsible for the
complete turret and weapon system,
1 Once fielded, the FV90 will provide a well
\ balanced family of light tracked vehicles which
1 should meet the Swedish army's unique re-
quirements for many years to come,

.1

:i

=-..\
>:*;
/\ e
"r*
1
a*
\1.." ..E

d#;].', ,:r:l

#'{ ..,

--"-*--*ry{g{s$;r;
.-"-#ry
t tuo" 63 lisrht tank
After the end of World War II the USSR
supplied China with a significant
amount of military equipment includ-
rng T-54 MBTs and PT-76 light ampht-
brous tanks, Further development of
the latter by China resulted rn the Type
63 liqht tank, whjch has been tn service
with the Chinese army for many years
and has seen combat in the hands not
only of the Chinese army but also of the
Pakistani army (against India) and of
the North Vletnamese army (against
South Vietnam).
In many respects the Type 63 has a
number of signiflcant improvements
over the origdnal Soviet PT-76, includ-
inq a four-man crew, increased fire-
power and (as it has a more powerful
enqine) a greater power-to-weight
ratro which gives much improved road
and water speeds.
The hu1l ofthe Tlpe 63 is, like that of
the PT-76, very large to allow the vehi-
cle to float wrthout any preparation
apart from erectrng the trim vane at the
front of the hull and switchrng on the
bilge pumps. The TYpe 63 is propelled
in the water at a maximum speed of
12 km/h (7.5 mph) by two water jets
mounted at the rear of the vehicle.
Main armament compises an 85-
mm (3.34-rn) gun which fires a variety
of ammuni ion tncluding armour-pterc-
I 8,437 m(27 ft 8,2 in) and hull 7. 125 m
ing HE, HE, HEAT and smoke; 47
rounds of ammunition are carrted, A
7.62-mm (0.3-in) machine-gun (for
which 1,000 rounds are carried) is
mounted co-axial with lhe main arma-
ment, and a l2.7-mm (0,5-in) machine-
gnrn (for which 500 rounds are carried)
is mounted on the turret roof for anti-
arcraft defence.
The turret and hull are of welded
steel constructron with a maxlmum
thickress of 14 mm (0.55 in), which is
sufficient to provide protection against
small arms flre and shell splinters only,
if the armour was any thicker then the
vehrcle would require a flotation
screen to be amphtbious.
Suspension is ofthe torsion bar type,
and consists of six large rubber{yred
road wheels with the idler at the front
and drive sprocket at rear; there are
no track-return rollers,
In the Chinese army four Type 63
light tanks can be found in the recon-
naissance platoon of each armoured
regiment, while there are l0 in the re-
connaissance company of each
armoured divrsion, The vehicle is also
in servrce with Pakistan. Sudan, Tanza-
nia and Vietnam, and is now beingr
offered for sale to other countries,
Specification
Type 63
Crew:4
Weights: empty 16700 kg (36,8i6 lb);
loaded 18700 kg(41,226 lb)
Powerplant: one Type 12150-L 12-
cy[nder diesel developing 400 hp
(299 kw)
Dimensions: length, qn-rn forward
(23 ft 4,5 in); wtdth3.20 m (i0 ft 6 in);
height without machine-gun 2. 522 m Above : The Type 6 3 amphibious light Below:TheWpe 63 needs only to
(B ft 3.3 in) tankwas one of the tirst AFVs to be erect its trim vane and switch on the
Performance: maximum road speed produced by China. Sharing many bilgepumps before entering the
64 kn/h (40 mph); range 370 km (230 components with the Type 77 water.lt has a more powertul engine
miles); fording amphibious; vertical armoured personnel carrier, it is a than the PT-76, which gives it
obstacte 0.87 ?n (2 ft 10 in); trench 2,9 m development of the Soviet PT-76 and nd ing ly fas ter speeds bo f/t
c o r r e s po
(9 ft 6 rn); gradient 60 per cent; side ftasseen acfion in Vietnam and on land and in the water.
slope 30 per cent Pakistan.

t iifVfp-Z mechanized infantry combat vehicle

The BMP-2 mechanized infantrY
lightlng vehicle is a further develop-
ment of the BMP-I and was flrst
observed in pubhc dulng a Parade
held in Red Square, Moscow, late in
1982, although it entered service with
the Soviet army several years before
that. Since then it has also been
observed in sewice with the Czech
almy,
The basic chassts of the BMP-2 ts
very srmrlar to that of the original BMP
1 which entered service with the
Soviet army rn the early 1960s, but has
a new turrel and drfferenl crew posi'
tions. On the BMP-] the commander
was seated behind the driver and
therefore had poor observation to the
riqht side of the vehicle. In the BMP-2
the commander now sits in the much
enlarged turret alongside the gunner,
and has excellent all-round battlefield
obsewation.
The BMP-] is armed with a 73-mm
(2.87-in) weapon that flres a fin-stabil-
ized HEAT (Hiqh Explosive Anti-Tank)
or HE-FRAG (Hiqh Explosive FraQt-
mentation) round, with a 7.62-mm (0 3-
in) co-axral machine-gun, and with a
'saqqer' wtre-guided anti-tank
weapon mounted above the main
armament. The 73-mm gnrn suffered
from a number of drawbacks and ts
ineffective in high winds, while the
first-qeneration'Saqqer' mrssiie
needed a well-trained qunner to en-
sure a flrst-round hit,
These major disadvantages have
been overcome in the BMP-2, as the
armament now compnses a 30-mm
rapid-fire automatic cannon which can
be elevated to +74" so enabling it to
be used against low-flying aircraft and
helicopters, The gunner can select
either sinqle shots or one oftwo rates of
automatic fire (2OOl300 or 500 rounds
per mrnute) and 500 rounds of HE-T
-
(High Explosive Tracer) and AP-T
(Armour-Piercing -Tracer) are car
ned. A 7,62 mm PKT machtne-gun is
mounleo co-axial with the main arma-
ment.
Mounted on the turret roof is an AT-4
'Spigot' anti-tank gurded weapon,
which has a maximum range of 20OO m
(2, 187 yards) and is fitted wrth a HEAT'
warhead. A11 the operator has to do to
ensure a hir is to keep I ne crosswires of
his sight on the target. (On the earlter
AT-3 'Sagger' he had to operate a small
joystick,)
In addL ron to btr.ng able lo lnlec'
diesel fuel into the exhaust to lay lts
own smoke screen the BMP-2 has a
oank ol .hree elec.lcalty_ooeratel
smoke-dischargers mounted on eacl--
srde of the turret towards the rea:
More recent BMP-2s have aPPiiqr-:

