[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by Freespirit27

Just wondering - What could be the reason, as per you or any of the knowledgable members, that USAF has transitioned to single engine air craft off late- be it the F16, now F35 and even the next gen contenders of Helicopters are likely to be single engine aircraft?

Engine development in terms of reliability and thrust is probably the most relevant.

There might be some other factors too, eg airframe development, mission. But Inwould think at the end of the day reliability and thrust per engine is what makes the difference

Jeroen

[dragracer567]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

After the 1971 war due to continuous arms embargo and limited numbers due to accumulative attrition it became virtually impossible for Pakistan Air Force to maintain a reasonable in-commission rate on the F-104s. Subsequently it was decided by the PAF to phase it out of service in late 1972.

Out of curiosity, the Pakistanis were still under embargo coming out of the 71 war?

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by dragracer567

Out of curiosity, the Pakistanis were still under embargo coming out of the 71 war?

They "officially" were till about the mid-1970s. The US though looked the other way when ex-Luftwaffe F-86Es were supplied to Pakistan via Iran through an American arms dealer lifting its arms embargo on both nation.

After the 1971 war, the first thing the Pakistani did was to order more F-6s to replace the F-86s(the last of the F-86s continued to fly till 1980) and later additional Mirage 5s from France. They also ordered T-59 tanks from China

The first serious signs of the Americans wanting to rebuild their military relationship with Pakistan was in the mid-1970s and the increased Pakistani flirtations with the Soviet Union may have had something to do with it.

Not many are aware that after the 1965 war, due to the embargo on Pakistan(and India), the Pakistanis made an attempt to forge a relationship with the Soviet Union to supply military equipment to Pakistan. Pakistan purchased a couple of Mi-6 Hook heavylift helicopters, some equipment for the army and some Radars from the Soviet Union. It was rumored that a few IL-28 bombers(referred to as B-56 in PAF service)were supplied to Pakistan by the Soviet union to replace the B-57s, but they may have been Chinese built Harbin H-5 bombers, which had a short service life with the PAF.

The US had resumed sale of non-lethal equipment for cash to both India and Pakistan in 1975, lifting it's embargo of 10 years. Pakistanis immediately ordered AIM-9J Sidewinders (for their F-6 and Mirage fleet) and a few radars. India was never really affected by the American arms embargo because our military equipment had been mostly sourced from UK, France and Soviet Union - which continued after the 1965 war ( additional Hunters F.Mk.56As and Canberras were ordered from the UK, Su-7s/MiG-21s, T-54s/T-55s from Soviet Union

The first real offer from the Americans was in 1976 with an offer of 100+ A-7D Corsairs which was really a carrot to give up its plan to purchase a nuclear plant from France and give up its Nuclear weapons programme. It was rejected.

In 1979, the US again made an offer of 100+ F-5Es if they gave up their nuclear ambitions. The offer was motivated by the worsening situation in Afghanistan and US felt it needed Pakistan again, just like the in 1950s and 1960s to tackle the Soviet threat. This was rejected and the Pakistanis, citing the Soviet threat in Afghanistan, nearly blackmailed the US for their first F-16s in early 1980s - to which the Americans agreed.

[Jeroen]

I always think the F104 is a remarkable aircraft. It does have a bit of a chequered history of course. Especially with the German Airforce. Whom, at some point in time was loosing a F104 every other week. Its nickname became the widow maker.

Other air forces also had their share of F104 peace time losses, but the Germans stood out. Out of 916 aircraft, 229 crashed and 116 pilots lost their lives. Also, in terms of accident rate the F104 stood out poorly against all the other century fighters with an appalling 31 accidents per 100.000 flight hours. For context, the F105 was almost half that and the somewhat more newer F5 was less than a third of the F104 rate.

In the USA airforce the F104 did much better but is still the fighter with the highest accident rates,

It has quite some interesting development. The first series did not have a regular ejection seat. It could not clear the T-tail, so it ejected downwards!

If you are interested, here an interesting article that gives a deep insight into the research that went into why the Germans suffered so many peace time losses.

https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/view...%2Dera%20types.

Jeroen

[skanchan95]

1:72 SEPECAT/HAL Jaguar IS, JS177, No. 14 Sqdn "Bulls", Indian Air Force,2004

Another masterpiece built by the very talented - Basuroy. It represents Jaguar IS, Tail no. JS177 – one of the six Jaguars that took part in IAF’s first overseas deployment of fighters for an air exercise(Ex Cope Thunder 2004). The amount of detailing and accuracy Basuroy managed to put on this Jaguar model is simply outstanding.

