Second part of the national review of the confederate army publishedTank modernisation first reaction on this reviewThe outdated ST-71Cetatea Albâ - The research group which provided the first review of the navy has published the new review of the land forces. These are heavily critisised but there are new suggestions. The tanks are terribly outdated and in nead for maintenace and upgrades. The government has already acted and is upgrading its arsenal.Land Forces
The infantry are now up to date as of the budget bill of 4233 which upgraded the equipment of the infantry. The infantry is the main defense force in the event of a hostile attack force from Dolgavia. Motorized divisions can not enter the mountainous border of Dolgavia. The artillery plays a bigger role than the motorized divisions in the western border area. The artillery is in a good state but not state of the art. The numbers of the artillery are quite bad and importing them is expensive. Therefore, the company KIZARM has already developed a new artillery piece, the
OTROM, to be produced in Deltabor.
The motorized infantry is the main component of the defense of the border in Egelion. The vehicles are not in good shape. Because of neglecting by the government for over 50 years the vehicles are in need for heavy maintenance. The good side however is that most vehicles aren’t outdated, which was a fear of the government. The 2k12 Porteşti is in a good shape but the army is in need of a better anti aircraft defense with a bigger range and a possibility to shoot down cruise missiles. The tanks are a main concern of the research group. The KT-86 is an outdated tank. This however can be changed, as we propose a upgrade program for our homemade tank. The more outdated ST-71 is a bigger problem and is in this state useless. We propose the developement of a new upgrade.
The military is shocked by this review and intends to improve. A new upgrade program for the KT-86 is in its final stages of developement and is soon to be implemented. It will be called the KT-86M1. The KT-86M1 features improved armor protection comparing with its predecessor. It has a bigger turret with additional passive armor over the frontal arc. The tank is equipped with laser warning receivers, NBC protection system and automatic fire suppression system. The KT-86M1 has the same armament as its predecessor. It is armed with a 100-mm rifled gun. This gun is loaded manually. Ammunition is stored in the turret bustle, fitted with blow-out panels. The KT-86M1 is fitted with new fire control system. The TR-85M1 is powered by a new diesel engine, developing 860 horsepower. It also has new hydropneumatic suspension. Weight of the upgraded MBT increased to 50 tons, however there was only slight increase in engine power. Its power-to-weight ration of 17hp/t in comparison with modern main battle tanks is weak. The military assures us that this is not a big problem. According to them, the speed of a tank doesnt matter as aiming systems of modern MBT's are unbeatable and are not changed by speed.
The ST-71 is a hard job for the military designers at the Confederate Defence Group. The main battle tank, developed by the United Kerissian Socialist Republic in 3288, is inferior to all relatively modern MBT's. Already retired by the Trigunian Armed Forces, the confederate armed forces have not yet retired their old ST-71's. Now, the CDG in cooperation with the private defence company Kizarms are developing new upgrades for the old tank.
The OTROM artillery pieceThe OTROM is fitted with the Soltam 155-mm / L52 gun-howitzer. This gun-howitzer is fitted with a load assisting system. Maximum range of fire is 41 km with rocket assisted projectile and 30 km with standard HE projectile. The OTROM is compatible with all standard 155-mm ammunition. Maximum rate of fire is between 4 and 9 rounds per minute. The OTROM is capable of firing 3 rounds in 20 seconds. Fire computerized control system of the OTROM is coupled to an internal navigation system. Target information is received from forward observers. The vehicle has a crew of five. Armored cab provides protection from small arms fire and artillery shell splinters. The OTROM uses locally developed ROMAN 26.360 DFAEG 6x6 truck chassis. Vehicle is powered by a MAN 28866 LF 24 diesel engine, developing 360 hp. The OTROM is fitted with auxiliary power unit, which powers all systems when the main engine is shut down.
The OTROM can be airlifted with a CTP-10 Ginbar medium transport aircraft.