2826
BMP-2 mechanized infantry combat vehicle (continued)
armour on their turret sides,
Seven fully-equrpped infantrymen
are carried, compared with eight in
the earher vehicler one man is seated
to the rear of the commander, and the
other six in the troop compartment at
the rear facing outwards, each beingt
provided with a flring port with an
obsewation periscope above.
Like the BMP-], the BMP-2 is fully
amphibrous, beinq propelled in the
water by its tracks. Before entering the
water a trim vane is erected at the front
of the vehicle and the bilge pumps are
switched on.
Specification
BMP-2
Crew:3+7
Weight: Ioaded 14600 kg (32,187 lb)
Powerplant: believed to be one Type
5D20 turbocharged 6-cylinder water-
cooled diesel developing 350 hp
(261kW)
Dimensions: Iength6,7l m (22 ft0.2 in);
L ['jze main battle tank
For many years there has been much
confusion in the West as to exactly
which main battle tanks the USSR has
produced in quantrty rn recent years.
This problem has been compounded
by the fact that different countries give
different designatrons to the same
vehicle.
From recenr information it appears
that the USSR has mass produced two
MBTs in the last 15 years, The T-64
entered production in 1967 and re-
mained rn productron until 1981. This
was built in fairly large numbers, but so
far has been identified in service only
with the Soviet army The basic tank
has the same armament as the later
T-72 and is fed by an automatic loader,
so enabling the crew to be reduced to
just three men (commander, gunner
and driver). From most reports there
were many problems with the T-64
once it reached the troops, especially
with the engdne transmission, suspen-
sion and automatic loader. In addition
width3.09 m(10 ft 1.7 in); heisht2 06 m
(6 ft 9 in)
Performance: maximum road speed
60 kdh (37.3 mph); range 5OO hn (31 I
miles); fording amphibious; vertical
obstacle0.T m(2 ft3 in); trench2,O m
(6 it 7 rn); gradient 60 per cent; side
slope 30 per cent
to the basic gmn tank there is a verslon,
the T-648, that fires a 'Cobra' quided
missile in the long-ranqe anti{ank role.
The T-72 MBT entered productton
in and Ln 1986 was being pro
1971,
duced in at least three plants in the
USSR as well as in Czechoslovakia and
Poland, Production of modifled ver-
sions is also berng undertaken in Indra
and Yugoslavia,
The T-72 and its later varlants have
now been identfied in service with
Algeria, Bulgaria, Cuba, Czechoslova-
kra, East Germany, Hungary, India,
Iraq, Libya, Poland, Romania, Syria,
the USSR and Yugoslavia. Finland is
expected to take delivery of its vehi-
cles in the near future.
The 125-mm (4,92'in) qnrn is fed by
an automatic loader which flrst inserts
the projectile and then the charge into
the breech, Three types of ammunition
are carried: APDSDS (Armour-Pierc-
ing Fin-Stabilized Discarding-Sabot),
HEAT FS (Hiqh Explosive Anti-Tank
Ahove:The BMP-2 is a newversion of
the BMP Mechanized Infantry
CombatVehicle, and substitutes a
30-mm cannon for the 73-mm smooth
bore grun of the first model. It also
carries AT-4'S pigot' ATGM s in place
of outdated AT -3',Sagger'mrssfles.
- Fin-Stabilized), HE-FRAG (FS) (Hish
Explosive-Fragmentaion Fln-Stabil-
ized). A 7,62-mm (0,3-in) machine-gnrn
is mounted co-axial with the main
armament, and a Trmm (0,S-in)
12
machine-gn-rn rs mounted on the com-
mander's cupola. Like other Soviet
armoured vehicles, the T-72 can lay its
own smoke screen by injecting diesel
fuel rnto the exhaust,
Since the T-72 flrst appeared a num-
ber of improvements have been car-
ried out, includrnq the installation of a
laser rangefinder, additional armour
protection, smoke grenade launchers
on each side of the turret and so on.
The late production T-72 is known as
the T-74 in the USSR, although the USA
calls rt the T-80,
The area ofgreatest confusion on the
T-ZUT-74 is its armour, It is assumed
that the hull front is of a laminate
armour, but it is believed that the turret
is of conventional armour,
Variants of the T-72 include a com-
B elow : Like most S oviet AFVs, the
BMP-2 is able to lay a smokescreen
by injecting diesel fuel dfuectly into
the exhaust, but it also carries a bank
of e le ctrically oper ated smo ke
dischargers on the turret sides.
Some BMP-2s have been sporting
appliqu6 armour on their sides.
mand vehicle, another firing the 'Cob-
ra' anti-tank missile and the BREM-I
armoured recovery vehicle.
Specification
T-72
Crew:3
Weishts: empty 39000 kq (85,979 Ib);
loaded41000 ks (90,388 ib)
Powerplant: one V-12 diesel
developins 780 hp (582 kW)
Dimensions: length, gnrn forward
9.24 m (30 ft 3.8 in) and hull 6.95 m (22 ft
9,6 in); widthwithoutskirts3.60 m(1I ft
9,7 in); height with machrne-gn-rn2.37 m
(7 ft 9,3 in)
Performance: maxrmum road speed
60 l<n/h (37 mph); range 480 km (298
miles); fording 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in); vertical
obstacle 0,BS m (2 ft 10 in); trench 2.8 m
(9 ft 2 in); qrradient 60 per cent; side
slope 40 per cent
2827
The T-72 in Action
TheT-72 has beenin servicewith the
Soviet army for I 5 years, but many
important details of its construction
remain obscure to Western analysts.
Even if one is captured, perhaps during
the nextwar in the Middle East, there is
no guarantee the mystery will end.
Although Ihe T-72 MBT entered service with
the Soviet army as far back as I971 there is still
a shroud of mystery surrounding many aspects
of the vehicle and rts numerous variants.
As far as it is known no example of the T-72
has yet fallen into Western or Israeli hands to
enable a detailed technical examination of the
vehicle to be carried out.
In addition to berng rn service with the War-
saw Pact it has also been identifled as being in
service with Algeria, Cuba, lndia, lraq, Libya,
Syria and Yugoslavia. As well as being pro
duced at three plants rn the USSR, the T 72 is
also produced under licence in Czechoslova-
kra, Poland, India and Yugoslavia,
In the past vehicles of Soviet destgn which
have been produced for the export market
have often been less sophisticated in key areas
(for example armour protection and fire con-
trol) and those used by members of the War
saw Pact,
While detailed specifications of the T 72
such as weight, performance and dimensions
are accurately known, the one area of concern
to NATO is the thrckness and type of armour
fitted to the vehrcle, This information is of cru-
cial importance to the designers of ammunition
and anti-tank gurded weapons in order that
they can design weapons to defeat this armour,
Throughout the 1960s and I970s no tank in
the world was safe from penetration from anti-
tank gnrided weapons frtted wrth a HEAT (Hiqh
Explosive Anti-Tank) warheadr the Euromis-
sile Mi1an, for example, can penetrate some
700 mm (27 56 ln) of armour,
The elfect of HEAT warheads, which are
fitted to every type of anti{ank gurded missile
in service in the world today and are fitted to
some anti-tank rounds fired by tank gnrns instal-
led in MBTs such as the T-72, T 62 T-55 M]
Ireopard 2, Leopard I and so on, can be signr
ficantly downgraded by careful design of the
vehicle, such as well sloped frontal armour,
and by installation of spaced armour which
detonates the HEAT warhead away from the
main armour of the tank, The effects of HEAT
warhead can be eliminated by the installation
of reactive armour or advanced composite
(lamrnate) armour such as that known to be
employed over the frontal hui] and turrets of
modern Western tanks, for example, the Chal-
lenger, Leopard 2 and Ml/MlAl,
Reactive armour (such as the lsraeli Blazer)
can be installed on existing tanks (for example
many Israeli M48, M60 and Centurion series
vehicles) but thrs can provide protectron only
against HEAT attack, not ktnetic-energy
rounds such as APDS (Armour-Pierctng Dis-
carding-Saboi) or APFSDS (Armour-Piercing
Irtn-Stabilized Discardrng-Sabot). Laminate
armour provides protection agatnst both HEAT
and APDS/APFSDS attack over the vulnerable
frontal area.
The development of these new armours has
led to the development of new and more
poweriul HEAT warheads for Western Mtlan,
HOT and TOW anti-tank gurded missiles, but
as no known examples of T 72s have been
captured the efiectiveness of these missiles ls
still an unknown factor, Even il for example, a
T-72 was captured in the Middle East and ex-
amined in detail by Western lntel1igence,
there is no guarantee that this would have the
same iype of armour as T-72s used by the
Warsaw Pact,
Detarls of the 125-mm (4 92-1n) gun of the
Withits automatic loader and laser rangefinder,
theT-72 underminedNATO's cosy belief in the
qualitative superiority of its armour. The T-72 was
probably already in sewice by 1975 but more
details have only just emerged. It is widely
assumed that exported T-72s are not as advanced
as thoseused by the RedArmy.
T-72 and rts unique automatic loader have been
described in some detaii in Soviet miiitary pub-
lications, although detarls of the crucial fire-
control system required to obtain a first round
hit are strll lackrng,
First models of the T-62 had an optical
rangefinder but latest production models are
believed to have a laser rangefinder which ts
lar more accurate, especially at longter ranges,
First vehicles were fitted wrth infra-red
night-vision equipment but it can be assumed
that passive or perhaps thermal night-vision
equipment will soon be introduced to enhance
the combat capabilrty of the T-72. The intro-
duction of thermai qunnery equipment would
enable the T-72 to engage targets not only by
night but also in poor weather conditions, and
even to see through trees and bushes,
The latest version of the T-72, called the T-74
in Europe but T-80 in the USA, has a modified
flre-control system as well as a number of other
improvements including forward-firing smoke-
dischargers, lmproved armour and more ex
ternal stowage.
The T-72 was preceded by the T-64. Thts has
been identified rn service only with the Soviet
army, and has never been deployed outsrde
the Warsaw Pact, Although the tank entered
service almost 20 years ago, it is still very much
a mystery vehicle and has never appeared on
any oi the parades held rn Red Square, Mos
cow,
Unreliability in service
Like the T-72, the T-64 has a 125-mm smooth-
bore gun fed by an automatic loader, but it has
not proved to be a very reliable tank in service
and there have been many reports of problems
wrth the engine, transmission and suspension
In addition to the basic T-64 MBT there was
also the T'64B which althoush similar in
appearance to the T-64,\, frred Cobra anti-tank
guided missiles from its gun tube in addition to
the normal types of ammunition.
It is assumed that the T-648 fulfi]led a similar
role to that of the US M60A2 MBT, now with-
drawn lrom service. This was armed with a
152-mm (6-in) weapon which could fire either
the Shrllelagh gurded missile or conventional
The T-72's turret is smaller and lower than that of
the T-62 because it has to fit only twomen, the tank
commander and thegunner.The glacis slopeis
noticeably morE pronounced and, even if the
Soviets have not developed an effective composite
armout, this will improve protection.

round with a combustible cartridge case. The
object of the M60A2 was to give long-range fire
support to the M60 and M60A1 ianks armed
with the standard I05-mm (4 I3-rn) rifled tank
guns, The main drawbacks of the Shillelagh
weapon system, which rn a slightly different
form was also fltted to the M55i Sherrdan light
tank, were its slow rate of fire, and the exces-
sive amount of trainingt and maintenance re-
qurred to keep the system effective.
The slow rate of flre of the Shillelagh mlssile
was caused by the fact that the gunner had to
keep hrs sights on the target until the missile
impacted, The launcher could then be re-
loaded and another target engaqed,
Recent combat expenence has shown that
the vast majority of tank engagements ln any
future conflict wiil take place at very short
ranges, olten less than I00O m (1 094 yards),
The raprd urbanization of Western Europe has
meant that in many parts of West Germany it
will be rmpossrble to engage tanks beyond this
range because ofobstructions. For this reason
it rs difficult to see why the T-648 was flelded,
unless it was simply a response to the introduc-
tion of the US M60A2 Some sources state that
the new Soviet MBT is fitted with a similar
weapon to the T-648, but perhaps with a fire-
and-forget capability which would make it a
much more effective weapon as well as having
a higher rate of fire,
Soviet divisions strengrthened
Not only has the USSR tntroduced new
armoured flghting vehicles such as lhe T-72
MBT BMP-2 mechanized infantry combat
vehicle, new mobile arr-defence systems (gun
and mrssile) and a whole range of self-pro-
pelled gmns and howilzers, but the number of
tanks in the tank divisron has been lncreased to
no less than 328 and in the motorized rifle divi-
sion to 220.
Towed gnrns and howitzers in the divtsions
have grven way to self-propelled weapons
which not only have greater cross-country
mobilrty, so enabling them to keep up wlth
mechanized units, but which can also operate
in an NBC environment and have higher rates
of fire,
Since well before World War II Soviet tactics
have emphasized offensive operattons at all
times, with defensive tactics used only as a
preliminary to a resumed offensive,
Types of Soviet offensive action include the
well-known meeting engagement, the break-
rhrough attack and pursuir
Over the last l5 or 20 years the Soviet army
has been placing increasing emphasis on milit-
ary operations that penetrate deep into enemy
territory, covering much greater distances
Late production models of theT-72 are designated
T-74 in the Soviet Union, but are called T-80 in the
USA. They carry a laser rangefinder.
The New Generation of Fighting Vehicles
than those accomplished by normal lirst eche-
lon unrts,
Airborne or air assault units would be used to
knock out allied airfields, communicaltons cen
tres, tactical nuclear weapon storagre and flring
posrtions, fuel and ammunition dumps, stock-
piles or reserve vehicles and so on, Ports and
airfields allocated lor use by US reinforcement
units would also be priortty targets as these
play a vrtal role rn NATO's defensive pians,
Sovret Spetsnaz special forces, the equivalent
of the Bntrsh Specral Air Service (SAS), whose
strength rs beheved to consist of 16 brigades
each with three regiments, would also be used
well behrnd NATO lines and on the flanks of
NATO
Thrs would force NATO commanders to take
away front line units or use essential reserve
units to police the rear areas, Some NATO
countries, such as West Germany and the UK,
have already allocated reserve units just to
defend key rear areas.
Operational Manoeuvre Group
One of the latest Soviei concepts, although its
origins can be traced back to World War II, rs
the Operational Manoeuvre Group (OMG).
The size of an OMG would depend on its
mission, but typically would consist of a tank or
motorized rifle division with addrtional ele-
ments attached, not only to increase its fire-
power (for example artillery and multiple rock-
eL launchers) but also have greater engineer
Possibly designedinparallelwith theT-72 by a
different design bureau, the T-64 has still not been
exported. Production is believed to have finally
ceased in 198 L
The T-72 has a dozer blade under its nose for
clearing obstacles and preparing fire positions.
This EastGermanT-72 is carryingKMT-| mine-
clearing equipment.
assets (to overcome ooslacles such as rivers
and anti{ank defences), attack helicopters and
massive air support. Marntenance and repair of
damaged and disabled vehrcles would also
have high priority.
The OMG may operate on one axis or be
split into two complete units and is designed to
punch through any weak point in the allied
defence found by the flrst echelon,
Once through alhed first hne defences the
OMG, which would be fresh and have no losses
of men or equrpment, would have a number of
missrons; for example, stopping allied rern-
forcements reaching the front line preventing
the retreat to new positions by alired units, and
seizing key objectives such as rrver crossing
points and intersectrons of major rail or road
communication systems.
The OMG would be under the personal con-
trol of the Front commander at all times, and
once committed would have fairly deflned
objectives
The Soviet Front commander would still con-
trol his normal units. A Soviet Front size de-
pends on its missions and position but typrcally
consists olthree or four combined-arms armies
and one or two tank armies, plus many support-
rng brrgades, battalions and regiments,
The object of the OMG would be to pene-
trate as far into aihed territory and to cause as
much damage and confusion as possible, A
much larger force, perhaps consisting of an
army-size OMG, would foliow with the object of
penetrating deeper into the rear areas, so
causing the collapse of whoie allied units.
At present NATO hopes to slow down any
Warsaw Pact advance into its terrrtory and
channel enemy units into killing zones for
tanks, antrtank gurded weapons and artillery,
Nuclear weapons will only be used after the
NATO aihes have consulted wrth each other,
and this takes time, If the Warsaw Pact forces
had penetrated far rnto Western Germany, for
example, and were actually amonq NATO un-
its, then the use of nuclear weapons would be
rmpossible,
oooo
T-72 tf lggo/l
 The New Generation of Fighting Vehicles