This Jaguar is a versatile, rugged ground attack aircraft which was a joint Anglo/French project and first flew in September 1968, becoming operational with both the RAF and Armée de l'Air in 1972-73. The Jaguar's multi-role design made it easy to adapt for the ground-attack, reconnaissance, interceptor and maritime strike roles. The aircraft was used extensively by both the RAF and French air forces in the Gulf War in 1991, by the Indian Air Force in Kargil and for reconnaissance flights over Jaffna, Sri Lanka, RAF & French Jaguars were used in the Balkan conflicts where the aircraft distinguished itself as reliable and potent. French Jaguars also participated in some minor conflicts in Central Africa. Export Jaguar Internationals had been exported to India (IS/IT/IM), Ecuador (ES/EB), Nigeria( SN/BN) Oman( SO/BO) and also India, which continues indigenous production. Jaguars continue to serve with the Indian Air Force and the Royal Air Force of Oman. The distinctive "chisel nose" of the Jaguar GR.1/S is a distinctive feature that houses laser gear and other systems.

Indian Air Force & the Jaguar
Named as “Shamsher”, the Jaguar was acquired by the Indian Air Force as part of the DPSA (Deep Penetration Strike Aircraft) requirement of the IAF. This DPSA was meant to replace the IAF's ageing Hawker Hunter and English Electric Canberra fleet. Initially, it was hoped that the Afterburner equipped HAL HF-24 would meet the DPSA requirement. But the crash of the HF-24 Mk1R prototype in 1970 not only killed the Chief Test pilot G/C Suranjan Das but also the project to power the HF-24 with engines with afterburners was abandoned. The HF-24 nevertheless performed admirably in the 1971 Indo Pak War.

After the abandonment of the HF-24 afterburner project, it became clear that the HF-24 would not meet the requirements of a DPSA. In 1972, the ASQR for the DPSA was framed by Air HQ. The DPSA requirement called for advanced low level strike aircraft that had a sophisticated nav/attack system, long range at low level, supersonic performance and favourable license production conditions etc. Soon, IAF test pilots were sent to Europe to evaluate the SEECAT Jaguar in UK, Dassault-Breguet Mirage F.1 in France and Saab J-37 Viggen in Sweden. The Soviet Union in the meantime offered the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23B and Sukhoi Su-20 and invited the Indian got to test fly and evaluate the Russian ground attack jets. It was found that neither the Su-20 nor the MiG-23B met the DPSA requirements even marginally (the MiG-23BN and MiG-27M were later selected as part of the TASA (Tactical Air Support Aircraft) requirement of the IAF (to replace the IAF's Su-7, Gnat/Ajeet & HF-24 fleet).

The Jaguar was selected over the Mirage F1 and JA-37 as the IAF's DPSA to replace the Hunter and Canberra fleets. Based on the RAF Jaguar GR.1, the Indian Air Force Jaguar was the Jaguar IS (India Strike), twin seat IT (India Trainer)and a special Agave radar equipped Maritime strike IM (India Maritime).

The Indian Jaguar programme incorporated three distinct aspects: provision or 18 Jaguars ( including two twin seaters) as interim aircraft for the IAF from Royal Air Force tocks, the delivery of 40 UK built direct supply Jaguars ( including 5 twin seaters), license production of 110Jaguars under ToT agreement between HAL and SEPECAT. Hal was to also manufacture the Rolls Royce Adour Mk.811 engines for the Jaguars

The first Eighteen "interim" Jaguars were supplied within three months of contract signing which enabled the IAF to form its first DPSA squadron very rapidly. The Interim Jaguars were acquired on "loan", on a "no-cost" basis, with the IAF having only to be responsible for maintenance and consumables. The principal Jaguar Operational and Support base was selected to be AFS Ambala.

12 operational IAF plots were selected for operational Conversion to Jaguar in the UK along with 80 technicians for training on the type. The pilots were from HF-24, MiG-21 and Su7 squadrons. The first IAF Jaguar squadron was to be No. 14 Sqdn “Bulls” (till then a Hawker Hunter squadron). The CO designate of the IAF's first Jaguar squadron – Wg Cdr D R Nadkarni, was the CO of No. 3 Sqdn “Cobras”, then flying the MiG-21FL. The other pilots were Sqdn Ldrs Mike McMahon, J S Sisodia, S P Tyagi, Mike Mittal, J J Williams, Flt Lts S C S Adhikari, N A K Browne, D C Kumaria, N Gupte, Anil Khanna and Sunil Laud (two of them later went on to be IAF chiefs - ACM S P Tyagi and ACM N A K Browne). ACM RKS Bhaduria was a Jaguar pilot too. The IAF pilots praised the low-level handling qualities of the Jaguar and excellent cockpit view.

On 27 July 1979, the first pair of interim IAF Jaguars loaned from the RAF -a single seat Jaguar S/GR.1 (JI003) and Jaguar B (JI001)landed in Ambala. The twin seat Jaguar was flown by the CO designate – Wg Cdr D R Nadkarni.
The remaining interim Jaguars came in steadily. The last batch of three interim Jaguars arrived in August 1980 and No. 14 Sqdn was declared fully operational on the Jaguar.

The second IAF squadron slated to convert to the Jaguar was No. 5 Sqdn “Tuskers” (formerly on Canberras). No. 5 Sqdn started receiving the direct supply UK built Jaguars. After No. 5 Sqdn was declared operational, No. 14 Sqdn started receiving direct supply Jaguars from UK. The “interim” Jaguars were thereafter sent back to the UK.

