Order put for 100 Turkish-Indonesian medium battle tanks

[mb444]

Excellent news. BD absolutely needs to diversify its defense purchases and I am all for buying from muslim countries.

Next step go for joint production...

 

[Bilal9]

The gun is average, engine hp is good, but its the armor where this tank can lack.

Lack of heavy armor means the tanks can be agile and can have shoot-n-scoot advantage. At least that is what these medium tanks were designed for in Indonesian mountainous terrain. ERA can be fitted I believe. No modern tank has heavy armor. I can mention Chobham armor for British Challengers which were used in Desert Storm with some success which is an understatement.

One of the primary reasons these were purchased were to be used in the Hill tracts in the Myanmar border, where roads are makeshift to say the least. That terrain is similar to Indonesian Terrain.

The predecessor for this class in the Indonesian Army was the tiny British tank Scorpion.

Compared to that - the Kaplan is heavy armor.

In any case - I don't claim to be an expert so take it for what it is.

 

[jamal18]

In modern terms, this is a 'light' tank. What use is a 105mm Gun in an anti-tank role? Modern MBT's can handle that with ease.

 

[Michael Corleone]

The gun is average, engine hp is good, but its the armor where this tank can lack.

Given it’s not to engage other tanks head on, I think that’s fine.

The tender process is still going on

Field testing to commence on bd soon

I have read somewhere that BA is not that happy with the Chinese MBT-2000. At 46 ton it is too heavy for BD border terrain. I do not know if this is the reason. However, Pakistan's border terrain is strong, so, no problem with Al-Khalid tanks.

This Indonesia-Turkey tank PINDAD weighs only 30 ton. So, must be good in the soft soil in the border region or a little marshland.

More to do with underpowered engine and track design. The tank has reliability problem...overheating is common

 

[Zapper]

Turks also offered Pakistan to help develop new Tank based on Altay and Leopard subsystems but our afsar decided to get Chinese junk all over again.

Are you referring to the VT4? Royal Thai Army found it to be good and recently placed an additional order albeit in small numbers

https://defence-blog.com/army/pakistan-selects-chinese-vt4-main-battle-tank.html

 

[aliaselin]

In modern terms, this is a 'light' tank. What use is a 105mm Gun in an anti-tank role? Modern MBT's can handle that with ease.

It is simply an IFV, can only withstand 14.5×114mm AP rounds at 200 meters, for comparison, the WWII T34-85 can withstand 75mm L70 at 200 meters.

 

[Indos]

The predecessor for this class in the Indonesian Army was the tiny British tank Scorpion.

Compared to that - the Kaplan is heavy armor.

In any case - I don't claim to be an expert so take it for what it is.

And dont forget AMX 13. Those scorpion and AMX 13 will soon be retired.

Indonesia's Scorpion

 

[Michael Corleone]

And dont forget AMX 13. Those scorpion and AMX 13 will soon be retired.

Indonesia's Scorpion

These amx have amazing guns

 

[Indos]

These amx have amazing guns

Yup, some of our AMX has been retrofit by Pindad, they have new engine, new turret, and some modification.

The gun is average, engine hp is good, but its the armor where this tank can lack.

Additional Armor can be added.

 

[Michael Corleone]

Yup, some of our AMX has been retrofit by Pindad, they have new engine, new turret, and some modification.



Additional Armor can be added.

I wonder why they’ll be retired though, pretty good reliable platforms. In favor of Kaplan I suppose?

 

[Signalian]

Lack of heavy armor means the tanks can be agile and can have shoot-n-scoot advantage. At least that is what these medium tanks were designed for in Indonesian mountainous terrain. ERA can be fitted I believe. No modern tank has heavy armor. I can mention Chobham armor for British Challengers which were used in Desert Storm with some success which is an understatement.

One of the primary reasons these were purchased were to be used in the Hill tracts in the Myanmar border, where roads are makeshift to say the least. That terrain is similar to Indonesian Terrain.

The predecessor for this class in the Indonesian Army was the tiny British tank Scorpion.

Compared to that - the Kaplan is heavy armor.

In any case - I don't claim to be an expert so take it for what it is.