=
J
a

This improved model of the T-72 was first observed at a parade in Berlin in I98.1 , and it subsequently
appeaied at theNovember Parade inMoscow. EarlyT-72s had a pronounced hood infront of the
right-hand (commander's) cupola; the absence of this on the latest model indicates that optical
eiuipment'has been replaced by a laser rangefinder. The full details of the construction of the T-72 will
not be revealed until several ex6mples of the tank have been brought to theWest intact, for example after
SyrianT-72s have beenoverrun by the Israelis.However, the controversy might not end there, as the
Soviets often remove some of the more sensitive equipmentfrom tanks or aircraft which are intended for
export;these are referred to as'monkey models'inSoviet jargon. SovietT-72s ate l<nowntobeverywell
protected from nuclear contamination, carrying a skin layer of a lead-based foam; .this lining is not fitted
io exported T-72s. 1f rs aiso to be expected that the fire control sysfems and possrb ly the automatic
loaders are differcnt inSoviet and exportT-72s.
tI [iig-** M197s self-propelled sun
niWX-+O main battle tank
- -=,--<: West Germany, the UK and the
,S-:- irance has not develoPed
.::::,d-greneration MBT such as the
-::!1ro 2. Challenger or Ml/MlAl.
:= s:andard French armY MBT is sttll
= i-1"'iX-30 whose desrqn can be
::::i back to the late 1950s. This ts
:, ,-. -:rnq moderntzed untrl the new
: r=:-:: army MBT, the so called Engrin
::,::,pal de Combat (recently re-
:-:::C rhe Futur Char or future tank)
=::ls production,that there would be a
3--i.T realized
:-l l:ap between the end of AMX-30
;::irctron and the beqinning of EPC
:::iuction, so a decision was taken to
::-id a new MBT speciftcallY for the
: '.trn market.
]e first tank built was the so called
-:-lriX 32, which was based on the
-:-1lX-30 but fitted with a IZA-mm (4,72-
.:. lxr ner'r' armo*l. lmproveo hre
:.'rol system and some automol-ve
:rcrovements. Its crucial power-to-
'.',-:lght ratio was beiow that of the
-..MX-30, however, and the AMX-32
:as not been sold It is now offered only
',';irh the standard 105-mm (4 13-in) gun
.s rnstalled in the AMX-30
In unveiled the AMX-40
1983 GIAT
which rs a brand new desiqn and
lr.1BT.
:as srqntflcant improvements over the
earher AMX-30 rn the three key areas
:i tank desLqn: armour mobrlrtY and
:rrepower, The AMX 40 has been de
s.gned speciflcally for the export mar-
kei and by early 1986 four prototypes
lad been completed and one of these
ls beheved to have been tested tn the
Mrddle East. The AMX-40 has also
ceen offered to the Spanrsh armY
In the mrd-l97Os the Sovret almy 1n-
troduced a 203-mm (B-in) seli-prop-
elled Sowttzer whicr nas beon giren
the NATO designation MI975 rn the
usual absence of any offictai Sovlet de-
signation. The M1975 ts believed to be
employed at front level, and has the
distrnction of being the larqest
armoured vehicle tn servtce at the pre-
sent trme.
The fully enclosed armoured cab is
at the front of the vehicle with the en-
grne to the rear. The weapon ttsell is
mounted at the very rear of the hull,
and when travelling is held in posttion
by a lock above the cab rool Before
the weapon can be ftred a large hYd-
rautrcally-operated blade ts lowered
at the rear of the hull to provlde a more
stabie flrinqi platform and mounted on
the riqht stde of the chassis is a hyd-
raulic loading system to help lift the
heavy projectrles and charges rnto the
breech.
lt rs probable that a few rounds ol
ready use ammunitton are carried on
the actual vehrcle thouqth the main
supply of ammunitton and most of the Since the early I 970s the Soviets have been manufacturing an expanding - -
gun crew are carrted in another track- range of self-propelled artillery which now includes the massive M I 97 5 203-
ed and armoured supporting vehicle mm weapon, theworld's largestAFV.It is assumed to fire nuclear aswell as
Like the 2SS the M1975 suffers from conven tion a I am munition.
one major dtsadvantage there is no
protectlon for the qun crew when the years Specifi cation (provrsional)
vehicle is rn action Also introduced rn the mid-1970s M1975
No firm details of the tYpes of was a 240 mm (9.45-in) self-propelled Weiqhts: empty 37000 kq (8 1,570 lb);
ammunition fired by the M1975 are yet mortar whrch has also been called the toaded 40000 kq (BB 183 ]b)
available but rt is hkelY that the M1975 (this being the year it was first Powerplant: one dresel developtngt
weapon has both nuclear and conven- seen by Western rntelhqence) Lrke 450 hp (336 kW)
tronal capabilitres, and it rs qenerally the 203-mm M1975 self propelled gun, Dimensions: length, with gun 12.80 m
comparable to the American Mli0/ it has yet to make a pubiic appearance (42 ft 0 1n) and hull lO 50 m (34 ft 5 4 rn)
Mt l0A1/M1 10A2 self-propeiled howtt- and no frrm details are available. wrdth3 50 m(11 ft 5 B in); herght3 50 m
zers that have been in servtce for many (11ft5.Bin)
a
Above : T he AMX - 40 carries laminate
armour over the hull front to give
impr ov ed pro tec tio n agains t H EAT
ammunition. It carries its
ammunition in the turret bustle,
which, if penetrated, will explode
upwards and away from the crew
compartment.
Right: The French army is still stuck
with a firslgeneration tank, the
AMX-30, and the promised'future
tank' is still a long way off. GIAT has
developed a much-improved MBT
for the export market, the AMX-40,
which is armed with a I 20-mm
smooth-bore gun.
whrch has a requtrement for new MBT
wrth a L2O-mm gun.
The armout over the frontal part is of
the lamlnate type and provides protec
tron agtainst HEAT (Hiqh Explostve
Anti-Tank) rounds with a cahbre of up
to i00 m (3 94 rn)
The layout of the AMX-40 rs simtlar
to that oi other French IilBTs, with the
 AMX-40 main battle tank (continued)
iriver at the front left, the turret tn the
3entre (with the commander and gun-
rer on the right and the loader on the
-eft t and lhe englne and transmission ar
Lhe rear,
The AMX-40 is powered by
Poyaud diesel engrine which gives a
power{o-weight ratio of around 25 hp
(18 6 kW) per tonne, a very significant
lmprovement over current French
MBTs, The engrine is coupled to a West
German ZF automatic transmtssion for
ease of handling and reduced driver
fatique,
The main armament compnses a
120-mm smoothbore gun which flres
ammunition wtth combustible car-
tridge case. Ammunition stowed in the
turret bustle is separated from the
crew compartment by bulkheads and
if a round penetrates the turret bustle
the force of the exploding ammunition
rs vented upward rather than into the
crew compartment.
Mounted co-axrally with the main
fE iint VBL scout car
Some years ago the"ra
French army
rssued a requirement for a small, light
and fast armoured vehicle whrch
would be able to carry out two basic
roles on the battlefleldt antr-tank
armed with the Euromissile Milan anti
rark quided weapon and reconnarss-
ance/scout armed with machine-guns,
Five manufacturers submrtted designs
for this competition, and Panhard and
Renault were each awarded a contract
to deliver three prototypes for trials
with the French army.
Followinqr these trials the Panhard
VBL (Vehicule Blinde Leger) was
accepted for sewice althouqh no im-
mediate productlon order was placed
because of a shortage of funding The
total French army requirement is for a
total of3,00O vehicles (1,000 in the anti-
tank role and the remaining 2,000 rn the
scouVreconnaissance role),
Panhard was convinced that its de-
sign would win the French army com-
petition so it built additional pro-
totypes with its own funds and
embarked on an lntenslve overseas
marketinq drive whrch invotved the
despatch of vehicles to many parts of
the world. This marketing effort was
successfui to the extent that Mexico
placed an order for 40 VBLs in 1984, an
these had all been dehvered bv late
1985 Of these 40 vehrcles, 32 were
armed with machrne-guns and the re-
maining eight wrth Mrlan anti-tank
guided weapons
The hull of the Panhard VBL is of
all welded steel armour and nrovides
the crew with protection from small
arms fire and shell splinters. The small
size and rapid acceleration ofthe vehr-
cle also increases its survivabilitv on
the battlefield.
To reduce both initial procurement
costs and life cycle costs, proven com-
mercial automotlve parts have been
used in the design of the VBL: for ex-
ample, the diesel engine is from the
Peugreot 505 and 605 civilian cars and
the Peugeot P4 4x4 light vehicle
already entering service with the
French army in significant numbers as
the replacement for the Hotchkiss
M20l jeep, while the West German ZF
fully automatic transmission is used in
many civrlian cars.
The layout ol lhe vehrcle is conven
The New Generation of Fighting Vehicles
armament is a 20-rrr.:-::.::. ::' r=:l-
ing wrLh hghtly "rn:;l=j -..!;"':
whrle mou,rted or. ::e ::r:_r.-,*,i+ls
cupola is a 7.e2-mm r,-:a--:._t_+-l jt.
which can be aLmed and ired lrom
a within the saJety cf the tank.
The integrated fire-control sysiem
includes a laser rangeflnder and low-
light-level TV wrth screens at both the
commander's and gt:nner's posirions.
The commander also has a roof-
mounted SFIM stabrhzed sight, which
enables hrm to aim and fire the main
armament,
Specification
AI\D(-40
Crew:4
Weights: empty 4lOOO kq (90,388 lb); herghroverail 3 0B m(lO ft 1.3 in) Although heavier than the AM X- 30,
loaded 43000 kq (9a,798 lb) Performance: maximum road speed the AMX-40 is still a very agile MBT
Powerplant: one Poyaud 2-cylinder
1 TAknt/h(44 mph); range 600 km (323 thanks to its Poyaud diesel engine,
diesel developing 1, 100 hp (820 kW) m'les;;lordrng t.30 m(4 ft3 rnJ which gives a power-to-weightrctio
Dimensions: length, gmn forward verlrcaiobstacle I m (6 fl 7 tn): trench of I 8.6 kW per tonne. Its automatic
10,04 m (32 ft I 1.3 in) and hull 6.80 m 3 20 m I 1O tt 6 in;: graoienr TOpercenl; transmission reduces driver fatigue.
(22ft3.7 in); width3 36 m (11 ft 0 3 in); side slope 30 per cent
The Panhard light armoured vehicle
is designed as a reconnaissance
scout car and anti-tank guided
weapons platform carrying M ilan
mt'ssiJes. /lrsfully amphibious and is
fitted with an NBC system and
combattyres.
tronal with the enqine and transmrs-
sion at the front, the driver and com-
mander in the centre, and space for a
third man weapons or other special-
ized equipment tn the rear. Bulletproof
wrndows (providing the same degree
of protection as the hull) are provrded
for all crew meml-rers and standard
equipment on French army vehicles
will include an NBC system, heater
and communicatrons equrpment. The
combat tyres allow the VBL to travel a
distance of 50 km (31 mph) at a speed
of 30km/h (l9mph) after they have Panhard is already proposinq a The Panhard VBL has a propeller at
been damagoi by enemy nre. wide range of varrants of the VBL in the rear of the hull and needs little
The vehicie is fully amphibious with cludrng a police/internal security ver- preparation to enter the water. Many
very little preparation, and is moved in sron. a ba'tlefieid model carry.ng va- proven commef cial automative parts
the water by a propeller at the rear of rious surveillance or air-defence are usedin the VBL, including the
the hull. radars, and an AA vehicle armed with engine from the Peugeot 505 civilian
The anti-tank model has a three-man surface-to-air mpsiles. car.
crew and rs armed with a Milan anti-
tank guided missile launcher with sx Specification
missiles and a 7,62-mm (0.3-in) VBt Dimensions: lenqrth3,82 m (12 ft6.4 in);
machine-gun with 3,000 rounds of Crew: 2 or 3 width2.02 m(6 ft7,5 rn); heightwithout
ammunition. The scout model normally Weights: empty 2850 kg (6,283 1b), weapons 1,70 m (5 ft 6 9 in)
has addLt-onal commLnrcar ions equ'p Ioaded 3550 ks (7,826 lb) Performance: maximum road speed
ment, a two-man crew and armament Powerplant: one Peugeot XD 3T 4, 100 km/h (62 mph); ranse 1000 km (621
comprising a 7 62 mm or 12.7-mm (0 5- cylinder turbochargred diesel miles); fording amphibious; gradrent
in) machine-gun. developing 105 hp (78 kW) 5O per cent; side slope 30 per cent
2833
fl iint
"ra
Sagaie 2 armoured car
In 1977 Panhard unverled its prrvate-
venture ranqe of 6 x 6 armoured vehr
cles, which included a family of
armoured cars and a complete family
of armoured personnel carrters all us-
ing identic.ql automotive components
with obvious trainrng, logistical and
cosr advantages ro lhe lser
The armoured car family was com-
monly known as the Engin de Recon-
narssance Cannon (ERC) and included
the ERC 90 F4 Sagaie 1, ERC 90 Fl
Lyrx, ERC 60/20 Serval, ERC 20 Krlss,
and ERC 60/12 Mangouste, These
were originally developed speciflcally
for the export market, but the Sagaie 1
was subsequently adopted by the
French army
The Sagaie I is fltted with a two-man
GIAT turet armed with a 9O-mm (3,54-
in) gmn frring a range of ammunition
including APFSDS (Armour-Pierctng
Fin-Stabilized Discardinq-Sabot).
in l9BS Panhard announced that it
had developed the Saqaie 2 armoured
car and that one overseas country had
already piaced an order for the vehi-
cle The Sagare 2 has a slightly longter
and wider hull, and instead of the 90- The Saqaie 1 and 2 have full 6x6 Panhard's private venture range of 6x6 armoured cars has attracted a
mm GIAT TS-90 turret it is fitted with drive with powered steering on the number ofexport orders as well as interest from the French army. The ERC 90
the SMM TTB-1900 turret, which has front road wheels only. An unusual fea- ftas seen actjon in Chad's interminable civilwar, and now equips part of the
the same gnrn as the TS-90 turret, The ture is that when travelitngT on roads French rapid deployment force.
SAMM turret has much improved the centre wheels can be rarsed clear
armour protection, however, and is of the eround, so reducing resrstance
available with a wide range of turet and saving wear on the tyres The
controls, fire-control systems and wheels are normally Iowered for
optical devices TVro types of ammuni- cross-country use,
tion stowage are available, one having As with most armoured vehicles to-
35 rounds of 90 mm ammunition of day a wide range of optional equiP-
which 13 are ready for immediate use, ment can be installed, including a NBC
and the other 32 rounds ofwhtch l0 are system, a heater or air conditiontng
for ready use. system, night vrsion equipment for the
The original Panhard Sagare I was commander, gunner and driver, and a
powered by a single Peugeot V 6 pet- land navlqatron system.
ro1 engine developinq 155 hp
(116 kW), but the Saqaie 2 is powered Specification
by two Peuqeot XD 3T 4-cylinder tur- Crew:3
bocharqed diesels which deveiop a Weights:loaded 10000 kq (22,046 ]b)
'otalof t96 hp (146 kW); these engines Powerplant:two Peugeot XD 3T 4 2.30 m (7 ft 6.6 rn) The S agaie 2 was unveiled in I 9 I 5
are also used in the Panhard VBL 4x4 cylinder diesels developing a total of Performance: maximum road speed and has been ordered by an as yet
light armoured vehicle, As an alterna- 196 hp ( 146 kW), or two Peuqeot 6- 100 km/h (62 mph); maximum road undisclosed country. I t has a new
tive.the Sagaie 2 can be powered by cylinder petrol engines developing a range 600 km (373 km); fordrng 1.2 m turret and better armour protection,
two V-6 petrol enqines developing a totalof 290 hp(216 kW) (3 ft I I in); vertical obstacle 0.8 m (2 ft and is offered with a wide range of
total of 290 hp (216 kW) which qives an Dimensions: length, gun forward 7,5 in); trench0,B m(2 ft7.5 in); fire control systems and optical
exceptionally high power-to-werght 7.97 m(26 ft LB 1n) and hu1l 5.57 m (19 ft grradient 50 per cent; srde slope 30 per devices-
tal;o. 3.3 in); width 2.70 m (B ft i0,3 in); heiqht cent

