L21 heavy armoured vehicle series
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| Profile (n/a) | |
| L21 HAV series | |
|---|---|
| Design details | |
| Constructor | Isselmere Motor Works |
| Design No. | |
| General characteristics ( L21BT Kodiak) | |
| Crew | 4 (See below) |
| Length | 11.52m |
| Width | 3.76m |
| Height | 3m |
| Weight | 72.4t |
| Armour and armament | |
| Armour (RHAe) | 1160mm (KE), 2430mm (CE) |
| Main armament | 140mm L52 |
| Secondary armament | 7.62mm coax. 7.62mm OWS (loader) 12.7mm OWS (commander) |
| Mobility | |
| Powerplant | 1250kW IMW LMM-52T MFE 4-stroke V12 |
| Suspension | Hydropneumatic-torsion bar |
| Road speed | 72 km/h |
| Power/weight | 17.86 kW/t |
| Range | 525 km |
| Operators | |
| Russkya, UKIN | |
The L21 series of heavy armoured vehicles is manufactured by Isselmere Motor Works of Thistlemoor, Isselmere. Comprising a range of multi-fuel-electric powered automobiles from the L21BT Kodiak main battle tank and L21CT command tank (MBT and CT) armed with a 140mm, 52 calibre guns; the L21BV Buffalo armoured bridge-laying vehicle (AVLB) with three ten-metre (actually 10.2m) bridging segments; the L21CE Elephant armoured engineering vehicle (AEV) possessing engineering equipment to clear obstacles; the L21AR Auroch armoured recovery vehicle (ARV) can recover and repair vehicles in the field; and, a number of self-propelled artillery pieces, such as the L27 Obelisk 155mm self-propelled howitzer (SPH).
Contents
Optronics
Arachne sensor blocks
Six armoured optronic sensor blocks (OSB) provide the commander and crew 360-degree visual information about their vehicle’s immediate surroundings day or night in many weather conditions obtained by high resolution low-light television (LLTV) and imaging infra-red (IIR) arrays. The OSB ports are engineered to provide undistorted images despite the thickness of the protective lenses covering the sensors. The driver, gunner, and commander may access the OSB ports for single block or panoramic viewing and may highlight potential threats, targets, or other items of interest for the others to examine. Such information may be entered into the targeting system by the gunner or commander for immediate prosecution.
Tank commander's independent sight
The commander has his own systems to provide him operational awareness. His station is equipped with its own four OSB ports, in addition to the optronic scope on the commander's machine gun. The 1.5-6 power machine gun scope permits high resolution video, low-light, or passive infra-red video feed to aim and fire the weapon remotely. In addition to those systems, the commander also may use the tank commander's independent sight (TCIS). The TCIS is not a single system, but a host of optronic sensors from a panoramic IIR array to a laser rangefinder/illuminator. The TCIS swivels throughout a 360-degree axis and may designate targets for the gunner to attack. The commander may also switch control of the TCIS over to the gunner should the loader need to lock the gun to reload.
Threat Management
Targets and threats designated by the tanks various sensors and crew are noted and classified by the Hedgehog threat management system (TMS). Friends and foes are presented to the commander on a two-dimensional digital map display, the Tactical Awareness Display System (TADS). The commander may forward commands to the driver and gunner through the TADS to the other crews' own displays. Remarkable as the system already is, efforts are being made to improve it. The scientists at Lyme and Martens Industries (LMI) are working on adapting the TADS to display a limited three-dimensional display generated by the combined operation of three or more Hedgehog systems communicating with each other via a secure tactical datalink. LMI is also working on providing tank crews with helmet mounted sights to stream in threat and targeting information to them as swiftly as possible.
The microcomputers running the Hedgehog TMS also coordinate information streaming through from the L21's various threat sensors. Laser warning and radar warning receivers enable the L21 to detect threatening enemy helicopters and land vehicles and to respond to anti-tank missile launches by deploying countermeasures from its host of 70mm grenade launchers or for the L21 to launch a pre-emptive strike of its own. The L21 possesses sensors to detect hazardous NBC (nuclear, biological and chemical) environments as well. While not nearly as extensive as those within a specialised NBC reconnaissance vehicle, the systems do provide L21 crews with the necessary knowledge of their immediate environment to stay safe. An overpressure air conditioning system, which also makes the insides of the L21 series much more comfortable than it otherwise might be, protects the crew against extended exposure to such environments while EMP resistant electronics minimise the loss of capability caused by such environs.
Other sensors
As noted above, the commander and gunner's sights are not the only sensors the L21 family of vehicles has. The driver is provided with low-light television and imaging infra-red sensors to make driving at night and in poor weather conditions much easier. The gunner is provided with similar tools to select and prosecute targets as well as a laser rangefinder that may be used to guide gun-launched ERGM or ATGW. The wealth of optronic information is collated and presented to the gunner via a high resolution LCD display. In later models, the gunner will have the information presented to him or her via a helmet mounted display.