Agility can also depend upon power to weight ratio-gradient of trench/obstacle crossing etc, which this MBT seems to be capable of, not just lighter weight. Shoot and scoot is not always an advantage; for SP Howitzers or MLRS, Yes. For MBT, not really because they have to lead the offensive and expected to survive enemy fire. Scorpion is not an MBT, its a recon vehicle. Is Kaplan Tank going to fill the recon role of MBT role ?

Given it’s not to engage other tanks head on, I think that’s fine.

Neither you nor I can confirm what types of threats this Tank will face in battlefield.

Additional Armor can be added.

That could affect power to weight ratio, impacting mobility. and then how much armor is enough ?

 

[wali87]

My one and only question is ‘ who in the world do Bengalis need all these weapons for?

 

[Avicenna]

My one and only question is ‘ who in the world do Bengalis need all these weapons for?

My one and only question to you is who does Myanmar need all those weapons for?

 

[Indos]

I wonder why they’ll be retired though, pretty good reliable platforms. In favor of Kaplan I suppose?

Yup, according to Pindad director, Kaplan MT will replace AMX 13. We bought it in 1965 around 600 tanks. It has already been too old.

Neither you nor I can confirm what types of threats this Tank will face in battlefield.

US also has said they need medium tank and some defense companies have started to make prototype for US need.

General Dynamic light tank

The US Army wants a new light tank powerful enough to shatter the defenses of a formidable adversary — here’s what it might look like

• The US Army has selected two defense firms to build light tank prototypes for the service’s Mobile Protected Firepower program.
• General Dynamics Land Systems Inc. and BAE Systems will each produce 12 prototypes for delivery to the Army, which plans to begin testing them in spring 2020.
• The service expects to field around 500 lightweight tanks – armored vehicles armed with a cannon able to clear hardened defenses for light infantry forced-entry operations, in 2025.

The US Army just moved one step closer to a new light tank intended to boost the firepower of airborne and other light infantry units.

The Army is currently looking for a new tracked armored vehicle able to protect and support infantrymen as they “destroy the enemy in some of the worst places in the world,” Brig. Gen. Ross Coffman, the director of the Army’s Next Generation Combat Vehicle Cross Functional Team, said Monday.

“This capability is much needed in our infantry forces,” he told reporters at a media roundtable.

The infantry has artillery, but “there’s no precision munition to remove bunkers from the battlefield, to shoot into buildings in dense urban terrain,” Coffman explained. That is where Mobile Protected Firepower comes into play.


Two companies, BAE Systems and General Dynamics, have been awarded Section 804 Middle Tier Acquisition Rapid Prototyping contracts for this development project, the Army revealed Monday afternoon. Each contract is worth $376 million, and each company will provide a total of 12 prototypes.

The purpose of Mobile Protected Firepower is to “disrupt, breach, and break through” fortified defenses

The MPF, a 30-ton light tank expected to fill a critical capability gap, is one of five next-generation combat vehicles being developed by Army Futures Command, a new four-star command focused on preparing the force for high-end warfighting against near-peer threats in an age of renewed great power competition.

The Army, shifting its focus from counterinsurgency to high-intensity multi-domain operations with an eye on rivals China and Russia, wants contractors to deliver a vehicle that offers mobility, lethality, and survivability.

The MPF light tanks would provide the firepower to breach heavily-fortified defensive positions, potentially in an area, such as Russian and Chinese anti-access zones, where the US might not be able to achieve absolute air superiority.

The MPF vehicles will help Infantry Combat Brigade Teams (ICBTs) “disrupt, breach, and break through” secure defensive zones, Coffman explained.

The final Mobile Protected Firepower light tank, which will be delivered to troops in 2025, will be a tracked vehicle with either a 105 mm or 120 mm cannon that can withstand an unspecified level of fire. The Army also wants to be able to carry at least two light tanks aboard a C-17 Globemaster III for easy transport.


https://www.businessinsider.sg/here...light-tank-might-look-like-2018-12/?r=US&IR=T

 

[Signalian]

US also has said they need medium tank and some defense companies have started to make prototype for US need.

US Army's fire support and Operational capability/capacity cannot be compared to BD Army. Just a tank by itself is nothing. Stryket MGS can provide fire power to their Stryker Brigades with its 105 mm Gun, but there is a whole aviation, artillery etc component supporting it. On top of that USAF flies in and takes out most targets. For US a medium or light tank is also useful for quick airlift. BD's requirement is mainly coz of its terrain.