AN ARMADA INTERNATIONAL COMPENDIUM SUPPLEMENT 2018 2 018 : THE TRUSTED SOURCE FOR DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY ANALYSIS 02 2018 Armoured Combat Vehicles Compendium Untitled-2 1 3/26/18 3:18 PM INTROEUROPEDUCTION ARMOURED VEHICLE COMBat COMPENDIUM Armoured vehicles come in many shapes and sizes, with differing roles. This compendium will examine two categories: armoured fighting vehicles (AFV) only delivering direct fire and those that also carry infantry into the fight. Stephen W. Miller he term ‘armoured vehicles’ is a There was also a similar correlation between suspensions were a prerequisite for heavy broad one. It can cover vehicles that weight and armament, as a heavier vehicle armament and offered the highest off-road simply have armour protection for weight was generally required to mount and mobility, while limiting speed. Yet today, 70 the occupants through to complete fire a larger calibre gun. Thus, lighter vehicles ton main battle tanks (MBTs) routinely move combat systems that may be as typically had smaller guns while heavy ones at 70km/h (44mph) while some wheeled Tsophisticated in their own way as a jet fighter had larger, longer-range cannon. However, combat systems mount the same armament or a naval warship. In fact, there are increasing advances in technology have blurred these as MBTs. parallels between combat systems used in the differences, and have rendered ‘light’, ‘medium’ Segregating armoured vehicles by mission land, sea and air domains. and ‘heavy’ classifications largely meaningless. role has greater value and relevance. Yet, even This broad collection of ‘armoured’ Even the terminologies used to describe here differentiation can be complex - partly as vehicles makes any discussion a challenge. the properties of armoured vehicles require a result of technological change. Larger calibre Attempting to categorise them is, in itself, change if they are to accurately reflect specific guns can now be applied to lighter weight difficult. Using the terms ‘light’, ‘medium’ characteristics and how they are achieved. vehicles, for example. In many cases these new and ‘heavy’ was at one time reasonable. It For example, ‘protection’ may be more weapons may even be retrofitted to existing reflected the weight of a system, which in turn appropriately referred to as ‘survivability’. This vehicles as part of upgrade programmes. correlated closely with the level of protection, better describes the complex collection of Similarly automotive advances including more since protection was primarily the product factors that together contribute to keeping the compact, lighter-weight power packs and high of the amount and thickness of armour. The crew safe and allowing the mission to continue. performance hydro-pneumatic suspensions more armour that was provided the greater the Similarly, our understanding of ‘mobility’ has are permitting increases in vehicle payloads protection, and the higher the vehicle weight. changed. Once it was accepted that tracked without compromising mobility. This permits 2018 Armoured Combat Vehicles Compendium 03 INTRODUCTION and are driving many of the latest capability improvement programmes. This compendium divides combat vehicles according to two categories of primary purpose. The first category comprises AFV systems that have the principle role and design focus of delivering fires, which may be thought of as direct fire vehicle systems. This category includes main battle tanks, ‘tank destroyers’, light tanks, mobile direct fire vehicles, mobile protected firepower (MPF) vehicles, and others. All are mobile platforms optimised to deliver highly accurate direct fires with a dedicated crew and incorporating a level of survivability against encountered threats. The second category consists of combat vehicles that are able to carry infantry who can dismount and fight. Such vehicles may often protection and armament to be increased. appropriate. New technologies, design share some of the features of the first group of Significant advances in sensor technology, approaches and manufacturing and support direct fire vehicle systems, but with the ability data processing, communications (including techniques are combining to achieve this to accommodate an infantry section. data transfer) and automation, including ‘single platform/multi-mission’ flexibility. The level to which the triad of AFV remote operations, have also opened up new This compendium examines those characteristics are applied to these vehicles possibilities for combat vehicle developers. armoured vehicles that are directly used in may vary, some having as sophisticated a Upgrade and improvement programs combat. These are the front line vehicles that fire control system as an MBT but with a may allow fielded vehicles