International Defence Review. Tanked up: enhancing capability and extending life

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1 International Defence Review Tanked up: enhancing capability and extending life [Content preview Subscribe to Jane s International Defence Review for full article] Turkey may be the only NATO country building new MBTs, but most of the others are enhancing existing vehicles to extend their operational lives. Christopher F Foss reports on some key upgrade programmes around the world Shifting operational patterns and growing evidence that tank crews can no longer rely on threats coming mainly from their frontal arc has encouraged many users to explore upgrades to improve their capability for urban fighting and counter-insurgency roles. These upgrades in particular have tended to focus on extending protection around and beneath the vehicles, to defend against short-range and high-angle rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), anti-tank missiles, and the ubiquitous improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Among the Western operators leading the way with these upgrades are Canada and Denmark, which upgraded their main battle tanks (MBTs) for deployment to Afghanistan, and Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States for operations in Iraq. However, as always with armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) upgrades, adding protection skews the power-to-weight ratio and MBT upgrades usually also try to address mobility, with potential firepower enhancements also on the cards where financially and technically feasible. This protection can be bolstered with various combinations of advanced passive and explosive reactive armour (ERA) while hard kill defensive aids are becoming increasingly popular, as are electronic countermeasures (ECM) to protect against remotely detonated mines and IEDS. Mobility upgrades usually include the installation of new high-performance diesel powerpacks. Although this has not been deemed necessary for the Leopard 2 and M1A1/M1A2, as they already had a good power-to-weight ratio, the US Army is still flirting with the idea of swapping the Abrams' hot and thirsty gas turbine arrangement. Target engagement capabilities have also been enhanced in a number of areas through the wider fielding of the latest generation thermal imaging systems and laser rangefinders for the commander and gunner. Legacy electro-hydraulic gun control equipment (GCE) has also generally given way to all-electric GCE, and fire-control systems (FCS) are today all digital. Page 1 of 12

2 Firepower can also be enhanced with the installation of a larger calibre main armament or a longer barrel such as that fitted to the Leopard 2A6 and Leopard 2A7, which are now armed with the Rheinmetall 120 mm L/55 smoothbore gun. Leopard 2A7 series undergoing trials in Qatar and firing the Rheinmetall 120 mm L/55 smoothbore gun. (Krauss-Maffei Wegmann) Most MBT users, however, have improved their firepower by fielding new types of ammunition offering greater armour penetration characteristics, or optimisation for use in urban operations. Co-axial machine guns (MGs) remain standard fittings, but the vulnerability of heads out crew in built up areas means that unprotected roof-mounted 7.62 mm MGs have largely been replaced by either a protected weapon station (PWS) or remote weapon station (RWS) typically armed with a.50 calibre MG. Away from these areas, environmental factors have also driven upgrades. All in-service Western MBTs were developed for operations in Europe, but deployments that encountered the high ambient temperatures in the Middle East and Afghanistan have necessitated the installation of air conditioning to protect electronics and crew. As a result, some vehicles have been fitted with environmental control units combining air conditioning and nuclear, biological, radiological and Page 2 of 12

3 chemical protection. Several vehicle crews encountered attack from industrial contaminants in theatre. Chinese upgrades With such a large fleet of MBTs, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has always fielded a mixture of new and upgraded MBT's, and there are many continuously rolling upgrade projects. Chinese Type 59 upgraded to Type 59P standard with improvements including installation of 105 mm rifled gun and ERA over the frontal arc. (Poly Technologies) Going back to early days, the PLA's first generation Type 59 was based on the Russian T-54, upgraded with a new computerised FCS and a 105 mm rifled gun. Today, China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO) is offering upgrades for the Russian T-54/T- 55, T-62, and T-72, and the Chinese Type 59 and 69. These upgrades cover armour (passive or ERA types), mobility, and firepower. Page 3 of 12

