Rheinmetall showcases 105mm Medium Battle Tank at Indo Defence 2016

 
INDODEFENCE 2016
Online Show Daily News

2 - 5 October 2016
Jakarta, Indonesia
 
Rheinmetall at Indodefence 2016
 
 
Rheinmetall showcases 105mm Medium Battle Tank at Indo Defence 2016
A major focus of Rheinmetall’s presence at the Indo Defence Expo & Forum from 2-5 November 2016 in Jakarta is the Group’s expertise in the world of tracked and wheeled armoured vehicles.
     
Rheinmetall 105 mm Medium battle tank Indodefence The Rheinmetall demonstrator of a 105mm medium battle tank based on a modified Marder 1 chassis
     
This year Rheinmetall is showcasing a demonstrator of a 105mm medium battle tank based on a modified Marder 1 chassis. While the demonstrator is equipped with the 105mm Hitfact I turret, the new Marder Medium Tank RI (Republic of Indonesia) offered to the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) features a new Leonardo (Oto Melara) Hitfact II turret, with a 105mm/L52 gun as main armament. Both the Marder 1 chassis and the Hitfact II turret are proven, previously fielded, well-supported subsystems.

The new Marder Medium Tank RI will be equipped with an electrically stabilized threeman turret which can fire any standard NATO 105mm round. The commander and gunner each have their own independent day and night sighting systems with laser rangefinders, providing a hunter/killer capability for the crew. The commander and gunner are both able to operate the main and secondary armament, which can be reloaded from the safety of the fighting compartment.

Due to its high mobility the Marder Medium Tank RI can be deployed together with the Leopard 2 main battle tank or in support of other armoured fighting vehicles. Thanks to its lighter weight, it provides the tactical versatility vital for dominating current and future battlefields and other scenarios, e.g. urban warfare.

This new combat vehicle demonstrates once again Rheinmetall’s role as a driving force in modern fighting vehicle concepts and technologies. In 2012 the Ministry of Defence in Jakarta contracted with Rheinmetall to supply the Indonesian Army with tracked armoured vehicles, logistical support and ammunition. Besides 103 Leopard 2 MBTs, Rheinmetall is supplying Indonesia with 42 upgraded Marder 1A3 infantry fighting vehicles, 11 armoured recovery and combat engineering vehicles, together with the accompanying documentation, training resources and logistical services. The order also encompasses an initial supply of practice and service ammunition.

The combat performance upgrade programme for the Indonesian variant of the Leopard 2A4 includes – depending on which of the two versions, the Leopard 2A 4+ or Leopard 2 RI – climate control technology, enhanced ballistic protection, conversion from a hydraulic to an electric turret drive, an auxiliary power unit, and installation of a reversing camera.

In addition, Rheinmetall is modifying the 120mm smoothbore gun of the RI version with a programming kit that will enable it to fire the new programmable DM11 multipurpose round.