The rhk111 Military and Arms Page: The K21-105 or Harimau Light/Medium Tank for the Philippine Army?

A scale model of a K21-105 Medium Tank. Photo courtesy of rhk111 thru Wikimedia Commons

The Indonesian and South Korean Press recently reported that the Philippine Army’s (PA) selection for its Light /Medium Tank Acquisition Project has been narrowed down to just two candidates, the Harimau Medium Tank (MT) and the K21-105.¹ ²

The South Korean news article estimated that the final selection could be made within March 2020, but up to the publication of this blog no news yet has been public that a selection has indeed, been made. At any rate, it would be interesting to take a close look at both of these candidates.

’Terminology’
First though, just a note on the terminology, nowadays the terms “Light Tank” and “Medium Tank” tends to be interchangeable, in fact the PA uses the term Light Tank³ whereas the manufacturers of the Harimau and K21-105 prefers to use the term Medium Tank.⁴ ⁵

Just like Ship Classification, there is no international standard for Tank Classification, armed forces and manufacturers just seem to tend to use what other armed forces and manufacturers are using.

But generally a Light or Medium Tank now refers to a tracked vehicle armed with a powerful gun but weighs and has less armor than a Main Battle Tank (MBT).

’The Harimau’
The Harimau actually started out as the Modern Medium Weight Tank (MMWT) and is the result of a collaboration between the Indonesian company PT Pindad and the Turkish company FNSS Defence Systems.⁶

PT Pindad markets the MMWT as the Harimau (which is the Indonesian word for “Tiger”) while FNSS markets it as the Kaplan Medium Tank (MT) (with "Kaplan" being the Turkish word for Tiger). It is very new, with its prototype only been first presented to the public in 2017.

The Turkish Army reportedly just very recently received their first Production Batch of six Kaplan vehicles.⁷ The Indonesian Army has ordered 18 units of the Harimau, but will only be receiving them starting around the end of this year (2020).⁸

’The K21-105’
The K21-105 on the other hand was jointly developed by the Belgian company John Cockerill Defense (formerly known as CMI Defence) and the South Korean company Hanwha Defense System (formerly known as Doosan Defense Systems and Technology (DST).⁹

It is a little bit older than the Harimau in that it was first introduced to the public in 2014. It is based on the K21 Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) which entered service with the Republic of Korea (ROK) Army in 2009.¹⁰ So far only South Korea operates the K21 vehicle of which it has approximately 500 units.

’Similarities’
First let’s look at some similar characteristics between these two vehicles. Physically they have the same length at 7 m, with the K21-105 slightly wider by 0.4 m and taller by 0.3 m (around a foot).

They both have a maximum range of 450 km and a maximum speed of 70 kph. They also can navigate terrain with a maximum of 60% Gradient and 30% Side Slope. The Harimau can climb a higher Vertical Step, but by only a very slight difference of 0.1 m higher.

The K21-105 though can cross a wider Trench, but again only by a small difference of 0.5 m wider.

’Weight Difference’
One of the main differences though between the two is in terms of weight. As per their manufacturers, the K21-105 weighs around 25 tons while the Harimau weighs around 30-35 tons, depending on the armor configuration used. So this gives a weight difference between them of around 5-10 tons.

The reason why the K21-105 is much lighter is because its chassis is made out of Fiberglass while its armor is made out of a Glass Fiber, Ceramic and Aluminum Alloy Composite. The Harimau's chassis and armor on the other hand is mainly made out of Steel Armor and Steel Composites.

Now even if it is a synthetic material, the Fiberglass used on the K21-105 does not combust when exposed to flame, it just melts just like metal. Its Melting Point though is around 200 deg. C lower than that of Steel.¹¹ ¹² Both the Harimau and K21-105 vehicles do have Automatic Fire Suppression Systems and Self Sealing Fuel Tanks which minimizes the chances that a fire could start.

’STANAG 4569’
PT Pindad uses the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) Standardization Agreement (STANAG) 4569 standard for "Occupants of Logistic and Light Armored Vehicles"¹³ to describe the Harimau’s armor protection which I think is a very good thing because it provides better information of its armor’s true capability.

For example, STANAG 4569 describes at what range a specific ammunition the armor can withstand, and this is important for Projectiles that punch thru armor using Kinetic Energy (KE) since their penetration changes with range.

