internationale ontwikkelingen MBT , niet Leopard 3 zijnde

[Huzaar1]

Ja dat is dan ook logisch, dat is een compleet nieuw  met een geheel nieuwe toren. dan kan je in de ontwerp fase nog makkelijk dit soort systemen integreren. Met de abrams is dat anders. Integratie is dan lastig of je moet je ook kiezen voor een complete nieuwe toren. Er aan vastschroeven is dan vaak de beste optie. Ik dacht even dat wij wel een after market oplossing hadden gevonden maar die bestaat dus niet?

Ik volg je niet. Er worden zovaak torens opgeknipt voor experimentele en prototype toepassingen.

Dit is gewoon een lomp kont product.

[Benji87]

Rheinmetalls Panther. Zit veel ingenieuzer en meer verfijnd in elkaar.

Ja dat is dan ook logisch, dat is een compleet nieuw  met een geheel nieuwe toren. dan kan je in de ontwerp fase nog makkelijk dit soort systemen integreren. Met de abrams is dat anders. Integratie is dan lastig of je moet je ook kiezen voor een complete nieuwe toren. Er aan vastschroeven is dan vaak de beste optie. Ik dacht even dat wij wel een after market oplossing hadden gevonden maar die bestaat dus niet?

[Huzaar1]

Dat verstoord de verhoudingen direct in de hele regio.

[Lynxian]

Hebben ze meteen de modernste tank in Zuid-Amerika. Ben benieuwd wat de reactie van de buren gaat zijn.

[Harald]

South Korea to deliver 54 K2 Black Panther tanks to Peru in first Latin American deal.

Peru and South Korea have signed a framework agreement outlining future delivery of 54 K2 tanks and 141 K808 armored vehicles, pending later implementation contracts.

On December 9, 2025, Reuters announced that Peru and South Korea formalized a framework in Lima establishing the planned acquisition and support structure for 54 K2 Black Panther tanks and 141 K808 8x8 wheeled armored vehicles. Defining future contract terms for production and assembly through Hyundai Rotem and FAME S.A.C., the agreement will also represent the tank's first sale into Latin America, once implementation contracts are completed.

Including the delivery of 195 vehicles produced by Hyundai Rotem in cooperation with the Peruvian state-owned factory FAME S.A.C., this contract features provisions for industrial participation, local assembly, and technology cooperation intended to expand Peru's domestic capacity for production, maintenance, and modernization activities for K2s and K808s. South Korean authorities indicate that the cooperation covers complete vehicles, long-term support, and coordination with Peruvian facilities to structure a sustained introduction of the K2 and K808 fleets. The signing occurred in the presence of Peru's president, the president of Congress, the prime minister, the minister of defense, senior commanders, the South Korean ambassador, the head of South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration, and Hyundai Rotem executives.

The cooperation framework outlines general principles for industrial projects and financing mechanisms and establishes the basis for later contracts that will specify schedules, training, maintenance, and technical configurations. Peruvian Army planning related to this effort includes long-term objectives to eventually reach around 150 K2 tanks by 2040 and around 280 K808 armored vehicles by 2034. The December 2025 ceremony also featured the presentation of the first K808 delivered to Peru in desert camouflage, and the Army displayed the first ten KIA KLTV 4x4 vehicles, stating its intent to field KLTV units progressively to create a fleet structure combining South Korean tracked, wheeled, and light vehicles. Authorities describe this approach as a means to equip the Peruvian Army with modern vehicles aligned with current operational requirements while supporting industrial activity through FAME S.A.C.

The agreement also concludes a long search by Peru for a successor to its 280 aging T-54 and T-55 tanks, which have formed the core of its armored forces for decades. Earlier attempts examined several candidate platforms, including the T-90S, M1A1 Abrams, and T-84, but previous competitions did not lead to a contract. South Korea began proposing the K2 to Peru in the early 2010s, and cooperation increased through a ground systems agreement between Hyundai Rotem and FAME that enabled local activities around Korean-designed armored vehicles. The K2's display at SITDEF 2025 and the development of a New MBT Acquisition Program clarified Peru's interest. Moreover, the K2's mobility characteristics, such as its suspension and powerpack configuration designed for hilly and mountainous terrain, were viewed as relevant due to similarities between the Korean Peninsula and Peru's interior geography.

