Tanks & Beyond

A blog for armored vehicles, including, but not limited to tanks, armored cars, self-propelled artillery, and self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. He/Him

[tanksandbeyond]

The Object 640 'Black Eagle' next to a T-80UM-1 at Omsktransmash, ~2014.

Object 640 is a fairly mysterious Russian tank designed by the Leningrad Kirov Plant, and later taken up by the KBTM design bureau of Omsktransmash in Omsk, Russia. It first appeared at an arms exposition in Omsk in 1997, and again in June 1999 in Siberia. In both instances, its turret was covered by camo netting, and due to its limited appearances, pictures of it aren't the most clear or numerous.

Nicknamed 'Black Eagle', the vehicle is notable for its stretched T-80U hull with seven road wheels, and for abandoning the traditional carousel-style autoloader in favor of a bustle autoloader akin to Western vehicles like the Leclerc. The advantage of a bustle autoloader not only lies in how it keeps the ready-ammunition stored behind the turret, usually one of the stronger parts frontally of a tank.

Like other modern Russian tanks, the Object 640 retains a 125 mm gun, but doesn't have the same limitations as tanks with the carousel-style design. This is in part due to ammunition length, which can only be so long so as to fit inside the autoloader in the hull, meaning it is limited in capability and penetration, with rounds like the 3VBM22 and 3VBM23 Svinets pushing the limits of the design. With a bustle autoloader, ammunition can be much longer, which is a particular advantage for APFSDS rounds, resulting in better penetration and post-penetration effect.

Despite its seemingly promising design, the Black Eagle hasn't been seen much since. The above picture, taken at Omsktransmash, was one of the latest sightings, the other being in 2022, still at Omsktransmash. As you might be able to tell, the Black Eagle is another one of those promising projects that ultimately never saw service. With that said it's very likely that experience gained from its development has, and will, help with future Russian tank designs, notably highlighting the advantages of the bustle autoloader

[tanksandbeyond]

French M4A4s from 2e régiment de cuirassiers (2e RC) pass in front of Dijon City Hall, September 13th, 1944.

[tanksandbeyond]

A Ukrainian T-84 from the 14th Mechanized Brigade during the Strong Europe Tank Challenge, Grafenwöhr, Germany, June 8th, 2018.

[tanksandbeyond]

A pair of Chinese ZBD04A IFVs (infantry fighting vehicle) from the 149th Heavy Combined Arms Brigade, 76th Group Army during an exercise in Qinghai Province, China, 2018.

[tanksandbeyond]

Belarusian BMD-1s from the 103rd Guards Separate Mobile Brigade, February 2011.

[tanksandbeyond]

An AMX-10RC in Paris on Bastille Day, July 14th, 2021.

[tanksandbeyond]

Italian Leopard 1A2s and M113s from 13º Reggimento carabinieri "Friuli Venezia Giulia", circa 1980s.

[tanksandbeyond]

Stand Up for Palestine 🇵🇸

Hello everyone, this post may be a bit jarring at first, as I usually post tanks, and purely tanks. Today however, I wanted to share my support and raise awareness about Palestine. Currently, the state of Israel is conducting an indiscriminate bombing and ground campaign against the people of Palestine. While Israel maintains this is in self-defense, their actions go far beyond self-defense. Over 100,000 Palestinians have been casualties since October 7th alone, with 28,000 souls lost, and many more wounded. This is on top of Israel's occupation of Palestinian land, which we can see in videos from Israeli soldiers and settler colonialists in videos taking over people's homes.

It's important for people like myself who have abundance to share and support those who have less, and right now, Palestine needs everything they can get. Therefore, it is also important we as a global community call for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, an end to the violence committed by Israel, and for those of in the United States, a call to end support for this genocidal campaign. You can do this by writing to your representatives, donating to organizations such as the Palestine Red Crescent Society, and joining protests, no matter how small, calling for an end to Israeli occupation and an end to the genocide.

Stand up for Palestine. End the occupation. 🕊️🍉

[tanksandbeyond]

An article on the Indian Bhim self-propelled howitzer from Jane's Defense Weekly, December 8th, 1998.

[tanksandbeyond]

The WZ123 during cold weather testing in Tahe County, Heilongjiang Province, December 1996.

The WZ123, later ZTZ99, is China's first third-generation tank. It was designed to replace the aging Type 59 series once and for all. The vehicle above may seem unfamiliar to those have seen the ZTZ99 before, this is primarily because this is the very first variant made, with no ERA (explosive reactive armor) fitted, giving it a very T-72-esque appearance frontally. Eighteen WZ123s formed a phalanx during the 50th Anniversary of the PRC celebration, a National Day Parade, in 1999, followed up by other Chinese armor. It soon entered service afterwards and would be upgraded gradually over the 2000s. Today, a redesign of the vehicle, the ZTZ99A, is one of China's most formidable tanks, and will likely continue to be a mainstay of the People's Liberation Army's tank fleet.

[tanksandbeyond]

A K9FIN 'Moukari' from Jäger Artillery Regiment, Parolannummi Armored Brigade, during the 2022 Flag Day Parade, Helsinki.

[tanksandbeyond]

Japanese Type 94 tankettes during the Battle of Nanjing, December 12th, 1937.

[tanksandbeyond]

The Ramses II during trials at the Teledyne Continental Plant in Muskegon, Michigan 1980s.

The Ramses II is an Egyptian T-55 upgrade, originally designed from a T-54 upgraded by the American Teledyne Continental Motors company. Upgrades include a lengthened hull, improved engine and transmission, a SABCA Titan Mk I fire control system, and a 105mm M68 rifled gun. A number of Egyptian T-55s have been built or converted, with numbers going as high as 425 tanks. Despite this, the Egyptian Army's most numerous tanks remain the M60 and M1 Abrams.

[tanksandbeyond]

An article from Jane's International Defense Review on the South African Tank Technology Demonstrator (TTD), April 1994.

[tanksandbeyond]

Hi everyone, this is a brochure from the South African Reumech OMC company for their TTD, or Tank Technology Demonstrator. This unfortunately did not go beyond testing and its advertising campaign, but is an important vehicle in South African armored history. The vehicle brochure is fairly self explanatory, so I'll just leave you to read it!

[tanksandbeyond]

Swedish troops testing the French AMX-13 on the training ground in Skövde, 1952.

A popular choice for the 1950s, the French AMX-13 was a relatively light and cheap option for a modern tank. It featured a high velocity 75mm gun with an autoloading system, weighed only 14 tons, and was protected all-around against small arms fire. After expressing interest in 1952, an AMX-13 arrived secretly in Sweden in April of that year. It would undergo testing in a variety of environments, including in Jämtland during winter. Despite promising results, the deal abruptly ended, and in April 1953, Supreme Commander Nils Swedlund announced that Sweden was no longer pursuing the AMX-13 for the Swedish Army. Instead, Sweden would later turn to the UK for its Centurion main battle tank, and would also design a development of the Strv m/42, the Strv 74.

[tanksandbeyond]

A Finnish L-62 Anti II anti-aircraft vehicle, Liikola, Karelian Isthmus, June 15th, 1944.

The Landsverk L-62 Anti II was an anti-aircraft vehicle designed for Finland by Sweden. It used an existing Landsverk L-60 tank chassis and added a turret with the famous 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun. Its full designation in service with Finland was Ilmatorjuntapanssarivaunu 41, or Anti-Aircraft Tank 41, the latter number referring to the year designed. During the war, eleven aircraft were shot down by the Anti II, and of the 6 built, all survived the war and several can be found in Finnish museums to this day.