4 The largest known customer for Chinese upgrades is Pakistan, which has had a phased programme including the upgrading of existing Type 59 and Type 69s, plus the production of new MBTs. The latter includes the Type 85 and Al Khalid, which both feature a 125 mm gun fed by an automatic loader enabling the crew to be reduced to commander, gunner, and driver. French Leclerc upgrade Nexter Systems built 406 Leclerc MBTs for the French Army and 436 Leclercs and variants for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Nexter Systems Leclerc of the UAE showing part of the AZUR urban operations kit which includes bar/slat armour over the rear arc. (Christopher F Foss) The turret for the Leclerc was built at the now defunct Tarbes with hull production and final assembly taking place at Roanne, which is today Nexter Systems' main integration facility for AFV and artillery systems. Roanne is currently overhauling Leclercs at a rate of about 10 vehicles a year. Under its latest restructuring, the French Army is reducing its Leclerc fleet to around 254 vehicles, with early production vehicles already being phased out of service. The final batch of 54 Leclercs were the Block II+, which included additional armour, a Sagem commander's sight incorporating day and thermal channels, and a laser rangefinder. Page 4 of 12

5 The two main rounds fired by the Nexter Systems 120 mm F1 smoothbore gun are predictably the company's fairly standard armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding-sabot (APFSDS) and highexplosive anti-tank (HEAT) types, with a semi-combustible cartridge case. The bustle-mounted automatic loader holds a total of 22 rounds of 120 mm barcoded ammunition. The French Army has now introduced into service the 120 mm F1 high-explosive (HE) fragmentation round, which has been developed by Nexter Munitions and NAMMO with 10,000 rounds delivered. This HE round has a nose-mounted fuze with two modes of operation - default impact and delay - a maximum stated range of 5,000 m and contains 3.2 kg of HE, plus 9.2 kg of fragmenting material. Nexter Systems developed the Action en Zone Urbaine (AZUR) urban operations kit, which has been tested by the French Army, but no orders have been placed. This kit includes additional passive armour over the frontal arc, bar/slat armour over the rear of the turret and hull, and enhanced protection against top attack weapons. Leopard 2 upgrades The first Leopard 2 MBT rolled off the production line in 1979 and the fleets around the world have undergone substantial upgrades since then. Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) built a total of 990 units for the German Army with another 810 built by MaK (now Rheinmetall). Canadian Leopard 2A4M CAN MBT upgraded for deployment to Afghanistan by KMW showing bar/slat armour over the rear arc. (Krauss-Maffei Wegmann) Page 5 of 12

6 There were a number of differences in the German Army Leopard 2s, the last batch being designated Leopard 2A4. Further development for the German Army resulted in the Leopard 2A5, which retained the standard Rheinmetall 120 mm L/44 smoothbore gun. This was followed by the Leopard 2A6, which featured the longer Rheinmetall 120 mm L/55 smoothbore gun. Both of these also had a number of other enhancements including a passive-armour package over the frontal arc, featuring a distinctive arrowhead array across the front of the turret. Denmark has taken into service the Leopard 2A5 DK, which despite the later designation is an upgrade of an older vehicle, while Sweden has the new-build Strv 122, which for a while was considered the best protected Leopard 2 variant. Both are armed with the standard 120 mm L/44 smoothbore gun. New-build Leopard 2A6s are in service with the Hellenic Army (Leopard 2A6 HEL) and the Spanish Army (Leopard 2E). The first vehicles were supplied from the KMW Munich production line before local production got underway. The latest 2A7 version has been developed by KMW in co-operation with the German Army, which is talking delivery of an initial batch of 20 converted vehicles. It leverages from all of the previous Leopard 2 development work, with inputs from the user community and the vehicles optimised for urban operations, or Peace Support Operation (PSO) as the type was also referred to. The Leopard 2A7+ has the Rheinmetall 120 mm L/55 smoothbore gun with a 7.62 mm co-axial MG. Mounted on the roof is the KMW FLW200 RWS, which is already in service with the German Army on a number of its armoured platforms. Rheinmetall enters the ring As previously stated, Rheinmetall built 810 Leopard 2 for the German Army plus some for export, bringing the total to 997. Page 6 of 12

7 The 'MBT Revolution' has been developed by Rheinmetall for export and has been upgraded in a number of areas. (Rheinmetall) However, as a private venture, Rheinmetall developed an upgrade package for the export market called 'MBT Revolution', which was first shown in mid Rheinmetall drew on it's experience in the production of earlier Leopard 2s, as well as supplying the 120 mm main armament, ammunition, and computerised FCS. The 'MBT Revolution' has a new passive armour package developed by IBD that provides an increase in protection through 360. Rheinmetall's ROSY grenade system has been fitted to the fully digitised upgraded turret, the number of boxes and cables have been reduced, and all crew members are provided with flat-panel displays. The old electro-hydraulic GCE has been replaced by a new all-electric system and cameras provide 360 situational awareness. The commander is provided with the Rheinmetall Stabilised Electro-Optical Sensor System (SEOSS), which enables target detection at extended ranges under almost all weather conditions. Other Page 7 of 12

