This is a short version of the long article about the Indian rockets Pinaka. Below is a link for the whole article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinaka_multi-barrel_rocket_launcher Pinaka is a Multiple Barrel Rocket Launcher produced in India and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) for the Indian Army. The system has a maximum range of 45 km for Mk-1, 60 km for Mk-2, and 90 km for Mk-2 ER. In development is Mk-3 for 120 km and Guided Pinaka for 75 km. The launcher can fire a salvo of 12 HE rockets in 44 seconds. The war-head for Mk-1 and Mk-2 is 100-250 kg. The system is mounted on a Tatra truck for mobility. For better accurate the system use the Israeli Searcher-1, Searcher-2 and IAI Heron UAVs, And Israeli/Indian Battle Field Surveillance radars. These have also been coupled with purchases of the Israeli LORROS Long-Range Reconnaissance and Observation System which is a combination of FLIR/CCD system for long range day/night surveillance. Future Plans The Pinaka is in the process of further improvement. Israel Military Industries teamed up with DRDO to implement its Trajectory Correction System (TCS) on the Pinaka, for further improvement of its CEP. This has been trialed and has shown excellent results. The rockets can also be guided by GPS to improve their accuracy. A wraparound micro strip antenna has been developed by DRDO for this system. While the Pinaka will not be developed further into a larger system, its success and the experience gained from the programme has led the ARDE and its partner organizations, to launch a project to develop a long range MBRL similar to the Smerch MLRS. A 7.2-metre rocket for the Pinaka MBRL, which can reach a distance of 120 km and carry a 250 kg payload, will be developed. These new rockets can be fired in 44 seconds, have a maximum speed of mach 4.7, and rise to an altitude of 40 km before hitting its target. Integrating UAVs with the Pinaka is also in the pipeline, as DRDO intends to install guidance systems on these rockets to increase their accuracy. This is a short version of the long article about the Indian rockets Pinaka. Below is a link for the whole article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinaka_multi-barrel_rocket_launcher

Naval News December 2021 Navy Forces Maritime Defense Industry Posted On Monday, 20 December 2021 14:16 According to information published by Deutsche Welle on December 16, 2021, the government of former Chancellor Angela Merkel approved the export of Meko A-200 frigates to Egypt before leaving office. First Algerian MEKO A-200 frigate (Picture source: Topwar) The MEKO A-200 Frigate follows the famous MEKO 200 series general purpose frigates from the ThyssenKrupp stable. A fighting ship capable of full 4-dimensional warfare (AAW, ASW, and ASuW, BCW), the MEKO A-200 Frigate is also designed for sustained operations across the full spectrum of general missions and tasks: patrol and interdiction, support of special force operations, SAR and humanitarian operations. The MEKO A-200 Frigate is an example of the innovative propulsion, stealth and survivability design, robust sea-keeping and all-weather boat and helicopter operability that characterizes frigates from Marine Systems. The MEKO A-200 has greatly reduced radar, IR, acoustic and magnetic signatures to hide and stay hidden: The X-Form shell design; extensive bulwark screening of exposed equipment; flush-closing shell doors, and RCS net screening of all shell openings, give the vessel very low radar cross-section. The Meko A200 frigate features the revolutionary CODAG-WARP (water jet and refined propellers) propulsion system: two CPP propeller shafts driven by cross-connectable diesel engines plus a center-line, gas turbine-driven water jet, combining the power of each drive in the water with no need for a combining gearbox. https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/naval-news/naval-news-archive/2021/december/11137-merkel-approved-sales-of-three-meko-a200-frigates-to-egypt.html