In the meantime, HAL had started manufacturing Jaguars in India. The first IAF squadron with HAL built Jaguars was No. 27 “Flaming Arrows” ( formerly on Hunters) and they were based at AFS Gorakhpur.

The next Jaguar Squadron was No. 16 “Black Cobras”(formerly on Canberras)

While the majority of HAL-built Jaguars would have the standard Ferranti Laser Ranger and Marked Target Seeker (LRMTS) fitted in the distinctive ‘chisel nose’, eight single seat Jaguars were modified with a nose radome that housed a Thomson-CSF Agave radar for the maritime strike role, for which the BAe Dynamics Sea Eagle missile was carried and this variant was the Jaguar IM.

The fifth squadron to equip with Jaguars was No. 6 “Dragons” ( a Canberra squadron) based at AFS Lohegaon in Pune. They were earmarked to receive the Agave radar equipped Jaguar IM in the maritime strike role with the BAE Sea Eagle anti-ship missile. The Jaguar IM formed the “A’ flight of No.6 squadron while the B flight continued to operate different models of the Canberra. Over time the B flight of No.6 squadron received the Jaguar IS.
A sixth Jaguar squadron - No.224 Squadron "Warlords" at Jamnagar AFS. Reequipped with new built Jaguars from March 2008( formerly a MiG-23MF squadron)

Each squadron had a few twin seat Jaguar ITs for training purposes.
The interim and direct supply Jaguars were equipped with NAVWASS (Navigation and Weapon Aiming Sub System) system. HAL built Jaguars had been equipped with the indigenously developed DARIN (Display Attack and Ranging Inertial Navigation) system which incorporated new generation gyros and computers in conjunction with electronic sensors and nav-attack processors. Is this configuration, the Jaguar-DARIN served for two decades till DARIN -II was developed to further enhance the Jaguar’s operational capabilities. The classic ‘chisel nose’ of the Jaguar IS changed with the advent of DARIN II, which replaced the Ferranti Laser Ranger and Marked Target Seeker (LRMTS) with a new Thales system in a re-profiled nose.
Now DARIN III upgrades are being undertaken on the Jaguar fleet

IAF Jaguar Serials (Jaguar IS – JSXXX series, Jaguar IB/IT - JTXXX series, Jaguar IM - JMXXX series)
JI001-JI018 “Interim” RAF Jaguars on loan – Returned (18)
JS101-JS135 UK Direct Supply (35)
JS136-JS204 HAL Manufacture (79)
JT051-JT053 UK Direct Supply Two seaters (3)
JT054-JT065 HAL Manufactured (12)
JT066-JT082 HAL Manufactured DARIN II (17)
JS205-JS224 HAL Manufactured DARIN II (20)
JM251-JM262 HAL Manufactured Maritime (12)

Exercise Cooperative Cope Thunder 2004
The Indian Air Force (IAF) Jaguars participated in the Cope Thunder exercise at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska in 2004. For the first time, Indian Air Force fighter jets were deployed on foreign soil during peacetime for this exercise.

Six Jaguars, two IL-78 in-flight refueling aircraft, two IL-76 (to carry the men and material), one flight of MANPADS (man-portable air defense systems) and two FACs participated in the exercise. A total of 200 IAF personnel made up the team, headed by Group Captain S.J. Nanodkar. The IL-76 commander was Group Captain S.N. Mohanty, the IL-78 commander was Group Captain Shouvik Roy and the Jaguar commander was Wing Commander Kishore Kumar Khera, CO of No. 14 Squadron.

The six Jaguar IS that went to Alaska for that exercise: JS141, JS144, JS150, JS154, JS170 and JS177.

General Characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 16.83 m (55 ft 3 in)
Wingspan: 8.69 m (28 ft 6 in)
Height: 4.89 m (16 ft 1 in)
Wing area: 24.18 m2 (260.3 sq ft)
Aspect ratio: 3.12
Empty weight: 7,000 kg (15,432 lb) typical
Gross weight: 10,954 kg (24,149 lb) full internal fuel
Max takeoff weight: 15,700 kg (34,613 lb) with external stores
Fuel capacity: 4,200 L (1,100 US gal; 920 imp gal) internal, with provision for three 1,200 L (320 US gal; 260 imp gal) drop tanks on inboard and centreline pylons
Powerplant: 2 × Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour Mk.811 afterburning turbofan engines, 27.0 kN (6000 lbf) thrust each dry, 37.5 kN (84300 lbf) with afterburner

Performance
Maximum speed: 1,350 km/h (840 mph, 730 kn) Mach 1.1 at sea level
1,699 km/h (1,056 mph; 917 kn) Mach 1.6 at 11,000 m (36,000 ft)
Combat range: 815 km (506 mi, 440 nmi) hi-lo-hi (internal fuel)
575 km (357 mi; 310 nmi) lo-lo-lo (internal fuel)
Ferry range: 1,902 km (1,182 mi, 1,027 nmi) with full internal and external tanks
Service ceiling: 14,000 m (46,000 ft)
g limits: +8.6 (ultimate load +12)
Time to altitude: 9,145 m (30,003 ft) in 1 minute 30 seconds
Wing loading: 649.3 kg/m2 (133.0 lb/sq ft) maximum
Thrust/weight: Adour Mk.811: 0.7
Take-off run: 580 m (1,900 ft) with typical tactical load
Take-off run to 15 m (49 ft): 940 m (3,080 ft) with typical tactical load
Landing run from 15 m (49 ft): 785 m (2,575 ft) with typical tactical load
Landing run: 470 m (1,540 ft) with typical tactical load
Landing speed: 213 km/h (132 mph; 115 kn)