G w#:;i air-portable armoured vehicle

Today the West German armY has one
three-brigade airborne dlvision, and
this uses the Faun Kraka 4x2 light
cross-country vehicle for a wide range
of roles including the carriage of TOW
and Milan anti-tank gnrided weapons
Many years ago the West German
army issued a requirement for a new
light armoured tracked vehicle for use
by the arrborne brigades, and Porsche
was subsequently awarded a develop-
ment contract. After prototypes had
been built and tested, the whole pro-
ject was shelved as the West German
mimstry of defence found that it could
not fund all of lts projects.
More recently thrs Wiesel has been
tested by the US ArmY, while in 1984

T he W ies el w ill pr ovid e W e s t

German paratroops with the sort of
mobilefiresupport the ASU light
tanks provide for the Soviet airborne
forces.Twomodels are planned: one
with a20-mm canon, seen here, and
another mounting TOW anti-tank
guidedmissiles.

2834
Wiesel air-portable armowed vehicle (continued)
:he West German army annourceci
that it was to fund flnal development of
the Wiesel air-portable armoured
vehicle and to purchase 312 produc-
tion variants with flrst deliveries due rn
1989.
TWo basic models of the Wiesel are
to be produced, one armed with a complete rear of the vehicle clear for a
Hughes TOW anti-tank quided missile
and the other with a 20-mm cannon.
The frrst of these has a three-man
crew and is armed wrth a Huqhes
TOW anti-tank qrurded missile laun-
cher on an elevating pedestal which
can be traversed 45" to each side ofthe
centreline, and elevated and depress-
ed l0', Seven TOW missiles are car-
ried, ofwhich hvo are for ready use. In
action, as soon as it has launched two
missiles, the vehicle chanqes its firing
positron (to avoid beinq detected by
the enemy) and loads another pair of
TOWs,
The second model is armed with a
Rheinmetall 20-mm dual-feed cannon
in a turret which can be traversed I 10"
left and right while the cannon has an
elevation of +45" and a depression of
- l0'. Some 400 rounds of 20-mm
ammunition are carried, of which 160
rounds are for ready use and the re-
mainder in reserve. This version has a
two-man crew
E iffrnr Abrams main battle tank
The frrst Ml Abrams MBT came off the
production line at the Lima Army Tank
Plant in February 1980, the initial vehi-
cles from the Detroit Arsenal Tank
Plant followinq two years later. The
basic Mi is armed wrth a standard lO5-
mm (4. 13-in) M6B rifled tank gun of the
type also installed in the M4BA5 and
M60/M60A]/M60A3 MBTs, The MOB is
essentially the British LZ gun, de-
veloped in the 1950s but fitted with an
US breech mechanism,
Some years ago the USA decided to
adopt the West German Rheinmetall
120-mm (4,72-tn) smoothbore gun
already selected for the Leopard 2
MBT for an rrhproved version of the
M1, which was given the development
designation M IE I After the usual trials
and modifications this vehicle was
accepted ior service as the MlAl
Abrams, the first two production vehi-
cles being completed Auwst 1985,
Other armament is a 12,7-mm (0.S-in)
commander's machine-gnrn and a 7,62-
mm (0,3-in) loader's machrne-enrn.
The 120-mm Rheinmetall gnrn is burlt
urider licence in the USA under the
designation M256, with Honel'wel1 re-
sponsible for the complete ranqe of
ammumtion toqether with its combusti-
ble cartridqe case, In addition to the
making of the West German APFSDS-
T (Armour-Piercrnq Fin-Stabilized
Drscarding-Sabot - Tracer) and
HEAT-MP-T (High Explosive Anti-
Tank Multi-Purpose Tracer), Hon-
eywell has also developed new types
with much improved armour-penetra
tion characteristics,
In addition to the 120-mm gn-rn the
MlAl nas a number oloLher improve-
ments rncluding increased armour
protection and an inteqrated NBC sys-
tem which not only provides the four
man crew with conditroned air for
breathinq but also supphed coolinq or
heating as long as the crew are wear
ing their protectlve sults and masks,
At one time both the Detroit Arsenal
The New Generation of Fighting Vehicles
T:r: :ril .i ihe Wlesel ts of all-
r.,'eldec s1eel armour construciion pro-
r,rdrng protection irom small arms fire
and shell sphnters. The enqrne rs at the
foont left and coupled to a fi:1ly automa-
trc transmission. The driver is seated at
the front on the right, so leaving the
weapons station,
As the Wiesel has been desigmed
for arr transport it is very compact and
difficult to detect on the battlefield. A
Sikorsky CH-53 helicopter, as used by
West Germany, can carry two Wiesel
vehicles, whlle a Lockheed C-130 Her-
cules transport aircraft can carry three
internally and the Transall C,160 four,
The manufacturer has sugqested
that the Wiesel could be adopted for a
wide range of other missions, all usingt
the same basic chassis or a slightly
Ionger chassis with an additional road Specification Two Wiesels can be carried by a
wheel on each side, These variants in- Wiesel (with TOWlauncher) Sikorsky CH-53 helicopter and four
clude an anti-tank model with a turret Crew:3 by a Transall C- I 60 transport
for HOT missiles in the ready-to- Weights: empty 2030 kg (4,475 lb); aircraft. Thevehicle may be used for
launch position, an antr-aircraft model loaded 2750 kq (6,063 Ib) avariety of other roles including
with Stinger surfaceto-air misstles, a Powerplant: one 5-cylinder mobile SAM system, APC and
recovery vehicle, an ambulance, a re- turbocharged diesel developing B6 hp commandvehicle.
connalssance vehicle, a command and (64 kW)
control vehicle, a battiefleld surveill- Dimensions: lenqth 3 265 m ( 10 it B0 ha/h (50 mph); range 200 km (124
ance model and an atmouted person- 8.5 in); width 1,82 m (5 ft 11.7 in); height miles); vertrcalobstacle 0.4 m (1 ft
nel carrier, to name bu a lew 1,875 m(6 ft LB in) 4 in); trench 1.2 m (3 ft I L in); gradient
Performance: maximum road speed 60 per cent; side slope 30 per cent
InAugust 1985 thefirstMlAl was
completed, andhas now replaced
the M I in production. Armour
prctection has been increased and
an integr ate d N BC sy s tem fitte d.
Tank Plant and the Lima Army Tank
Plant were producrng both the Mi and
MlAl but from early 1986 only the
MlAl was in production At present
there are no plans for the 105-mm
armed Ml to be upgrunned with the
120-mm gnrn.
As lne Ml/MIAI will remain in ser-
vice until the 2lst century many other
rmprovements are already under de-
velopment, including a new and safer
Iaser rangeflnder an rmproved com-
mander's weapon station with panor-
amic srght, and a raprd refulling capa-
bility.
The Ml Abrams has already been
evaluated by Saudi Arabia and
Switzerland, but so far no export
orders have been placed.
At present there are no variants of The production M lAl s carry the same Rheinmetall I20-mm smooth-bore gun
the M1/M1A, although under develop- as theLeopard 2;it has acombustible case and fires APFSDS ammunition.The
ment by BMY is the Heavy Assault MiAl will be the MBT of the US Army untilwell into the 2lst century.
Bridqe which uses a Ml chassrs It is
probable that an armoured recovery Specification 0 in) with 3 658 m (12 ft 0 Ln)r heisht
vehicle wrll be developed on the Ml MlAI overall 2 896 m (9 ft 6 in)
chassis as the current MBBA] is not Crew: 4 Performance: maximum road speed
powerful enough io handle the MlAl Weight: loaded 57154 kg (126 000 1b) 67 km/h (41.6 mph); range, road
Underqornq trials rs the Tank Test Powerplant: one Avco Lycoming AGT 465 km (2BB miles); fordins 1.2 19 m (4 lt
Bed which is a Ml chassis wrth an ex- 1500 gas turbine developing 1 500 hp 0 rr;: r,-rtrcal obstac'e' 066 m rJ ft
ternally-mounted 120-mm gun, the (1118 kw) 6 rn); trench 2.743 m (9 ft 0 rn); qradient
three-man crew beingr safely seated Dimensions: iength gnrn forward 6O per cent; side slope 30 per cent
within the hull 9. 83 m (32 ft 3 in) and hull 7.925 m (26 ft
2835
The Fulure of the Tank
The latest generation of main battle tanks is more powerful than ever befare,
protected by new types of armour and yet, fitted with a new generation of
powerplant, more agile than their predecessors. Increasing use of computerization
and automated equipment enables them to remain the most important weapon on
the battlefield despite thevast range of anti-tankweapons now available.