Defense News December 2021 Global Security army industry Posted On Thursday, 23 December 2021 10:24 According to Indian media, the Indian Army is planning to buy 10 sets of Medium-Range Precision Kill System (MRPKS), comprising 120 loitering munitions to destroy enemy targets with precision and minimum collateral damage. The 120 loitering munitions will help artillery units to detect, engage, strike and destroy static and moving targets with precision. The Indian Air Force currently uses the Harop Loitering Munition System from Israel Aerospace Industries. (Picture source: IAI) The Army said there is an urgent requirement to procure MRPKS capable of day and night acquisition and precision engagement of targets. Medium Range Precision Kill System (MRPKS) are unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) that can provide a breakthrough against dynamic and well-protected static targets by real-time acquisition and precision strike. The munitions can loiter in the sky close to the designated target and provide real-time imagery to the operator on the ground. When directed, these loitering munitions can attack the designated target by self-destructing into it, hence their nickname of "suicide drones". The Army’s Request for Information for 10 launchers and 30 advanced observation stations clearly stated that the weapon system should be indigenously designed and the ‘Indian vendors’ will have to participate in the Make II Category for development and procurement of 10 sets of MRPKS under Buy Indian (IDDM) category of Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 (DAP-2020). Characteristics requested for the MRPKS: Range: 40 Km Accuracy: 5 meters CEP Operational altitude: 4,000 meters or more Warhead weight: 8 kg Warhead types: High Explosive Pre-Fragmented (HEPF) and anti-armour Endurance: minimum 2 hours Loitering altitude: capability to loiter above ground level at a minimum altitude of 1,000 meters In September 2021, the Indian Army inked a contract to acquire 120 payload-capable Israeli 'SkyStriker' drones which will be manufactured in Bengaluru by Adani's Alpha Design in collaboration with Elbit Systems. The Israeli company describes SkyStriker as a "silent, invisible and surprise attacker, that delivers the utmost in precision and reliability, providing a critical advantage in the modern battlefield". The SkyStriker can reach a distance of 20 km in less than 10 minutes. The total range for the system is around 100 km, sources said. According to Elbit, it can loiter and pursue a target for up to two hours with a 5 kg warhead or up to one hour with a 10 kg warhead. At maximum speed (100 knots), SkyStriker can reach a distance of 20 km within 6.5 minutes, reducing the loitering time by 15 minutes. Launching of a Harop Loitering Munition System (Picture source: IAI) https://www.armyrecognition.com/defense_news_december_2021_global_security_army_industry/indian_army_plans_to_buy_medium_range_precision_kill_system_with_loitering_munitions.html

Naval News December 2021 Navy Forces Maritime Defense Industry Posted On Thursday, 23 December 2021 10:05 According to information published by the INQUIRER.NET website on December 23, 2021, South Korean Company Hyundai Heavy Industries has confirmed a contract to build two corvettes for the Navy of the Philippines. BRP Jose Rizal of the Philippine Navy was built by the South Korean company Hyundai Heavy Industries. (Picture source Philippine Navy) The Department of National Defense (DND) of the Philippines has issued a notice on December 15, 2021, to announce the award. The acquisition would be financed by a government-to-government loan agreement, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in earlier statements. The South Korean company Hyundai Heavy Industries has already built two multi-role frigates for the Philippine Navy. The Jose Rizal is a class multi-role guided missile frigates, currently in service with the Philippine Navy which are a heavily modified variant of the ROK Navy's Incheon-class frigates. The ships, which were built by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), are specifically accommodated to fit the requirements of the Philippine Navy. This new acquisition project of corvettes for an estimated cost $560 million including weapon systems, is one of the big-ticket items in the Philippine Navy’s upgrade program. In August 2019, The Philippines had announced a plan to purchase two brand new corvettes from South Korea during the welcome ceremony for the Navy’s newly-acquired ship, BRP Conrado Yap (PS-39), a former Pohang-class vessel that served the Republic of Korea Navy. https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/naval-news/naval-news-archive/2021/december/11156-hyundai-heavy-industries-to-build-two-new-corvettes-for-philippine-navy.html

Defense News December 2021 Global Security army industry Posted On Friday, 24 December 2021 10:07 According to a contract published by the United States Department of Defense on December 23, 2021, BAE Systems Land & Armaments L.P., Sterling Heights, Michigan, is awarded a $169,334,012 modification contract to produce more Amphibious Combat Vehicles (ACV) for U.S. Marine Corps. U.S. Marines with Amphibious Vehicle Test Branch, Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity, maneuver an Amphibious Combat Vehicle into the well deck of the amphibious transport dock ship USS Somerset (LPD 25) as part of the vehicle’s developmental testing off the shore of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, (Picture source U.S. DoD) The total value of the contract if all options are exercised is $3,354,159,920. This modification provides for the exercise of options for the procurement of 33 full rate production ACVs (Amphibious Combat Vehicles) and associated production, and fielding and support costs. In November 2015, the U.S. Marine Corps had awarded BAE Systems’ team a contract worth $103.7 million for the Engineering, Manufacturing, and Development (EMD) phase of the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) 1.1 program. Proven to be significantly more effective than the 40-year old Assault Amphibious Vehicle (AAV), the Marine Corps approved the Initial Operational Capability of the ACV on November 13, 2020. This declaration came shortly before BAE Systems’ received a $184 million contract to move into full-rate production on the program. BAE Systems’ ACV 1.1 solution is an advanced 8x8 open ocean-capable vehicle that is based on a platform developed by the Italian company IVECO Defence Vehicles. It is equipped with a new 6-cylinder, 700HP power pack, which provides a significant power increase over the current Assault Amphibious Vehicle. The ACV vehicle performs best in class mobility in all terrains and has a suspended interior seat structure for 13 embarked Marines, blast mitigating positions for a crew of three, and improved survivability and force protection over currently fielded systems. The team has conducted extensive risk mitigation testing and evaluation for swim, land mobility, and survivability capabilities that have proven the solution’s capabilities. BAE Systems has developed four variants of the ACV including the ACV-30 fitted with a turret armed with one 30mm automatic cannon, ACV-P armored personnel carrier, ACV-C command post, and ACV-R armored recovery vehicle. https://www.armyrecognition.com/defense_news_december_2021_global_security_army_industry/bae_systems_to_produce_33_additional_acv_amphibious_combat_vehicles_for_us_marine_corps.html