At closer ranges when the round has faster velocity and therefore more KE, it will penetrate deeper. And vice versa, at farther ranges as the round loses some of its velocity it will have a lower KE and thus have less penetration.

’Harimau Armor’
At its lowest level or when that tank is at its lightest weight, the Harimau has an all-around Armor Protection of STANAG 4569 Level 4, meaning it can withstand Russian 14.5 x 114 mm caliber Heavy Machine Gun (HMG) Armor Piercing (AP) rounds no closer than 200 m.

Note that the 14.5 mm caliber round is a very powerful round, it typically has a Muzzle Energy (ME) of 33 KJ which is almost twice that of the .50 caliber Browning Machine Gun (BMG) round which NATO and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) use since it “only” has a typical ME of 18 KJ.¹⁴

For more protection, the Harimau’s Armor can be upgraded one level higher to STANAG 4569 Level 5 which means it can withstand 25 mm Cannon AP rounds no closer than 500 m. But this also means increasing the vehicle’s weight to the maximum of 35 tons.

’K21-105 Armor’
The K21-105’s Armor Protection on the other hand doesn’t seem to be compliant to STANAG 4569 and in fact most sources I could find (all western sources) doesn’t use that standard to describe the K21’s armor, they only use the highest ammunition caliber the armor could withstand.

For example, the K21-105’s Side Armor could reportedly withstand 14.5 mm cal. AP rounds, and then cites that ammo’s penetration at 1,000 m. Assuming that this is the range that the armor can withstand, then it is less than the STANAG 4569 Level 4 (which is 14.5 mm cal. AP rounds at 200 m) armor of the Harimau.

Its Front Armor can reportedly withstand 30 mm cal. AP ammunition, but if only at 1,000 m then again this is less than STANAG Level 6 (which is 30 mm cal. AP ammo at 500 m). Now whether this is better than the STANAG Level 5 armor (meaning 25 mm AP rounds at 500 m) of the Harimau is hard to say, my guess is that at most it might be equal, at worst it is less.

’Mine Protection’
In terms of protection against Mines, the Harimau has STANAG 4569 Level 4A and 3B capability, meaning it can withstand a mine with 10 kg of explosives under its Tracks and a mine with 8 kg of explosives under its belly.

For the K21 on the other hand, I couldn’t find any reference on its Mine Level protection. I think it definitely has Mine Protection capability, but at what level I just couldn’t find.

’Overall Armor Protection’
At its lowest and lightest Armor Level, the Harimau seems to have better Side Armor but less Front Armor than the K21-105. At its highest and heaviest Armor Level, the Harimau definitely has better Side Armor and approximately equal or better Front Armor Protection than the K21-105.

The Harimau’s Mine Protection level is also clearly defined while on the K21-105 it is a question mark for now, although the PA should be able to get that information from its manufacturer.

Either of these vehicles if adopted will be among the best or if not the best protected vehicles of the AFP. Most of the AFP’s armored vehicles like the M113, Simba and LAV-300 are only protected against 7.62 mm cal. ammunition.

Some vehicles of the PA do have armor protection of up to 14.5 mm cal. ammunition like the ACV-15 (all around) and FV-101 Scorpion (front only).

’RPG Protection’
Notice that the armor on both vehicles are not capable of withstanding rounds from Anti-Armor Rocket weapons like the RPG-7. However, both as an option can be fitted with Active Protection Systems (APS) that can detect and then destroy incoming Anti-Armor Rockets and Missiles.

The Harimau can be fitted with the Pulat system¹⁵ made by the Turkish company Aselsan AS while the K21-105 can be fitted with the Abstands Wirksames Schutz System (AWiSS)¹⁶ made by the German company Diehl Defence.

One disadvantage with the APS though is that it is riskier to use with dismounted Infantry as they would be more exposed to shrapnel from the APS and/or incoming projectile. The APS also only has a limited number of rounds before they need to be reloaded.

’High Tech Turrets’
Both vehicles will be using Aluminum Turrets made by the Belgian company John Cockerill Defense (JCD), with the Harimau using the Cockerill 3105 model.

A Prototype Light Tank based on the K21 was initially seen with a Cockerill XC-8 in 2013, and when it was introduced in 2014 the K21-105 was fitted with a Cockerill CT-CV turret. But the CT-CV seems to have been discontinued as it is not found on the main JCD website anymore.

