Will Ukrainian Knife Protect US Abrams Tanks?
Ukrainian armored technologies will be tested in the US

By Mykola SIRUK, Defense Express

Kharkiv𠏋 Malyshev Armor Plant recently manufactured and shipped to the United States four T-80UD tanks. The plant𠏋 official told the Defense Express that the armored vehicles vary in terms of equipment and protection systems. Three tanks mount the latest inbuilt dynamic protection system with Nizh [knife] modules securing them against practically all types of antitank weapons, including the most formidable armor-piercing projectiles. One tank was shipped stripped of all dynamic protection.

Ukrainian-US talks on purchasing a shipment of Ukrainian tanks have been underway for more than two years. The possibility was first mentioned in March 2000, after Oleksandr Kuzmuk, then Defense Minister of Ukraine, visited Washington to meet with his US counterpart. The Defense Ministry press service stated that William Cohen showed an interest in purchasing several samples of Ukrainian armored vehicles. The new tanks are being used by the Armed Forces and can be quickly manufactured by the Malyshev Plant in Kharkiv, certified to sell weapons on its own. At the time, however, the plant manager, Hryhory Maliuk, was suspicious of the offer, saying the Americans were buying samples of costly armored vehicles in different countries just to improve their own antitank systems. He said he was not going to let them have his tanks as targets, adding, 㜁e are poor but proud, so we are not going to do it, not now. We consider this a matter of prestige; besides, they might find some design secrets.?

A pause of over a year followed. In late 2001, some at the Ukrspetseksport state arms sales firm had become convinced that selling tanks to the United States could in no way damage Ukraine𠏋 defenses. On the contrary, the experts felt sure that testing Ukrainian combat vehicles under fire would demonstrate the spectacular advantages of the Ukrainian armored construction school, providing access to new markets. New weapon systems are acknowledged only after the baptism of fire on the battlefield or when compared to other systems currently in use. Some military experts insisted that the very fact of selling tanks would be evidence of the Ukrainian designers?confidence that their vehicles would pass muster. In addition, modified versions of those tanks had been put up for sale during tenders to re-equip the armed forces of Greece, Turkey, and Malaysia.

On May 13, 2002, Colonel General Oleksandr Stetsenko, Chief of Armaments of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said at briefing that, starting last year, a US firm had been negotiating purchase of ten T-80 tanks with the Malyshev Plant, adding that Ministry of Defense had no objections. Colonel General Viktor Bannyk, state secretary with the Defense Ministry, said during his visit to the United States that the tank-building plant in Kharkiv was prepared to perform such a contract.

In June 2002, Ukrainian and US officials agreed on the type of tanks to be manufactured in Kharkiv and on the price. The Defense Express learned from an informed source at the Industrial Policy Ministry of Ukraine that the deal concerned new Ukrainian tanks of various modifications.

Now that the tanks have been shipped to America, certain conclusions are possible.

First, Ukrainian tanks can be used in US combat training. There are two such firing grounds there. However, the Americans are not likely to use the Ukrainian T-80UD tanks as targets to improve their antitank weapons; such armor plates were used for T-70s that started being manufactured in Poland under a license in 1979, later in Yugoslavia (known as M-84), Czechoslovakia, India, and Iraq. This means that the United States could have bought them in any of those countries.

However, judging by the equipment of the tanks shipped to the US, it is safe to assume that the Americans are not interested in piercing their armor and thus developing new munitions. Quite a few experts are confident that the United States wants the Knife, the new Ukrainian dynamic protection system. Three of the four tanks sold have this system, meaning that US military experts wants to see the difference between protected and unprotected armored vehicles. If the Ukrainian Knife proves as good as said, the US might want to buy it en masse to protect its tanks and subsequently perhaps also armored personnel carriers. After all, the war in Iraq has demonstrated the vulnerability of US armor, heretofore considered the world𠏋 sturdiest. On August 28, a shell fired by an unidentified weapon pierced the 100 inch plate of a 69-ton tanks, passing through the gunner𠏋 seat, his body, and imbedding itself 55 mm in the opposite plate, after damaging the turret control system, thus incapacitating the combat vehicle. At the start of the war, another tank was damaged by an RPG-7 [Soviet-made] bazooka. Defense News wrote that, judging by the nature of the damage, yet another US tank was hit by an RPG-7 on August 28.