Defense News December 2021 Global Security army industry Posted On Wednesday, 22 December 2021 17:00 According to information released on December 17, 2021, the manufacturing of the 8x8 'Dragon' Wheeled Combat Vehicle for the Spanish Armed Forces has started in the Trubia Factory (Asturias) of GDELS (General Dynamics European Land Systems) - Santa Bárbara Sistemas with the cutting of the first steel armor plate. A prototype of the VCR 8x8 'Dragon' was presented at FEINDEF 2021, defense exhibition in Spain, November 2021. (Picture source Army Recognition) The first series of vehicles of the VCR 8x8 'Dragon', intended to modernize the capabilities of the Spanish Army, are scheduled to be made available in the second semester of 2022. The steel cutting ceremony was attended by the Director General of Armament and Material of the Ministry of Defense, Admiral Santiago Ramón González; the Chief of the Army Logistic Support Command, Lieutenant General Fernando Miguel García y García de las Hijas; the Minister of Industry, Employment and Industrial Promotion of the Government of Asturias, Enrique Fernández; the Mayor of Oviedo, Alfredo Canteli, and the Government Delegate in Asturias, Delia Losa. The Trubia factory of GDELS-Santa Bárbara Sistemas has carried out in recent months, a series of deep adaptations and modernization with the acquisition of the latest technology machinery that will strengthen the facilities as a European industrial reference in the manufacture of armored vehicles of last generation. For the period 2020-23, the company will invest in this center more than 14 million Euros, of which a large part will go directly to the manufacture of the VCR 8x8 'Dragon'. On 23 June 2020, the Spanish government announced that it had approved the production of 348 VCR 8×8 armored fighting vehicles, with the value of the order estimated to be around €2 billion. The vehicle will be manufactured by a joint venture of Spanish defense contractors led by Indra Sistemas, General Dynamics European Land Systems-Santa Barbara Sistemas (GDELS-SBS), Sapa Placencia and Escribano Mechanical & Engineering, with 70% of work to be conducted by Spanish companies in locations including Asturias, Madrid, and Seville. The VCR Dragon is based on Piranha V designed and manufactured by the Swiss company MOWAG which is now a subdivision of GDELS (General Dynamics European Land System). The vehicle will be manufactured in 13 variants and the Spanish government could procure a total of 1,000 vehicles. The Piranha V has been modified with all national technologies as required by the Spanish Ministry of Defense. Using technologies of the Piranha V, the VCR Dragon has a next-generation, full coverage, modular survivability system that has been integrated in the vehicle design from the concept stage. This system provides unparalleled all-around protection, particularly in the wheel well area that has traditionally been vulnerable to IEDs on wheeled armored combat vehicles. The layout of the VCR Dragon is similar to the members of the MOWAG Piranha family with the driver position at the front left, power pack to his right, turret in the center, and troop’s compartment at the rear. The armor of the vehicle incorporates shaped hull plates to increase protection against explosion blast, spacing in the add-on armor, and surface coatings to minimize the thermal and radar signatures. Based on the protection of the Piranha V, the armor of the VCR Dragon provides protection against rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), 14.5mm armor-piercing rounds through 360°, and 30mm armor-piercing rounds across the 30° frontal arc. The hull provides protection against 8kg anti-tank mines. Weight Up to 33,000 kg gross weight (18,500 kg empty + 14,500 kg payload) and has a crew of 3 + 10. https://www.armyrecognition.com/defense_news_december_2021_global_security_army_industry/gdels_starts_production_of_vcr_dragon_8x8_armored_vehicles_for_spanish_army.html

