We are completing the topic of fire support vehicles (MOS), or "light tanks" started in Part I. Consider Israeli, Turkish, Swedish, and German-made models.
Sabrah Light Tank
The Israeli company Elbit Systems offers the Sabrah MOS in both a tracked version based on the ASCOD 2 combat vehicle and an 8x8 wheeled version based on the Pandur 2 APC. Both variants are equipped with an Elbit twin turret and a 105-mm low-recoil 105LW rifled cannon. A 7.62mm FN MAG machine gun and eight smoke grenade launchers are also mounted on the stabilized turret. The light tank has 12 ready-to-use shells in the automatic loader and 24 more in the hull. As an option, a container with two anti-tank missiles is offered, as well as an Iron Fist active protection system.
Sabrah Light Tank of the Philippine Army
The Sabra modification was proposed in 2020 in accordance with the requirements of the Philippine Army for a "light tank." In January 2021, Manila placed an order for 18 tracked and 10 wheeled Sabra fire support vehicles. The first nine tracked vehicles officially entered service in March 2024.
The Elbit company stated that the combat vehicle weighing about 30-33 tons is equipped with a number of subsystems, including optoelectronic sights, a digital fire control system, a TORCH-XTM combat control system, a software-defined E-LynXTM radio system and life support systems.
Kaplan MT Fire Support Vehicle
The Kaplan MT MOPED from the Turkish FNSS company is another notable model in service. The base vehicle is based on the FNSS Kaplan family and is equipped with a John Cockerill Defense 3105 twin turret. The turret is equipped with a 105mm Cockerill 105HP (high pressure) L51 rifled cannon connected to a 12-round automatic loader. Auxiliary armament includes a twin 7.62 mm machine gun, as well as a 7.62mm machine gun or a 12.7mm heavy machine gun on the roof for the commander of the vehicle. The latter can be mounted on trunnions or integrated into a remotely controlled combat station.
According to PT Pinded, the combat weight of the vehicle ranges from 30 to 35 tons. FNSS engineers also offer a machine with an active protection complex (KAZ) Pulat, which is the Turkish version of the Ukrainian Microtek Zaslon system.
Kaplan MT Light Tank
The first user of the Kaplan MT MOU was Indonesia, where the product is known as Harimau and is produced jointly by the Turkish company FNSS and the Indonesian PT Pindad. Production began in 2017, and the first batch of 10 vehicles arrived in the Indonesian Armed Forces in March 2024. It was reported that the initial order for 18 vehicles was completed by October 2024.
Brazil is also considering Kaplan MT (as well as Sabrah, CV90120 and Lynx 120 – see below) as part of the Armored Fighting Vehicle (BMV) component of its Strategic Army Armored Forces (Prg EE F Bld) Program. Earlier, in November 2022, Brazil selected the Centauro II 8x8 wheeled fire support vehicle for its Viatura Blindada de Combat de Cavalria – Média Sobra Rodas (VBC Cav – MSR 8x8) program.
CV90120 Fire Support Vehicle
Since the 1990s, the Swedish company BAE Systems Hägglunds has developed several variants of the CV90 infantry fighting vehicles, which were equipped with larger weapons, including the CV90105 and CV90120. The latest offering in this category is the CV90120MkIV, based on the latest CV90MkIV platform, equipped with a twin turret and armed with a 120mm smoothbore cannon.
The MOS is designed for direct fire support and was previously advertised by BAE as "capable of sustained long-range anti-tank fire." Although the armament certainly allows for such fire, the fact that the vehicle's armor is significantly weaker than that of a conventional MBT makes it more vulnerable to return fire than MBT in an anti-tank role.
CV90120 Fire Support Vehicle
BAE Systems had been offering the CV90120 version for several years, even before the latest MkIV-based version was available. Initially, their 120 mm armament was based on the Ruag CTG 120/L50 120 mm cannon (CTG is a "compact tank cannon"). However, after Ruag discontinued the production of these weapons, the Rheinmetall Rh 120 LLR L/47 120mm cannon (LLR - "light, with low recoil") became the main weapon.