The current deal obviously benefits the Ukrainian manufacturer. This benefit is not financial. The very fact of purchase and testing will be good publicity for the Ukrainian technology. Prof. Vasyl Khytryk, chief designer at the Mikrotek Critical Technology Base Center, says that the inbuilt dynamic protection system with Knife modules secures the tank against all antitank systems, primarily against armor-piercing projectiles, something no previous such systems could achieve. 岞oreover, this protection system is immune even to a hardcore armor-piercing Soviet or NATO shell fired at a 100-meter range,?he adds, stressing that this is the only kind of protection under nuclear fire. The system is based on cumulative 恾nives,?up to seven in a box, so that when the box is pierced by projectile the knives tear it apart. This protection system is effective against both Soviet and Western antitank weapons.

At present, the old Soviet dynamic protection system is used only by the Israeli Merkava tank. The French are only preparing to install a dynamic protection system in their Leclerc tank. Prof. Khytryk notes that the Russian Steel Research Institute is also working on such a system, but is lagging behind the Ukrainian model by five years.

Thus Ukraine turned out the world𠏋 only country in possession of this unique armor protection system which is already on active duty. A new system titled Zaslin (Barrier) is being developed and the US military is interested.

The US interest in such systems is explained not only by their desire to improve the reliability of their armored vehicles. They started by developing future-generation tanks with higher mobility and fire power. They must also weigh less, meaning thinner armor plates. Obviously, they will need advanced protection system on any real battlefield, confronting heavy enemy tanks, and these systems must be designed so as not to overly increase their weight. The dynamic and active protection systems offered by Ukrainian researchers could be the solution to the problem.

Now the question is whether the Ukrainian tank actually has the stated characteristics. An answer will be given after field tests in the United States. If in the affirmative, it will be proof that Ukrainian tanks remain among the most popular in the world.

Polish News Bulletin
December 30, 2003 Tuesday

Best Missiles For Polish Army, Says Defence Ministry

mzjh

30 December issue of Rzeczpospolita, p. B2

LONDON, Ontario, Canada, Dec. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The Australian Department of Defence has awarded General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada a US$9.8 million modification to a previously awarded contract to upgrade its existing fleet of 113 Australian Light Armoured Vehicles (ASLAV). These vehicles, which were delivered between 1995 and 1997, will be upgraded to match the capabilities of the 144 new ASLAV which are currently being manufactured by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada for the Australian Army. The current contract, which was signed through the Canadian Commercial Corporation, a Crown Agency of the Canadian Government, in August 2000, is now valued at US$284 million.

The upgrades include a new turret electric drive, enhanced thermal sight with laser range finder and an improved fire control system for the 25mm turrets in the fleet, as well as the integration of a GPS-based navigation system and an enhanced suspension system. Most of the vehicles to be upgraded are currently fielded with the Australian Armys 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Australias Northern Territory. These vehicles will be
withdrawn from service and the work to complete the standardisation of the fleet will be conducted by General Dynamics Land Systems-Australia at the production facility near Adelaide, South Australia. Deliveries will commence in October 2004 and be completed by July 2006. General Dynamics Land Systems-Australia also manufactures the 25mm turrets for the current contract of new ASLAV.

General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada, located in London, Ontario, Canada is a business unit of General Dynamics Land Systems of Sterling Heights, Michigan. For more than 25 years, approximately 1500 highly skilled technical personnel design, manufacture and deliver a unique family of light armoured vehicles (LAV). More information on the company is available at www.gdlscanada.com.

General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, employs approximately 66,900 people worldwide and anticipates 2003 revenues of US$16.1 billion. The company has leading market positions in mission-critical information systems and technologies, land and amphibious combat systems, shipbuilding and marine systems, and business aviation.
More information about the company can be found on the World Wide Web at
www.generaldynamics.com.