The K2 Black Panther is a modern South Korean main battle tank introduced into service with the South Korean Army in the mid-2010s to replace earlier K1 tanks. The Black Panther uses a 120 mm, 55 caliber smoothbore gun with an autoloader carrying 40 rounds, supported by a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun and a 7.62 mm coaxial weapon for secondary armament. Its 1,500-horsepower diesel powerpack allows a top road speed close to 70 km/h and supports high mobility across varied terrain. A hydropneumatic in-arm suspension system enables the hull to raise, lower, or tilt, improving gun depression angles, stability, and adaptability when operating in hilly and mountainous environments, which was noted as relevant for Peru's interior regions. Its fire control system is designed to detect and track targets while the tank itself is moving and integrates thermal imaging, a laser rangefinder, and a ballistic computer to support accurate engagement.

The K2's protection system uses modular composite armor supplemented by optional reactive armor and soft-kill systems, with provision for future integration of hard-kill active protection systems and a remote weapon station. Korean modernization plans include upgrades that would introduce 360-degree situational awareness, improved counter-missile measures, and enhanced features for urban and complex terrain. The tank weighs around 55,000 kg, balancing mobility with survivability, and is adapted for further adaptation to export customer requirements (as exemplified by the K2EX and K2ME). The Peruvian framework agreement would make Peru the first K2 operator in Latin America if implementation contracts proceed.

The K808 is an 8x8 wheeled armored vehicle designed to transport infantry and support elements and to complement tracked platforms such as the K2 within combined formations. It is intended for amphibious operations and high mobility on roads and uneven surfaces, carrying a crew and embarked personnel while providing ballistic and mine resistance in line with contemporary standards for armored personnel carriers. Variants can mount remote weapon stations with heavy machine guns or automatic grenade launchers, and command post versions include digital communications and battle management systems. The Republic of Korea Army has received more than 500 vehicles of this family, and Peru had an earlier agreement to receive K808 units before this larger framework expanded the planned total and integrated local participation.

For South Korea, this agreement adds to the export record of the K2 following major contracts in Europe, particularly with Poland. In August 2025, Poland signed a second agreement for 180 additional K2 tanks, complementing an earlier 180-unit acquisition for a combined total of 1,000 tanks that include direct deliveries (K2 and K2GF) and licensed production (K2PL). The Peruvian framework is described by South Korean authorities as the largest export of Korean ground systems to Latin America, and if executed in full, it would open a new regional market for the K2 beyond Europe. During the Lima ceremony, the Peruvian Army also presented a commemorative book marking fifty years of its General Headquarters building, highlighting its construction history and the evolution of the institution's facilities. The Army connected this historical commemoration to the signing of the modernization framework as part of a broader force renewal effort.

https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/2025/south-korea-to-deliver-54-k2-black-panther-tanks-to-peru-in-first-latin-american-deal

[Huzaar1]

Excuses, Europese bedoelde ik

Rheinmetalls Panther. Zit veel ingenieuzer en meer verfijnd in elkaar.

[Harald]

Typische lompe amerikaanse oplossing.

Idd, gewoon ergens op bouten.

Net zoiets als de huidige Bradley toren 

[Benji87]

Amerikaanse variant?
 
Wat ze ook hebben gedaan. Het is een voortzetting van gebrek aan creativiteit en goede ontwerpers. Het is lang geleden dat ik onder de indruk van Amerikaanse grondgebonden wapensystemen ben geweest.

Excuses, Europese bedoelde ik

[Huzaar1]

Wat is de Amerikaanse variant hiervan?

Ik heb weinig goede foto's van dit systeem maar het lijkt erop alsof ze het gewoon aan de zijkant hebben gemonteerd ipv geïntegreerd in de toren.

Amerikaanse variant?

Wat ze ook hebben gedaan. Het is een voortzetting van gebrek aan creativiteit en goede ontwerpers. Het is lang geleden dat ik onder de indruk van Amerikaanse grondgebonden wapensystemen ben geweest.

