Leopard 3

[Harald]

of wordt het weer anders ... 

Germany, France eye new partners for next-gen tank in 2024

The defense ministers of France and Germany expect to begin negotiations for their next-generation tank project with industry leaders KNDS and Rheinmetall in 2024, after which other European countries could join the initiative.

Italy, the Netherlands and "many others" expressed an interest in joining the project to develop the Main Ground Combat System, or MGCS, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said at a press conference at Evreux airbase west of Paris on Thursday.

There is the possibility of nations joining as "observers" as a first step, French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu said. German and French top military leaders are in discussion with the Italian armed forces, who have their own future armored cavalry requirements, the minister said.

Berlin and Paris will spend the rest of the year hammering out of project specifications, after the two countries' army chiefs reported on the operational requirements for the replacement of Germany's Leopard 2 and France's Leclerc main battle tanks. That will put both governments in a position to uphold their military objectives, as MGCS contractors are expected to push their own ideas for the next-generation tank once negotiations begin, Pistorius said.

The agreement on operational requirements "shows to what point, basically, it won't be a new Leopard and it won't be a new Leclerc," Lecornu said. "The technological breakthroughs are going to be brutal."

The future tank is expected to come into service on the 2040-2045 horizon, according to Lecornu. The French minister said he hopes the first contracts will be signed in 2024.

Other interested EU countries will only be invited to join the project once France and Germany have defined the specs of the future tank, according to Lecornu.

The future tank will be modular, including platforms that can be either manned or automated, according to Lecornu. It will have a classic fire capability – "it goes without saying that the function of classic fire will not have disappeared" – but also electromagnetic weapons, electronic warfare functionality and laser weapons, the minister said.

The MGCS will require a reactive defense with a hard-kill capacity, drones to protect the tank, artificial intelligence functionality to coordinate fire in a connected environment, and the technological leap in terms of cybersecurity will be "absolutely colossal," Lecornu said.

.../...

Pistorius said the MGCS is "a lot more advanced" than a separate project by German, Spanish and Italian defense companies for a modern battle tank, and the two governments don't expect the industrial project, which responds to a European Union-defined capability gap, to compete with their plans.

.../...

https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2023/09/22/germany-france-eye-new-partners-for-next-gen-tank-in-2024/

[Benji87]

Als je van al je zakelijke partners vijanden hebt gemaakt......

Tja, een modernisering zou wellicht nog kunnen. Een hoop bedrijven hebben ook gewoon vestigingen in UAE zitten dus theoretisch gezien is het een verplaatsing van assets maar in de praktijk zullen nog steeds een hoop partners alsnog deelnemen aan de modernisering van de Lecrec.

Maar uiteindelijk moet Frankrijk alsnog een opvolger vinden voor de Lecrec en dan heb je meer nodig dan een eigen wankele industrie en een kleine partner. Ik zie het wel gebeuren dat ze alsnog wel aansluiten bij het DUI/SP/IT/SW project. Aan de andere kant, het blijven Fransen

[pz]

Opvallende zaken van de afgelopen dagen bij de ontwikkeling van MBT's

1. Israel - Integratie helm (Helmet mounted display) en AI
2. K2 Polen - Drone jammer op de toren.

Vermoed dat we snel meer ontwikkelingen gaan zien van bovenstaande punten bij de Amerikanen en Duitsers. En de Fransen natuurlijk....  

Via https://twitter.com/mason_8718/status/1704424094501138725

Anti drone jammer on tank turret.

A new standard accessory for MBT.
The South Korean Hyundai Rotem has displayed evolved K2 Black Panther MBT in Poland MSPO 2023.
This modified K2 have additional side armor, APS, RWS and compact drone jammer device.

This compact jammer can provide protection for the vehicles from suicide, mortar drone or loitering munition without much modifications and space.

To my view, compact jammer is very useful and reasonable device to any kinds of vehicles than adding an armor and RWS.Not an option anymore!

[Zander]

La France veut établir une coopération avec les Émirats arabes unis pour moderniser le char Leclerc
https://www.opex360.com/2023/09/19/la-france-veut-etablir-une-cooperation-avec-les-emirats-arabes-unis-pour-moderniser-le-char-leclerc/

Frankrijk wil een samenwerking aangaan met de Verenigde Arabische Emiraten om de Leclerc-tank te moderniseren

Als je van al je zakelijke partners vijanden hebt gemaakt......