Defense News December 2021 Global Security army industry Posted On Wednesday, 22 December 2021 19:14 According to information published by the Colonel Ajai Shukla website, the Indian Company Bharat Forge Ltd. has launched a new 4x4 155mm self-propelled howitzer MArG (Multi-Terrain Artillery Gun called 155-BR New Indian-made Bharat Forge 155-BR 155 mm 4x4 self-propelled howitzers. (Picture source Colonel Ajai Shukla website,) The Indian-made 155-BR is based on a high mobility light truck chassis with a 155mm 39 caliber gun system mounted at the rear of the truck. The new mobile artillery truck system has been designed to operate across rugged mountainous terrain. According to the first picture published on Internet, the front of the 155-BR is fitted with a fully enclosed crew cabin with two doors on each side, while the rear part of the truck is fitted with the 155mm artillery weapon system and a number of storage boxes for charges and ammunition. Citing technical data published on the Colonel Ajai Shukla website, the 155-BR is equipped with shoot-and-scoot capability, providing advanced technical performance and high integration. Firing multiple rounds of artillery from the same location has several benefits: a high rate of fire at the enemy and potentially improved accuracy as the shooter's aim adjusts to previous rounds. Firing many rounds from the same location, however, carries a significant risk that the enemy will detect the location of the artillery. Therefore, the shooter may want to periodically change location to avoid counter-battery fire. This maneuver is known as the shoot-and-scoot tactic. According to the Indian Company Bharat Forge, the 155-BR is the only 155mm 39 caliber gun system in the world that is mounted on a 4x4 HMV (High Mobility Vehicle). The vehicle has a combat weight of 18 tons and is capable to fire all NATO standard ammunition. It carries a total of 18 rounds of ammunition. According to the analysis of the Army Recognition editorial team, the cab of the 155-BR seems to be made of steel armor that can provide protection from small arms fire up to 7.62 mm in caliber and shell splinters. This artillery system is able to be ready to fire in less than 1.5 minutes during the day and 2 minutes in night conditions. For indirect fire, the 155-BR has a traverse of 25° to the left and right side and elevation from -2° to +72°. The maximum rate of fire is 12 rounds in 3 minutes and according to Bharat Forge, a burst rate of fire of three rounds in 30 seconds is normally attained. https://www.armyrecognition.com/defense_news_december_2021_global_security_army_industry/bharat_forge_from_india_unveils_155-br_new_155mm_4x4_self-propelled_howitzer.html

Defense News December 2021 Global Security army industry Posted On Wednesday, 22 December 2021 20:39 According to information published by the INQUIRER.NET website on December 20, 2021, the Philippine armed forces will receive this month 20 Sabrah light tanks produced by the Israeli company Elbit Systems. Artist rendering of Sabrah light tank that will be manufactured by the Israeli company Elbit System. (Picture source Elbit Systems) In January 2021, the Israeli company Elbit Systems announced that it has been awarded a USD172 million contract to supply an undisclosed number of Sabrah light tanks and Pandur II direct-fire support vehicles to the army of a country in the Asia-Pacific region. According to information from Col. Anthon Abrina, the Armor Division’s chief of staff of the Philippine Army, the acquisition of Israeli Sabrah light tanks as well as Pandur II 8x8 armored vehicles armed 105mm and 120mm cannons are part of the modernization program of the Philippine armed forces. According to the military balance 2020, the Philippine army doesn’t have combat vehicles armed with 105 or 120mm. The Philippine army only has 7 FV101 Scorpion armed with a 73mm cannon and also a few M113A1 tracked APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) armed with a 76mm L23A1 gun. The Sabrah is a light tank based on the ASCOD 2 tracked chassis manufactured by General Dynamics European Land Systems Santa Bárbara. It is fitted with a two-man turret armed with an Elbit Systems Land 105mm gun and one 7.62mm coaxial machine gun. Each side of the turret is equipped with a bank of four smoke grenade dischargers. The turret drive is fully electric with elevation and traverse stabilization. Standard equipment of the Sabrah turret includes a fire control system, laser range finder, and one panoramic sight with advanced Electro-Optic sensors (Day, Night-Vision, and LRF) for effective day, night, and all-weather fighting conditions. The panoramic sight is used for observation and target aiming. The Sabrah 105 mm gun system is fitted with an automatic loading system with 12 rounds ready to fire. It has an effective firing range of 3,600m with a rate of fire of 6 rounds per minute. The vehicle carries a total of 36 ammunition, with 24 rounds stored in the hull. The gun can fire a wide range of NATO ammunition including HEP-T (High-explosive), HESH (High-explosive squash head), APFSDS (Armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot) as well as advanced ammunition, T-MP-HE M110. https://www.armyrecognition.com/defense_news_december_2021_global_security_army_industry/philipp