With one or tvro exceptions, the basic design of
the tank has remained virtually unchanged
since the l920sr lhe driver at front, lhe turret in
centre, and the engine and transmission at
Srnce World War II there have been many
protolypes ofnew concepts in tank desrgn, but
-rnril ta,r17 recently rhe only one Lo enter pro-
duction was ihe Swedish Bolors S tank, This
has a three-man crew and rs armed with a the crew then had to dismount and reload the
105-mm (4 13-in) gun led by an automatic load-
er holding a mixture of 50 rounds of ammuni-
tion. This makes possible a rate of flre of 15
rounds per mrnute until the ammunttion supply
has been exhausted The empty cartridge
cases are ejected out of a trap door in the rear
of the hull
In the S-tank, the gun is aimed by the driver
traversing tank on its tracks to lay onto the
target rn azimuth and rarsing and lo-"vering the
hydropneumatic suspension to lay in elevatron.
Although the S-tank has been evaluated by a
number of other countries, including the UK
and USA, the only customer was the Su,'edtsh
army, which has just over 300 in service, The
S-tank does, however suffer from a number of
hmrtations: for example, it has to stop and lay
onto the target before opening fire.
Most light tanks and armoured cars in ser-
vice today have a two-man turret with the com
mander on one srde and lhe gunner on the
other, in action the commander acting as ioad
er as well as commanding the vehicle and look-
ing alter the communications equipment.
Shortly after the end of World War II France
rntroluc^d rhe AMX .3 hghr rank whrch had
an unusual osciliating turret armed wrth a 75-
mm (2.95-in) gun fed by two revolver type
maQtazrnes each holdrng six rounds, Once a
round hacl been flred the empty cartrrdge case
was ejected out of a door in the bustle rear and
another round was loaded automatically, This
enabled 12 rounds to be fired very qurckly, but
two magazines via hatches in the roof, The US
Army also experimented with oscillating tur-
rets on heavier tanks but none ofthese entered
productron.
Three-mancrew
The first country to field a turreted MBT with
a three-man crew was the USSR wrth its T-64,
whrch entered production in 1967. The T-64
continued in production until 19Bl but was not
exported outside of the Warsaw Pact and is
beheved to have had many shortcomings,
especially with its automatic loader. This is re- The I sraelis are lie mosf .succes sfu I pr actitioner s
ported often to have put one ofthe turret crew of armoured warfare sinceWorldWar II, and it is
rather than ammunition tnto the breech of the significant that their only indigenous tanj< desr'Ern is
gunl a ponderous, heavily-protected vehicle, the
Merkava.
The T 64 was followed 1n production by the
T 72 durinc 1971 and this, wtth some improve-
ments remains in production today, not only in
the USSR but also in Czechoslovakia, Poland, A Brazilian Osorio puts on a turn of speed during
Yugoslavia and more recently lndia, testing. The sheer complexity of the new
At present all Western N{BTs have a four- generation of MBTs has dramatically escalated
man crew, but the new French MBT wtll have a their cost and created a market for a /ess capable
three-man crew thanks to the use olan automa- but much more affordable type of tank.

.:a:t _..:.r. I -:r::-;r,: :: I :..:i:..,:.,-.r:.::r..,:,tl

': ..

* ,,,. diftd ;s.;::+;r'.'

4ry;d;ti*#,
: :.:::::;::::i..
, -,
] :. ..:::::::':.::: i:

334
 The New Generation of Fighting Vehicles

.tc loader, The installatron of an automatlc load-

er ofiers a number of advantages apart from
reducing the crew, includrng a hrgh rate ollire
especlally when moving across country,
There are three key areas of tank technolo,
W (armour, mooility and firFpower) and rhere
have been srgniflcant improvement in each of
these areas in recent years.
For many years al. ranks had sreel armour
which was well sloped on lhe lronr ior Ln-
creased prorecrion. Developmenls rr an i-tank
ammuniiion, especially the High Explosive
Antj tank tHtAf ' warheods nrred to antj-rank
gurded wedpons (such as the Sagger, Milan
and HOl ) and Armour Prerc-no Fin Srabrtized Typical of the latest generation of MBTs, the AMX- TheVickers Mk7 has successfully compteted
Drscarding Sabot (AP|SDS) arinuniL-on then 40 has been designed for the export market, while testing inEgypt.ltis fully air con&itioned and NBC
reached the point at which such rounds could the French army continues to use the outdated protected: standard equipment also jncludes an
penetrale the fronLa.l armour o{ -he heaviest AMX-30. Protected by laminate armour conferring automatic fire detection and suppression system.
good protection against HEAT warheads, it carries Its thermal sight has an alarm to alert the crew to
tanks in servrce.
an I20-mm smooth-bore gun. enemypresence.
The intLoducrion of Lhe Brrrish Chobham
armour, still one of the closest guarded military such as sensors to de ec' rncom.ing mrssiles controi system but also wrth a stabtlization sys,
secrels has meanl thar MBTs such as the Ml and activate counlermeasures, A,ready avarl tem thdt al-ows the Lank'o aim and fire -he gun
Abrams and Challenger are vrrlualty rnvllner- able are devices that will te1l a tank crew that rt accurately at moving targets whrle it also rs
able to pene'ral.on over their rronLal arc. rs.being ranged by enemy lasers, moving. Commanders and gunners can even
Chobham armour cannol ar present be firted The firepower of the tank comprises not only have stabrlized srghrs incorporaring a iaser
to exisr.ng ranks and has to be desiqned inro the gun and its ammunition but also its flre- rangefinder, In the future fire-control systems
'he vehrcie Bul several years ago Israel an- control system, For many years all tanks had will be able automatrcally to detect enemy
nounced that it had deveiooed reacttve armour rifled tank guns, but many of the more recent vehicles and to align the gun with the targei,
which coulo be hrted to any exrsltng tan< and tanks (for example the Leopard 2 MlA1 leaving rhe gunner merely lo open nre
provrde protec ion agajnst HIAT a-rack This Abrams, AMX-40, T-62 T-64 and T-72) have a The main drmamenL ol lanks wilI remain the
reaclrve d.rmour is called Blazer. and consists o1 smoothbore gun. There is a fierce debate as to gun, but there are already a number of new
small panels of explosive ha' are bohed cnlo which rs the better type, and there are good weapons on the horizon which could supple,
the rank, lor example over lhe lrontal arc. argumenrs for both. ment or replace the currenr types, these rn-
When one of the Blazer panels is hit it explodes Until the 1960s the marn tank-killing rounds cludrng liquid-propellant guns, eleciromagne-
ouLwards. so drss-paling rhe ma-n lorce o{ Lhe carried by tanks were Armour-Piercrng Dis- -ic guns and ollensive ]asers.
tncomrnc HIAT warhe"d. cardrng-Sabot (APDS), Hlgh Explosive Antr-
Theriare olher ways oi makinq the tank Tank and Fligh Explosive Sguash-Head Turret-mounted guns
more survivable on lhe battlefreld as well as (HESH) New types ofadvanced armour have With the exception of the S-tank, all current
improving armour protection, This includes the very much reduced rhe effectiveness ol these tanks have lurret mounled ouns. For some ttme
rnslailatron ol qrenade-launchers to the ironr 01 rounds, especrally HEAT and HESH, Most there have been a numbdr of triais vehicles
the turret whLh can fire smoke srenacles to tanks now fire Armour-Prercing Ftn-Srabilized frtted wlth an external gun fed by an automatic
confuse 'he enemy or lay a smoke screen lo Discarding-Sabot (APFSDS) rounds which loader, their crews being seated safely in the
a1low the tank to move back behind cover, havc a penetraloro1 very strong. heavy mela.l 1ow hull, The rnstallation of an external gun wlth
More recentiy decoy grenades have been de- such as depleted uranium, and thus greatly
veloped which can also be hred irom rhese increased armour penetrating characterlstics,
Iaunchers to decov eremv an --rank ouided Tank gunnery has made dramatic advances The tank destroyer concept has recently been
weapons. over the last few years with the laser rangefin- resurrected as various companies have designed
Iighttanks for the US light divisions. TheFMC
der replacing optical rangefinders and the CCY-Lweighs under 20 tonnes but carfies the
Diesel fuel smoke screen ranging machine-gun. Most modern tanks are same 105-mm gan as the M60 series MBTs (fitted
For many years Soviet armoured vehicles now fitted not only with a computerized fire- witha |ow recoil system).
have been able ro rnjecL dresel iuel into rheir
exhaust systems io lay a smokescreen, and a
number of Western countries (inciudrng the
USA) are instalhng similar systems rn therr
armoured vehicles (for example the US M60
series MBT and the Bradley IFV),
Careful stowage of fuel and ammunition can
also increase th6 survivability of a tank. In the
US Ml/MlA1 Abrams, for example, some of the
ready-use ammunition is stowed in the turret
bustle and separaied from the crew by slidrng
doors. If one cl lhese rounds explodes, the
main lorce ol the explosion is vented upwards
to the roof provrded 'haL rhe doors are shul. In
the rool are blowout panels which give way
under the force of the explosion,
For many years most tanks and armoured
frqhtinq vehicles have been filled wrth flre-
detection and flre-suppression systems ln the
engrne compartmen ll rhe engine catches fire
an alarm sounds and the flre is automatically
exttnguished This provision has now been ex
tended to the crew compartment, and the sys-
tem wrll detect (for example) a HEAT charge
as soon as it penetrates the armour of the tank
and then extinguish the flre in milliseconds,
In the future- tanks will have other aids to
increase iheir survivabrlity on the battlefield,