Source: General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada

CONTACT: Ken Yamashita of General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada,
+1-519-964-5813, or Fax: +1-519-964-5488, or
[email protected]

Defense News
December 22, 2003
Pg. 16
U.S. Officials Rap Rifle Buy For Iraqi Corps

By William Matthews

The crowning moment for prospective members of the new Iraqi Civil
Defense Corps comes in the third and final week of training, when those
who have passed all the tests are issued a new AK-47 assault rifle and
begin learning how to use it.

But now U.S. lawmakers are starting to question the contracting process
that is putting the guns into the forces eager hands.

The U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority that runs Iraq began buying
the Russian-designed rifles by the tens of thousands last summer in
anticipation of arming a civil defense force of 40,000 by 2006.
Surprising Announcement

Late last summer, the U.S. Defense Department published notices
calling for Brand new, never fired, fixed stock AK-47 assault rifles with
certified manufacture dates no earlier than 1987.To meet U.S. military
specifications, each rifle had to include four magazines, a bayonet, a
sling, magazine pouches and a cleaning kit.

News that the United States was in the market for as many as 50,000
AK-47s astonished Bill Skipper, a Washington lobbyist who represents
numerous defense companies, including FN Manufacturing Inc., the
Columbia, S.C., company that manufactures the M-16 combat
rifle.

First, he said, 50,000 new AK-47s would cost $25 million or more. Thats
U.S. tax money that ought to be spent on American-made products, he said.
There are only two places where that many brand newweapons might be
acquired Russia, which refused to offer any financial aid to U.S. plans
for rebuilding Iraq, and China.

Heres a much better idea,Skipper said in a letter to U.S. Sen. Lindsey
Graham, R-S.C., Let the hard-pressed American taxpayers, if they must pay
to arm the Iraqi gendarmerie (and it seems they must), buy a better
weapon, the U.S.-made M-16.Using the M-16 also would make the force more
compatible with U.S. troops.

The M-16 is more accurate and far more versatile than the AK-47, Skipper
said. It can be outfitted with combat optics, night vision and low-light
sights, a grenade launcher, a shotgun and a less-lethal
launcherappropriate for police and internal security work, as well as
combat, he wrote.

Arming the Iraqis with American M-16s also would send a political signal
that reliance on the weapons of the Saddam regime was over, Skipper
said.

For decades, the AK-47 has been the weapon of choice for the Soviet bloc
and communist China. Invented in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov
in 1947, the rifle was mass-produced and exported widely to Soviet
allies, and anyone else opposing the West.

Theyre Everywhere

More than 30 million of the weapons are believed to be in
circulation. The Kalashnikov is so prevalent in the worlds trouble spots
that it has become a potent symbol of communist revolution and
terrorism,Skipper wrote.

The Iraqi defense force ought to be issued M-16s, just like other U.S.
allies in the region, agreed John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, a
defense think tank in Alexandria, Va.

We need to promote interoperability with them, and making them use our
guns would be a good way of reconditioning them. It would help them
understand that theres a new way of doing business over there,he
said.

I dont care so much about the AK-47s per se,but buying them sets a bad
precedent for future purchases,Pike said. Look at the Iraqi military.
Their equipment is basically Chinese, Russian and French.When it is time
to begin replacing tanks, aircraft and missiles, is the U.S. Congress
going to appropriate money to buy equipment from the French? Its
inconceivable to me.

The Iraqi defense force needs to be compatible with us. Were going to be
occupying their country for many decades to come,Pike said
Keep M-16 Line Open

For Skipper, theres another important reason to choose M-16s over
AK-47s for Iraq. The M-16 is scheduled to cease production soon for lack
of customers.

The U.S. Army has stopped buying M-16s in favor of a new battle rifle.
The Marine Corps plans to buy M-16s only for another year. After that,
the M-16 line will be shut down, possibly meaning layoffs for several
hundred South Carolina workers.

At Skippers urging, Graham wrote to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in
late October, asking why the AK-47 was being bought for Iraq. Other than
an electronic acknowledgement of receipt of his letter, Graham received
no reply, an aide said.

