Many thanks to Mustafa for the vid!
Fast forward to 05:21 for the firing tests.
I am so impressed by this machine. I want to see it in combat before I declare perfection but I like what I see and consider this. Japan and Turkey have the newest tanks in the world. Everyone else is operating cold war variants of long established tanks. Is our ranking of the worlds best tanks justifiable? I wonder.
Fast forward to 05:21 for the firing tests.
I am so impressed by this machine. I want to see it in combat before I declare perfection but I like what I see and consider this. Japan and Turkey have the newest tanks in the world. Everyone else is operating cold war variants of long established tanks. Is our ranking of the worlds best tanks justifiable? I wonder.
The tanks in the video are pre-prototypes, developed to prove capabilities firing and mobility (components associated with the tasks). The first actual prototype Altay MBT are expected to be seen early next year.
ReplyDeleteAlso Turkey is in talks with Japan to establish a joint Tank engine manufacturer for Altay.
the altay is licence built based on the Korean K2 black panther, main difference being the extra road wheel, the engine they are hoping to throw in will be approx 1800bhp up 300 on what's in there at the moment. for a diesel lump that's impressive and the engine alone could be a good export product. I believe the APU in this and the K2 is a tiny gas turbine and a very good space saver.
ReplyDeleteK2 black panther is powered by licensed built MTU diesel. The main gun is the notorious Rheinmetall 120 mm gun. I have not seen one sequenz with a stabilized gun. Way to go...
ReplyDeleteWhen money is no object there is one tank that always tops the list Leopard II .
ReplyDeleteGas turbines have proven to be a dead link in evolution of a tank ,all the gains in size,weight are negated by fuel consumption
Leopard 2A7? why? its difficult to move to theater. its not exactly spectacular as a defensive tank, the Challenger is better. its not exactly sparkling as an offensive tank, the Abrams is the champ. is it the best all around tank? how do you quantify that? the Altay is lighter and has the same firepower, for that matter what good is a tank if it isn't there? in that case the BAE CV90-120 is the best on the market. so how do we really class our top 10?
DeleteI read that the Leopard II has a kink in the turret armour that was not resolved until after the 2A4. I do wonder about the protection.
DeleteWell, the old 10 top systems should take into account several established criteria, such as: firepower, mobility, protection, production (costs) and combat experience. Sure, they're nice on paper and on demonstrations, but how do they perform in the battlefield? I don't know about Leo, they all put it right at the top but perhaps that is due to the fact that is German made and everybody loves a German tank 'cause they all remember Panther's and Tiger's. Sure, great machines for their era, but with problems nonetheless.
DeleteIt seems that Leopard II offers the best allround combination of firepower,armor and mobility ,others might have better armor but no one gives a shit about Challenger or Abrams for that mater on international market only users are those that get them for free or hedge their bets as German gov refuses(quite often) to sell the Leopard. What is a defensive tank? Germans got many things, right from the start so every one now uses their guns and engines and from what we know of German optics i would bet that their fire control is second to none on Leo2. in regards to armor its hard to tell tank is no lightweight.
DeleteAltay is based on Korean K-2, Korean K-2 was built under license or technology from Leopard 2. Abrams is not the Champ, literary 100s Abrams destroyed in Iraq, No Loepard and No Challenger had been destroyed in in Iraq and Afghanistan. So this is the trace.
DeleteDoes the Merkava Mk IV fit in your top 10? Or is it too specific to the IDF's needs? This guy has some good photos and info: http://www.supervideo.com/MXCD-ROMOS.htm
ReplyDeleteI didn't work with them much, as I was infantry and recon company and our reserve battalion had older upgraded American tanks; but I have heard only good things from crews that have worked on the Merkava.
Some facts:
ReplyDeleteThe Altay is not a Korean K2 black panther derivative as confirmed by South Korean officials on numerous occassions. Yes, Turkey received technological design support but the two tanks are totally different.
All the technology with the exception of the engines for the first batch was developed in Turkey including the Boron-Nitrite Composite Armour.
The Altay is the world's only 3+ generation tank.
What makes Altay a slighter newer generation? The Electric fuel cell engines which it will eventually use in future batches. See http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/otokar-mulls-making-of-domestic-electric-tank.aspx?pageID=238&nID=18494&NewsCatID=345
Indeed, Altay is not K2; Hyundai Rotem assisted in the vehicular development but didn't include a lot of stuffs in the K2, such as the Hydropneumatic suspension(Altay uses torsion beam), APS(Active Protection System. Intercepts incoming enemy rounds), 8 km long range attack capability, ceramic composite armor, the ability to cross 4.5 m deep rivers underwater, etc.
DeleteWhile Korea complains about the US not transfering fighter tech, Korea itself is cautious on transfering its own weapons tech etc, so what an irony.
Would you consider the K2's yet estimated unit price (!) while recalling highly polished promised inventions and then take a close look to the Altay project for 4x 250 pcs batches. Each batch will introduce new technology adaptations by local suppliers.
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