Back again with some FD, and soon SD, scale stuff!
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Type 11 main battle tank
With the aging of the M48-N Patton tanks in service, Nanhae's army began the process of finding a suitable replacement for them in service. The "Armoured Capability Program 2010" was launched to develop replacements, to be in service by 2010, for Nanhae's Army in two critical areas:
- A replacement armoured fighting vehicle for the M48N, and
- A replacement infantry mobility and fighting vehicle for the M113A2
This also aligned with a change in doctrine as part of the 1999 Defence Study that called for the shift from a conscript-based army to a volunteer-based one. In 1999, Nanhae's Army had four divisions of which two were armoured. The transition to a volunteer force included reducing these from divisions to brigades in size, and from two tank regiments per division to a single tank regiment per division. Each tank regiment was to include four companies, each of 12 tanks, plus a reserve tank battalion of three companies in size.
The process of finding a replacement tank was rather tortuous and went through several changes in focus over the time. The first concern was determining whether to have a force of all MBTs, or to field a mix of light- and main battle tanks, due to the weight limitations of Nanhae's road and rail infrastructure. Most modern MBTs were too large for most of Nanhae's road network, but light tanks failed to provide sufficient firepower or armour.
It was with this in mind that Wuheng International, Nanhae's largest defence company, to begin a private venture to develop an indigenous tank that could fill Nanhae's needs and be a suitable tank for export. Development began in 2007 focusing on a tank that was to in the 40-tonne range, and have greater protection and firepower than the M48N tank in service. A partnership arrangement was struck with Hanwha Defense in what they called the "NMTX" program, or "Nanhae Medium Tank Experimental". In 2010, a mockup of the design was presented to the Nanhae Army for review and development funding, and once approved a prototype was delivered in 2012.
Type 11 main battle tank in base, and increased armoured, configurations.
The Type 11 was every bit a modern tank intended to replace the M48N. It featured a modern modular turret, designed and built by Wuheng, on top of a hull that was produced by Hanwha. Final assembly of the tank was to be in South Korea. The tank featured a mix of steel and ceramic armour in the turret and along the frontal arc of the hull, with steel armour being used for the remainder of the hull. In an effort to maintain lower weight, the turret and frontal arc of the hull carried the heaviest armour, with the remainder of the hull carrying less. Additional ceramic armour could be added to the frontal arc of the turret, and to the hull, to increase protection along with slat armour to protect against RPGs and HEAT. A Tropthy active protection system was added to the production version of the tank to enhance survivability.
The main gun was a licensed produced version of the Rheinmetall 120mm L/44 mated to an auto-loader to allow for a crew of 3, along with a co-axial 7.66mm machine gun. The main gun's auto-loader was arranged as a cassette and carousel type, with it taking up the rear and left-hand sides of the turret. The commander sat behind the gunner on the right of the turret, with the driver in the hull. A turret mounted SMG was mounted, as well as the option of fitting a remote weapon station for additional weaponry.
A 1,000hp diesel motor, coupled to an automatic transmission, could propel the 44-tonne tank to a maximum forward speed of 65km/h, and reverse of 50km/h. It's power-to-weight ratio wasn't as high as some tanks, but it was considered an appropriate savings in weight. With additional armour and weaponry, the weight of the tank would increase to 48.5-tonnes, which would reduce the top speed to closer to 60km/h.
After trials in comparison with the Leopard 2A4 and Leclerc tanks, it was deemed that the Type 11 was sufficient for the army's needs. An initial order of 96 hulls, plus 4 training tanks, was made with the expectation that all would be in service by 2018. Further orders would follow for an ARV variant of the tank, as well as additional tanks to replacement the M48N's in the reserve tank battalion. By 2022, 132 tanks, 8 ARVs, and 8 trainers were in service with Nanhae's army.
Exports
Type 11 in Philippine Army service.
The Philippine Army was heavily marketed to by Wuheng and Hanwha, along with support from Nanhae's government. After several trials, as well as a very lucrative sales package, the Philippine government placed an order in 2019 for 18 tanks, along with 2 training tanks and an ARV. The version sold (designated Type 11PA) was without the Trophy active protection system, or the additional ceramic armour. This was coupled with the sale/donation from Nanhae's stock of an additional 18 M48N's, and an ARV variant of the M48, as well as a commitment to supply Type 10 AFVs. Due to delays in production related to COVID-19, the first tanks are not expected to be delivered until 2023.
Type 11 in the Royal Thai Army.
The other foreign sale of the Type 11, thus far, was to the Royal Thai Army in early 2020. After trials of the tank, alongside the M48, M60, T-84-T, and VT-4 the Thai's agreed to order over 100 versions of the tank. The Type11TA (as this version was designated) included the Trophy active protection system, but did not include any additional armour package. An initial order of 49 tanks has been placed, with delivery expected to be completed by 2025, although the pandemic has pushed this to 2026. These are expected to partially replace the M48A5PI in Thai service.