Harimau / Kaplan MT | The new face of the medium tank
An almost forgotten classification since the Second World War, the medium tank has re-entered the weapons system literature with the joint venture of FNSS and PT-Pindad. The new vehicle is named the Kaplan MT in Turkey and the Harimau in Indonesia, which means tiger in both languages. This medium tank, designed for the special needs of Indonesia, has already attracted great attention from other countries, which has similar geographical conditions.
The Kaplan MT/Harimau is a tracked combat vehicle with relatively light armour but good firepower. This design is highly suitable for countries with soft ground and dealing with asymmetric threats. Examining it would give us some important clues about the threat perception of the Asia-Pacific region.
In the early 2010s, Indonesia decided to replace its old AMX-13 fleet. For this requirement, Jakarta did not want direct procurement. It preferred a joint development model with an overseas partner, which would provide technology transfer. Thus, it would have been entirely possible to answer the country’s special geographical conditions and to improve the national defence industry’s capabilities. The critical factor of this plan was to find the correct partner.
After careful consideration, Indonesia decided to work with the Turkish company FNSS. There were some solid reasons for this decision.
First of all, Turkey and Indonesia had good relations and cultural ties. It was an essential factor for Jakarta, which experienced problems with military system acquisition with the Western countries from time to time.
Besides, the big US and European defence companies had not been interested in regional projects with low profit for a long time.
In Malaysia, FNSS had offered both a successful product and a fair budget for the AV8 Armoured Vehicle Joint Development Programme. Besides, unlike its western competitors, the company had not implemented any restrictions on technology transfer. It was a significant reference.
So, Indonesia chose FNSS, and it tasked PT-Pindad as a local partner for the programme.
In 2014, these two companies signed an agreement for the joint development programme. One year later, the agreement between the governments of Indonesia and Turkey was signed.
FNSS and PT-Pindad produced two prototype vehicles in Turkey and Indonesia. Following the extensive trials, Indonesia took delivery of the hull to integrate the Belgian CMI’s Cockerill 3105 turret.
FNSS exhibited the Harimau for the first time at the IDEF 2017 defence exhibition in Turkey.
Initially, Indonesia named the vehicle Harimau Hitam. Later, it was renamed Harimau. Indonesia approved the serial production of the vehicle in 2020.
In 2021, FNSS unveiled the production model of the vehicle. It has many improvements.
For example, the Harimau now has a similar driver periscope with wide-angle visibility similar to the Pars wheeled armoured vehicle family of FNSS.
Also, having a new frontal exterior design and interior dashboard of the driver are rearranged more efficiently, which increase the user ergonomy.
Based on the experience gained from the trials, the turret system, power transmission group, and suspension are improved. The medium tank now has a cooling unit with intelligent software, which provides optimum torque efficiency and fuel savings. The life cycles of many components are increased. The overall silhouette of the Harimau is reduced.
Also, five baskets for provisions are added to the hull.
The first delivery ceremony of Harimau to the Indonesian Army was held on March 15, 2022.
The three-person crew of the Harimau consist of a commander, gunner, and driver. The tank has a 7 metres hull length, 3.2 metres width, and 2.4 metres height. 30 tons weight classifies the Harimau in a medium weight class. The 711 horsepower Caterpillar C13 diesel engine provides a maximum road speed of 70 kilometres per hour. Its road range is 450 kilometres. The vehicle can negotiate 0.9-metre vertical steps, 2.2-metre trenches and ford to a depth of 1.2 metres. The Harimau has a 105mm rifled main gun and a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun.
To better understand the Harimau, we should look at the special conditions of Indonesia.
Indonesia is a tropical country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It was founded in 1949 on more than seventeen thousand islands.
As a developing country, Indonesia has relatively poor infrastructure.
The islands of Indonesia in the tropical zone mostly have challenging environments, like jungles, wet-soft soil, and high volcanic hills. The geographical challenges are not the only issue for Jakarta.
There are 633 recognised ethnic groups in the country.
Indonesia has to deal with some separatist groups.
Of course, the Indonesian Armed Forces cannot have a large garrison on each one of its about 6,000 islands habited.
So, tactical mobility and quick response capability for the army are essential.
Indonesia needs land vehicles, which can be easily transported from the air and the sea.
Also, they must have high mobility on the soft ground, in mountainous areas, and in the jungle. These vehicles must be easy and inexpensive to maintain and effective against asymmetric threats. Another requirement is that they should be able to perform operations independently far from the bases for a long time.
These criteria shaped the Harimau. This medium tank is lighter than main battle tanks, and its low ground pressure provides higher mobility on muddy terrains and poor roads.
