BUB: Tanks!

GD bags a contract to do some work in Australia on their M1 Tanks.

“General Dynamics Land Systems Australia (GDLSA) has been named the preferred tenderer in an announcement that could pave the way for the creation of 42 highly skilled maintenance jobs in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Darwin,” Mr Combet said.

“GDLSA has proposed a five year deal for the sustainment of armoured fighting vehicles with real savings to Australian taxpayers and greater efficiencies for the Australian Army. The value of the contract is likely to be in excess of $100m over the five year period.

“What GDLSA has proposed is a performance based deal with greater incentives for improved efficiencies and performance.

“Under this proposal GDLSA could be rewarded for good performance with an extension to the life of the contract,” Mr Combet said.

The Australian Army has a fleet of more than 300 Abrams Tanks, M88A2 HERCULES and Australian Light Armoured Vehicles

“This proposal means that some of the Army’s most important armoured fighting vehicles will spend less time in the shop and more time with our troops,” Mr Combet said.

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India is beefing up their fleet of Arjun's over Russian T-90s.

While in the face of increasingly problematic defence budgets and a lack of immediate legitimacy, Western armed forces constantly reduce the numbers of conventional war assets and new orders are often being clipped in terms of numbers and capabilities, the Indian Army is not subject to such worries. This is underlined by the Army’s recent decision to order 124 additional Arjun main battle tanks (MBTs), India’s indigenous tank which already has a 36-year development history due to a score of technological problems and delays.* The Arjun was designed and developed by the Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) along with the other partners in India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the private sector.

Despite the troubled development of the programme, the additional tanks will be ordered in light of the success of the Arjun in the recent “gruelling” desert trials, according to the Indian Ministry of Defence. This order complements an earlier initial order of 124 Arjun tanks, which at the time could be considered a serious setback for the national programme. In fact, since 2001 more than 600 Russian-built T-90s have been purchased by the Army and a large number are expected to be license-built by India to compensate for the delayed delivery of the Arjuns, which originally appeared not to meet the Army’s expectations. In August 2009 the first license-built T-90 Bhishmas were delivered to the Indian Army. However, license production was also delayed due to Russia’s reluctance to transfer technology, prompting India to purchase another 300 T-90s in 2008.

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For a mere £1 million, you can own your own collection of 150 military vehicles.

Brian Boys' cherished 150-fleet has become too great an operation to maintain, and he has decided to auction them off. Among his collection are a Russian T55 tank, a US M47 Patton tank, two Chieftain Main Battle Tanks , six armoured personnel carriers, a Daimler Ferret MK4 Big Wheel Scout Car and three Fox Light Armoured Cars.

Mr Boys, who owns a building firm, said: "I've had a blast but the collection is too big. It's time for someone else to enjoy them."

The builder's interest in military vehicles was fuelled by two years the Army with the Royal Military Police between 1958 and 1960.

Mr Boys, from Rawtenstall, Lancs, said: "I've been collecting these vehicles from around the world for more than 25 years.

"It's a drug and a disease but it's given me the opportunity to make lots of friends worldwide and I shall miss that camaraderie."

There is also a wide range of guns, motorcycles, personnel and weapons carriers, jeeps and cross country vehicles including several US Willys jeeps, wheeled tugs, trucks and wagons and utility vehicles such as a Ford Model T Fire Engine thought to have been owned by Charlie Chaplin.

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The Armor Conference has a variety of science projects showing off increased survivability.

Vehicle survivability improvements, particularly protection against sniper fire and rocket-propelled grenades, were drawing attention at the U.S. Army armor conference here.

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Read more about the Armor Conference...

By: Brant