The question also came up during a meeting of House Republicans last
fall, when Rep. Donald Manzullo, R-Ill., demanded to know, Why werent
American-made guns bought?Manzullo, chairman of the House Small Business
Committee, is an ardent advocate for requiring the U.S. military to buy
more of its parts and supplies from U.S. companies to preserve the U.S.
defense industrial base and save American manufacturing jobs.
Manzullo had some meetings with the Armyon the matter, said his
spokesman, Rich Carter. But by then, thousands of AK-47s already had been
bought.

The congressman was somewhat mollified when he learned that little, if
any, U.S. tax money is being used for the purchases. AK-47s and other
equipment for the Iraqi force are being bought with seized Iraqi assets,
Carter said.

A Clear Choice

For the U.S. officials overseeing the creation of the Iraqi Civil
Defense Force, choosing the AK-47 to arm the troops seemed
obvious.

For better or for worse, the AK-47 is the weapon of choice in that part
of the world. It turns out every Iraqi male above the age of about 12 can
take them apart and put them together blindfolded and is a pretty good
shot,said Walter Slocombe, senior adviser on security and defense affairs
to the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). AK-47s have another appeal. They happen to be cheap,Slocombe said.

When the CPA sought bids, they came in at 60 bucks a copyfrom a firm
named Jordanian Armed Services. The total would come to about $3 million,
not the $25 million Skipper warned of. Coalition forces also have
captured vast quantities of ammunition.

The AK-47s are bargain-priced compared with M-16s, which cost $500 to
$600 apiece, according to Jeff Rankin, director of contract sales for
M-16 maker FN Manufacturing.

Rankin acknowledged that if the decision is reversed, finding enough
M-16s to arm the Iraqis might be a problem.

There are not 50,000 M-16s sitting on a shelf,Rankin conceded, and FN
Manufacturing turns out only about 3,200 rifles a month. The U.S.
military has M-16s in its inventory, and those could be issued to the
Iraqis and then replaced with new weapons as they become available, he
said.

But Slocombe wants to quickly assemble a simply equipped Iraqi defense
force. He said he hopes to have 40,000 Iraqi troops trained and operating
by next September.

While the decision to use AK-47s and not M-16s makes perfect sense,the
decision to buy AK-47s even at $60 a rifle does not, said Peter Singer of
the Brookings Institution in Washington.

（法新社東京六日電） 日本發行量最大的報紙讀賣新聞今天報導，日本政府正考慮削減坦克和大砲數量百分之三十，同時增加地面部隊人員逾五千人。

讀賣新聞引述政府消息人士的話說，日本政府在國防計畫大綱的新架構中，也考慮刪除日本必要防衛最低能力的計畫。

根據新架構，國際合作任務，諸如聯合國維持和平行動，將由日本士兵的偶發性任務提升為主要任務。

讀賣新聞說：「這些變革將是（日本）自衛隊一九五四年成立以來，有關其任務的最徹底檢討。」

[路透巴格達電]一架美軍黑鷹直昇機周四在伊拉克墜毀，造成九名美軍士兵死亡。同一天，一架巨型C-5運輸機在起飛後遭地面炮火擊中，數十名美軍士兵僥倖逃過一劫。

美軍當日還釋放了60名伊拉克人，試圖消弭因拘留數以千計游擊隊嫌犯而引起的民怨。

美國軍方發言人稱，黑鷹直昇機是在費盧杰(Falluja)附近執行「例行」任務時墬毀；當地為支持前伊拉克總統海珊(薩達姆侯賽因)的遜尼派穆斯林堡壘。該發言人並未說明墜毀原因，機上九人全數罹難。

至於C-5銀河運輸機，該架飛機在離開巴格達機場後，四具引擎的其中之一爆炸，幸好這架巨型飛機還能安全地緊急降落，機上的63人均未受傷。

一名宣稱目擊黑鷹直昇機墜毀的當地民眾對路透稱，直昇機在墜毀前已經著火。部分新聞則報導，該機顯然遭火箭擊中；美國軍方表示仍在調查當中。

華盛頓一軍方發言人對路透表示，C-5可能遭一枚飛彈擊中。該型飛機為全球最大型的飛機之一。美國軍方稍後表示，游擊隊顯然擊中了這架飛機，但不清楚他們使用何種武器。(完)

