Pakistan Army Tests Several New Tank Models

Recently Pakistan Army tested Ukrainian T-84 Oplot M MBT. Sources said that military authority was quiet unsatisfied with performances of this tank in several weather & landscape condition of Pakistan. Last week the experimental sample has been sent back to Ukraine.

Military sources added that they're also testing new Chinese Type 99Z MBT & MBT-3000. When and in what number new MBTs will be acquired it wasn't clear yet.

Modernization of Al-Khalid Main Battle Tank (MBT)

Oleh Shevchenko, Chargé d'affaires Embassy of Ukraine has informed the media that Ukrainian companies will takepart in the modernization project of the Al-Khalid main battle tank (MBT) of the Pakistan Army.

Oleh Shevchenko said, "We will continue co-operation in developing technology for manufacturing military hardware, first of all in shape of Al-Khalid Project".

Upgraded Al Khalid MBT with combination of new armor and optional Explosives Reactive Armor (ERA) can withstand all known 120mm and 125mm rounds. Upgrade also includes improved transmission and electronic turret control for the Al Khalid Tanks. Tank also offers improved protection for the NBC (Nuclear, Biological & chemical) warfare.

Pakistani Al Khalid Tanks are equipped with Integrated Battle Management System (IBMS) and new active threat-protection system. Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) has also increased Al Khalid's weapon carrying capability and now it will be able to carry 49 125mm HEAT & APFSDS (Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot) and Naiza 125 mm DU rounds, 1,500 12.7mm and 7,100 7.62mm rounds.

The "Al-Khalid" MBT of Pakistan Army: A Formidable One

Al-Khalid is capable of targeting the enemy in the dark of night. It is the only tank that has the ability to auto-track the enemy's tanks. Only French tanks have this capability. It is also as powerful as the German tank Leopard in terms of movement. The Al-Khalid tank's performance is much better than the Russian T-90-S tank, since its designed extreme temperatures.

Features & Fire Power

Al-Khalid has been designed with a 125mm (48 caliber) smooth bore, auto-frettaged and chrome plated gun which can fire APFSDS, HEAT-FS and HE-FS conventional ammunition and missiles. It is equipped with muzzle reference system, and bi-axis stabilization. Elevation and azimuth control is achieved by electro-hydraulic power drives. The tank is also equipped with a 7.62 mm-coaxial MG, 12.7mm externally mounted MG that can be fired with the hatch closed and grenade launchers.

The gunner is provided with a dual magnification day sight and the commander with a panoramic Hunter Killer sight for all around independent surveillance. Both sights are bi-axis image stabilized and have independent laser range finders.

Multi-Target Engagement Abilities

The commander has the ability of acquiring a target independently while the gunner is engaging a previously selected one.

Rate Of Fire

The automatic ammunition handling system, with 24 round ready-to-fire magazine further supplements the Hunter-Killer capability of the tank which can load at a rate of 8 rounds a minute. The presence of automatic target tracking system enables the tank to achieve a very high first round hit probability even while firing on a moving target while moving itself.

Night Vision

Night vision for the gunner and commander is achieved through a dual magnification thermal imaging sight. The powerful fire control system computer processes all the firing information, which includes inputs from its ten sensors and is integrated to both sights.

Fire Control

The ballistic computation time is less than one second. For accurate fire control, third generation gating facility has been provided. The result of such a modern fire control system is, routine first round hits on standard (8 ft x 8 ft) targets at ranges in excess of 2000 meters.

The tank with its 125mm gun has a remarkably stable platform, which is provided by a combination of soft recoil and an excellent suspension.

Wrapped around the fire control system are the ergonomic crew positions and controls. The tank commander, gunner and driver can virtually reach all their controls with little movement.

Engine

A 1200 horsepower super charged, diesel engine and semi-automatic transmission, provides mobility. An under Armour auxiliary power supply unit provides a significant reduction in fuel consumption during 'Silent Watch' and maintenance operations, as auxiliary functions can be performed without main engine power. The highly reliable suspension consists of torsion bars, hydraulic dampers and buffers that afford a high level of comfort for its crew.

Combat Weight & Speed

Besides a low silhouette, it is considerably smaller as compared to other modern tanks. Its maximum weight of 46 tons provides a double advantage; it is strategically easily deployed and is more agile. Its power to weight ratio, in excess of 26 HP/ton, gives the vehicle a maximum speed of around 70 km/h, acceleration from 0~ 30 km/h in less than 10 seconds.

Its low mean maximum pressure and the excellent ride given by its suspension make Al-Khalid an ideal vehicle to fight in any theatre of operation.

Armour & Protection

Al-Khalid has been designed to provide maximum protection and efficiency for its 3 men crew. Protection is afforded by use of modular composite Armour and explosive reactive Armour. Al-Khalid also offers enhanced protection through NBC, an effective Thermal Smoke Generation, Automatic Fire Extinguishing and Explosion Suppression Systems.

Limited Under Water Capabilities

The submerging system allows it to operate 5 meters under water. Navigation is assisted by the use of Global Positioning and Inertial Navigation Systems.