2837
The Future of the Tank

automatic loader and recent advances in eiec-

ironics wouid perhaps enable tanks with just
iwo men to be fielded, When used in a defen-
srve role, a tank wrth an external gun would be
very difficult to detect, let alone hit.
Once tanks could light onty in daylight, but
the introduction of infra-red night-vision equip-
ment, even with rts disadvantages, a1lows the
tank to move and fight at night, Infra-red equip-
menl is now givrng uray to image intensiflcation
and thermal imagers which are even more
effective, the latter allowing a tank gunner to
see through trees and smoke.
Heavymodels
Many of today's tanks are heavter than their
predecessors, for example, the Leopard 2
werqhs 55 tonnes compared with 40 tonnes ol
the original Leopard 1. Much of this weight
increase is additional armour, but at the same
trme much more powerful engrnes have been
rnstailed, Thus the Leopard 2 is not only faster
than the older Leopard I but also has a much
better power-to-weight ratio and is laster
across country, New advances in suspension
design, such as the hydro-pneumatic system
installed on the Challenger, permtt tanks to
move faster across country and also provide a
better ride for the crew and a more stable gun MliMlAl has a gas turbine. The }atter is much Stingray is a Z1-tonne light tankwhich uses the
plaLform. smaller than a diesel engine but uses more fuel suspension of the M 109 SP gun and carries the
Tank design is at the crossroads and future British 105-mm gun. The tank is only really
For many years tanks were powered by pet- protected trom small-arms fire, although reactive
ro1 engines, but these had very short operating tanks may well be quite different to the ones armour could be fitted to keep out HEAT
ranges and there was always the constant dan- we know today. There are stilt a few people projectiles.
ger ol fire, so most tanks today have the more who firmly believe that the tank is dead and
fuel-efftcient diesel engine and thus greater that lt cannot survive on the battleheld of the Marksman uses the same twin 35-mm cannon
operating ranQles, There are exceptions, future. But there is at present no substitute for syslem as used on the West German Gepard. It
however the S{ank has a diesel engine and a the tank, and it will remain the key to success in Carries 230 rounds of ready-use ammunition plus
gas turbine (the latter being engaged when the the land battle well into the next century, 20 APDS -T (Armour-Piercing Discarding-S abot -
tank is moving across couniry) whllst the US Tracer) to dealwith ground targets.