The gun is compatible with all 120-mm tank ammunition of the NATO standard, as well as with ATGM and is equipped with an automatic loader. Previously, BAE Systems claimed a maximum rate of fire of 12-14 rounds per minute. The auxiliary armament consists of a 7.62 mm twin machine gun. Additional armament, including a 7.62mm machine gun, a 12.7mm heavy machine gun or a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher (AGL), can be installed in the OAKS on the roof of the tower.
As an additional option, the BBM can be equipped with both passive and active protection systems. The former can include laser, radar, and anti–missile sensors, as well as smoke grenade launchers, while the latter can include various user-defined CAS.
Lynx 120 Fire Support Vehicle
Rheinmetall Defense introduced the Lynx 120 MOS (Lynx 120, or Lynx 120) in February 2022. This version is apparently equipped with a two-seat turret used in the KF51 Panther main battle tank. The main armament is a Rheinmetall Rh140 L/44 120 mm cannon mounted on a KF41 Lynx tracked platform.
According to a Rheinmetall press release, the Lynx 120 cannon is compatible with DM11 programmable high-explosive shells with three modes of operation. This allows the Lynx 120-mm cannon to hit bunkers (pinpoint detonation), light and medium-armored vehicles (delayed pinpoint detonation) and personnel in open terrain (aerial detonation). In addition to the DM11, the cannon is compatible with 120 mm NATO ammunition, including cumulative anti-tank (HEAT) and armor-piercing feathered sub-caliber (APFSDS) projectiles, which allows it to destroy heavily armored targets such as main battle tanks.
Additional armament includes a twin 12.7mm machine gun and a 7.62mm turret-mounted machine gun in the Natter OAKS. A 360-degree camera system with automatic target detection and tracking helps the crew navigate the environment.
Lynx 120 MOS variant with KF51 Panther turret
At Eurosatory 2024, Rheinmetall presented the further development of the concept of fire support vehicles based on the Lynx family called Lynx 120 mm. This version was slightly different from the original Lynx 120 introduced in 2022, and used a smaller and lighter Leonardo Hitfact II turret mounted on the body of the KF41 Lynx and armed with a Leonardo 120/45 cannon. The turret is offered as a 2-seater turret with an automatic loader or a 3-seater turret, and the Leonardo 105/52 cannon can be selected as an alternative to the 120/45 cannon of a smaller caliber.
Rheinmetall specialists emphasize the simplified vehicle architecture and plug-and-play design, which will simplify future upgrades. Modularity is also evident in the BBM protective complex, which includes scalable passive armor packages and Strikeshield KAZ from Rheinmetall.
The revival of the MOP?
According to foreign military experts, as the tactical situation changes, interest in both wheeled and tracked infantry fighting vehicles appears to be reviving. Ongoing conflicts, especially in Ukraine, have shown that heavy armor often does not provide sufficient protection against new anti-tank threats such as UAVs and barrage munitions. At the same time, there remains a need for large-caliber means of direct fire support for infantry or light and medium forces. In this regard, tracked infantry fighting vehicles have a number of important advantages over traditional MBT.
The purchase and operating cost of the MOS is significantly lower than that of the MBT. Their use also allows the armed forces to increase the unification of parts and reduce the logistical burden if the selected MOS uses the same basic family of platforms as the existing infantry fighting vehicles or armored personnel carriers. For armies with a limited budget, tracked infantry fighting vehicles are a means of creating combat-ready armored units at a significantly lower price than the purchase of modern MBT.
In addition, the lower weight of the MOS provides many other advantages, including reduced fuel consumption, easier recovery, the ability to overcome bridges and obstacles inaccessible to MBT, as well as easier transportation by air. Such factors make them attractive in most tactical scenarios.
Despite the fact that MOPS, or light tanks, have much lighter armor than MBT, their survivability can nevertheless reach an acceptable level due to the use of an active protection system against cumulative and high-explosive shells, reduced visibility, and (relatively) light additions such as lattice armor and hinged protective screens. Over time, they will probably also be equipped with airborne reconnaissance UAVs or barrage munitions to detect and neutralize threats at a distance exceeding the line-of-sight range, or will be networked with ground-based robotic complexes.
It is believed that the technology of fire support vehicles (depending on the combat scenario) They can at least partially reduce the survivability gap between infantry fighting vehicles and MBT. Throughout history, armies have used balanced forces consisting of complementary light, medium, and heavy units. The relevance of this approach remains today.
According to the materials of the resource euro-sd.com