[Huzaar1]

Lol

[Harald]

La France veut établir une coopération avec les Émirats arabes unis pour moderniser le char Leclerc
https://www.opex360.com/2023/09/19/la-france-veut-etablir-une-cooperation-avec-les-emirats-arabes-unis-pour-moderniser-le-char-leclerc/

Frankrijk wil een samenwerking aangaan met de Verenigde Arabische Emiraten om de Leclerc-tank te moderniseren

[pz]

Israeli Army Takes Delivery of 5th Generation Merkava Barak Main Battle Tanks

https://www.armyrecognition.com/defense_news_september_2023_global_security_army_industry/israel_unveils_5th_generation_merkava_barak_main_battle_tank.html




Via onderstaande link is een video van bijna 5 minuten te zien van deze Merkava 5, wel Hebreeuws. (Kan de video niet vertalen).

https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/s1kygkvja

Introducing the new 5th generation Merkava, nicknamed Barak, which has just been delivered to the Israeli army within the 52nd Armored Battalion. The Merkava is Israel's iconic tank, and the primary idea behind this family of tanks is the protection of its crew. The unveiling of a new version is always a small event. Let's take a look at what we know about this new Main Battle Tank.

The Barak tank is the result of a collaborative effort involving the Armored Vehicles Directorate of the Defense Ministry, the IDF's Ground Forces, and the Armored Corps, as well as several Israeli defense companies such as Elbit Systems, Rafael, and Israel Aerospace Industries' Elta subsidiary. The tank is equipped with sensors, providing a "wide infrastructure of reliable sensors" for target detection. These sensors are part of an integrated system that allows for real-time sharing of intelligence information between the tank and other military units, heralding what the Israeli Ministry calls "a real revolution on the battlefield."

Drawing on the expertise gained from the creation, refinement, and manufacturing of its predecessors—Merkava Mk 1, Mk 2, and Mk 3 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs)—Israel has unveiled the enhanced Merkava Mk 4. The Merkava 5 represents a further upgrade of the Merkava IV, incorporating advancements in armor protection and digital warfare capabilities.

In terms of design, the Merkava V closely mirrors its predecessor, the Merkava IV. The layout features the driver's seat situated on the hull's left side, the turret positioned at the hull's rear, and the engine located at the front. The tank is operated by a four-member crew, which includes a driver, commander, gunner, and loader.

When it comes to firepower, the Merkava V retains the same armament configuration as the Merkava IV. It is equipped with a 120mm smooth-bore cannon, developed by Israel Military Industries, capable of firing high-penetration rounds and guided munitions up to a distance of 4,000 meters. Additional weaponry includes a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun, another 7.62 mm machine gun mounted on the turret's right side, and an internally housed 60 mm breech-loaded mortar.

One of the features of the Barak tank is the high-tech helmet developed by Elbit Systems, dubbed IronVision. Similar to a fighter jet pilot's helmet, IronVision provides the tank commander with a 360-degree view of the battlefield and displays relevant information in real time. The helmet employs artificial intelligence capabilities to assist in target identification and engagement.

The Barak tank is also equipped with an advanced missile defense system called Windbreaker, developed by Rafael. This system is capable of detecting incoming missiles and causing them to detonate away from the tank. The tank's firepower has also been improved. The fire control system, also developed by Elbit, allows for "accurate attacks while idle and while moving," both during the day and at night.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant emphasized the symbolic timing of the tank's unveiling, as Israel marks 50 years since the 1973 Yom Kippur War. He stated that the Barak tank represents "an extraordinary leap forward" in the capabilities of the Armored Corps and will "guarantee the IDF's qualitative advantage every time, in defense and attack."

The Merkava has been the IDF's main battle tank since the 1980s, and the Barak is expected to eventually replace the older Merkava models, solidifying its role as the main battle tank for the IDF's Armored Corps.

[Harald]

Dus in feite een KF51 met diesel elektrische aandrijving? Want de KF51 heeft al een Leopard 2 onderstel

Dan had ik gelijk alwel gezegd dat het een KF51 zal worden .. 