US trying to punish Putin for what is happening in Crimea - former CIA analyst

The US is now trying to punish Putin for what is happening in Crimea, says Melvin Goodman, former CIA analyst and a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy in Washington DC and Adjunct Professor of International Security and Government at Johns Hopkins University. However, the situation is irreversible and Washington needs to change its approach to finding a solution to the crisis in the country to avoid its expansion. In his interview to the Voice of Russia Goodman said that there is a room for maneuver, although each side will need certain guarantees.

 

Photo: RIA Novosti

 

Goodman stressed that the US will have ultimately recognize Russia’s interests near its border.

He noted that the US has to emphasize that the current government is interim and there should be legitimate elections held.

Goodman also spoke about historical side of the Ukranian crisis, ways to solve it and its impact on the US-Russia relations pointing that the American-Russian relations have fallen to the lowest level since the end of the cold War and there will be a harsh set back.

Source: Voice of Russia

Russia-Ukraine Fire Power Comparison

Russia Conducts Live Fire Exercises in Baltic: Tension Rises Worldwide

(RIA Novosti) – Russian naval warships and coastal troops conducted live fire exercises Monday in the country’s western Kaliningrad and Leningrad Regions, a Ministry of Defense spokesperson said. 

 

Russia Conducts Live Fire Exercises in Baltic

The exercises, part of a combat readiness test ordered by President Vladimir Putin last week, come amid a growing international crisis as evidence mounts that Russian troops have been deployed across Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula.

Putin visited the Kirillovsky training ground near St. Petersburg Monday afternoon to personally oversee the final stage of the snap check involving an airdrop mission by paratroopers. But the mission had to be cancelled because of a blizzard. 

 

Sergei Shoigu, Vladimir Putin

A spokesman for the Western Military District, which borders Ukraine, said that a broad range of weapons systems, including ground troops, tanks, and naval artillery and air defense missiles, took part in the Baltic Fleet exercises.

The Baltic Fleet units engaged dummy air, sea and land targets simulating enemy forces, including tanks, aircraft and submarines.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu earlier said the snap inspections of more than 150,000 troops of western and northern military units were not connected with events in Ukraine. The drills were scheduled to end Monday.

Amid Escalation Fears, Russia Says Kiev Sent Fighters to Crimea

MOSCOW, March 1 – Armed men dispatched from Kiev to the southern Ukrainian region of Crimea attempted an overnight storm of the local Interior Ministry, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Saturday. 

 

Situation in Crimea

“As a result of this perfidious provocation several people were injured,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“This confirms that certain well-known political circles in Kiev are striving for the destabilization of the situation… we call on all those giving such orders from Kiev to show restraint.”

The allegation comes as international media report large scale Russian military movements in Crimea that have included tanks, helicopters and troops. In recent days heavily armed soldiers in unmarked uniforms have occupied the region’s parliament, airports and other strategic points across the peninsula. Reports from the regional capital of Simferopol on Saturday suggested that the military presence had been strengthened with the appearance of several manned machine gun positions around the parliament, which is flying the Russian flag after it was seized by unidentified gunmen earlier this week.

Ukrainian authorities have accused Russia of seeking to provoke a conflict. World leaders, including US President Barack Obama, have expressed their deep concern about the apparent Russian incursion into Crimea. Interim Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk said Saturday that Russia should immediately recall all its troops to the bases where they are normally located.

“If not, the responsibility for any armed confrontation provoked by the radicals being de facto supported by the Russian military will lie with the Russian leadership,” Yatsenyuk said.

Russia maintains that any military movements in Crimea are within the framework of a 1997 agreement regulating its use of Black Sea naval bases on the peninsula that it leases from Ukraine. Self-defense squads, which maintain that they will resist orders from Kiev, have been forming in the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine since the opposition swept to power in Kiev last weekend The Foreign Ministry said that the alleged assault on the Interior Ministry in Crimea on Saturday was fought off by some of these pro-Russian self defense squads. It did not specify which side suffered the casualties.

Ukraine Delivers Oplot Main Battle Tanks to Thailand

Oplot main battle tank of the Ukrainian Armed Forces

KIEV, February 5 (RIA Novosti) – Ukraine has delivered the first five main battle tanks to Thailand of a 2011 order worth over $200 million, a state-run arms exporter said Wednesday.

The shipment is part of an order of 49 Oplot-M tanks to be put in service with the Royal Thai Armed Forces in the near future.

The Ukrainian tanks arrived at the port of Sattahip on Tuesday and will undergo additional acceptance trials, Ukrspetsexport said in a statement.

The Oplot is armed with a 125-mm smoothbore gun, a 7.62-mm coaxial machine gun and a 12.7-mm anti-aircraft machine gun.

The main gun can fire a laser-guided missile against battle tanks, armored vehicles and hovering helicopters within a range of five kilometers (3.1 miles).

The tank’s protection system integrates both passive armor and explosive reactive armor.

Ukraine has recently become an active competitor on global arms markets thanks to a reputation for reliable weaponry, relatively low prices and extended post-sale and repair warranties.

According to data published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Ukraine exported major conventional arms worth $1.3 billion in 2012, making it the fourth largest arms exporter in the world that year.

Sales to Asian countries accounted for 47 percent of exports, while African countries and former Soviet states bought 23 percent and 21 percent respectively of Ukrainian arms, SIPRI reported.