2838
ffi iior" Combat Vehicle - Lisrht
he Ordnance Divisron of the F\:3
Jorporation of San Jose, Cahforrua -s
.re largest manufacturer of trackec
','ehicles in the West, having producei
:ver 70,000 units in the Ml l3 senes c:
armoured personnel carriers and over
2,000 Bradley Infantry Fightrng Vehi-
:les, plus large numbers of armoured
amphibious tracked vehrcles, recon-
narssance vehrcles, M59s and
Armoured Infantry Fighting vehicles.
Several years ago the company real-
rzed that the US Army would require a
highly mobrle armoured vehicle
armed with a 105-mm (4.13-in) stan-
dard tank gun for use wrth its light divi-
sions, A decision was then taken to
desrqn and burid a prototype of the
Close Combat Vehicle - Liqht (CCV -
L) with company money,
The first prototype of the CCV L
was unveiled late in 1985 and attracted
a great deal of interest as its crew had
been reduced to just three men (com-
mander gunner and driver) by the in-
stallation of an automatic Ioader for the
marn armament.
The prototype cost $26 million to
buitd, of which around $14 million
came from FMC and the remainder
from the many subcontractors ln-
volved in the project,
To reduce development time and
cost, proven automotive components
have been used in the design of the
CCV - L: {or example. the engine uses
many parts ot rhe BV-92TA engine jn-
stalled in the Hearry Expanded Mobii-
ity Tactical Truck which has been in
sewice with the US Army for some
ffi Hiinqr"u lisht tank
Since the early 1960s the Cadillac
Gaqe Company has built over 3,500 of
its Commando range of 4x4 multr mis-
sion vehicles, most of which have been
exported. More recently the company
has developed and placed in produc-
tron the V-300 6xO and Commando
Scout 4x4 vehrcles, while the Com-
mando Ranger 4x4 iight armoured
personnel carrier has been built in
large numbers for the the US Air Force
base-production role.
Some years ago Cadillac Gaqe real-
rzed that there was a need for a light
tank wrth good cross-country mobility,
the combat-proved 105-mm (4, 13-in)
tank qnrn, and simplicrty of operation
and mainlenance. Wilh rhis require-
ment in mind the company designed
and built the Stingray [ght tank, whose
prototype was unveiled for the flrst
time late in 1984.
To reduce development and pro-
curement costs, proved and in pro-
duction automotive components have
been used wherever possibler for ex-
ample, the suspension rs the same as
that on the Ml09 self-propelled howit-
zer used by more than 20 coLntries.
The turret and hull are of all-welded
steel armour construction providtnet
complete protection from small arms
flre and shell splinters. If required,
additional armour can be added for
example of the reactive type which
provides protection aqainst HEAT pro-
jectiles
Marn armament comprises a British
Royal Ordnance NottrnQrham 105-mm
rifled tank gun which fires an identical
range of ammunition to that of the L7l
M6B gun used rn many MBTs (inciud-
rng the Leopard l, M4BA5, M60, Ml,
The three-manCCV-L has been built
byFMC's ordnance division as a
privateventure intended for the US
Army's light divisions. It carries a
modified version of the I 05 -mm gun
carried by M48s, M60s and M I s but
has aWestGerman lowrecoil system
and an automatic loader.
years, the transmissron is from the
FMC-built Bradley IFV, and parts of
the suspensron are from the Ml13,{2
The main armament comp'ises a
105-mm M6BA1 qun of the type instal-
led in the M4BA5 M60/M60A1/M60A3
and Ml MBTs already in servrce with
the US Army, but in this application
fitted with a West German Rheinmetall
low recoil system The automatic load-
er for the main armament has been
designed by FMC Northern Ordnance
Divrsion, which has some 40 years of
experience rn desigming and buiiding
automatic loaders mainly for naval ap-
plications, The automatic loader
makes possible a rate of fire of 12
rounds per minute. Nineteen rounds
are carried in the automatic loader,
with a further 24 rounds carried else-
where in the hu]]
The Stingray light tank weighs little
over 17 tons, but has the firepower of
a main battle tank. Costs have been
minim i ze d by the us e of au tom otiv e
parts already in production; for
example,lhe suspension js fhe same
as that of the M109 SP gun.
Merkava and some models of the
Centurion) and includinq the recent
APFSDS-T (Armour-Piercing Fin-Sta-
bilized Discarding-Sabot - Tracer).
Mounted co-axral with the main
armament is a 7 62-mm (0.3-in)
machine-gnrn for the engagement of
soft targets such as trucks or infantry,
whrle a 7.62-mm or 12.7-mm (0.5-in)
machine-gun is mounted on the roof for
antr-arrcraft defence. Mounted on
each side of the turet is a bank of
electrically operated smoke-dischar-
gers.
The turret has power conttrols, and
the prototype Stingray has a Marconr
Command and Control System com-
putenzed digrtal Fire-Control System,
which gives a high first-round hit prob-
ability. As an option a stabrlization sys-
tem can be installed allowing the matn
armament to be laid and fired while
the Stingrray is movinq across country.
As with most armoured vehicles to-
day, a wrde range of optional equip-
ment is available to surt different user's
requirements for example a land
The turret traverse and weapon
elevation systems are based on those
installed rn the M]. The gnrnner has a
stabilized day/night sight with laser
rangefinder, while the commander has
periscopes for all-round observation
and an rndependent thermal viewer
which can be traversed through 360"
and has a day/night capability.
The US Army has a requrrement for
a vehicle it calls the Armoured Gun
System (AGS) and hoped to get some
funding for thrs rn the FYBT budqet, but
this has been disapproved. So far three
US companies have built vehicles
which could meet the AGS require-
ment: these are the FMC Close Com-
bat Vehicle Lrght, the Cadillac Gage
Stingray and the Teledyne Continental
Motors General Products Diviston
TCM 20
Right: Given the vulnerability of
many MBTs toHEATwarheads, the
Iight armour of Stingray is not
necessarily a great disadvantage. A
stabilization system can be fitted,
enabling the main armament to be
aimed and firedwhile thevehicle is
moving.
navigation system, a laser rangeflnder
an NBC system, and a flre detection
and suppression system.
So far the Stingray 1s still at the pro-
totype stage, but number ofcountnes
a Dimensions: ienqth, qun forward
are showLnq more than a pass n l !n
terest in this vehicle, whrch has the
mobility and flrepower of a MBT but ls
much cheaper.
Specification
Stingray
Crew: 4
Weights: empty 17237 kg
Specification
ccv-t
Crew: 3
Weights: empty 17509 kq (38,600 lb);
loaded 19414 ks(42 800 lb)
Powerplant: one Detroit Diesel Model
6V-92 TA 6-cyirnder diesel developing
552 hp (412 kW)
Dimensions: length, qtun forward
9 37 m (30 ft 9 in) and hull 6 2A mQj fI
4 in); width 2.69 m (B ft l0 in); heisht
2.36 m (7 ft 9 in)
Performance: maxrmum road speed
70 km/h (43.5 mph); range 483 km (300
miles); fording 1.32 m (4 ft 4 in);
vertical obstacle O.76 m (2 ft 6 in);
trench2 13 m(7 ft0 in); gradrent60per
cent, srde slope 40 per cent
Ioaded l9O5 I ks (42 000 lb)
Powerplant: one Detroit Diesel Model
8V-92 TA diesel developinq 535 hp
(399 kw)
9.35 m (30 ft B in) and hull 6.30 m (20 ft
B in); width 2 7L m (B ft 11 in); helght
overall 2.54 (B ft 4 in)
Performance: maxtmum road speed
69 kn/h (43 mph); ranqe 483 km (300
miles); fording 1.22 m (4 lt 0 in)
vertical obstacle 0,76 m (2 ft 6 in);
trench 1 69 m (5 ft Z in); gradient 60 per
cent: srde slope 30 per cent
2839
 EGYPT
Fahd armoured personnel carrier
For many years one of the standard
wheeled armoured personnel carriers
of the Egyptian army has been the
Walid, This 4 x 4 vehicle is essentially a
West German Magrirus Deutz truck
chassis fitted with an armoured body
desiqned and built in Egypt, In many
respects the Fahd fulflls a similar role
to that of the Soviet BTR-40 vehlcle
which has also been used by the Egryp-
tian army, The BTR-40 does however,
suffer the major drsadvantge in having
an open{opped troop compartment,
so making the troops vulnerable to
shell splinters.
The Fahd 4x4 armoured personnel
carrier has been desigmed and bullt by
the Kadar Factory for Developed In-
dustries in Heliopolis not only to meet
the demandinq requirements of the
Egyptian army but also for the export
market. The vehicle was first sho-wn in
public late in l9B4 and rs expected to
enter production in the very near fu-
ture,
The vehicle consists basrcally ofthe
proven Daimler-Benz LAP 1117/32
4x4 truck chassis fitted with a fully
armoured body that provides com-
plele protection against penetration
Irom 7.62-mmx54 armour-plerc]ng
projectiles and shell splinters.
The commander and driver are sea-
ted at the very front of the vehrcle, with
the troop compartment at the rear. The
l0 fully equipped infantrymen are sea-
ted down the centre of the vehicle, and
enter and leave via a rear hatch, of
which the upper part opens upwards
and the lower part folds down to pro-
vide a step.
In the sides and rear of the troop
compartment are firingT ports, each
ry T;b-** SPlzzself-propelled howitzer
Untrl the recent lntroduction of the US
M109A2 155-mm (6, I'in) self-prop-
elled howitzer, virtually all Egryptian
artrllery was towed, most of this having
been supplied by the USSR and in-
cludrnq larqe numbers of excellent
122-mm (4.8-in ) D-30s. whose ammuni
tion Egypt has been makinq for some
years, More recently Eqrypt has started
to produce the D-30 for both the home
and export markets.
The Egryptian army decided that it
wanted a self-propelled version of the
D-30 more advanced than the Syrian
version, which was essentially an old
T-34/85 tank with its turret replaced by
a D 30 flrrng over the rear engrne
deckingr; no protectlon is provided for
the gmn crew from small arms frre and
shell splinters,
In l9B4 itwas announced that BMY of
the USA and Royal Ordnance ofthe UK
had each been awarded contracts to
design and build a self-propelled ver-
sion of the D-30 which would eventual-
ly be made in Eqypt, The prototypes
made ther frrst official appearance at a
defence exhibition in Cairo late in
1984.
The BMY entry in thrs competition
conssts essentially of a Ml09 chassis
with a new fixed superstructure at the
rear: in the forward pafi of thrs ls the
D-30 howitzer which has an elevation
of +70' a depression of -5" and a
traverse of 30' left and right Some 85
rounds of 122-mm ammunitton are car-
ried, of which flve are normaliy HEAT
(Hiqh Explosive Anti-Tank) Mounted
on the roof is a 12.7-mm (0.5-in) M2 HB
2840
with a bulletproof vision block above it, including a front-mounted winch (used Soon to enter producton, the Fahd
allowing the infantrymen to flre their to recover other vehicles or rtself), APC is basedon aDaimler-Benz
weapons from within the vehrcle, night-vision equipment and an NBC truck cftassis a nd can carry I 0 fully-
The standard commercial Mer- pack, equipped troops. Firing ports in the
cedes-Benz six-cylinder diesel engine The basic vehicle rs at present un- sideand rear allow them tofire their
is coupled to a fully automatic gearbox armed, although awide rangre of arma- weapons from the vehicle.
and a two-speed transfer case, Steer- ment systems can be fltted including a
inq is power-assisted to reduce driver 7.62-mm (0,3-in) or 12.7-mm (0.S-in)
fattgnre, and standard equipment in- machine-q-rn, or a 20-mm cannon The Weights: empty 9 100 kg (20,026 lb);
cludes a tyre pressure-regulation sys- type can also operate in the antrtank loaded 10900 kq (24,030 lb)
tern that allows the driver to adjust the role with wire-guided anti-tank sys- Powerplant: one Mercedes-Benz OM-
pressure to suit the type of gnound tems such as the Euromrssrle Milan, 352 A 6-cylinder turbocharged diesel
beinq crossed, this being ofgreat use More specialized variants include a developing 168 hp (125 kW)
when the Fahd is crossing desed ter- command posl wilh exlensive com- Dimensions:length 6,00 m (19 ft 8.2 in);
rain, The wide low-pressure tyres are munications equipment, a recovery width 2,45 m (B ft 0.5 in); heisht 2. 10 m
of the run-flat type, and allow the vehr- vehicle, a reconnaissance vehicle, a (6 ft 10,7 in)
cle to travel for a distance of 50 km (31 multiple rocket - launcher, a forward Performance: maximum road speed
miles) at a speed of 30 krnih ( 18,6 mph) ambulance and a supply carner. 90 krdh (56 mph); maximumrange
if they are punctwed by small arms flre 800 km (497 miles); fording 0.7 m (2 ft
or shell fragments, Specification 4 in); verticalobstacle0.S m(1 ft4 in);
As usual, the Fahd can be fitted with Fahd trench 0.8 m (2 ft B rn); qradient 70 per
a wide range of optional equipment Crew:2+ 10 cent; side slope 30 per cent
machrne-qun, for which 500 rounds of Royal Ordnance Leeds expects that Ioaded 20000 ks (44,092 lb)
ammunition are carried. SP122 will be the flrst of a complete Powerplant: one Perkins TVB.540
Rather than use an exrstrng chassis family of hght tracked vehicles usrngr e ight-cylinder diesel developi ng
Royal Ordnance Leeds desiqned a the same basic chassis, the other vehi- 300 hp (224 kW)
new vehicle from scratch of all welded cles rncluding a command post with Dimensions: Ienqth 7.70 m (25 ft 3 in);
steel construction rather than alumr- exl ensive com m unications equipmenr. width 2,82 m (9 ft 3 in); height 2.69 m
nium as used in the BMY entry. The a recovery vehicle, an ambulance and (B ft 10 rn)
reason for thrs was that steel IS easler to an ammunition cafiier. Performance: maxrmum road speed
weld than aluminrum, and Egypt 55 km/h (34 mph); range 300 km ( 186
already has extensjve experrence in Specifi cation (provisional) miles); fording 1,0 m (3 ft 3 in); vertical
using this materiai in other armoured sP122 obstacle 0.75 m (2 ft 6 in); trench 2,2 m
vehicle progrrammes. Crew:5 (7 ft 3 in); gradient 60 per cent; srde