Armament
Guns: 2× 30 mm DEFA cannon with up to 150 rounds/gun
Hardpoints: 7 (4× under-wing, 2× over-wing and 1× centreline) with a capacity of 10,000 lb (4,500 kg), with provisions to carry combinations of:
Rockets: 4× Matra rocket pods with 18× SNEB 68 mm rockets each
Missiles:
Air-to-air missiles:2× R.550 Magic II on overwing pylons
Air-to-surface missiles: AS-30L
Bombs: various unguided or laser-guided bombs
Other: external drop tanks for extended range/loitering time.

Avionics
ATLIS II laser/electro-optical targeting pod
ECM protection pod
Reconnaissance pod

[BlackBeard]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

Export Jaguar Internationals had been exported to India (IS/IT/IM), Ecuador (ES/EB), Nigeria( SN/BN) Oman( SO/BO)

Wonderful writeup on a beautiful aircraft...

Didn't the Japanese also select the Jaguar for their use ultimately resulting in the Mitsubishi F1?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVsj85qvp2M

Above is an interview of a former IAF Jaguar pilot, apparently during a DACT maneuver the Jaguar had a MiG29 in its sight for sometime and the gun camera too...amazing feat!

[Jeroen]

I always thought the Jaguar looked cool, a bit different from its contemporaries.

Originally contemplated as a trainer it lacked power and it had numerous handling vices you would not like student pilots exposed too.

Whereas the power and avionics saw multiple upgrades, there is only so much you can do with the airframe itself. It is still considered a successful plane by the pilots who flew it. It certainly has seen plenty of real action.

Even so, when talking to my friends and family in the RAF, non Jaguar pilots look down on Jaguar pilots. And would keep putting saucers with milk in front of the nose gear at night, so the pussy had something to drink.

Jeroen

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

1:72 Lockheed F-104A Starfighter 56-804, No.9 Sqdn Pakistan Air Force "Griffins", 1971
This particular F-104A Tail no. 56-804 ended up in India as a flaming wreckage in the 1971 war.

An absolutely outstanding photo essay from your side. Thanks to your posts this thread is becoming a great record of history of the IAF, USAF and USN. Poor F-104 pilots. look at the wings of the two aircraft - MiG-21 versus F-104 and you can see there is no hope in hell of the Starfighter out turning a MiG-21 on any axes. Would love to know what is written in the book on the psyche of the PAF.

[FlankerFury]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

1:72 SEPECAT/HAL Jaguar IS, JS177, No. 14 Sqdn "Bulls", Indian Air Force,2004

What a beautiful model.

Originally Posted by BlackBeard

Didn't the Japanese also select the Jaguar for their use ultimately resulting in the Mitsubishi F1?

Apparently not.
The Japanese selected the Jaguar but ran into royalty payment issues so they scrapped all plans of acquiring and operating the Jags. Although they ended up designing a plane so similar, it could pass off as the original.
Interestingly, it was powered by the same Adour engines as that of the Jaguar.

The F-1’s outward appearance is similar to that of the Anglo-French attack aircraft “SEPECAT Jaguar” though this resemblance is purely coincidental as both fighters differ significantly in terms of capability and design.

TheRandomJapan | Mitsubishi F-1

Designated as T-X during development, this was the first Japanese designed aircraft to break the sound barrier in level flight.

Since the Jaguar was selected already, the requirements of the T-X programme were very similar to that plane, so Mitsubishi engineers looked at that aircraft as the model for what they wanted to build.

Differences between the Jaguar and T-2/F-1 include, a slightly shorter wingspan along with a different wing design, slightly longer overall length and lesser MTOW.


Certain elements of the F-4 Phantom and T-38 Talon have been incorporated into the T-2/F-1's design.

combataircraft com | T-2

airliners.net | F-1's in JASDF colors flying in formation

Since the T-2/F-1 had no requirement for operating from rough airstrips, it featured a more conventional landing gear as opposed to the much more rugged design on the Jaguar.

airliners.net | IAF Jaguar


airliners.net | JASDF Mitsubishi F-1

Mitsubishi T-2 -> Mitsubishi F-1

The T-2 airframe was modified slightly in the way of reinforced airframe, additional underwing hardpoints, inclusion of a radar based on the F-4 Phantom, instructor seat delete and a revised canopy.

airliners.net | Mitsubishi F-1 in JASDF service


combataircraft.com | Mitsubishi T-2

Moreover, the F-1 carried a single 20mm Vulcan cannon while the Jaguar carried 2x 30mm DEFA cannons.

