05-11-2015, 02:58
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חבר מתאריך: 07.04.08
הודעות: 6,949
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הנגמ"ש האופני שנקרא Black Widow Spider
D&S 2015: Black Widow Spider grows up
04th November 2015 - 1:29 by Gordon Arthur in Bangkok
The Black Widow Spider, an effort by Thailand’s Defence Technology Institute (DTI) to create an 8x8 armoured vehicle, has grown from a mock-up two years ago at Defence & Security 2013 into a full prototype.
The first vehicle with a 24t combat weight was shown with an unmanned turret produced by ST Kinetics of Singapore, this armed with an ATK 30mm Mk44 Bushmaster II cannon and a coaxial 7.62mm machine gun. This remote-controlled weapon station (RWS) is an existing design from the ST Kinetics stable.
A DTI spokesman said his organisation, a division of the Thai Ministry of Defence, had been cooperating with ST Kinetics for approximately one year, and that the prototype had been completed earlier in 2015, although modifications still continue.
DTI performed its first field test of the Black Widow Spider in June, while the Royal Thai Army (RTA) will test it sometime next year after an appropriate MoU has been signed.
The vehicle, when fitted with an RWS, can accommodate nine soldiers, a gunner, commander and driver. A second proposed variant without a turret will also accommodate a total of 12 soldiers. Propellers at the rear provide a top speed of 8km/h in water, while a Caterpillar C9 diesel engine offers a top road speed of 100+km/h. The Black Widow Spider’s road range is listed as more than 600km.
Ricardo has been enlisted by DTI as a partner for the vehicle design, while Ng Joeh Peng, vice president of Kinetics marketing group, confirmed his company was acting as a technical consultant and would supply components if requested by DTI. Despite artwork depiction in DTI literature making it look similar to a Singaporean Terrex vehicle, Ng insisted the overall design was done independently by DTI.
The DTI spokesman said more than 60% of components on the Black Widow Spider would be Thai made. It will also be ready for network-centric equipment to be fitted.
The Black Widow Spider was conceived as a domestic solution for an RTA requirement for a wheeled armoured vehicle, and the concept reinforces Thailand’s goal of becoming more self-sufficient in defence production. However, there is no guarantee that the project will proceed to full production.
Clearly, if eventual procurement of the indigenous Black Widow Spider occurred, this would impinge upon further purchases of the Ukrainian BTR-3E1 8x8 armoured vehicle, which fulfils a similar role in the RTA as that envisioned for DTI’s design.
http://www.shephardmedia.com/news/l...w-spider-grows/
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