Vanuit Duitse zijde bekeken ;
KMW => vernieuwd onderstel
RM => vernieuwde toren, ala KF51

Leopard 2AX eerst met 120mm of zouden ze wel de 130mm gaan invoeren ?
ik denk zelf : de 120mm

Laat NL dan ook maar aansluiten bij deze ontwikkeling, de FR/DU samenwerking/ontwikkeling is zo goed als dood. Veel over en weer achterdocht en verwijten. Is geen samenwerking, maar eerder tegenwerking.

[Benji87]

  Leopard 2AX .. => Leopard 2 onderstel (incl verbeterde motor Diesel/Electric) + KF51 toren + RWS 30mm

Dus in feite een KF51 met diesel elektrische aandrijving? Want de KF51 heeft al een Leopard 2 onderstel

[Harald]

   Leopard 2AX .. => Leopard 2 onderstel (incl verbeterde motor Diesel/Electric) + KF51 toren + RWS 30mm

[pz]

Main Battle Tanks: Just How Many Plan Bs Does Europe Need?
Sep. 18, 2023
Source: Defense-Aerospace.com; posted Sept. 18, 2023

https://www.defense-aerospace.com/main-battle-tanks-just-how-many-plan-bs-does-europe-need/

The number of Main Battle programs "made in Europe" is rising. This trend is equally driven by the new geopolitical context, as well as national and private interests. Germany is at the forefront of this industry's dynamics.

Some say there is room for everyone, while others claim that new projects and alliances driven by German players will derail the troubled Franco-German flagship MGCS program. Let's look at the requirements and current timeline.

Recent revelations in the liberal German newspaper Handelsblatt set the cat among the pigeons last week: already struggling to get its head above water six years after being announced, the MGCS, the tank program between Germany and France, now has a possible new challenger (no pun intended): the EU-funded Future Main Battle Tank (FMBT).

Under the call for projects, several consortia can be funded, with current FMBT-related R&T likely to end up either on the MGCS' desk or as a foundation to develop its competitor. There's no fire yet, just smoke, but as the saying goes, one follows the other.

Indeed, KMW and Rheinmetall - Nexter's partners in the development of the MGCS - have signed agreements with Spanish, Swedish and Italian partners to supervise the development and the production of a new tank, possibly the next Leopard tank – called Leopard AX – with R&D resources coming from the European Defense Fund. Given that the MGCS's two other European competitors, the Leopard 2A8 and Rheinmetall's KF51 Panther, were developed by none other than the same two German manufacturers, that makes no less than three tanks competing with the "tank of the future", yet produced by the very same partners... Unless, that is, the studies launched in the end come together, on a single future long-term project.

The announcement of the FMBT deal comes, in fact, only two months after the defense ministers of the two countries attempted to find a political solution to the many stumbling blocks, with another meeting scheduled on the 22nd of September. An alarmed and appalled French press has largely covered the topic, however the reports about the death of the program are now mainly coming from Germany. Whether they are "largely exaggerated" remains to be seen.0

How the reveal stirred the German nest

While the Handelsblatt report mentioned that the expenses related to the MGCS have produced little results, other German newspapers are highlighting the fact that it is, after all, already the third joint tank program between Berlin and Paris that could be failing since the 50's. Andreas Schwarz - from the SPD currently in power - and member of the finance and defense committees of the Bundestag, castigated on social networks the investment made in the MGCS, and called for Germany to continue with the Leopard program.

On the other side, the German European representative David McAllister - of the CDU – is defending the principle of seeing the program through to the end. But his defense of the program showed its critical points: the solution to the MGCS's survival can only be political, because its very creation and justification are mainly political.

The German Minister of Defense, Boris Pistorius, had to intervene stating that "both projects are complementary" as the FMBT is more short-term focused and remains (for now) a quite small EU-funded project of €30 million. Regarding the MGCS program, trying to be reassuring, the German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit simply declared: "Hope always dies last". Does it mean that everything else is dead?

The competition between the two programs

It is not clear why France isn't part of the FMBT. The French website La Tribune says that Paris refused to be part of it, while the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung said that it is Berlin that vetoed the participation of Thales. The FMBT could only be a small project, making the French appear scared of their own shadow. It could also be a formal insult to Paris, creating a terrestrial equivalent of the AUKUS submarine affront. And there is, actually, enough to justify the launch of the FMBT project.

In industrial and military terms, it's hard to deny that Germany is closer to its new partners, often preferring a heavier tank, and all of them already members of the "LEO User Club," whereas France has been historically more focused on mobility for its armored vehicles.