A scale model of the K21-105 was seen during the 2018 Asian Defense and Security (ADAS) event fitted with a 3105 turret also (see the above picture). At any rate, the 3105 and XC-8 turrets uses an Autoloading System which removes the need for an additional crew member (the Loader).

It also greatly reduces fatigue on the part of the Crew during sustained firing of the main gun as the 105 mm cal. round is a bit heavy, with each one weighing typically at least 18 kg.

Both the 3105 and XC-8 Turrets store some ammunition in a Bustle Compartment just behind the turret which allows the ammunition to explode outward and away from the Crew if it is hit.

The Harimau stores 12 rounds at its turret and another 26 rounds in the hull. I can’t find the number and location of the rounds on the K21-105, but it probably has a similar or the same setup as the Harimau.

’Main Gun’
The main gun of the Harimau and the K21-105 will be the Cockerill 105 mm High Pressure (HP) Gun which fires 105 mm ammunition conforming to the NATO STANAG 4458 standard for Rifled Tank Guns.¹⁷

In its Direct Fire mode (which means shooting directly at a target within its line of fire), it has a maximum range of 4 km. The gun has a maximum elevation of 42 degrees and minimum depression of 11 degrees.

When used in the Indirect Fire mode (which means aiming and firing the gun at a high angle without relying on a direct line of sight between the gun and its target), its range can be increased to 10 km. The gun’s high elevation also allows it to shoot at taller buildings when using the direct fire mode at closer ranges which is quite useful in Urban Warfare situations.

Both vehicles have Laser Rangefinders and Ballistic Computers which greatly enhance the Main Gun's accuracy, and the turrets are stabilized allowing the main gun to be fired accurately even if the vehicle is moving.

’Amphibious Capability’
Another main difference between the two vehicles is that the K21-105 is fully Amphibious while the Harimau is not. The K21-105 can travel in water at 6 kph while the Harimau can only cross a body of water no deeper than 1.2 m in depth.

This for me gives a big advantage to the K21-105 in terms of mobility since it won’t have to worry about crossing Rivers, Streams, etc. unlike with the Harimau where water depth will need to be considered first.

’Quantity, Service History and Delivery’
The Harimau/Kaplan family of vehicles is so new that as of this writing only half a dozen units are in military service for only a couple of weeks. Indonesia did do a lot of testing with the Prototypes over the last couple of years, but there is always the possibility that some unforeseen issue might come up once it goes into service in more numbers with the military.

And this is true for every new military product out there entering service, including the K21 when it first came out. Within a year after it first entered service, some K21 sank when their amphibious equipment failed,¹⁸ something which were not evident during the couple of years of testing of its prototypes before it entered service.

The problem was eventually solved, and the K21 has since provided good service with the ROK armed forces for over a decade now and with around hundreds of units produced and delivered.

In terms of delivery, a news article reported that the Harimau will only available for export in 2023.¹⁹ If so, then that could be a disadvantage as I expect the K21-105 to be available sooner than that.

’Parting Shot’
To recap, the Pros and Cons of the Harimau are:
- Better information on Armor capability as it uses the STANAG 4569 standard
- Clear Mine Level Protection
- Has the option of increasing its Armor Protection
- Military Service History currently only measured in Weeks
- Very Low Quantity in Military Service as of now
- Not amphibious
- Heavier by 5-10 tons than the K21-105

On the other hand, for the K21-105:
- Armor capability not as clear or specific
- Need to verify Mine Level Protection
- In Military Service for over a Decade now
- Hundreds of units in Military Service
- Fully Amphibious
- Lighter by 5-10 tons than the Harimau

Both vehicles are pretty good in their own right and have their own advantages and disadvantages, so the PA might have to make a hard choice on which vehicle to choose. The K21-105 is lighter, has better mobility, more proven in service record (at least the Chassis) and may be available sooner, but the Harimau has the better armor.

At any rate, either of these are generally better than any of the vehicles the AFP has right now and will improve greatly the PA’s capability. So good luck to the vehicle that will ultimately be chosen.

A Harimau Medium Tank. Photo courtesy of PT Pindad

SOURCES:

The rhk111 Military and Arms Page

The K21-105 or Harimau Light/Medium Tank for the Philippine Army?

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