MBT-94
| MBT-94 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Main battle tank |
| Place of origin |  TennaiMansuriyyah |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Kalpa Defense (Tennai), Safadshahr Heavy Industries (Mansuriyyah) |
| Designed | 1994 – 2004 |
| Manufacturer | Kalpa Defense (Tennai), Safadshahr Heavy Industries (Mansuriyyah) |
| Unit cost | NS$13.75 million |
| Produced | 2004 - Present |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 65 tonnes (72 short tons; 64 long tons) |
| Length | 7.3 metres (23 ft 11 in) (hull), 10.3 metres (33 ft 10 in) (gun forward) |
| Width | 3.9 metres (12 ft 10 in) |
| Height | 2.6 metres (8 ft 6 in) |
| Crew | 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver) |
| Armor | modular composite armor |
Main armament | Kala H2 120mm smoothbore gun |
Secondary armament |
|
| Engine | Safadshahr 12FB 12-cylinder multi-fuel engine 1,800 hp |
| Power/weight | 27.69 hp/tonne |
| Transmission | Safadshahr MT1800 automatic transmission |
| Suspension | In-Arm Suspension Unit |
Operational range | 500 km (310 mi) |
| Speed | 70 km/h (43 mph) on the road 50 km/h (31 mph) off-road |
The MBT-94 is an Tennaiite–Mansuri jointly designed and manufactured main battle tank that was developed from 1994 - 2004. Production of the tank began in 2004 and is currently ongoing. In Mansuri service the MBT-94 is designated Ghulam and in Tennaiite service it is designated Kshatriya.
Development
The project officially started in 1994. Mansuri armed forces had been looking for a permanent replacement for its fleet of MBT’s since the 1980’s, producing upgrades for its tanks as well as acquiring small batches of foreign tanks for test purposes. Meanwhile the Tennaite army was looking to supplement the current MBT and to also have a platform that could be upgraded and modified for a longer period of time. Both nations signed a joint development agreement in March 1994 after a year of negotiations, with the project being jointly headed by Tennai’s Kalpa Defense and Mansuriyyah’s Safadshahr Heavy Industries.
Engines and powertrains
The MBT-94 features a 1,800 horse power 12-cylinder multi-fuel engine developed by Safadshahr Industries. The vehicle can travel at speeds up to 70 km/h on roads, while being able to maintain speeds up to 48 km/h on of-road conditions. It is also equipped with an advanced suspension system that allows it to “sit”, “stand”, “kneel” and “lean” by adjusting its front, middle and read bogies. It allows the MBT94 to adjust itself according to terrain and tactical conditions. "Sitting" gives the tank lower profile and offer better handling over roads. "Standing" gives the vehicle higher ground clearance and allows it to have better maneuverability over rough terrain. "Kneeling" increases the amount of angle that the tank's gun barrel can elevate and depress, which allows the tank to fire its main gun downhill—something that very few tanks, if there are any others at all, can do—and give it better ability to engage low-flying aircraft. The new suspension unit also gives the tank an advantage when traveling on uneven terrain as they can be adjusted on-the-fly automatically to lessen the vibration.