The layout of the Royal Ordnance Weights: empty 17500 kg (38,580 lb); slope 30 per cent
D-30 self-propell--d howitzer is similar
to the BMY type, but is much more
compact. The driver is at the front left
with engrne to his right and the gun
compartment at rear. Weapon eleva-
tion, depression and traverse are iden-
tical to the BMY vehicle, and B0 projec-
trles and charqes are carried. A i2,7-
mm M2 HB machrne-gun rs carried on
the roof for anti-aircraft defence.
Tne Perkins diesel engine rs cou-
pled to a fully automatic Self-Changing
Gears srx-speed transmission. Some
parts ofthe suspensron are also used in
the Royal Ordnance Nottinqham Com-
bat Enqdneer Tractor already in ser-
vlce wrth the Brrrish ano Indian armres.
Egy pt has bee n manufactur ing the
S oviet D-30 1 2 2 -mm gun for some
years, and invited RoyalOrdnance
and BMYinthe USA to produce a
s e lf- prope lle d version. R oy al
Ordnance have desigmed a
comp le te ly new cfi assr't which m ay
also be used for awhole family of
AITs.
Armed Forces of the World
Despite losing the 1982 Falklands war in a fairly
ignominious manner, the Argentine armed forces
are now stronger than ever and, more importantly,
have taken the lessons of poor leadership, lack of
training and bad tactics to heart by correcting them
in the most efficient manner available. The only
problem in doing this has stemmed from Argenti-
na's economic troubles, which have forced a curtail-
ment of pace in some areas. ln any future conflict
with the UK. however, it is certain that the three
services would make a markedly better showing
than they managed in 1982.
The Army
The 55,000-man army has been much reduced in
size but reorganized along more sensible lines to
cover the five military regions and garrison areas
into which Argentina is divided. Despite the political
settlement of the Beagle Channel dispute with
Chile, large elements of the army are still located in
the vicinity of the border. A total of four corps com-
mand the following units, many of which are at
cadre strength and would only be brought up to full
complement during wartime by mobilization of the
reserves:
two armoured cavalry brigades (each with two
armoured cavalry regiments, one tank regiment
and one artillery battalion),
three mechanized infantry brigades (each with three
mechanized infantry regiments, one armoured
cavalry squadron, one engineer battalion and one
artillery battalion),
two motorized infantry brigades (each with three
motorized infantry regiments, one armoured
cavalry squadron, one engineer battalion and one
artillery battalion),
two jungle brigades (each with three jungle light
infantry regiments. and one heavy mortar artillery
battalion),
one airborne brigade (of three airborne regiments
and one artillery battalion),
two mountain infantry brigades (each with three
mountain infantry regiments, one reconnaissance
company. one engineer battalion and one artillery
battalion),
three independent horse cavalry regiments,
one presidential guard tank regiment,
one independent mechanized infantry regiment,
one independent airborne infantry regiment,
four independent f ield artillery battalions,
f ive ai r-def ence arti llery battalions,
one independent engineer regiment,
f ive engineer construction battalions,
five logistic support battalions, and
one amphibious engineer battalion.
Practically all rhe mat1rieland weapon losses suf-
fered during the Falklands war have now been made
good from the indlgenous arms industry and foreign
sources. Argentina is militarily the most self-suf-
ficient of the Latin American states and is capable of
producing f airly sophisticated weaponry such as tac-
tical surface-to-surface missiles. Called the Condor,
the first version is a single-stage solid-propellant
weapon that can ca rry a 475-kg (1,041 -lb) payload to
a range of 75 km (46.6 miles) or a 350-kg (772-lb)
payload to a range of 150 km (93.2 miles). A two-
stage version with a range of 650 km (404 miles).
which is sufficient to hlt the Falklands from the
mainland, is under development. Most heavy
weapons such as MBTs. APCs and artlllery are pro-
duced under llcence from European manufacturers
(notably in France, ltaly and West Germany)
although several locally produced and designed
heavy artillery pieces are now in service. A f ull iist of
the equipment in service use is:
Armour: M4 Sherman Fireflyand TAM MBTs;
AMX-1 3FL-1 2 and M41 light tanks; AM L-90
armoured cars; and AMX-VCl, BDX, M3 halftrack,
l\41 13A1 , MOWAG Roland and WCP APCs;
Artillery: (towed) 1 05-mm (4.1 3-in) pack howitzer,
105-mm M 1 01 howitzer, 1 55-mm (6.1 -in) M53
gun, 155-mm M1 14 howitzer, 155-mm CITEFA
Model 77 howitzerand 155-mm CITEFA Model
B1 howitzer;
(self-propelled) 105-mm M7 SP howitzer, l55-mm
Mk 3 SP gun and 155-mm Palmaria/TAM SP gun;
(mortars) B1 -mm (3.2-in) Brandt and 1 20-mm (4.7-in)
Brandt;
(MRLs) 105-mm SLAM-Pampero and 127-mm (5-in)
SAPBA-I; and
(SSM)Condor l;
Anti-armourweapons: B9-mm (3.5-in) M65
rocket-launchers; 75-mm (2.95-in) M20, 90-mm
(3.54-in) M67 and 105-mm M968 recoilless rifles;
105-mm KUrassier SP tank destroyer; and SS.1 1,
Cobra, Mamba. Bantam and MathagoATGWs;
Anti-airweapons: (towed) 2O-mm Rh202, 3O-mm
HSSB'1 6 Hispano-Suiza, 35-mm GDF-002, 40-mm
Bofors L/60,40-mm Bofors L/70,40-mm Bofors
M1and90-mmM117;and
(SAMs) BIowpipe, SA-7'Grail', Tigercatand Roland;
and
Small arms: 9-mm Browning Hi-powerpistol; 9-
mm PA3-DM and 0.45-in M3A1 sub-machine
guns; 7.62-mm FN-FAL rifles; and 7.62-mm FN-
MAG and 12.7-mm (0.5-in) Browning machine-
guns.
The reserves total 200.000 in the National Guard
and 50,000 in the Territorial Guard. These and the
regulars are supported by the '1 2,000-man paramillt-
ary Gendarmeria Nacional, which is equipped with
Shorland armoured patrol cars, MOWAG Roland
and M113 APCs in addiiion to personal sidearms,
:!i9
'ffi-
Above: Conscripts after their surrender to the
British on the Falklands. Today's Argentine army is
very different from the badly-led force entrusted
with the islands' defence. Reorganized, and
slimmed down, itis now evenbetter equipped
than before thewar
lnfantry small arms and support systems such as
light mortars and rocket-launchers. There is also an
air division of the Gendarmeria which has 24 fixed-
wing and '1 0 rotary-wing aircraft of various types.
The army aviation command (Aviaci6n del Ejerci-
to) is divided into an aviation battalion of f ive detach-
ments and a support company. lt has a total of 70
fixed-wing aircraft (of which the most important are
the th ree Ae rita lia G.222s, Ihr ee D H C-6 Twi n Otters,
15 Cessna'lB2sand20Cessna U 17AlBs)andsome
100 odd helicopters including 1B Agusta A 109s, 1B
Bell UH-l Hs. 14 A6rospatiale SA330 Pumas and 24
SA332B Super Pumas.
The Navy
The 23,O0O-strong Argentine navy has been the
recipient of much modern equipment since the end
of the Falklands war. The f lagship remains the light
fleet carrler Veinticinco de Mayo,which now carries
an enhanced air group of 1 B Dassau lt-B reguet Super
Etendards, McDonnell Douglas A-4O Skyhawks and
Grumman S-2E Trackers together with four 46ro-
spatiale Alouette lll and Sikorsky SH-3D Sea King
helicopters. The engine problems which apparently
kept the Vetnticinco de Mayo from playing a. more
prominent part durlng the Falklands war have now
been cured.
The submarine squadron of two 'Type 209' class
units has also been reinforced by the first two of
eventually fou r 'TR 1 700' class boats which are more
suitable for long-range work including (it is thought)
the ability to operate as f ar north as Ascension lsland
or even, with suitable refuelling at sea during the
transit periods, around Gibraltar where much of the
original logistic supplying for the first units of the
Task Force was done.
The obsolete ex-American World War ll des-
troyers (although armed with Exocet SSMs) have
 Armed Forces of the World Arsentina m
been deleted. They have been replaced by four
MM.40 Exocet-armed 'Almirante Brown' class
West German-built 'MEKO 360' type destroyers.
The two British 'Type 42' air-defence Sea Dart-
equipped destroyers are still in service, but are be-
lieved to be available for sale as a result of obvious
spares problems. The shortfall in destroyer num-
bers has been made up by the acquisition of the f irst
four out of six 'Espora' class 'MEKO 140' type
MM 4O-armed frlgates being built in Argentina.
These join three French-built '469' class frigates
acquired in the late 1970s.
A force of seven patrol ships, most of which are
converted ocean-going American tugs, complete
the major surface ship listings. One of these is the
Comodoro Somellera reported sunk by Sea Skua
missile attack during the war, but actually undam-
aged. Fleet flagshipYeinticinco de Mayoft as undergone The submarine Sarta was m dockyard hands
The amphibious warfare fleet has been reduced improvements to cure her of the engine trouble throughout the Falklands war but her sister, the
to two relatively modern LSTs backed by four LCMs which plagued her ln recentyears. San Luis, carried out two unsuccessfuj a ttacks on
and at least 20 LCVPs. They are used by the elite the British.
'1
0,000-man marine corps, which is dlvrded into two According to type tney can carry Matra R.530, l\,4atra
fleet marine forces (of regimental and brigade size R.550 Magic, Shafrir or AIM-98 Sidewinder AAMs. Chinooks.
respectively) with an amphibious support force. The main ground-attack element is the air opera- Fixed-wing transport and liaison duties are the
There are also six marine security companres and a tions command of eight brigades. This has one light responsibility of six further squadrons fiying some
-10
special forces swimmer/commando group. The bomber squadron with six BAC Canberra B,Mk 62s, aircraft of 'l 2 different types, the most important
small arms and support weapons are similar to three attack squadrons with the 30 or so survivors of of which are three Boeing 707lKC-707 combined
those of the army, although the heavier equipment the 75 A-48/C Skyhawks delivered from the USA transport-tankers, eight Lockheed C-130E/H Her-
tends to be different. This lncludes Bantam ATGWS, (and now equipped with R.550 Magic AAMs and cules, two KC-130H tankers, 14 FIVA lA-50 Guarani
Panhard ERC-90 Lynx armoured cars, LVTP-7 Durandal anti-runway bombs), and four COIN squad- lls and '13 Rockwell Shrike Commanders. A recon-
amphibious APCs, MOWAG Roland and Panhard rons which have some 50 FIVA |A-5BA two- and naissance squadron f lles one Elint-equipped Boeing
VCR-TT 4x4 wheeled APCs. LARC-S amphibious lA-5BC single-seat Pucard aircraft. There are also 707 plus several camera-equipped variants of the
cargo carriers, 105-mm M101 howitzers, Tigercat two helicopter gunship units with 12 Hughes lA-50 and Learjet 35A. There is also an antarctic
and Blowpipe SAM systems, and 20-mm Rh202, 500Ms and six armed Bell UH-1 Hs. Helicopter trans- support unit which has two specially-equipped
30-mm Hispano-Suiza and 35-mm GDF-002 towed port and SAR duties are performed in the command fixed-wing transports plus a number of helicopters.
anti-aircraft guns. by three squadrons with some 33 aircraft, ncluding Airfield air-defence is handled by Israeli 20-mm twin
The Comando de Aviaci6n Naval Argentina eight Bell 2l2s, three UH-1 Ds, 12 Super Pumas, five and Swiss 35-mm GDF-002 AA guns coupled to Elta
(CANA) or naval air arm is 3,000 strong and is divided A6rospatiale Lamas and two Boeing-Vertol CH-47C and Super Fledermaus fire-control radars,
into six naval air wings. Of these the most irnportant
is the 3rdwhich controls the three attack squadrons
'14
of Super Etendards and 28 A-4O Skyhawks plus
the two ASW helicopter squadrons flying nine
Alouette llls, four Sea Kings, several SA330 Pumas
and a single Sikorsky S 61D for SAR work. Of the
others the 2nd has the main reconnaissance ele-
ment with one squadron of six maritime patrol and
one Elint Lockheed Electra airliner conversions and
the carrierbased squadron of six S-2E TrackerASW
patrol aircraft. ln the other wings there are three
further combat squadrons flying 11 EMBRAER
EMB-326G8s, six Aermacchi M.B.3268s, six Aer-
macchi M.B.339As and 'l 1 Beech T-34C-1 armed
trainers. The navy also has a training school, plus
one photo-reconnaissance, five general-purpose/
liaison, one antarctic and two transport squadrons
f lying some 28 assorted fixed-wing aircraft and heli-
copters.
The strike squadrons have been tralned specifical-
Above: Now adapted for inflight-refuelling to Below: Argentina ts llemosf self-sufficientof the
ly for anti-shipping tasks with the Super Etendards
incre ase their combat radius, D assault-B reguet Latin American nations, producing MBTs and
(equipped with AM.39 Exocets) and the A-4Q Sky-
Mirages make up just over half the strength of the APCs under licence, and her own surface-to-
hawks (eq ui pep d wilh 227 -kgl 500-l b Sna keye h g h-
i
Iour interceptor/fighter bomber squadrons of the surface missile. The FMA PucarA ground-attack
drag iron bombs and locally produced Marttn Pesca- Argentine air force. aircraft, seen here, has also been exported.
dor ASMs) Argentina is the third largest foreign
customer for the Exocet, having bought a total of
212 MM.3B, MM.4O and AM.39 rounds.

The Air Force

The 17,000-man Fuerza Aerea Argentina (FAA)
has rebuilt lts strength and now deploys 10 air bri-
gades, of which two belong to the air-defence com-
mand. This has four squadrons of intercepto,
fighter-bombers flying 14 Dassault-Breguet Mirage
lllEA single- and three Mirage lllB E/DA two-seaters,
19 Mirage lllCJ single- and three Mirage lllBJ two-
seaters, nine Mirage 5P single-seaters and up to 38
single-seat and four two-seat IAI Daggers. All the
Daggers and Mirages have now been equipped for
inflight-refuelling to increase their combat ranges.

iv