[Benji87]

Typische lompe amerikaanse oplossing.

Wat is de Amerikaanse variant hiervan?

Ik heb weinig goede foto's van dit systeem maar het lijkt erop alsof ze het gewoon aan de zijkant hebben gemonteerd ipv geïntegreerd in de toren.

[Huzaar1]

Typische lompe amerikaanse oplossing.

[Harald]

M1 Abrams Tank Armed With Switchblade Drones Tested By Army

Loitering munitions are already revolutionizing the battlefield, and the U.S. Army is finally testing launching them from its main battle tank.



General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) has revealed more details of the ongoing efforts to arm M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks with the Switchblade series of loitering munitions, via a system known as Precision Effects & Reconnaissance, Canister-Housed (PERCH). After industry-funded trials, the company now hopes to win a U.S. Army contract for further tests of an improved version of the system.

GDLS also recently released a photo showing the launch of one of the loitering munitions from a pop-up canister mounted on the tank's turret, where it replaces the standard loader sponson box.

These disclosures follow the demonstration of the PERCH system, which integrates the Switchblade 300 and Switchblade 600 loitering munitions into the M1A2 Abrams SEPv3, the latest variant of the tank in U.S. Army service. PERCH can also be integrated on Stryker 8×8 infantry carrier vehicles, and potentially other platforms. The launcher can hold three Switchblade 300s and one 600 at the same time.

PERCH was developed by GDLS and AeroVironment, which produces the Switchblade, and it was demonstrated from October 26-30 at the Army's Machine Assisted Rugged Sapper (MARS) event at Fort Hood, Texas. MARS was spearheaded by the 36th Engineer Brigade and III Armored Corps, and focused on soldiers using autonomous technology to complete breaching operations, reducing the overall risk they were exposed to.

As a modular system, PERCH is designed to be simply bolted onto an armored vehicle; in the case of the Abrams, it is fixed in place using existing attachment points. In the MARS event, PERCH was operated via a tablet interface, although GDLS says that future iterations will be fully integrated with existing vehicle computer systems.

By utilizing the Switchblade, PERCH provides the vehicle with not only extended-range surveillance but also over-the-horizon lethality. In certain circumstances, this can even be extended to beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS), in which the loitering munition is used in an autonomous, preprogrammed mode to fly a route and/or hit a fixed target.

As we have outlined in the past, the Switchblade 300 is a relatively small loitering munition, a type of weapon also often referred to as a kamikaze drone, and can carry a four-pound high-explosive warhead. It has a maximum range of just over six miles and can stay aloft for around 15 minutes.

A camera in the nose allows the operator to see what the drone sees right up until near the moment of impact. The human at the controls can make course corrections and even wave off an attack entirely for any reason, up until the final moments of flight. During the final part of its terminal attack run, once locked onto its target, the loitering munition is controlled autonomously in order to hit its target even after losing connection with its controller while very low over the ground.

The larger and longer-ranged Switchblade 600 can provide long-range, higher-endurance reconnaissance and strike capabilities and is equipped with the same multipurpose warhead used in Javelin anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs). While the -300 model can go after light vehicles and personnel, the -600 can kill armor and destroy structures.

Both versions of the loitering munition have seen notable service in Ukraine, including against Russian armor.

The flexibility of the Abrams/Switchblade combo was proven at the MARS event, which saw users complete a complex obstacle breach, with the loitering munitions used for extended-range reconnaissance and over-the-horizon targeting of high-value targets.

"PERCH allows units to deploy Switchblade loitering munitions far forward on the battlefield while remaining covered and concealed themselves," explained Jim Pasquarette, vice president for U.S. strategy and business development at GDLS, in a subsequent press release. "We have seen a lot of soldier interest in this readymade, effective concept, and we look forward to future demonstrations."

Providing combat vehicles with an easily mounted, combat-proven loitering munition system is a quick way of extending their reach — and therefore their survivability. In the case of the Abrams, PERCH allows the tank to deliver precise effects through indirect fire, including engaging targets from protected positions at long distances, in which it would be unable to use its main gun.

