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 | ₹18.5 million (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.
Weapon systems
Weapon systems
The main armament is the 55 caliber H2 120mm smoothbore cannon designed by Kala Armaments Group of Tennai. The Tennaiite and Mansuri variants use different coaxial and roof-mounted machine guns; the 7.62mm Banshmi T12 and the 12.7 mm SAF 50MG are used on the Tennaiite variant and the (XXXXX) and (XXXXX) are used on the Mansuri variant. The MBT-94 is also equipped with eight smoke grenade dischargers mounted on each side of the turret.
Fire-control
The MBT-94 is equipped with an advanced fire-control system linked to an Extremely High Frequency radar system deployed on the frontal arc of the turret, along with a traditional laser rangefinder and crosswind sensor. The system is capable of a "lock-on" mode, which can acquire and track specific targets up to a range of 9.8 km (6.1 mi) using a thermographic camera. This allows the crew to fire accurately while moving as well as engage low-flying aircraft.
The fire-control system is also linked to an advanced gun stabilizer and trigger-delay mechanism to optimise accuracy while moving in uneven terrain. If the trigger on the main gun is pulled at the same time the tank encounters an irregularity in the terrain, oscillation of the gun barrel will cause temporary misalignment between a laser emitter at the top of the barrel and a sensor at the base. This will delay the fire-control system from activating until the beam is re-aligned, improving the chances of hitting the intended target.
The GuKs Gunner's Primary Sight (GKGPS) and the GuKs Commander's Panoramic Sight (GKCPS) are present in the MBT-94 as in the Sundarji tanks, though modified to utilise the more advanced sensors and armaments deployed on the MBT-94.
The commander of the tank has the ability to override the command to take control of the turret and gun from the gunner. Moreover, unconfirmed reports state that, in the event of an emergency, the vehicle can be operated by only two crew members, or even a single one. It is speculated that the fire-control system can automatically spot and track visible targets, compare them using the data link established with other friendly vehicles to prevent redundant target engagements, and fire its main gun without manual input.
Munitions
Defensive capabilities
The tank possess a modular composite base armor jointly developed by Kalpa and Safadshahr, and can be equipped with the Qanafadh explosive reactive armor. Mansuri models of the tank are also equipped with Kalkan-2 active protection system, which includes a radar to detect, track and intercept incoming anti-tank munitions, firing a shotgun-like blast to destroy the threat, while Tennaite models use Cobra Active Protection System (CAPS). The MBT-94 can also be equipped with additional composite armor packages for a higher level of protection against a wide range of threats.
Mobility and Maneuverability
The MBT-94 can travel at speeds of up to 70 km/h on road surfaces, accelerate from 0 to 32 km/h within 8.7 seconds, and maintain speeds of up to 52 km/h in off-road conditions. It can also climb 60-degree slopes and vertical obstacles 1.8 meters in height.
The vehicle can cross rivers as deep as 4.1 meters using a snorkel system, which also serves as a conning tower for the tank commander. The system takes approximately 20~30 minutes to prepare. The turret becomes watertight while fording, but the chassis can take in 575 gallons of water to prevent excessive buoyancy from air inside the vehicle and keep the tracks planted firmly on the ground. Furthermore, the tank can enter combat-ready status as soon as it resurfaces. A MBT-94 tank does not require outside assistance for river crossing.
The MBT-94 fields an advanced suspension system, called the In-arm Suspension Unit (ISU), which allows for individual control of every bogie on the tracks. This allows the MBT-94 to "sit", "stand" and "kneel", as well as "lean" towards one side or a corner. "Sitting" gives the tank a lower profile and offers superior handling over roads. "Standing" gives the vehicle higher ground clearance for maneuverability over rough terrain. "Kneeling" augments the angular range in which the tank's gun barrel can elevate and depress, allowing the vehicle to fire its main gun downhill as well as engage low-flying aircraft more effectively. The suspension unit also cushions the chassis from vibrations when travelling over uneven terrain, as the bogies can be adjusted individually on-the-fly.
Using the suspension system, MBT-94 is able to elevate its main gun up to 24 degrees, which allows a curved trajectory attack at a hovering helicopter target 5 km (3.1 mi) away.
The MBT-94 also has advanced track system called Dynamic Track Tensioning System. Maintaining optimum tension through all maneuvers, it dramatically reduces the chance of throwing a track even in the most extreme situations.
Network-centric considerations
The MBT-94 houses the following features which help to improve situational awareness for the crew:
- C4I (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence) uplink.
- GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) uplink.
- IFF/SIF (Identification Friend or Foe/Selective Identification Feature) system compliant with STANAG 4579. Located on the main gun mantlet, just above the gun, the system fires a 38 GHz beam in the direction of the gun for a response from the targeted vehicle. If a proper response signal is shown by the target, the fire control system automatically identifies it as a friendly. If the target fails to respond to the identification signal, it is then declared as a hostile.
- Battle Management System allows the vehicle to share its data with friendly units, including other armored vehicles and helicopters.
Work is also under way to integrate the experimental autonomous vehicle, unmanned wheeled reconnaissance drone into the MBT-94s systems, giving the tank's crew the ability to scout without disclosing its location.
Improvements and upgrades
Export
Variants
Tennaite and Mansuri models of the tank share most components, differing mostly in peripheral parts. They’re respectively known as MBT-94T and MBT-94M. Mansuri models are equipped with extra filters to keep fine sand and dust out of the engine as well as a powerful air conditioning system to protect crew from the effects of extreme weather during deep desert operations. The MBT-94M also uses locally the produced Kalkan-2 APS.