Bahrain seeks MBT, 120mm Arjun Mk II with Israeli ALWACS is an option
MANAMA, ($1=0.38 Bahraini Dinars) — The Kingdom of Bahrain is in talks with the Government of India to acquire a major battle tank for the ground forces of the East Asian kingdom, BulgarianMilitary.com has learned, citing a Tactical Report. This includes the purchase of the Indian 120mm Arjun Mk II tank, which has some major improvements from its old version Arjun MBT, as well as the integration of some custom-made Israeli solutions.
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There is no official information on the stage of the talks, but sources say they are at an advanced stage and Bahrain has liked the Indian tank. It is not known how much the Kingdom of Bahrain would buy.
BulgarianMilitary.com reminded that the Kingdom of Bahrain has 180 main battle tanks American production M60A3. These tanks are one of the most popular and used in battle, and according to unofficial information, a total of 15,000 units have been produced in 22 countries. They took an active part in Operation Desert Storm in 1991 during the Gulf Crisis.
Nearly five years ago, the Italian company Leonardo proposed to the kingdom to make a major update, replacing the 105mm cannon with a 120mm cannon, as well as upgrades the engine, software, and hardware, including increasing gun mantle armor protection to 330 mm and increasing turret face protection. 276 mm. Leonardo has a license to perform such an upgrade.
120mm Arjun Mk II
Bahrain’s interest in the Indian 120mm Arjun Mk II is no accident. In recent years, the Indians have managed to seriously reward their old version of the Arjun MBT to get today’s 120mm Arjun Mk II. India unveiled the Arjun Mk II for the first time in 2014 in February during a military parade in the capital, New Delhi.
Arjun Mk II has an integrated 120mm cannon that can fire a very large set of ammunition – FSAPDS [Fin Stabilized Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot], HESH [High-Explosive Squash Head], PCB, TB, and the Israeli laser anti-tank missile [LAHAT]. Interestingly, the cannon is equipped with a thermal sleeve, smoke extractor, and barrel orientation system.
The tank is powered by a 10-cylinder V-90 turbocharged diesel engine with charge cooling and water cooling. This engine provides the Arjun Mk II with 1030 kW at 2400 rpm. With a full tank of fuel, the tank can travel up to 500 km, and the maximum speed it reaches is 50 km / h on the road and 40 km / h on cross-country terrain, including off-road.
The armor of the tank is an Indian production type ERA [Explosive Reactive Armor]. Experts believe that it is equivalent to the Russian armor Kontakt-5 with which the Russian T-90 is equipped. Interestingly, the Arjun Mk II has a custom-made laser warning and response system [ALWACS], developed in collaboration with the Israeli company Elbit Systems, which is installed on each side of the dome. In addition, the tank has modern optics and an automatic device for sifting the target.
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