Tuesday 7 November 2017

D&S 2017: Black Widow gives birth to water baby


7th November 2017 - 12:11 GMT | by Gordon Arthur in Bangkok

Two years ago the Defence Technology Institute (DTI), a division of the Thai Ministry of Defence, displayed a prototype of its Black Widow Spider 8x8 APC. In the intervening space of time, it has spawned a child known as the Amphibious Armoured Personnel Carrier (AAPC).

With the solitary prototype displayed at Defense & Security 2017 in Bangkok, it has significant modifications compared to the Black Widow Spider being developed for the Royal Thai Army (RTA).

It will have a flotation kit installed on the hull flanks to allow it to swim from ship to shore under Sea State 2 conditions at speeds of 10-15km/h. A trim vane is fitted on the bow.

Another difference is a lengthened hull between the second and third wheels. The hull roof is also strengthened to support the turret’s weight and recoil forces. The vehicle will later feature add-on armour.

The 24t AAPC was seen fitted with an unmanned turret fitted with a 30mm cannon and coaxial 7.62mm machine gun, something required by the Royal Thai Marine Corps (RTMC). ST Kinetics is acting as a technical partner for this project and has supplied this turret for the prototype.

It can carry 11 marines in addition to its crew of three (driver, gunner and commander). It is powered by a Caterpillar C9 400hp engine coupled to an Allison automatic transmission.

Col Chatchapong Punpayak, director of DTI’s business development department, said the AAPC shares 90% commonality with the Black Widow Spider. Its development should be completed by next September.

In contrast, the army’s 8x8 vehicle is fitted with a remote-controlled weapon station (RWS) with 12.7mm machine gun and coaxial 40mm automatic grenade launcher. A prototype of such an RWS was displayed, this having been developed by DTI as an alternative to a more expensive imported solution.

The Black Widow Spider, which has a more limited swimming capability, is undergoing improvements based on feedback from the RTA after trials in July 2016. Modifications include a thermal camera for the driver, rearranged exhaust system and changed roof hatches so that soldiers can mount machine guns. Punpayak said it should be ready for a further evaluation in April.

The Thai military has significant numbers of M113 APCs that need to be replaced in due course. The army is thus looking for an economical APC that could fit this bill.

Although the army is fielding BTR-3E1 and VN1 APCs from Ukraine and China respectively, it needs a yet-cheaper vehicle valued at no more than THB120 million ($3.6 million), a gap that DTI hopes its platform can fill. Similarly, the RTMC needs an amphibious vehicle with a unit price no greater than THB150 million ($4.5 million).

However, developing an 8x8 armoured vehicle to series production level is a technically challenging task, and it remains to be seen whether the Thai military will invest faith in this domestic solution. Indeed, Punpayak said the first step was to build trust from the armed forces.

Original post: shephardmedia.com

shephardmedia.com

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