T2 Toro

T2 Toro
A T2A of the 11th Armoured Brigade
Type	main battle tank
Place of origin	Menghe Idacua
Service history
In service	2010-present
Used by	Idacua
Production history
Designer	Design Bureau of the Jinjŏng Chŏlgang-Nodongja Vehicle Plant Alcaron Vehicle Design Office
Designed	2007-2010
Manufacturer	Various factories
Produced	2009
No. built	400+
Specifications
Weight	51.2 metric tonnes
Length	9.68 m overall 7.23 m hull only
Width	3.77 m including side armor
Height	2.27 m to turret roof
Crew	3 (driver, gunner, commander)
Armor	Welded steel base Composite armor (turret face and hull glacis) Escudo ERA (T2M1) Carapacho applique composite armour (T2M2)
Main armament	125mm Espada CM99 smoothbore gun with ATGM capability
Secondary armament	12.7mm GCh-75Ch HMG (commander) 7.62mm GCh-77 MMG (co-axial)
Engine	Alcaron MDP500 diesel 1,250 hp
Suspension	torsion-bar
Ground clearance	43 cm
Operational range	850 km (internal fuel)
Speed	65 km/h (road)

The T2 Toro (Sylvan for Bull) is an Idacuan main battle tank based on the Menghean JCh-6. After receiving a batch of JCh-6Gs from Menghe, the Idacuan government was so satisfied with the tank's performance that it expressed the desire to make a local variant of the vehicle. The project was approved, and after the prototype trials, serial production began in 2010 with the baseline T2 model. The project spawned two more upgraded variants, the T2M1 and T2M2, the latter of which entered service in 2018. Currently, the T2 serves as the Idacuan Revolutionary Army's frontline main battle tank, with over 400 units in service.

Development and design history

The stagnant economy of Idacua in the immediate years after the 1986 Revolution had left the Army with very little funds to procure new equipment. The Idacuan Revolutionary Army's tank force had been largely obsolete by the 1990s, composed mostly of Sieuxerrian AMX-30 main battle tanks and AMX-13 light tanks. The recovery of the economy on the turn of the century, however, brought new opportunities for modernization. In 2003, a contract was signed with the Letnian government for the delivery of 200 T-74B main battle tanks. However, the introduction of the Menghean JCh-6 in 2004 caught the attention of the Idacuan government, who felt that the Menghean vehicle was more suited to local needs. After cancelling the Letnian tank order, the government entered talks with their Menghean counterparts to acquire JCh-6G units. However, the Mengheans claimed that the vehicle contained classified technologies that they weren't prepared to export. As such, talks were cancelled and the Idacuan Army remained with an outdated tank force for the next few years.

With the introduction of the upgraded JCh-6N variant in 2006, talks for the procurement of G version vehicles started again. This time, the negotiation bore fruit and an order for 100 JCh-6Gs was placed. Deliveries were completed by by early 2007, and the Idacuan military leadership was satisfied with the vehicles, with 100 more being delivered. The satisfactory performance of the JCh-6G and the desire of the government's desire to develop a self sufficient military industry drove the Idacuans into new negotiations to acquire a license for the local production and modification of the tank, which they acquired by the end of the year. The first prototypes were basically modified JCh-6Gs with an Idacuan Alcaron MDP400 engine and slightly larger roadwheels, but as development went further, new local elements began to be added.

The first production model, named T2, rolled out of the Mayo 24 Tractor Factory in 2009. It featured a new Idacuan VMC95 commander's sight with thermal capability that was mounted on the rotatable commander's cupola, as well as a MT05 gunner's sight, a local modification of the original Menghean sight that incorporates an improved laser rangefinder. After some further adjustments, such as the installation of an upgraded MDP500 1,200 hp engine, as well as shorter side skirts - the longer Menghean ones had the tendency to get ripped off in lush jungle terrain during trials - it was approved for mass production with the designation T2A Toro. Entering service in early 2010, the T2A slowly became the mainstay MBT of the Idacuan Revolutionary Army and Marine Corps, with the AMX-30 being relegated to reserve roles. Gradually, all JCh-6Gs were upgraded to T2A standards by the second half of 2011. In 2013, T2As started receiving the Espada CM99 125 mm smoothbore gun, and Idacuan upgrade of the Menghean L/48 with increased muzzle velocity.

In 2016, and upgrade program called the T2M1 was launched. The new variant featured a new gunner's sight, the Aguila-A and an upgraded MDP500M engine with a 1,300 horsepower output. However, the most prominent upgrade is the addition of a 2nd generation Escudo Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA) package on upper glaces, hull side and turret, offering 180-degree protection from the front. Additionally, special mounts for a cage armour module for protection against HEAT warheads were installed on the rear of the hull. The new upgrade brought the vehicle to 55 tons. The upgrade of 100 vehicles to T2M1 standards was approved by the Ministry of Defence, and the process began in early 2017. However, the first active duty experiences of the new variants showed that the vehicle had become too heavy for use in the soft terrain of the tropical areas of Idacua, and the upgrade project was stalled until a new, larger, more powerful one was available, with only 150 tanks upgraded. The new engine, Alcaron MDP600 with a 1,500 hp output became available in early 2018, and were mounted on the T2M1s. However, the upgrade program was cancelled as the new T2M2 prototype rolled out of the factory.

The T2M2, which some observers dubbed the T3 as they took it to be a new design, was first unveiled to the public in the 2018 32nd Independence Parade. The new model features a Remote Weapons Station (RWS) with a GCh-75Ch 12.7 HMG and an Astra MCI commanders sight with a 360-degree rotation capability, as well as the upgraded Aguila-M gunner's sight. Additionally, the new, locally designed Espada CM102 gun was mounted, which features a muzzle reference system for increased accuracy in targeting solutions. Lastly, the newly developed Idacuan Carapacho composite armour is featured on the T2M2, in the form of applique modules on the glacis, sideskirts, and turret. The T2M2 program was approved for production and entered service in early 2019, with 50 vehicles being upgraded to that standard by August of that year, with all of them serving in the 2nd Honoured Armoured Division.