____

That being said, I have a feeling this isn't widely regarded as a copy simply because it's of non-Chinese origin and made by a close ally of a certain nation. Just my tinfoil hat theory though.
____

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Poor F-104 pilots. look at the wings of the two aircraft - MiG-21 versus F-104 and you can see there is no hope in hell of the Starfighter out turning a MiG-21 on any axes.

Everytime I read the words, "Starfighter" and "turn", I'm reminded of a phrase by some test pilot along the lines of, "It banks with the intent to turn." Lol. I think it was Chuck Yeager, not sure.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by BlackBeard

Wonderful writeup on a beautiful aircraft...

Thank you.

Originally Posted by BlackBeard

Didn't the Japanese also select the Jaguar for their use ultimately resulting in the Mitsubishi F1?

I always felt the Mitsubishi T2(on which the F1 was based) looked closer to the F-4(except for the wings). It felt like a cross between the F-4 and Jaguar. Remember Japan started receiving and license manufacturing their F-4EJs in the early 1970s

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

An absolutely outstanding photo essay from your side. Thanks to your posts this thread is becoming a great record of history of the IAF, USAF and USN. Poor F-104 pilots. look at the wings of the two aircraft - MiG-21 versus F-104 and you can see there is no hope in hell of the Starfighter out turning a MiG-21 on any axes.

Thank you Sir.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Would love to know what is written in the book on the psyche of the PAF.

It's a very old book written by the legendary Indian aviation authors -Pushpindar Singh and Ravi Rikhye ( Photographs by Peter Steinneman) printed in 1991(I think i bought it in 2002 or 2003 from Lancer Publishers, New Delhi). It's sort of like a concise history of the PAF till 1990 - founding of the PAF, Role in the Indo-Pak Wars, Aircraft acquisitions, some mention of their battle tactics etc.





Ravi Rikhye is coming out with the book's sequel and I am so looking forward to it.

[skanchan95]

1:72 T-62 Egyptian Army Egypt-Libya War



The Soviet built T-62 Main Battle Tank (MBT) was a further development of the hugely popular and successful T-55 MBT. The T-62 was produced between 1961 and 1975. It became the standard main battle tank in the Soviet armed forces and the Warsaw pact during the Cold War, partly replacing the T-55. The T-62 main battle tank was adopted for service with the Soviet army in 1961. While the T-62 became the standard tank in the Soviet arsenal, it did not fully replace the T-55 in export markets due to its higher manufacturing costs and maintenance requirements compared to its predecessor.

In contrast with previous tanks, which were armed with rifled tank guns, the T-62 was the first production tank armed with a smoothbore tank gun which could fire APFSDS rounds at higher velocities.

Egypt ordered 750 T-62s in 1971 from the Soviet Union and these were delivered between 1972 and 1975. These T=62s took part in the 1973 Yom Kippur War in Israel. After initial successes against Israeli tanks, the Egyptian(and Syrian)T-62s suffered heavily later in the war. Israel sent a number of captured Syrian and Egyptian T-62 tanks to the U.S. Army and Germany for examination purposes.


Egypt-Libya War
The Egyptian–Libyan War, also known as the Four Day War was a short border war fought between Libya and Egypt that lasted from 21 to 24 July 1977. The conflict stemmed from a deterioration in relations that had occurred between the two states after Egyptian President Anwar Sadat had rebuffed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's entreaties to unify their countries and had pursued a peace settlement with Israel in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Soon thereafter Libya began sponsoring dissidents and assassination plots to undermine Sadat, and Egypt responded in kind to weaken Gaddafi. In early 1976 Gaddafi dispatched troops to the Egyptian frontier where they began clashing with border guards. Sadat responded by moving many troops to the area, while the Egyptian General Staff drew up plans for an invasion to depose Gaddafi. Egyptian T-62s, like the one depicted in the model, took part in the war

On the first day, Libya invaded Egypt, attacking Sollum, a town along the border, but was repelled and lost almost 30 tanks. Despite the inadequacy of the Egyptian Army against the Israeli Defense Force, it was one of the best trained and best equipped African armies at the time and this superiority made the difference in this war. On the second day, two Egyptian divisions entered Libya, advancing over 24 km and forcing the Libyans to flee. In the following days, the ground attacks ceased almost completely while the aerial ones were in focus. This saw Egypt destroy some Libyan air and missile bases.

On July 24, Sadat ordered a ceasefire after losing 100 soldiers and 4 aircraft, whilst Libyan losses accounted for 30 tanks, 40 APCs, 400 soldiers, and a dozen aircraft. Libya and Egypt both portrayed the outcome as a victory for themselves. They never reached a formal peace agreement after the war, but ceased combat operations and upheld a truce.