Kodiak tanks
The L21 Kodiak MBT and CT were designed with survivability and operability in mind. Like the Israeli Merkava MBT, the engine was placed in front behind heavy armour to protect the tank crews from enemy fire. Placing the engine at the front enabled the designers to place a large, long-barrelled gun on the Kodiak without greatly lengthening the overall length of the vehicle, thereby facilitating the storage of L21s on amphibious assault ships. The composite armour of the L21 family was built with the assistance of engineers from the Royal Shipyards of Isselmere-Nieland experienced with low-weight armours. Layers of steel alloys, ballistic ceramics, and laminates protect the vehicle from kinetic energy (such as armour piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot (APFSDS)) and chemical energy (high explosive anti-tank (HEAT)) munitions. Additional layers of lightweight titanium alloys protect the turret, hull front, and underside (engine block, driver, ammunition), greatly increasing the survivability of the vehicles. Ballistic nylon fabrics provide spall protection for the crew.
Smoothbore 140mm, 52 calibre gun
The gun is fed by a semi-automatic loading process from an eight-round, fire-proof armoured rotary magazine that permits the gunner to select the appropriate munitions to load into the breech. The 140mm L52 gun accepts a wide range of munitions, from anti-tank guided missiles such as the GWS.76L Kiwi as well as armour piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot (APFSDS) loads and standard APHE (armour piercing high explosive), HEAT (high explosive anti-tank), HESH (high explosive squash head) munitions, and many others. The gun is fully stabilised and loading from the magazine simplifies firing while moving. The loader may temporarily lock the gun in place while the gunner and/or commander searches for targets with the TCIS. The gun will set to the gunner's target once the reloading process is completed. The semi-automatic loading process obviates the sometime troublesome (and occasionally dangerous) characteristics of autoloaders while speeding the loading process. The loading process is controlled by software run by a series of ruggedised microcomputers.
Characteristics (Kodiak MBT/MBT-C)
Crew:
MBT and CT: 4 (driver, gunner, loader, commander)
ADV: 4 (driver, gunner, commander, radar operator)
AEV: 4 (driver, commander, 2 systems operators)
ARV: 4 (driver, commander, 2 systems operators)
AVLB: 2 (driver, commander)
Dimensions: Length: 8.48m (hull only), 11.52m (gun forward); Width: 3.76m; Height: 2.54m (turret roof), 3m (overall); Ground clearance: 0.50m
Ground pressure: 0.9 kg/cm2
Power-to-weight ratio: 17.86 kW/t (24.35 hp/t)
Mass: 72400 kg (combat loading)
Propulsion: 1250kW (1,705 shp) IMW LMM-52T multi-fuel-electric (MFE) four-stroke 12-cylinder 90-degree inline-V (i.e. liquid cooled)
Transmission: 6-speed automatic, 1 reverse.
Reservoirs: Fuel: 2048 litres; Oil: 172 litres; Coolant: 208 litres.
Speed: Land: burst: 72 km/h (road); standard maximum: 65 km/h; cruise: 50 km/h; cross-country (maximum): 55 km/h.
Range (at cruise speed): 525 km.
Protection (values in RHA vs KE/CE)
Chobham-style composite of steel alloys, ballistic ceramics, ballistic polymers (nylon, etc.), with Kevlar spall-lining, bottom with titanium alloy plating covering key components (driver, engine, turret, ammunition)
- Turret: 1080-1160 (KE)/2100-2430 (CE)
- Turret top (with blow-out panels for stored ammunition): tbd
- Glacis: 770 (KE)/940 (CE)
- Lower front hull: 770 (KE)/940 (CE)
- Sides (w/o skirts, applique armour, etc.): 465 (KE)/570 (CE)
- Rear: 465 (KE)/600 (CE)
- Bottom: 320-440 (KE)/400-550 (CE)
Restrictions
Obstacles: Trenches: 3m wide; Walls: 1m
Grades (combat equipped): Forward: 65%; Side Slope: 38%
Weapons
- MBT and CT: 140mm 52-calibre smoothbore conventional gun (48 shells/ERGM/ATGW, 8 in selectable ready-to-fire, armoured, fire-resistant magazine), 7.62mm coax. MG, 12.7mm commander's MG (remote-capable)
- ADV: 2 × 4-cell GWLS.85V Vulture SAM, 2 × 35mm VCA.42 autocannons
- AEV: 12.7mm commander's MG, 7.62mm hull MG
- ARV: 12.7mm commander's MG, 7.62mm hull MG
- AVLB: 7.62mm hull MG
Electronics: tbd
Countermeasures: 4 × 4 (turret) and 2 × 8 (hull) VLE.141 70mm grenade dispensers (smoke, fragmentation, other), rotating 4-cell VLE.200 70mm anti-missile grenade dispenser (on turret), VLQ.291 electromagnetic armour (electro-static discharge system)
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