• Land Warfare

  IDEX 2017: New lease of life for Leclerc

  21st February 2017

  Following France's decision to begin upgrading its fleet of Leclerc main battle tanks, manufacturer Nexter is now hoping the United Arab Emirates – the type's …

• Land Warfare

  ​IDEX 2017: China enters with force

  20th February 2017

  Chinese companies have come out in force at this year's IDEX exhibition in Abu Dhabi, likely indicating a renewed sales drive in the region by …

• Land Warfare

  Turkey launches tank upgrade

  6th February 2017

  The Turkish armament procurement organisation, SSM, has launched a competition for the upgrade of 200 main battle tanks (MBTs). While the requirements are still being …

• Special Operations

  France confirms first Scorpion vehicle orders

  9th January 2017

  The first orders will be placed in 2017 for France’s new Griffon and Jaguar vehicles as the French Army’s Scorpion programme continues to move forward.  …

• Land Warfare

  BAE and Rheinmetall enter tank battle

  23rd December 2016

  BAE Systems and Rheinmetall have both been selected to start the competitive assessment phase for the Challenger 2 Life Extension Programme (CR2 LEP), it was …

• Land Warfare

  Ukraine to upgrade Pakistani tanks

  9th December 2016

  A memorandum of understanding has been signed between Pakistan and Ukraine for the upgrade and support of Pakistan’s Main Battle Tank (MBT). Ukraine’s state-owned company …

• Land Warfare

  Ukraine’s tank revival

  19th December 2016

  Ukraine’s tank industry reports a significant growth in business in 2016 based on work in both the domestic and export markets. This includes upgrade work …

• Land Warfare

  Russia reverses tank mothballing

  6th December 2016

  The Russian MoD has announced plans to refurbish and upgrade its T-80BV MBT inventory in a reversal of a decision taken three years ago. In …

• Land Warfare

  UK to test active protection

  7th December 2016

  The UK MoD has set 2018 as the date it will carry out live-fire tests of an active protection system (APS). It is a part of …

• Land Warfare

  Thai army invents eucalyptus tank armour

  20th November 2016

  The Royal Thai Army has invented multipurpose armour made from eucalyptus wood for its M60A3 main battle tanks (MBT) to improve their protection against anti-tank …

• Land Warfare

  Zhuhai 2016: China shows off brawn

  9th November 2016

  The variety of armoured vehicles on display at the 11th Zhuhai Air Show in southern China was dazzling, as China South Industries Group Corporation and …

• Land Warfare

  Israel to get more Trophy protection

  11th November 2016

  Israel has given the green light to equip all of its new main battle tanks and armoured personnel carriers with Trophy active protection systems, it …

• Land Warfare

  India to buy T-90MS tanks

  11th November 2016

  The procurement of 464 T-90 main battle tanks by India was approved in early November by the defence minister, Manohar Parrikar. He chaired India’s Defence …

• Land Warfare

  Zhuhai 2016: Norinco unveils VT5 light tank

  4th November 2016

  China North Industries Corporation (Norinco) chose the occasion of the 11th Zhuhai Air Show in China to unveil its VT5, a new light main battle …

• Digital Battlespace

  Thailand upgrades FCS of M60A3

  6th November 2016

  The Royal Thai Army (RTA) received its first five M60A3 MBTs following an upgrade of their fire control system from analogue to digital, plus installation …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Tanks

  MBT (Belgium)

  Programme Background Belgium formally retired its MBT capability in 2014, when it took the last of its 132 KMW Leopard 1A5BE MBTs out of service. ...

• Tanks

  Peru T-55 MBT Replacement

  Programme Background Peru received 280 T-55 MBTs from the Soviet Union during the 1970s. Despite their age, these tanks continue to see service, alongside even ...

• Tanks

  MBT (Tunisia)

  Programme Background The Tunisian MoD has not disclosed any intention to modernise or replace its M60A3s, but an unconfirmed report published by Tactical Report in January ...

• Tanks

  M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 [Romania]

  Programme Background Requirement The Romanian Army's MBT fleet is composed of T-55 variants that are due to be retired in the mid-2020s. Although Romania's TR-85 ...

• Tanks

  PETEF - MBT

  The Colombian Army has evaluated several offers for MBT platforms in the past, though none of these have progressed to the formal contract stage. For ...

• Tanks

  MBT Replacement (Czech Republic)

  Programme Background In order to meet its NATO obligations to field a modern mechanised brigade by 2026, the Czech Army is seeking new tracked IFVs ...

• Tanks

  New MBT [Romania]

  Programme Background Requirement The Romanian Army's MBT fleet is composed of T-55 variants that are due to be retired in the mid-2020s. Although Romania's TR-85 ...