8 features include an APU, climate control, tank infantry phone at the rear, and commander's brake in case the driver is injured. Ariete survivability enhancement The Italian Army took delivery of 200 Ariete MBTs between 1995 and 2002, which have replaced the phased-out Leopard 1s. No variants of the Ariete have been developed, so Italy's specialised ARV, AEV, and armoured vehicle launched bridges (AVLB) - based on the Leopard 1 components - remain in service. Prime contractor for the Ariete and other AFVs developed for the Italian Army is the Rome-based Consorzio Iveco Oto (CIO), with Oto Melara responsible for the tracked AFV and Iveco Defence Vehicles responsible for the wheeled AFV. Oto Melara is also responsible for all of the turrets and weapon systems for these vehicles, while Iveco Defence Vehicles is responsible for the automotive aspects including the Italian-developed diesel powerpacks. Oto Melara has supplied the Italian Army with 200 enhanced protection packages for the Ariete, plus another 30 enhanced protection packages for peace-support operations (not to be confused with the Leopard-based PSO). UralVagonZavod T-72 gets upgraded The Russian T-72 MBT has been built in larger numbers than any other MBT in the last 40 years. In addition to being manufactured in Russia the T-72M1 was also built in the former Czechoslovakia, Poland, and the former Yugoslavia, often in a modified form. As the T-72 OEM, UralVagonZavod has developed a number of upgrades with the latest version being officially called the T-72M1 Modernised, which also covers the three areas of armour, mobility and firepower. The existing 125 mm gun is replaced by the latest 125 mm 2A46M smoothbore gun manufactured by Artillery Plant No 9, which is claimed to be more accurate. It is also fitted with a thermal sleeve, fume extractor and a muzzle reference system, which enables the gunner to boresight the main armament without leaving the turret, and also provides greater accuracy. A new FCS includes the gunner's stabilised Sosna-U sight with day and thermal channels and a laser rangefinder. The gunner also has a TPD-1K sighting system. The automatic target tracker is used together with the thermal channel of the Sosna-U with the FCS being in the main mode. The commander has a day/night sight stabilised in elevation and can now aim and fire his roof-mounted Page 8 of 12

9 12.7 mm MG from under armour protection, and the commander and gunner both have a video viewing device. The 125 mm 2A46 smoothbore gun can also fire a laser-guided projectile out to a maximum range of 5,000 m, even on the move. Those engagements can be carried out by the commander or gunner and, according to UralVagonZavod, have a time-of-flight to that maximum range of 17.6 seconds. The baseline T-72M1 MBT already boasts 'advanced' armour, but the survivability of the T-72M1 Modernised variant adds the latest Relikt-5 ERA, which provides a high level of protection against both kinetic energy (KE) and chemical energy (CE) threats, especially over the frontal arc. The vehicle is also fitted with an electromagnetic system, claimed to protect against anti-tank mines fitted with magnetic fuzes, while a screening system has been fitted to provide immediate warning to the crew that they are being targeted by a laser in the 0.65 to 1.54 m and 371 m range. The system can then jam anti-tank systems with semi-automatic guidance. Integral 81 mm grenade launchers can launch 3D17 or 3D6 grenades. Challenger 2 Life Extension Programme The British Army and the Royal Army of Oman are the only operators of Challenger 2; the Omani vehicles are specially optimised for high ambient temperatures in the Middle East. As a result of restructuring, the British Army is winnowing its forces down to three tank regiments, each with a wartime establishment of 58 Challenger 2s. The total British Army Challenger 2 fleet is expected to be around 227 vehicles (the total delivery was 386 vehicles), including those being used for training and those undergoing maintenance. The remainder are understood to be earmarked for spares and cannibalisation, rather than export sales disposal. The Challenger 2 is armed with a 120 mm L30A1 rifled tank gun, which fires separate loading ammunition (projectile and charge). Under the 120 mm smoothbore Technical Demonstrator Programme (TDP) contract awarded to BAE Systems, a Challenger 2 was fitted with a Rheinmetall 120 mm L/55 smoothbore gun for a series of trials completed in the United Kingdom in It was then expected that Challenger 2 would be put through a Challenger Capability Sustainment Programme (CCSP), which could have included a number of enhancements such as the replacement of the L30A1 with the 120 mm L/55 gun, to exploit the wider range of more advanced ammunition types for smoothbore weapons. However, the CCSP dissolved and the remaining Challenger 2s will instead be put through a Life Extension Programme (LEP) to keep them in service out to Its exact scope is unclear, but it is likely to concentrate on replacing obsolete subsystems rather than include any major work, with a potential cost of around GBP500 million (USD812 million). Page 9 of 12

