Duro Dakovic M-95 Degman

History

In 1985, the Yugoslav nation introduced a homegrown evolution of the famous Soviet-era T-72 main battle tank, the "M-84". Production totaled 652, but it was reduced by the Yugoslav war in the 1990s.

However, this effort provides local heavy industry and related component companies with experience in the design, development and modification of complete main battle tank systems. After the bloody disintegration of Yugoslavia gave rise to the modern state of Croatia, Duro Dakovic's manufacturing plant - linked to the manufacture of the original M-84 - began work on a new, modernized version of the M-84, known as the as "M-95 Degman". .

Compared to the M-84, the newer M-95 received improved armor protection through a composite/laminated hull armor combination with fairings on all critical hulls and turrets. The ammunition depot inside the turret is now more separated from the crew, improving survivability. A new thermal imaging system promises to improve nighttime combat, while the communications suite, fire control system (FCS) and rail link components get the attention they deserve.

For a better presence on the battlefield, a Remote Weapon Station (RWS) was mounted on top of the turret, and engineers opted for a more powerful 12-cylinder diesel engine with 1,200 hp. Like the Soviet T-72 and subsequent Soviet tanks, the M-95 was equipped with an autoloader that reduced the crew to three.

After making the change, pilot vehicles were ordered - one representing the operational quality of the Croatian Army M-95 and another representing a possible export brand (eg "M-84D"). Kuwait was the first foreign country to be interested in the Model D as they already had a large fleet of Yugoslav M-84 tanks in their inventory. The two prototypes eventually came to fruition, but the result of civil war and funding problems stalled the M-95 program - only four were said to be in the hands of the Croatian army as of June 2014.

As such, the M-95 is not officially in service with any military today (2014) because its long-term prospects are rather bleak given the shrinking global defense budget.

The Croatian Army continues to plan to upgrade its existing fleet of M-84A4 tanks to the M-84D Degman standard - which should be completed in 2015. The M-84D is closely related to the previous M-84A4 production model, which was further developed through the M-90 "Vihor" project in Yugoslavia, resulting in two pilot vehicles for evaluation.

The disintegration of the country brought the pilot vehicle under the control of Croatia and has since affected the tank development of the new country.

Croatia currently has around 78 M-84A4 tanks, while Kuwait has 149 M-84AB tanks. Both companies plan to upgrade their inventory to the M-84D standard.

When complete, the M-95 will be armed with the 125mm 2A46M5 smoothbore main gun common to Soviet/Russian tanks. Its diesel engine is paired with a dual drivetrain. The chassis adopts an independent torsion bar system, with six road wheels and three track return rollers on one side of the body.

The range is listed as 430 miles, with a maximum road speed of 45 mph.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

42 x 125mm projectile.

2,000 x 7.62mm ammo.

360x12.7mm ammo.

12 x Smoke Grenade.

Changes