Non-Subscriber Extract
Jordan unveils new turret for Al Hussein main battle tank
- Article Tools
| 21 November 2002 |
By Robin Hughes, JDW Deputy News Editor, Amman, Jordan
The
King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) of Jordan, in an
exclusive briefing to Jane's Defence Weekly, has revealed details of an
indigenously developed turret incorporating a 120mm smooth-bore gun. The
intended platform for the turret is believed to be the Jordanian Armed Forces'
Al Hussein (ex-British Army Challenger 1) main battle tank (MBT). Development of the Falcon 2 turret, designated within KADDB as project AB9C5, has been conducted as part of the MERLIN programme, which involves intellectual development and technology transfer between the South African defence-industrial private sector and Jordan. Concept design, development, prototyping and project management has been led by KADDB, in close partnership with the Mechanology Design Bureau (MDB) and IST Dynamics of South Africa. It is supported by other elements of the Jordanian, South African, Swiss and UK defence industries.
Now in the final stages of development, Falcon 2 interface verification was scheduled for completion last month, following which it is expected to be dropped into an Al Hussein hull by the end of the year. KADDB plans to unveil the complete vehicle officially at the IDEX international defence exhibition in Abu Dhabi in March 2003. KADDB officials told JDW that fitting the Falcon to the Al Hussein hull involved a "straightforward interface".
The primary armament for the Falcon 2 turret is RUAG Land Systems' L50 120mm smooth-bore compact tank gun. King Abdullah II of Jordan told JDW that improved lethality, combined with concerns about the obsolescence of the Al Hussein's (UK BAE Systems RO Defence) L11 120mm rifled gun and ammunition had been a driving factor in developing the programme.
The South African government is understood to have expressed an interest in the Falcon as part of its revived MBT requirement, and South African industry sources said that the Falcon 2 turret's development could provide the impetus for a collaborative project with Jordan to develop a new MBT hull.
316 of 667 words
 |
| The Falcon 2 turret in the process of integration testing at the KADDB workshop. Visible is the RUAG 120 CTG 120mm L50 smoothbore gun and the bustle housing an FHL Claverham 10-round autoloader. Attached to the outside of the bustle is an eight-round Thales AFV smoke projector. Not yet fitted are the commander's and gunner's hunter-killer sights. (Source: KADDB) |