Military Ground Vehicle Trends

Jane's
Short but informative video from Jane's.

Didn't know about

1. Russia's new Main Battle Tank (MBT) [link]
2. Netherlands retiring it's MBTs [link]

Wonder if MBTs of the future will morph. We already see heavy Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) like the Namer, which point to a possible reframing of the classic firepower/protection/mobility mix.

One additional factor to consider is situational awareness. Future platforms will need to have sensors that help the tank crew "see better". With urban warfare more and more likely in future conflicts, future platforms will need to be able to defend and fire back at elevated targets [read: thicker top armour and guns with high elevation].

The End of the German Euro Hawk Programme

The Implications for Germany and NATO

Another project cancellation. opswarfare missed this, when the cancellation was first announced in June 2013. The article above provides a good summary of the reasons for cancellation, and the follow-up.

The reasons given for this decision included great difficulties and enormous additional costs (500–600 million euros) linked to the procedure of admitting the UAV for use in German general airspace outside the segregated airspace (i.e. strictly defined areas). 

This will be necessary if this kind of UAV is to be used in Germany (and in Europe) due to the fact that German (and European) airspace is used intensely. 

According to information from the German MoD, the problems concerned lacks in the technical documentation provided by the US company. 

The press reported that there were probably also some technical problems with the prototype, namely problems maintaining contact between the UAV and the ground control station, as well as Northrop Grumman’s unwillingness to provide sensitive technical data and the lack of an automatic anti-collision system.