Time to market also leaves little room for a new tank: the Leopard 2A8 will occupy the market for at least another 10 years, with a backlog already stretched until 2032. The Leopards produced will then have a lifespan of 30 to 40 years. The MGCS could therefore arrive too late on a European market that will no longer exist.




The worry is that France needs a replacement for its Leclerc fleet by 2035, whereas the best commercial timetable for the MGCS would be either in the coming five to ten year at the latest, or twenty years later. Speaking in front of French MPs in April, the Bundeswehr's Inspector General, General Carsten Breuer, stated: "We have to be able to provide short-term solutions, because the threat is there today, and there's no point in having great solutions fifteen years from now."

The FMBT announcement therefore possibly started a race between the MGCS and the Leopard AX, with the first mover taking the wind out of the sails of the other.

Is a happy ending still possible?

Honestly? Unlikely... Unless, perhaps, KMW and Rheinmetall want to have it both ways, developing a heavy tank with Sweden, Italy and Spain, as well as a lighter tank with France? This could be the ideal way forward for the MGCS project: the European market is large enough for two tank models – an heavy one for Berlin and a lighter one for Paris – while the creation of a second, heavier version would help the French side in their workshare negotiations, as KMW and Rheinmetall would have less pressure to get as much as possible of what would then be the unique tank in Europe for decades.

Having two tanks would also help bypass a major stumbling block, as Nexter is pushing for its 140mn canon while Rheinmetall advocates its 130mn one. To summarize, a second tank could release some pressure, as long as it would be forming part of a two-variants MGCS program...

But Paris is getting more suspicious, as Berlin successively and unilaterally postponed the common long-range artillery program, cancelled both the Tiger III combat helicopter and the MAWS maritime patrol aircraft, and created the European Sky Shield air-defense program with 19 countries excluding France, not to mention the continuing difficulties of the SCAF program...

Germans officials will have to be quite persuasive in forthcoming meetings with their French counterparts if they want to convince them that the MGCS isn't a vile deception. The MGCS program could well be the next casualty in the tense Franco-German defense relationship, with the ability to drag the SCAF/FCAS program in its fall.

In this regard, the forthcoming meeting of the French and German sides in Evreux on September the 22nd will be crucial.

[Huzaar1]

Ik zag hem voorbij komen. Frankrijk krijgt eindelijk eens wat het verdient.

[Benji87]

[Harald]

Army Axes M1A2 SEPv4 Abrams, Bets Big On Next-Gen "M1E3"

The service has elected to ditch development of the M1A2 SEPv4 in favor of a lighter, smarter, more survivable M1 Abrams main battle tank.

The U.S. Army is pushing ahead with plans for a next-generation M1 Abrams main battle tank, which the service is calling "M1E3," having now decided to axe development of the M1A2 System Enhanced Package Version 4 (SEPv4).

According to the service, the move away from SEPv4 relates to the need for tanks with increased mobility and survivability, in light of the war in Ukraine, with lighter-weight, more adaptable systems required on the battlefields of 2040 and beyond. It's unclear at present how the Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) light tank initiative factors into this decision, if at all.

The Army announced its intention to pursue a more ambitious modernization strategy for the M1 earlier this week. "The new approach balances costs with the Army's needs and invests in the nation's defense industrial base," it said. Initial operational capability (IOC) of the M1E3 is anticipated by the early 2030s. Despite the designation having been used by the service to describe various future 'modernized' Abrams concepts since at least 2010, it notes that "the M1E3 Abrams nomenclature is a return to the Army's standard use of its type classification and nomenclature system for our combat vehicle fleet." The 'E' especially is used to illustrate the significant engineering changes involved compared to the previous system, and the type's prototype status, per the service.

"The development of the M1E3 Abrams will include the best features of the M1A2 SEPv4 and will comply with the latest modular open systems architecture standards, allowing quicker technology upgrades and requiring fewer resources," the Army says.

.../...

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/army-axes-m1a2-sepv4-abrams-bets-big-on-next-gen-m1e3

[Benji87]

Het feit dat het eindelijk gelukt is om die turbine eruit te trappen is al een heel stap voorwaarts voor de Abrams. Ik ben heel benieuwd hoe die nieuwe diesel elektrische aandrijving uitpakt.