10 Part of the British Army Challenger 2 fleet is to be put through a Life Extension Programme which is expected to concentrate on sub-systems. (IHS/Patrick Allen) Challenger 2 was originally designed by Vickers Defence Systems with production undertaken at facilities in Leeds (now closed) and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which will close in early BAE Systems is now the design authority for Challenger 2, as well as the Challenger Armoured Repair and Recovery Vehicle (ARRV), TITAN AVLB and TROJAN breacher, which all share automotive subsystems. All overhaul work on Challenger 2 has been carried out at the Defence Support Group's (DSG's) facilities at Bovington. M1 Abrams upgrades The General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) M1 Abrams has received constant upgrades since the first vehicles rolled off the production line in 1980 armed with the 105 mm M68 series rifled gun (which was also installed in the older M60). The M1 was followed by the M1A1 and the M1A2, both armed with the 120 mm M256 smoothbore gun developed from Rheinmetall's L/44. All of the original M1 Abrams have been phased out of service, however later vehicles still remain in service with Australia (M1A1 AIM), Egypt (M1A1 co-production), Iraq (M1A1), Kuwait (M1A2), and Saudi Arabia (M1A2), as well as the United States (M1A1/M1A2 army and M1A1 marines). Page 10 of 12

11 Key elements of the M1A2 SEP v1 and SEP v2 upgrades. (General Dynamics Land Systems) For operations in Iraq, Abrams were fitted with the Tank Urban Survival Kit (TUSK) - developed under the leadership of GDLS - which included enhanced situational awareness and improved protection. Production of the M1A1/M1A2 has ended, but the US Army has continuously upgraded a major part of its fleet under a System Enhancement Package (SEP) programme, resulting in the M1A2 SEP v1 and SEP v2. The main objective of the project is to add capability and replace obsolete and insupportable subsystems, without touching the main armament and powerpack. This work is carried out by GDLS at its Lima, Ohio facility in conjunction with Anniston Army Depot. As of late 2013, about 1,600 Abrams had been upgraded to the M1A2 SEP v2 standard, from a total fleet of nearly 2,400 MBTs. M60A1/M60A3 upgrades The M60 MBT was originally manufactured by the Chrysler Corporation, which was subsequently sold to GDLS. In US Army service the M60 was replaced by the GDLS Abrams, but significant numbers of M60 series MBTs armed with the 105 mm M68-series rifled tank gun still remain in some parts of the world. Page 11 of 12

12 Israel Military Industries developed the Sabra M60 MBT upgrade package for the export market drawing on experience upgrading MBTs for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). Sabra is a modular MBT upgrade that can be tailored to the end users' operational requirements. Meanwhile, the Turkish Land Forces Command (TLFC) has taken delivery of 170 M60A3 MBTs under the local name M60T. The first prototype was upgraded in Israel with the main batch being worked on at the TLFC facilities in Kayserie, where earlier M48 MBTs were upgraded. This M60T upgrade includes swapping the legacy 105 mm gun for a 120 mm smoothbore gun. A computerised FCS enables stationary and moving targets to be engaged under almost all weather conditions with increased first round hit probability. Survivability has been enhanced with new passive and ERA armour. A new 1,000 hp MTU diesel powerpack was coupled to a Renk transmission, and the suspension was upgraded to take into account the increased weight. Copyright IHS Global Limited, 2014 For the full version and more content: Jane's Defence Equipment and Technology Intelligence Centre Jane's Defence Equipment & Technology Intelligence Centre delivers the world's most comprehensive and reliable commercially available global defense equipment and technology profiles and specifications, as well as world-leading defense industry news and analysis. SUBSCRIBE TO JANE S DEFENCE EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY INTELLIGENCE CENTRE FOR ACCESS TO THE LATEST NEWS, ANALYSIS AND DATA For advertising solutions contact the IHS Jane s Advertising team Page 12 of 12