Defense Aviation News December 2021 aerospace air force industry Posted On Thursday, 23 December 2021 10:13 Recently, the Indonesiasn Air Chief Marshal Fadjar Prasetyo said that Indonesia is seeking a 4.5-generation medium weight or heavyweight fighter. Su-35 armed with bombs, R-77 and R-73 air-to-air missiles (Picture source: Military Watch Magazine) Speaking at a gathering at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base near the Indonesian capital Jakarta, Prasetyo said the narrowing of the choices to the American F-15EX and the French Rafale was made together with the Defense Ministry, adding that Indonesia wants two to three squadrons’ worth of fighter jets, depending on the budget. The Air Chief also said that Indonesia would abandon its plan to acquire the Russian Su-35 Flanker-E. The Russian side was yet confident last July: Spokeswoman of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSVTS) Valeria Reshetnikova told Tass at this time: "The project to deliver to Jakarta 11 multirole Su-35 fighter jets has attracted global attention since the very beginning. The Indonesian side faced major pressure after signing the contract from a number of countries. They insistently recommended to Jakarta to abandon the project. However, we are sure to say that the Russian side is set to implement the contract," she said. The contract on the delivery of 11 Su-35 to Indonesia was reported in early 2018 but has not been implemented so far. https://airrecognition.com/index.php/news/defense-aviation-news/2021/december/7994-indonesia-eying-f15-ex-or-rafale-fighter-jet-and-abandons-plans-for-su-35.html

By Justin Katz on December 15, 2021 at 12:41 PM Concept art for Boeing’s Orca Extra Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicle. (Photo courtesy of Boeing) WASHINGTON: The Navy has announced new plans for a “purpose-built” facility at its warfare center in Port Hueneme, Calif., dedicated to testing its latest unmanned surface and subsurface vehicles. “These facilities will be the focal point of Navy learning and experimentation on the capabilities, operations and sustainment of unmanned maritime vehicle prototypes to inform future programs,” Capt. Pete Small, the Navy officer leading the program office for unmanned maritime systems, said in a Dec. 14 statement. Some of the systems in Small’s portfolio that are destined for Port Heuenme include the Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (XLUUV), as well as prototypes for the Medium and Large Unmanned Surface Vehicles. Small’s office is also spearheading the Rapid Autonomy Integration Lab, a software factory that will be responsible for ensuring the various technologies and capabilities intertwined in the unmanned fleet will operate together seamlessly. In addition to breaking ground on the unmanned systems testing facility on Dec. 8, the service acknowledged the completion of modifications to an existing building that will now house XLUUV prototypes as well as personnel who will test them once fabrication is completed by prime contractor Boeing.“The ground breaking recognized the start of construction of the modular administrative building for the newly established Unmanned Surface Vessel Division One and Unmanned Undersea Vehicles Squadron One personnel who will operate and maintain the unmanned vehicle prototypes,” according to the service statement. The new facility will effectively be a hub for the service’s various prototypes and experimental vessels. The Navy throughout the past several years has worked with the Pentagon’s research and development agencies to seek out and develop several unique unmanned vehicles, such as the Office of Naval Research’s Sea Hunter and the Strategic Capabilities Office’s Overlord, but many of these systems still technically remain housed by those same research agencies. Construction of the new facility in California establishes one central location for all these vehicles. It also places them nearby the service’s squadrons dedicated to experimenting with unmanned systems such as Surface Development Squadron, which is headquartered in San Diego. https://breakingdefense.com/2021/12/navy-starts-building-hub-for-surface-subsurface-drones/