（中央社記者謝震南東京十五日專電）由於日本國內多家航空公司擔心旅客受到恐怖攻擊波及而拒載，預定本月下旬出發的陸上自衛隊主力部隊一百五十名官兵，將改搭政府專機取道前往伊拉克執行任務。這是日本政府專機首度破例載運高官和政要以外人員。

日本媒體引述防衛廳幹部的說詞指出，去年秋天為了運送陸上和航空自衛隊先遣隊，曾先洽商本國航空公司，但航空公司方面擔心其他旅客可能因此受恐怖攻擊威脅而婉拒，結果數十位先遣隊官兵改搭外國航空公司班機赴伊拉克。

不過，由於這次出發的是超過百人的正式主力部隊，日本政府官員私下認為，奉命執行海外任務的官兵，如果還是搭乘外國班機未免太可憐且寒酸。

至於為何不利用航空自衛隊擁有的C130運輸機，相關官員指出，位於愛知縣的航空自衛隊小牧基地，雖然配備十六架同型飛機，但僅有三架擔責運送任務。

此外，C130運輸機的承載量和續航能力，也遠不及政府專機。

　　潘勛／綜合報導　對美軍UH-60「黑鷹」運輸直升機機槍手薩狄歐而言，「六點鐘」意味著危險。六點鐘指的不是時辰，而是伊拉克反抗軍由地面發射肩射式飛彈對準黑鷹直升機機尾的來襲角度。 廣　告

　　《華盛頓郵報》十三日報導，美國陸軍第八十二「空中突襲師」目前轄有「狼群」特遣直升機隊，提供掩護給地面部隊。狼群特遣直升機隊駐紮在利吉威基地，薩狄歐服勤其上的黑鷹直升機就隸屬狼群機隊，他表示，美軍直升機成兩架編組，機上人員再怎麼用心掃描地貌，可是，當機隊飛掠後，所經一哩外有人突然冒出來，發射肩射式飛彈，那麼編組後頭的直升機就會遭逢極大危險。

　　伊拉克首都巴格達市以西約五十六公里地帶，反抗軍活動猖獗；美陸軍的直升機是他們首選的目標之一。最近兩周之內，共有三架直升機遭反抗軍擊中。元月二日，一架OH-58「基阿華勇士型」偵察直升機遭擊落，飛行員喪生。元月八日，一枚反抗軍發射的肩射型飛彈擊落黑鷹直升機，九名機組人員及乘員罹難。而在元月十三日，一架AH-64「阿帕契」攻擊直升機遭地面砲火擊落，兩名機組員緊急迫降哈巴尼亞鎮以北數英里，幸而生還。

　　伊拉克反抗軍使用前蘇聯製SAM-7「箭式」肩射型飛彈來鎖定美軍直升機的頻率與日俱增。若與另一種反抗軍常拿來對付美軍直升機的武器，即火箭彈來比較，熱追蹤的箭式飛彈需要精密保養，「射手」也需要更多技巧。

　　狼群特遣直升機隊執行官范艾森巴赫表示，箭式飛彈很昂貴，難以買到，不是伊拉克當地人所擁有的；根據情報，箭式飛彈及射手都由敘利亞滲透入伊拉克；有些人收受酬勞，另些則是存心跟美國作對。

　　范艾森巴赫表示，過去幾周，伊拉克反抗軍顯然在研究美軍直升機的飛行形態。利吉威基地位置接近對美軍敵意最深城鎮之一的法魯賈。美軍已在當地與反抗軍及支持反抗軍的鎮民作戰數月。

（法新社東京十六日電） 一支日本自衛隊的先遣小組今天啟程前往伊拉克，為即將部署於伊拉克的日本部隊展開準備作業。這是日本自二次世界大戰結束以來最具爭議性的海外軍事任務。

日本首相小泉純一郎派兵赴伊拉克協助重建的決定遭到民眾的強烈反對，兩名駐伊拉克的日本外交官在去年十二月遇害也增加了反彈聲浪。

（中央社記者謝震南東京十七日專電）共同通信社發自中東的消息，昨晚由成田機場出發的日本陸上自衛隊三十名先遣隊員，今天早晨抵達科威特。他們預定本月下旬轉往伊拉克南部薩瑪瓦。