At the same time, hosting these loitering munitions gives the tank an organic extended-range surveillance capability, meaning it can scout ahead for potential threats or other hazards without having to rely on information provided by other units. Pairing the loitering munitions with a drone relay/receiver that could stay airborne above the Abrams (even tethered to it) would provide a further benefit, extending the line-of-sight connectivity significantly, especially in complex terrain. Such a system could also provide localized overwatch and enhanced situational awareness.



Overall, the appearance of PERCH is long overdue.

Adding drones of this kind to armor gives them a new standoff indirect fire capability and a critical scouting tool, all in one modular and easy to use package.

While the long-term future of PERCH with the Army is not yet determined, it is notable that, while the MARS event involved a demonstration that was funded by industry, the next phase of testing looks like it will be paid for by the Pentagon.

Last week, it was reported that GDLS was in talks with the Army to provide an upgraded version of PERCH for testing in the second half of next year.

Advances planned for the new version include making it easier to reload the loitering munitions.

A GDLS spokesperson told Janes that, if a deal is struck, the upgraded PERCH would be integrated into a tank as part of the 1st Cavalry Division, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team's Pegasus Forge exercise in the latter part of 2026.

Provided that it is a success, the next evaluation could pave the way to more Army Abrams tanks getting a Switchblade loitering munition capability via the PERCH launcher.

Regardless of progress with PERCH, it seems ever more likely that loitering munitions will become a standard fit on armor on the battlefields of the future.

https://www.twz.com/land/m1-abrams-tank-armed-with-switchblade-drones-tested-by-army

[Harald]

Kroatië koopt 44 Leopard 2 A8 gevechtstanks

Op 30 oktober keurde de Defensiecommissie van het Kroatische parlement vier bewapeningsprogramma's goed met een totale waarde van € 1,9 miljard. Volgens een LinkedIn-bericht van de Kroatische vicepremier en minister van Defensie, Ivan Anušić, omvatten de programma's de aanschaf van 44 Leopard 2 A8 gevechtstanks, 18 CAESAR Mk2 wielhouwitsers, 420 Tatra zware terreinwagens en een droneverdedigingssysteem.

Met uitzondering van het droneverdedigingssysteem worden de projecten aanbesteed via het SAFE-instrument van de Europese Unie (EU). Via Security Action for Europe (SAFE) verstrekt de EU tot € 150 miljard aan leningen voor defensie-uitgaven.

De contracten zullen naar verwachting voor het einde van het jaar worden afgerond. Ook Kroatische bedrijven, waaronder tankfabrikant Đuro Đaković, zullen naar verwachting aan de productie deelnemen.

In oktober 2024 kwamen Ivan Anušić en minister van Defensie Boris Pistorius in een Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) overeen om de Leopard 2 A8 -tanks aan te schaffen. In ruil daarvoor zal Kroatië Oekraïne 30 M-84 gevechtstanks en 30 M80 infanteriegevechtsvoertuigen van Joegoslavische makelij ter beschikking stellen. De overdracht wordt financieel ondersteund door de Duitse overheid. Dit moet de basis vormen voor de aanschaf van de Leopard 2 A8.

Het Leopard 2 A8-aanschafprogramma heeft een budget van € 1,3 miljard. Dit omvat niet alleen de 44 Leopard-gevechtstanks, maar ook simulatoren, reserveonderdelen en uitgebreide logistieke ondersteuning. De tanks zullen naar verwachting tussen 2028 en 2030 worden geleverd. De Kroatische bedrijven Končar en Đuro Đaković, en mogelijk ook andere, zullen naar verwachting betrokken zijn bij de assemblage, het onderhoud en de productie van componenten.

https://esut.de/2025/11/meldungen/65548/kroatien-beschafft-44-kampfpanzer-leopard-2-a8/

[Umbert]

Iets meer over de nieuwe L2A8 van de Duitsers en Noren

[Kornet43]

Zoveel geld geven ze nu ook weer niet uit aan Defensie. Maar het is waar dat NO een enorm rijk land is.

Vooral Noorwegen had ik gezien als kandidaat voor de CV90 met 120mm pijp.

Ja, was een betere keuze geweest.