Naval News October 2021 Navy Forces Maritime Defense Industry Posted On Sunday, 17 October 2021 18:24 According to information published by the "Tehran Times" on October 16, 2021, the naval force of the Iranian Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) will be equipped with anti-ship cruise missiles with a range of 2,000 kilometers in the near future Iran’s Revolutionary Guards fired long-range ballistic missiles into the Indian Ocean during a military exercise in January 2021. (Picture source Egypt Independent) The Iranian IRGC (Islamic Revolution Guard Corps) Commander Hossein Salami said, such missiles will be capable of targeting mobile vessels. Currently, the Iranian naval forces have missiles able to range 35, 90, 300, and 700 kilometers. Commander Hossein Salami also said the IRGC navy has made significant progress in areas of navigation in recent years. For example, he said, now the speed of boats has reached about 100 knots, which is important in terms of speed in the navigation industry. The senior general went on to say that the IRGC navy now has hundreds of different kinds of drones for different purposes, such as reconnaissance, surveillance, combat, and suicide. Now the UAVs used by the force have the capability to fly 1,200 kilometers, he said, adding the range of these drones is being increased. The major general also said in the field of electronic warfare systems, data collection systems, jammers, and offensive and defensive systems, good steps have been taken by the IRGC navy. Over the past decade, Iran has expanded its inventory by developing a domestic production capability for the Chinese C802 and C700 series cruise missiles. The C802 derivatives are known as Noor, Ghader, and Ghadir, with ranges reportedly of 120 km, 200 km and 300 km, respectively. In addition to the development and deployment of these systems, Iranian CDCMs continue to evolve in all categories including, range, speed, flight profile, autonomy, seeker, and destructiveness. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Forces (IRGC ASF) controls Iran’s ballistic missile forces. The IRGC ASF has advertised several ballistic missile variants with the capability to target ships. The variants include the Khalij-e Fars, Hormuz-1 and Hormuz-2 missiles, which reportedly have a range of 300 km and are equipped with terminal seekers, one of which is anti-radiation homing (ARH). https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/naval-news/naval-news-archive/2021/october/10860-iranian-navy-will-be-equipped-with-anti-ship-missiles-ranging-2-000-km-in-the-near-future.html

Defense News December 2021 Global Security army industry Posted On Wednesday, 15 December 2021 18:08 Russian-made Sprut-SDM1 light amphibious tank. (Picture source Army Recognition) Russia’s state arms defense export agency Rosoboronexport intends to offer the Sprut-SDM1 lightweight amphibious tank and local production of its separate units in a tender for the delivery of light tanks to India, said Rosoboronexport CEO Alexander Mikheyev. In April 2021, Army Recognition has reported that Indian army has issued a new RFI (Request for Information) to acquire 350 light tanks weighing less than 25 tons. According to the RFI, the Indian army would like to have a light tank featuring a multiple, modular and up-gradable weapon system with the capability to destroy and offer countermeasures to varied threats. The new light tank Sprut-SDM1 should also feature multiple weapons for anti-aircraft and ground role with different caliber assisted with remote control weapon station. For ammunition, the tank should employ modern advance multipurpose ‘smart munitions’ with a gun able to fire anti-tank guided missiles. The tank should have an auxiliary power unit, preheated, environment control unit and anti-drone capability, UAV jammers, net-enabled. The Sprut-SDM1 lightweight amphibious tank has been developed by the High Precision Weapons Company within the state tech corporation Rostec and is based on the 2S25 Sprut-SD self-propelled anti-tank gun. The new tank features improved team control through special equipment installed for operation within the unified tactical-level command and control system. Its firepower has been enhanced by a new digital fire control system. The Sprut-SDM1 NATO named 2S25M is a light amphibious tank which has the mobility and the firepower of a modern main battle tank. This light tank is fitted with a two-man turret armed with a 125 mm 2A75M smooth-bore tank gun which characteristics are virtually match those of the 2A46M5 tank main armament. It fires all types of ammunition designed for the T-72 and T-90 main battle tanks. The Sprut-SDM1 has a combat weight of only 18,000 kg. The 2S25M can run at a maximum road speed of 70 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 500 km. The vehicle is able to negotiate 35% forward and 25% side slopes. It can cross a trench of 2.8 m width and a vertical obstacle of 0.8 m. The 2S25M is also fully amphibious propelled in the water at a maximum speed of 7 km./h thanks to two water jets situated one either side low down at the rear of the hull. https://www.armyrecognition.com/defense_news_december_2021_global_security_army_industry/russia_offers_sprut-sdm1_lightweight_amphibious_tank_for_india_light_tank_tender.html