Specifications
Mass: 37 t (41 short tons; 36 long tons)
Length: 9.34 m (30 ft 8 in) with barrel in forward position, 6.63 m (21 ft 9 in) hull only
Width: 3.30 m (10 ft 10 in)
Height: 2.40 m (7 ft 10 in)
Crew: 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader)
Armour: Cast turret
214 (242 after 1972) mm turret front
153 mm turret sides
97 mm turret rear
40 mm turret roof

Hull
102 mm at 60° hull front
79 mm hull upper sides
15 mm hull lower sides
46 mm at 0° hull rear
20 mm hull bottom
31 mm hull roof

Main Armament : 115 mm U-5TS (2A20) smoothbore gun
Secondary Armament:
7.62 mm PKT coaxial general-purpose machine gun (2500 rounds)
12.7 mm DShK 1938/46 antiaircraft heavy machine gun (optional until T-62 Obr.1972)
Engine: V-55V (based on the Kharkiv model V-2) 580 (later 620) hp.
Power/weight: 14.5 hp/tonne (10.8 kW/tonne)
Suspension: torsion bar
Ground clearance: 425 mm (16.7 in)
Fuel capacity: 960 L, 1360 L with two 200-liter extra fuel tanks
Operational Range:
450 km (280 mi) on road (650 km (400 mi) with two 200 L (53 US gal; 44 imp gal) extra fuel tanks)
320 km (200 mi) cross-country (450 km (280 mi) with two 200-liter extra fuel tanks)
Maximum speed: 50 km/h (31 mph) (road), 40 km/h (25 mph) (cross country)

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

1:72 T-62 Egyptian Army Egypt-Libya War

The Soviet built T-62 Main Battle Tank (MBT) was a further development of the hugely popular and successful T-55 MBT. The T-62 was produced between 1961 and 1975. It became the standard main battle tank in the Soviet armed forces and the Warsaw pact during the Cold War, partly replacing the T-55.

In contrast with previous tanks, which were armed with rifled tank guns, the T-62 was the first production tank armed with a smoothbore tank gun which could fire APFSDS rounds at higher velocities.

Congratulations on continuing to add to your tank collection. Your enthusiasm is why I requested the Moderators to add "Battle Tanks" to the title :-)

The T-62 was a tank that brought in key advancements but got overshadowed by its omnipresent predecessor the T-55/T-54 and its landmark successor the T-72. In those cold war days the Soviets really did lead in tank design and constantly achieved the design balance amongst the trinity of tank factors - armour/protection, mobility and firepower. The Soviets focussed first on firepower & armour and accepted reasonable mobility.

The T-62 was the first tank with the new large calibre 115mm main gun a jump over the 105mm and 100mm and 85mm then in use world over. And it was the first to use a smoothbore which was cutting edge then and the standard now. And it was the first to use APFSDS ammunition as the key anti-tank round as opposed to then then practise of the HEAT round being the main anti-tank munition. The press in those days {1970s} criticized the APFSDS saying that the fins will lead it astray in a crosswind. This was typical of the Western press criticizing things they were not familiar with or new features not invented by them. The Soviet counter was that as most tank fights took place at 1000 metres on an average the round is in flight for about 1/2 a second at 1800 metres/second flight speed so the wind caused deviation is small enough to cater to with aiming correction.

The Soviets succeeded in designing tanks that were low in silhouette making them harder to spot and aim at while at the same time carrying enough armour to survive. In comparison Western contemporaries such as the American M60, British Chieftain, German Leopard Mk 1 were much larger and taller. In return the Soviet tank was cramped, more noisy, poorer in ergonomics and carried less ammunition than Western counterparts.

[BlackBeard]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

1:72 T-62 Egyptian Army Egypt-Libya War

Another nice tank model and as usual nice writeup about the same.

Another potent weapon the Egyptians & maybe Syrians employed against Israeli armour were the ATGM teams, which were very successful.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

In those cold war days the Soviets really did lead in tank design and constantly achieved the design balance amongst the trinity of tank factors - armour/protection, mobility and firepower. The Soviets focussed first on firepower & armour and accepted reasonable mobility.

Very succinctly explained. The auto-loader and ERA were both Soviet additions to the tank.

I do not know how many like to read about espionage, during the cold war the BRIXMIS guys in East Germany conducted lot of clandestine activities on the GFSG including "stealing" ERA bricks from tank firing ranges and sending them to UK for analysis, which caused panic in the western world. using apples to measure the main cannon bore of the BMP, they did these by Breaking & entering tank parks, climbing on to stationary trains transporting armour....etc, they even stole a whole nose cone with the RADAR of a crashed soviet jet from a river bed and claimed that it was stuck in the mud, absolutely thrilling & entertaining stuff!

[skanchan95]

1:72 T-72M Iraqi Army, 1981
Saddam Hussein ordered 100s of T-72 Ural/M/M1s after the start of the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) from the Soviet Union. 60 were lost in this war, but these were apparently up to the job, and Saddam asked for many more.