• Tanks

  New MBT (Spain)

  Programme Background One of the long-term needs identified in the Spanish Army's Force 2035 modernisation plan is a next-generation MBT. To this end, the Spanish ...

• Tanks

  C1 Ariete Replacement [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirement To bridge the gap between the retirement of the Ariete and the introduction of a new MBT, the Italian Army has contracted ...

• Tanks

  MBT (Egypt)

  Programme Background The Egyptian Army operates a vast number of MBTs, including 1,130 General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) M1A1 Abrams assembled in fits and starts between 1984 ...

• Tanks

  Botswana K2 MBT

  Programme Background The only indication that the Botswana Ground Force was considering the acquisition of the K2 MBT came from a report in Botswana's The ...

• Tanks

  Saudi Arabia New MBT

  Programme Background Between 1993 and 1994, 315 M1A2 Abrams MBTs were delivered to Saudi Arabia as part of a US$1.5 billion deal with the US. ...

• Tanks

  Leclerc Upgrade (UAE)

  Programme Background The UAE MoD has not disclosed any intention to modernise or replace its Leclerc MBTs, but an unconfirmed report published by the Asian Defence ...

• Tanks

  VT4 Haider (Pakistan)

  Programme Background Pakistan appears to have commenced its programme to acquire a new military off-the-shelf MBT in 2015, when several MBT designs were tested under ...

• Tanks

  New MBT (Oman)

  One platform that is known to have been under consideration for this requirement is the Hyundai Rotem K2 Black Panther MBT. It is understood that ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Tanks

  MBT-2000

  Norinco originally developed the Type 90-II for China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), but when it was not selected by the PLA, it continued to develop and ...

• Land: vehicle simulators

  MBT-S

  The DynaSim Main Battle Tank Simulator (MBT-S) is a medium-fidelity training system for crews and platoon/company commanders. It provides interoperable simultaneous tactical training of multiple ...

• Tanks

  Al-Khalid/Al-Khalid-I

  In 1990, China and Pakistan agreed to jointly develop a new MBT which would be manufactured by HIT for the Pakistan Army.  The Al-Khalid is ...

• Land: vehicle surveillance/target acquisition systems

  GPTTS

  Deployed on the Korean K1 MBT, the Gunner’s Primary Tank Thermal Sight (GPTTS) is an integrated FCS that combines direct-view optics, a Gen I 120-channel ...

• Land: vehicle surveillance/target acquisition systems

  ELRF M1/LRFD M1

  The ELRF M1 eyesafe laser range finder (LRF) and the LRFD M1 LRF/designator both bolt onto the gunner’s primary sight on the M1 Abrams MBT. ...

• Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar

  P-200 Credo-1

  The P-200 Credo-1 is a tripod-mounted, pulse-Doppler ground/coastal surveillance radar capable of detecting and tracking a variety of targets. This includes people, vehicles, ships and ...

• Tanks

  VT4 (MBT-3000)

  The 125mm-armed VT4, also known as the MBT-3000, is the latest MBT developed and manufactured by Norinco. Displayed internationally for the first time at Eurosatory in ...

• Tanks

  KF51 Panther

  Rheinmetall unveiled the KF51 Panther at Eurosatory 2022. The MBT uses Leopard 2 components in its bare chassis but with a brand new turret. Its main armament is the ...

• Tanks

  EMBT

  KNDS (KMW + NEXTER Defense Systems) presented its first joint product, the EMBT (European Main Battle Tank) demonstrator, at the June 2018 Eurosatory defence exhibition. The EMBT mounts ...

• Tanks

  Leopard 2 Next Generation

  Aselsan unveiled its Leopard 2 Next Generation (NG) MBT upgrade proposal for the Turkish Land Forces Command’s fleet of almost 300 Leopard 2A4s at Turkey’s ...

• Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar

  RATAC-S

  The Radar d’Aide au Tir d’Artillerie de Campagne (RATAC-S) is a multipurpose radar designed to detect, locate and classify ground targets or low-flying aircraft at ...

• Tanks

  Type 74

  The Type 74 MBT was developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) to replace the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force's (JGSDF) Type 61 MBT. Equipped with thicker ...

• Self-propelled guns

  Arjun Catapult Mk II

  India's Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) publicly unveiled the Arjun Catapult Mk II at Defexpo India in February 2014. The Arjun Catapult is ...

• Tanks

  MBT Advanced Technology Demonstrator

  The Leopard 2 was developed jointly by KMW and Rheinmetall in the 1970s to meet German Army requirements, with production split between the two companies. ...

• Land: vehicle simulators

  Tank Gunnery Trainers

  CAE has delivered a range of armoured reconnaissance, IFV and MBT trainers worldwide, including for the Scorpion 76/90 reconnaissance vehicle, Warrior IFV and Leopard 2 ...