先頭部隊今天上午抵達科威特之後，首先在美軍營地檢查攜帶裝備，另一方面也等待由北海道陸上自衛隊基地托運而來的車輛裝備。

日本政府向俄羅斯租借安托諾夫軍用運輸機載送的輕型裝甲車，預定明天抵達科威特國際機場旁的穆巴拉克空軍基地。

日本自衛隊1月18日早晨在科威特穆巴拉克(Mubarak)機場上，自一架伊留申運輸機中卸下軍用卡車。日本自衛隊的一個小組17日抵達科威特，將由陸路前往伊拉克境內。此行為日本自二次世界大戰後最具爭議的軍事部署行動。

路透/Caren Firouz

（中央社記者謝震南東京十九日專電）共同通信社報導，日本防衛廳正在檢討是否緊急調派UH-60戰鬥直昇機（俗稱黑鷹）赴伊，協助陸上自衛隊在伊南薩瑪瓦執行任務。據了解，同款直昇機將用於協助載運傷患或重要人士就醫。

不過，由於防衛廳擬定的自衛隊派遣實施要項之中，並未列入陸上自衛隊的直昇機部分，因此，這項構想目前仍在積極尋求朝野黨政協商階段。

（法新社華盛頓十八日電） 資深美軍人士說，伊拉克反抗軍以愈來愈精密的武器攻擊美國直升機。

一批熟悉軍方一項機密報告的資深官員今天對紐約時報說，機密的軍方研究報告發現，伊拉克游擊隊利用火箭推進的手榴彈以及更先進的熱追蹤地對空飛彈，攻擊美國直升機。

他們說，這是本月伊拉克對美軍直升機進行三次攻擊之前所做的研究，不過最近三次的攻擊行動，只會更印證研究報告的結論。

這項軍事研究報告的主旨，在提供美軍飛行員如何躲避伊拉克游擊隊這類武器攻擊的方法，有關官員不願討論新發現的內容。不過從伊拉克新一波攻勢的方法看來，不禁令人擔憂，伊拉克游擊隊已仔細研究過美軍飛機作戰模式。

研究人員發現，伊拉克游擊隊不止一次使用SA-16肩式飛彈，令人特別憂慮。這種具有精密導航系統的飛彈，飛行員很難躲避。

波斯灣地區一位資深的美軍航空員說：「每次我們飛機遭擊落，都是敵軍戰略上一大勝利。不僅新聞大肆報導，輸贏也立判，因此敵方認為這是非常有用的伎倆。」

[路透巴格達電]美國軍方稱，一架美軍直昇機周五在伊拉克北部蓋亞拉(Qayara)墜毀，兩名飛行員因此罹難。

美軍在一份聲明中表示，這架奇歐瓦(Kiowa)直昇機於當地時間0830p.m.(1730GMT)在蓋亞拉北部墜毀，目前墜毀原因尚未得知，且隨行的另一直昇機未提及有任何敵火攻擊事件。

蓋亞拉位於伊拉克北部，介於摩蘇爾(Mosul)與基爾庫克(Kirkuk)之間。(完)

（中央社記者謝震南東京二十四日專電）日本媒體發自中東的最新消息指出，本月十九日抵達伊拉克南部穆桑那州薩瑪瓦的陸上自衛隊先遣小組，險些遭受第一波恐怖攻擊。所幸薩瑪瓦警方及時逮捕五名前海珊政權的餘孽。

日本政府也在昨天晚間表示，除了早已掌握這項相關情資，同時也被告知五名海珊政權支持者遭逮捕的訊息。不過，日本官員表示，並不清楚恐怖攻擊計畫是否真的鎖定自衛隊為目標。

根據日本時事通信社向薩瑪瓦當地最高治安單位查證的結果，確證五名支持前海珊政權的身分不明男子，已經在薩瑪瓦市區遭到逮捕。

薩瑪瓦當地警方目前除了深入調查以自衛隊為恐怖攻擊對象的計畫內容，同時也追查是否有其他共犯。