The Leopard 2s of Indonesia could be bogged down in most parts of the country because of their high weight.
According to Newton’s physic, we know that force equals mass times acceleration. So, a heavier vehicle produces more force. There are lots of mountainous areas in Indonesia. When a vehicle travels down from a hill, it is subject to gravitational acceleration. With this acceleration, the heavier the tank is pulled down under the influence of the greater force.
In this case, the engine has to produce more power to prevent the drag down of the tank.
This situation also increases the depreciation rate of the mechanical parts and causes an extra workload for the driver, who constantly has to control the engine output.
A lighter vehicle, which has also higher power to weight ratio, is easier to control as it is subjected to less force when going downhill. Besides, the latest technology power pack of the Harimau with advanced electronic controlled systems eases the driver’s job. A lower force load has a lower effect on the mechanical part wearing up.
Thanks to its low weight, a medium tank can be transported by a tactical cargo aircraft, which is not possible for main battle tanks.
In 2021, Indonesia ordered two A400Ms. The aircraft has 35 tons carrying capacity. The agreement is also including an option for four additional A400Ms.
Currently, Indonesia does not expect any invasion.
The main security problem for Jakarta is separatist movements. The separatist groups in the country have no heavy armoured vehicles and large calibre guns. They generally use RPGs, anti-tank guided missiles, landmines, and machine guns with the heaviest being 14.5mm.
To deal with these types of threats do not require big guns or heavy armour. The armour protection of the Harimau is sufficient against 14.5mm armour-piercing munitions.
At this point, some of our audience may ask why Indonesia does not prefer procuring new light tanks instead of medium tanks.
The answer is simple, landmines and improvised explosive devices can be easily hidden in jungles.
The light tanks do not have enough ballistic protection against them.
The Harimau medium tank can stand explosives equivalent to 10 kilograms of TNT.
Also, its ballistic protection can be increased against 30mm munition with add-on armour packages, thanks to the modular structure.
The Harimau is equipped with day and thermal cameras for the driver, a multi-functional digital driver dashboard, the 3rd generation high-performance sight system for gunner and commander. Besides, it has a battlefield management system and laser warning receivers. These systems, which increase tactical and situational awareness, are essential for the asymmetric warfare environment.
Also, if the laser warning system detects a threat, smoke grenades on the turret are launched to create a smokescreen. This increase survivability.
The Harimau can also be equipped with hard-kill active protection systems if demanded.
The hull and turret of the vehicle have low radar and infrared signatures.
The Harimau has an auxiliary power unit, which recharges the battery system. Thus, the turret can be used when the vehicle’s engine is not running. Its advanced battery monitoring system offers optimum power management and silent surveillance capabilities.
The 105mm main gun of the Harimau has a 42-degree elevation angle, which gives the medium tank has indirect fire capability in a range of 18 kilometres. The high elevation angle of the gun is also good to deal with targets in urban and multi-complex terrains.
The main gun coupled with a state of art fire control system provides a high first shot to kill ratio. Thanks to the independent commander periscope, the Harimau has the hunter-killer feature. There is an auto-loader to feed the main gun.
The 105mm gun can fire the Falarick 105 laser-guided anti-tank munitions that can penetrate 550 millimetres thick armour at 5,000 meters.
In a counter-insurgency operation, the military units generally operate far from their main base.
So, the interior of the Harimau is engineered carefully considering the ergonomics of the crew. Also, the medium tank has a powerful air condition system.
Although Indonesia does not expect any danger of invasion today, it may happen in the future.
In a possible war, Indonesia, an island state, can be invaded by only amphibious and airborne assault. These types of assault forces have lightweight vehicles with relatively small calibre guns.
So, the Harimau would also be very effective in such a scenario.
The Harimau is designed to answer to the special requirements of Indonesia. But, other South East Asia countries, which have the same geographic conditions, have already expressed their interest in this medium tank.
The Phillippines chose the Sabrah, but Bangladesh and Brunei are still on the potential customers’ list.
Also, there are several other candidates from Africa and even South America. Many countries are looking for a new tanks to replace their current obsolete ones.
And the western world can offer only over-priced, over gunned, and heavy vehicles, which are not suitable for them.
A modern medium tank is a real option for these countries to modernize their inventories. Considering current military needs, a medium tank like the Harimau has a big chance to reach a larger international market. But don’t be mistaken, at the dawn of the Second Cold War, these two types of tanks are not rivals on the battlefield. If we mention a modern army, the medium tank exists to supplement the main battle tank, not to replace it. The Kaplan MT/Harumau is one of the best answers to this requirement.
You can watch this article with rich image support from our video, the link of which is given below.