In a bid to enforce a ceasefire between Iran & Iraq, arms embargo wer imposed on the Iran & Iraq. The Soviet Union restricted its sales to Iraq since it was also courting Iran; however, the USSR encouraged its Warsaw Pact allies to take its place. Thus, in 1982 Poland sold Iraq a batch of 250 T-72Ms (Obiekt 172M-1-E4), followed in later years by the improved T-72M1 (Obiekt 172M-1-E6). Iraq purchased a total of 1,038 T-72s of all types, mostly from Poland. In the late 1980s there were plans to begin T-72M1 production at Taji in Iraq in cooperation with Bumar-Labedy. The process was to begin in 1989 using knockdown kits from Poland, with the locally assembled tanks called Asad Babil (“Lion of Babylon”). There are conflicting accounts regarding how many, if any, were actually completed. Polish officials indicate that none were completed even though a T-72M displayed at an Iraqi arms show in 1988 was claimed to be a locally built tank. In the event, LtGen Amer Rashid pushed for complete manufacture of the T-72M1 in Iraq rather than simply assembly from knockdown kits. In 1991 Bumar-Labedy was upgrading the Taji facility, but during the course of the war Taji was destroyed by air attack.

The “Saddam” MBT
The first supposed all-Iraqi MBT was assembled with such parts in a German-built 1986 steel factory near Taji, north of Baghdad. The factory already had experience in refitting and overhauling badly damaged T-54/55s and T-62s. The first assembled T-72M was released in early 1989, and called “Saddam”, without notable changes compared to the regular T-72M1 but perhaps had lowered steel quality, some electronics omitted, and the fitting of an obsolete IR searchlight. More significantly, the Saddams were downgraded for desert warfare, as some of the suspension’s shock absorbers were removed. However, this production was not to last. Following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, a new UN embargo, far more strict, was passed, which banned everything but the smallest supply parts to maintain existing Iraqi tanks. Critical parts were missing for the completion of the last batches of Saddams. However, according to Russian intelligence, at least 100 tanks (250, according to other sources) were nevertheless assembled, with ever more concessions, and delivered in the meantime, or after the embargo, which tells about the quality of these deliveries. These even poorer quality tanks were the Asad Babil tanks.

In short, the Asad Babil was a rushed and cheap downgrade of the already downgraded Saddam MBT, itself derived from the downgraded T-72M export model. Externally, these are difficult to separate from the regular Saddam/T-72Ms, but the local “upgrades” consisted of 30 mm cast armor plates or frail quality forged from mild steel (no longer laminated RHA), bolted-on the glacis armor plate, leaving, in theory, an equivalent air gap in between to dissipate a HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank) jet. Another appliqué armor plate was also added to the rear. The Asad Babil’s side armor had 60 mm protection, 300 mm for the turret, and the flat rear was 45 mm thick.

In addition, rubber skirts of local manufacture were also added. All the electronics left were removed except for a few still fitted to the laser rangefinder. Like the “Saddam”, a local-built searchlight was added on the right-hand-side. According to US intelligence, however, a few were equipped with Belgian-made thermal sights. There are also arguments about a better track protection against sand and mud, thus allowing to reduce the numbers of shock absorbers. However, due to the lack of IR searchlights, they were fitted with white lights projectors, missing all but the more elementary night vision equipment.

The ammunition, too, was apparently downgraded or local production shells. It is indeed believed but not confirmed that the Russians sold APDS shells with mild steel core instead of tungsten alloy, rendering them completely useless. Outside the regular 125 mm smoothbore gun, the Asad Babil was equipped with the regular 12.7 mm heavy DShK heavy MG, and a coaxial PKT LMG. Some of the tanks were also seen with an electro-optical interference pod of Chinese origin, which proved useless in combat. The armor “upgrades” seem to have been relatively effective against Iranian TOWs and Hellfire missiles on the Saddams, but left the Asad Babils virtually defenseless against most modern 120 mm shells.

In 1989, the UN banned all arms exports to Iraq.

T-72s in Iraqi service
In all, Iraq had about 1000 T-72s, M, M1, and the locally assembled Saddams and Asad Babils on the eve of the invasion of Kuwait. After 2003, their numbers had dwindled to 375, and only 125 are listed in the new Iraqi Army, but they about to be pushed to the scrapyard or used for target practice. There are no detailed records of the use of the Asad Babil in the Iran-Iraq War. The Asad Babil first saw service in the First Gulf War (1990-1991), with the Republican Guard divisions and the sole Saladin division. They were mainly employed as armored self-propelled artillery, but when they did fight against coalition forces directly, they fared poorly against American main battle tanks and IFVs. The standard-issue 120 mm DU core APFSDS round supplied to all M1 Abrams had an effective reach at 3,000 m, whilst the Iraqi tungsten-core 125 mm equivalent effective range was only 1,800 m. It was demonstrated at the Battle of Norfolk, where Asad Babils were butchered with ease by Bradleys IFVs. M60s also had no difficulties to knock-out Lions with their APFSDS 105 mm rounds as shown in 1991 at the Battle of Kuwait airport.

There is only the exception of the Battle of Phase Line Bullet, February 26, 1991, to put some credit on the Asad Babil. Bradleys from the 4th squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment were driven back by dug-in Iraqi T-72Ms and Asad Babils of the Tawakalna Division, after a very close range engagement of almost two hours in very poor visibility. Friendly fire cost the Americans more than Iraqi tanks, but according to Atkinson and Scales, the Asad Babils’ only success in the battle was the destruction of two M2 Bradleys, and several other damaged.