to gain enhanced make up the Schwerpunkt (German: main smaller calibre gun, others being more lightly mission capabilities with moderate focus, focal point, or centre of gravity) of armoured. investment, often facilitating greater multi- armoured warfare. These systems continue Including direct fire vehicle systems and role flexibility. This has tended to reduce to embody the key triad of characteristics infantry vehicles in the same compendium the differences between vehicles that may of conventional armoured fighting vehicles makes perfect sense. Both categories of vehicle be undertaking different missions. There is (AFVs) – firepower, mobility, and protection. will often operate together. They are intended a growing recognition of the maintenance, Advances in situational awareness and to support and complement each other logistics, economic and life cycle benefits command and control are increasingly contributing their different key attributes to of fielding common platforms where augmenting these traditional AFV features, ensure battlefield success. 04 2018 Armoured Combat Vehicles Compendium DIRECT FIRE COMBAT VEHICLES M1A2 Abrams Developer: General Dynamics Land Systems Origin: United States CST Armament: 120mm smoothbore M256 he original M1 Main Battle Tank (MBT) Twas first fielded in 1980, with a rifled 105mm L/52 M68 gun. The M1A2 was in- troduced in 1990. Like the M1A1 it uses the Local situaonel M256 120mm smoothbore cannon devel- sions may not necessarily be in the hands of oped by Rheinmetall AG of Germany for the the units that will face them. At the roll-out awareness Leopard 2, but with an improved fire control Maj. Gen. David Bassett, program executive system and other improvements. The A2 officer for Ground Combat Systems reflected has undergone a number of improvements that “Abrams M1A2 SEPv3 is a great step for- applied as System Enhancement Packages ward in reliability, sustainability, protection, (SEPs). The most recent Abrams SEP is the and on-board power which positions the M1A2V3, and the first production V3s were Abrams tank and our ABCTs for the future. delivered in October 2017. Funding issues Even in a fiscal environment that has greatly have limited the introduction of the latest hampered our ability to move towards en- versions across the Army, and as a result large tirely new vehicles, the Abrams M1A2 SEPv3 numbers of earlier M1A2 versions remain in shows we can still deliver meaningful and wide service. This means that although there operationally relevant improvements.” The are Abrams versions capable of matching the Army has already initiated development of a most advanced potential threat, these ver- V4 configuration. to the active promotion of modifications and upgrades that customize its capabilities for dif- ferent end users and geographic regions. Some recent customers have taken advantage of the availability of surplus Leopards from NATO armies. Many Leopard 2 upgrades have been undertaken and offered though Rheinmetall and some have included collaboration with Leopard 2 local industries. The German Bundeswehr has Developer: Kraus-Maffei-Wegmann (KMW) entirely equipped with the Leopard 2A7V. It /Rheinmetall also recently elected to pursue the Combat Origin: Germany Capability Improvement IV (Kampfwert- Armament: 120mm smoothbore steigerung IV, KWS IV) programme. This will Rheinmetall L/55 allow the German Army to upgrade part of its he Leopard 2 is one of the most widely- MBT fleet to a new Leopard 2A8 standard as Tfielded MBTs. Introduced in the 1980s, it an interim to finalizing development of a new has been continuously upgraded and im- MBT (the Main Ground Combat System, or proved in response to battlefield challenges, Leopard 3). Leopard 2 variants are in service through the application of new technologies in 18 countries and half a dozen more nations and innovations. The tank owes its worldwide have shown interest in acquiring new or sur- success to these core improvements but also plus tanks from various sources. LeClerc Developer: Nexter (Previously GIAT) Origin: France Armament: 120mm smoothbore CN 120-26 ielded in 1991, LeClerc anticipated many Fof the features now common in combat ve- hicles including onboard battle management. Copenhagen Sensor Technology A/S | [email protected] The main gun (at 52 calibre length, rather than the more usual 44) provides higher muzzle ve- www.copst.com locity and a flatter trajectory. It also has an au- tomatic loader and integrated fire control that additional modular armour on the hull and can engage six targets in 60 seconds with 95% turret, new radios, and the SCORPION bat- accuracy. The coaxial machine gun is the larg- tlefield management and command system. er 12.7 mm. It sported one of the first hydro- The gun also incorporates an interface