Turkey to upgrade 100 Chilean Leopard tanks

Lunatik

Active member
Turkey's Aselsan Defence, Inc. will upgrade 100 Chilean Leopard I tanks with its Volkan FCS modernisation kit, worth $150 million.

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSLT87892220090429

Before Volkan upgrade:

T_55_EP_0005_T_55M1_Leon_1_en_Parada_Militar_2005_cortesia_de_Cesar_Cruz.jpg


After Volkan upgrade:

174629volkan03ji0.jpg
 
Good fine Lunatik
Chile just doesn't stop buying they purchased a lot of military equipment in the last few years.

My question is this upgrade the article mentions Leo I's why for Leo II's? I thought Chile has both and may have greater numbers of Leo IIs. Isn't more cost effective as far training cost and maintenance to have one standard?

I don't know enough about tanks maybe the Leo II are already better equipped and wouldn't need this upgrade to begin with?

This upgraded Leo I sure looks like to would take on a Peruvian T-55 or an Argentinean TAM tank for sure.
 
Why upgrades they a old MBT Leopard 1 ? A lot of Leopard 2 A4 worldwide are in waiting-Position by the Army`s ( Germany , Nederland ).
For 150 Mio $ they are get a lot of new-upgraded Leopard 2 A4 with a modern kit.
The leopard 1 are older than 40 years...........
 
It must be worth it or they wouldn't doing it and let's face it and a upgrade FCS would face down TAM & old T-55s.
 
What else are they going to do their old Leos? Throw 'em away? This is a very cost effective solution. Volkan upgrade brings their Leo 1s to L1A3T1 standard; which includes:

- Two-axis Gun Stabilization,
- Automatic Target Tracking
- Fire Control/Ballistic Computer,
- 2nd Generation High Resolution Thermal Camera,
- Driver’s Night Sight Periscope,
- North Finding and Self-Positioning System,
- Battlefield Command Control Information System,
- Open System Architecture for Future Improvements and new ammunition

Types Provides the following capabilities:

-- High first round hit probability
-- Day and night combat capability,
-- On-the-move Firings to the moving targets,
-- Long range identification/recognition/detection of targets,
-- Integration to the existing and new generation battle space command control systems (C4ISR)

SYSTEM UNITS

- Gunner's Periscope System
- Commander's Control Display
- Muzzle Reference System
- Fire Control System Command Unit
- Fire Control Computer
- Ammunition Selection Unit
- Inclinometer
- Meteorological and Ammunition Temperature Sensor
- Turret Azimuth / Gun Elevation Position Encoders
- North Finding And Self-Positioning System
- Power Distribution Unit
- Gunner’s Additional Command Unit
- Gunner’s And Commander’s Handles
- Driver’s Night Sight Periscope

Source: http://www.aselsan.com.tr/urun.asp?urun_id=79&lang=en

As you can see, Volkan is a complete make-over specially designed for Leo 1s. It enables Chile to maintain its number of modern MBTs. These Leo 1s with Volkan will easily take on anything Chile's neighbors may throw at them.
 
LOL...Lunatik, looking at those images, i can only wonder...how do you upgrade a T-55 into a Leopard 1, short of melting it down and starting over?
 
by the way thats a remarkable T-55 image. note the 4 AT-3 Sagger(i think) launchers on the turret, very unusual...
 
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