By 1991, and again in 2003, all encounters with the Asad Babil tended to result in uncontested kills, but there is evidence of at least one Asad Babil surviving a direct hit from an Abrams HEAT round in Mahmoudiyah, in 2003. The shell impacted the front of the turret at point blank range, apparently without too much damage. According to Polish sources, some Asad Babils may have been fitted with ERA in 2003, thus accounting for this combat report. It is not known for certain if Asad Babils received upgrades in between the First Gulf War and Iraq War, but seeing the result of engagements this time, it is dubious if they did.

The tank fighting during Operation Desert Storm represented one of the most lopsided contests in 20th-century military history. The Iraqi army was outclassed in all respects and suffered appallingly high losses while inflicting minimal casualties on the coalition forces. In the case of the M1A1, more Abrams tanks were destroyed by friendly fire than Iraqi action. From later accounts it would appear that at least seven Abrams were hit by T-72 gunfire; one was temporarily disabled when a hit near the rear of the turret ignited crew stowage, and another may have been disabled by a shot through the thin armor of the engine compartment; however, no hits penetrated the frontal armor. Iraqi T-72 losses have never been tallied with any precision but were probably in the neighborhood of 750–800 tanks; total Iraqi tank losses to all causes were 3,200–3,900 plus 2,400–2,750 other types of armored vehicles lost. These T-72 losses were not exclusively to engagements against the M1A1 Abrams tank, but a significant portion were due to direct combat and not air attack.

The Iraqi T-72M1 tank performed poorly due to technical, tactical and training problems. On the firepower side, it was incapable of acquiring targets at worthwhile battle ranges, especially at night or in poor weather, and its gun/ammunition combination was incapable of penetrating the frontal armor of the Abrams. Better ammunition might have helped on the rare occasions when hits were scored, but the central problem was the lack of hits against the opposing M1A1 tanks. This was the result of both technical and training failures, and the T-72’s fire controls were too complicated for rapid use by typical Iraqi crewmen. On the defensive side, the T-72’s armor was vulnerable to the Abrams 120mm gun and its unshielded ammunition meant that penetrations usually led to catastrophic fires which incinerated the tank, often too quickly for the crew to escape. These spectacular explosions were profoundly demoralizing to the crews of neighboring tanks, who sometimes abandoned their own vehicles after witnessing such frightening conflagrations. On the training side, the Iraqi army was completely unable to operate effectively against a well-trained opponent operating at a much faster battle tempo; tactical success was not within its grasp since units were chronically unable to carry out ordinary tasks such as establishing security zones or conducting reverse-slope defenses even when they had the time and resources to do so. The popular perception that the Iraqi soldiers simply ran away from the fight was certainly not true of the troops of the Iraqi Rpublican Guard Forces Command heavy divisions, who fought bravely, though ineffectively, during the fierce tank battles of February 25–27,1991.

In the 2003 Iraq War, the Republican Guard Medina Division’s Asad Babils were deployed around Baghdad as a last-ditch defense. These were engaged by US tanks from just 50 yards, and seven Iraqi T-72s were destroyed without any coalition losses. Intelligence services stated that this was explained both by poor marksmanship of the crews of the Asad Babils and their lack of modern fire control systems. Needless to say, the absence of modern electronics obliged not only the driver to stop for firing, but also because of seasoned gunners, which became rare after the bloodbath of the Iran-Iraq War and Gulf War. Only one Bradley was disabled by a 125 mm round from an Asad Babil in the 2003 War in Iraq, in an ambush near Baghdad airport. Perhaps only one Abrams, hit three times in the turret, was extensively repaired, but was not considered a kill for an Asad Babil.


T-72M1 Asad Babil Specifications
Dimensions : 6.52oa/6.95 x 3.59 x 2.23 (22.1 x 11.9 x 7.4 fts)
Total weight, battle ready: 41.5 tons (91.490 lbs)
Crew: 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader).
Propulsion: V-12 diesel 780 hp (582 kw) 18hp/ton
Speed: 60/45 km/h road/cross-country (37/28 mph)
Range/consumption: 425 km (264 mi) extended to 600 with external drums
Armament: One 2A46 (also called D-81TM) 125 mm/L48 smoothbore cannon
Ammunition: HE, HEAT, HESH, APFSDS
Coaxial 7.62 mm PKT (0.3 in) light machine-gun
Cupola mounted DsHk 12.7 mm (0.5 in) AA heavy machine-gun
Armor: Turret front 300 mm, glacis 300+20 mm max (11.8 in)

[skanchan95]

T-Series Greatest Hits
T-55, T-62, T-72, T-90 - All Rugged Russian built tanks that were great export successes with a rich combat history all over the world - The T-55 especially, about which it was said when Armageddon happens and when everything stops working, the T-55 would be the only thing that would keep running - such is its legendary ruggedness. Old T-55s built in the 60s and 70s continue to be in service in Afghanistan.

The T-62 was to T-55 what the T-90 is to the T-72 - Further development of the same tank design.