Solutions for Every Army IDEX'15

In IDEX,  there are solutions in many different complexity levels for everyone.

A good example for contrast is the mortar systems.

Sudanese Vehicle Mounted Mortar System

Here is the Sudanese Vehicle Mounted Mortar:

The traverse drive system in this mortar system is quite simple yet indigenous. 

RUAG Cobra 120mm Mortar System

And here is Ruag's brand new 120mm Cobra Mortar:

• Two axis electric drive, 
• INS integrated
• Auto-loader.

T40 Two Men Turret from Nexter

Nexter is exhibiting their T40 Two Men Turret on VBCI 8x8. The turret is armed with a CTA 40mm autocannon. 

This turret is selected to form the teeth of Jaguar Reconnaissance vehicle of the French Army. 

VBCI 8x8 with this turret has undergone mobility and fire testing in Qatar for the Qatari Army last year.

Oerlikon's Turreted Laser Gun

In the Rheinmetall Booth the High Energy Laser Weapon derived from a Sky Ranger turret is on display.

Cockerill 3000 Series Turret Revealed

Cockerill introduced their 3000 Series Turret today in IDEX exhibition in Abu Dhabi.

3000  Turret is exhibited on a GD Piranha V 8x8. Turret is armed with a Mk44 30mm gun.

I will write some more details later. Here are some images:

UAE's Brand New 8x8

Today in IDEX'15, Emirates Defense Technology revealed their brand new 8x8 Armored Vehicle with an impressive ceremony.

The 8x8 in the current configuration is armed with a BMP3 turret. BMP3 turret packs an impressive firepower in terms of a 100mm cannon, 30mm autocannon and a 7.62mm machinegun all coaxial.

The vehicle has a Combat Weight of 28 metric tons with a growth potential to 31 tons. 5.5tons of this is taken by the turret.

The vehicle is 8.4 meters long and 2.9m wide. It is powered by a caterpillar engine having 710HP. The vehicle has an impressive top speed of 130km/h on road conditions. 

The 8x8 has all wheel steering capability.

Another impressive feature is the vehicle having 8 seats for dismounts plus the BMP3 turret.

K2 contract signed

Meet the New Predator in

Korea's Forests:

Black Panther

According to Defense Update:

The Korean automotive industrial giant Hyundai Rotem Co. has signed a contract worth US$820.29 million (901.5 billion won) with the Korean Defense Acquisition and Procurement Agency (DAPA) to deliver the first 100 'Black Panther' K2 Main Battle Tanks (MBT) to the South Korean Army.

K2 is a 55 ton combat weight MBT armed with a 120mm 55 caliber smoothbore gun. The development of the K2 MBT began in 1993. The tank has a crew of three, commander, gunner and loader made possible by the bustle located auto-loader. The turret has a coaxial 7.62mm and a pintle mounted 12.7mm machine gun.

K2 Tank AutoLoader

Copyright: Military Today

Production vehicles will have a Korean powerpack with a power of 1.500HP, the 12 cylinder diesel engine is developed by Doosan, where the transmission is developed by S&T Dynamics. Initially the tank used an German MTU 883 engine coupled to a Renk transmission. The powerpack is conventionally located at the rear as well as the drive sprockets.

The gunner is seated on the left side of the turret with the commander to his right. Gunner has a dual-axis stabilized sight with auto-tracking capability and the commander has a panoramic stabilized sight to allow hunter-killer type operation. Turret has an onboard ammunition capability of 16 120mm rounds. Additional 24 rounds are stored in the hull.

V-22 Tanker Variant for USMC

V-22 Texaco?

According to Marine Corps Times' Dec 28 entry, USMC is going to have an aerial tanker variant of V-22 Osprey as early as 2017.

The image below shows a concept description of the Tanker V-22.

"The V-22 Osprey is getting topped-off with a new capability. An aerial refuelling system is being developed for the tilt-rotor aircraft, turning the cargo and personnel carrier into a tanker that can provide fuel to other aircraft, mid-flight.

"The aerial refueling capability is going to be the next thing," for the Osprey, Maj. Douglas Thumm, the plans officer for the V-22 at Headquarters Marine Corps, said.

The Osprey's tanker system is in the early stages of development and won't be ready until 2017, he said.


When operational, the V-22 could refuel the Corps' fleet of aircraft, including the new F-35B Lightning II. It could also rendezvous with ground vehicles, land, and fill them up, Thumm said. Many of the Corps' ground vehicles can run on aviation fuel, he said..."

The part that is interesting is the aerial-to-ground refueler concept.

Read the rest on  Marine Corps Times.