Future Weapon Technology

The Russians desperately needed to mount a response after the 1991 Gulf War, when the Americans stormed through the deserts of Kuwait and Iraq.   The Russian economy’s defense sector was reeling, after the American military’s Abrams M1A1 Main Battle Tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles left the battlefield littered with literally hundreds of burnt-out and charred carcasses of once mighty Russian T-72 and T-80 tanks.  As if the Russians weren’t already in bad enough shape after the collapse of the Soviet Union, now the international image of their largest defense export, the T-72 tank, and their newest model, the T-80, as no more than a flaming hulk…

Western forces beware, the Chinese have fielded the most advanced tank yet! Well, only the most advanced in China that is. Following in the ancient Chinese tradition of quantity over quality and cheap products, the Chinese have developed their own 3rd generation battle tank that they believe is the answer to the Western nations’ superior tank designs. Likewise, they also used their other ancient tradition of ripping off western designs to compensate for their lack of engineering ability in the design of this tank. Yes, the Type 99 tank does possess many up-to-date gimmicks like a laser awareness system to…

German Leopard 2 Main Battle Tank

Manufacturer:  Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW)

So the Germans have a tank that is comparable to the American Abrams line of tanks.  Big deal right?  Of course not!  The Leopard is fighting side by side with the American Abrams in Afghanistan and Iraq right now!  The Canadians in particular have deployed many Leopards to Afghanistan for combat roles, and the opinions on which tank is better are mixed.  It basically goes both ways, each tank has its pros and cons, and in the end; they both are equally as effective against the threats they face there.  The similarities…

Abrams Tank Gets Stuck in the Mud.

Click here to see other Main Battle Tanks

British Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank
Manufacturer: BAE Systems Land and Armaments [LSE: BA.L]

Photo Crown Copyright/MOD

The British Challenger 2 Main battle tank has several innovations unique to its design. One of the foremost innovations devised by the Brits is a type of armor known as Chobham armor, which is a layered matrix of steel and ceramics. In fact, incorporating layers of ceramic into steel has been a newer technique of strengthening steel, (the strongest knife blades are now layered steel and ceramics, because the ceramics provide an added measure of flexibility. The Chobham armor is known to perform especially…

Manufacturer: GIAT Industries

The French, their military history aside, actually are widely known in Europe for their innovative and solid armored vehicle designs. In the mid 1980’s, Britain introduced its Challenger 2 main battle tank, Germany rolled out the impressive Leopard 2, and the US unveiled its M1A1 Abrams tank. The world was being introduced to battle machinery that combined decades of design research and cutting edge electronics systems. Not wanting to be left behind, the French decided to join the party. They had initially planned on simply importing the German Leopard 2 tank, but after some cost forecasting and…

Manufacturer: General Dynamics [NYSE: GD]

Some countries excel in the creation of different things. It just so happens that the US excels in the creation of the machines of war. Aside from being the richest country in the world and having the Cold War spurring the development of said military technology, the Abrams tank was truly a revolutionary design when unveiled in the 80s. Despite whatever claims that certain tank exporting countries have about their newly designed next-generation tanks, none of them, aside from a distant second with the British Challenger 2 main…

The Israeli Defence Forces recently implemented a modernization drive on their main battle tank program. Their newest design, uveiled in 2002, features some technological advances forged from the fire of the battlefields of the Middle East. This video of the Merkava 4 main battle tank displays the blast-proof ammunition container, and the ability to target and track multiple targets while on the move, even helicopters. Likely the best features of the Merkava 4 are that it has one of the smallest profiles on the battlefield, the sloped turret angles allow for this advantage. Additionally, the Merkava 4 actually has a…

The Japanese Type 90 tank rivals any other main battle tank on the modern battlefield. The Type 90 incorporates several newer technologies, some that are even lacking in other nation’s tanks. For example, the Japanese employed an auto-loading cannon, which reduces the crew requirement and also increases the tanks rate of fire. Likewise, the electro optic thermal sighting system has a passive viewing mode, which enables them to target the infrared signals emitted from enemy vehicles rather than the type 90 having to target the enemy on its own. The type 90 employs the Japanese…

The South Korean Army has developed a next generation tank, the XK-2 Blank Panther that incorporates some interesting advances in technology. The tank’s most impressive new features are its amphibious capability, active defense system, and handling/suspension technology. First of all, the tank is capable of driving completely underwater for river crossings. Likewise, the tank has an active defense system that can shoot down incoming missiles and rocket-propelled grenades. Obviously, the South Koreans are on the frontier of next generation tank technology. With comparable optoelectronic sighting, navigation, and fire and control systems to the US M1-A2…