RONCEVIC'S VISIT Defence Minister at the time, he visited Kuwait last year and hammered out a deal there with Emir al-Sabahom (right) to upgrade the tanks For several years now, Kuwait has been considering an offer to modernise its M-84 tanks, manufactured during the time of the former Yugoslavia at the Duro Dakovic factory in Slavonski Brod. It has not responded positively to any of the offers, including those made back in 2005 by Poland and Serbia. Last year Kuwait demonstrated great interest for Croatia's M-84 tank program. There was an exchange of visits of top military and government representatives, and the date has already been set for the arrival this year of a Kuwaiti delegation to Croatia. It was for Kuwait very important that the Duro Dakovic company had maintained continuity in the development of the M-84 tank over all of the past years, that the tanks manufactured at Duro Dakovic are used by the Croatian Army, that Croatia has continued to finance the tank program and that the Croatia Army would also use the modernised tank, designated the M-84D. There was, however, speculation recently that the deal with Kuwait would come to nothing as the Kuwaitis had, allegedly agreed to have their tank units equipped with US-made Abrams tanks. The Americans, like the Kuwaitis, made no announcements to this effect. Ivica Nekic, the head of the state-owned agency Alan, and Bartol Jerkovic, director of the Duro Dakovic Special Vehicles division, which manufactures the tanks, have also not received any information to that effect. We spoke with them concerning all of the latest developments related to the Croatian tank modernisation program, preparations for the manufacture of AMV armoured battle vehicles in Croatia, and the involvement of Croatian subcontractors in the project.

THE TESTING GROUNDS AT SLUNJ The M-84 tank flying the Croatian and Kuwaiti colours NACIONAL: Can you comment the speculation whereby the possible project of modernising the Kuwaiti M-84 tanks at Duro Dakovic could come to nothing, because the Kuwaitis have, allegedly, decided to outfit their tank units exclusively with the US-made Abrams tank?
- The Kuwaiti Army has both M-84 and US-manufactured Abrams tanks, and is therefore the discretionary right of the Kuwait defence ministry to decide in what direction they wish to take their armoured vehicle forces, whether that would include the modernisation of the existing M-84's, or in expanding the fleet with new M-84's or Abrams tanks. Besides, in respect of the strategic influence of the USA as a superpower in the region, I consider that kind of interpretation of the decision of a sovereign state both excessive and inappropriate, whatever these decisions be, an in particular if they are not officially confirmed. On the other hand, in the visits we have conducted over the past period, including official Croatian delegations, the representatives of the Kuwaiti defence ministry have emphasised that the decision would not be an exclusive one, that is to say that there would be no decision to eliminate either of the two types of tank from the armed forces, rather that there were plans to initiate the modernisation of the M-84 tanks.

We have received no official information that Kuwait has opted for a position contrary to the one it then expressed. Alan, the state agency for arms trade, is also on board the project on behalf of Croatia, and as far as I know, they do not have any such information. We expect the Kuwaiti delegation to come to Croatia again before the year is out, and since we have not received any information that they have backed out, I consider rumours that the deal has fallen through to be unfounded an the result only of speculation.

BARTOL JERKOVIC director of the Duro Dakovic Special Vehicles factory NACIONAL: What has been achieved concretely on the modernisation of the M-84 tank in recent years?
- The new tank has to have an open architecture, compatible with the M-84 tanks in Croatia and anywhere else, and with the Russian-made T-72, which were, in fact, the platform on which the M-84 was created. If the tank has an open architecture it allows us, without any spectacular operations, to adapt the final version to the concrete requirements of the end user. The tank radio stations in Kuwait and Croatia, for example, are different and it is our task to adapt the new tank to both requirements. The prototype has for some time now had a basic modernisation configuration. The first requirement was to work strongly on increasing firepower and the tank's protection, and our focus was on the firing control system, concretely on the use of thermal vision. Another significant requirement is a complete replacement of the tank cannon and cupola propulsion. Electric propulsion has been used on the modernised M-84D tank for the cannon and cupola, and has been tested for some time now, setting the groundwork for a "tank hunter" configuration. The cupola now turns twice the speed of the former M-84 model. And since this requires the turning of a 15-tonne cupola and its very precise control, this is evidently a very demanding and complex process. As far as increasing the fire power goes the second requirement was that the tank could independently attack two targets while in motion, which means that the tank commander station has to be adapted to the new requirements, but not by having him exit the tank and fire from an unstabilised anti-aircraft machine gun, but rather by having the tank integrate equipment that will allow the tank commander to carry out combat operations from inside the tank, in conditions safe for the crew. That configuration has passed the tests, equipment has been installed that allows for panoramic vision of the battleground with daytime and thermal vision devices and the stabilised control of a 12.7 mm machine gun. Air conditioning has been installed in the tank and several important logistical alterations have been made such as the replacement of the battery system and the protection of the automatic charging, which has been completely changed from the previous system when the crew needed a significant amount of time to change or charge the battery.

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A VIDEO DEVICE for daytime and thermal vision viewing and a new battery system are some of the improvements on the new version It should be pointed out that a digitalised battlefield command-communication system has been used in the M-84D, which allows for a complete overview of the situation on the battlefield, the position of enemy and friendly forces, the issue of commands based on on-screen data and the like.

NACIONAL: Is it true that the M-84D tank will have anti-mine protection, something unusual for tanks of the Russian T-72 type?
- The M-84 is a low silhouette tank, and any kind of alteration regarding anti-mine protection on the outside create problems with the tank's mobility, while alterations on the inside reduce the space available to the crew, making that unfeasible. What has been done on the inside is the installation of anti-mine seats, and as far as protection outside there is a certain configuration that will protect the area in which the crew is situated, and the area where ammunition, i.e. shells, are kept.

NACIONAL: Is the project of an armoured battle vehicle in collaboration with Finland's Patria going as planned, and what has been done so far on the preparation of the project?
- One group of activities is made up of what has been defined as technology transfer and the preparation of the manufacturer for such a transfer, while the second group of activities is related to the actual preparation of the facilities, tools and equipment. Everything is going as planned in the first part as was planned late last year. About 60 percent of the total transfer related to documentation, instructions and the like has been processed, prepared for use. Based on the fact that the first six vehicles are being manufactured in Finland, the traiing of our personnel is being carried out in real conditions during the process of manufacturing the vehicles for the Croatian Army. It covers all employee profiles, from construction and development to those in direct manufacturing. 43 employees have passed the training at Patria and work in Finland to date on the vehicles for the Croatian Army and 585 man-days of training have been carried out. For example, if 43 employees were in Finland 10 days each, that means that they have passed 430 man-days of training. The training of 53 employees is foreseen up to the end of September, covering a total of 965 man-days of training.

RONCEVIC'S VISIT to Kuwait included the mandatory protocol armed forces review NACIONAL: Considering the tank program, and the civilian railway wagon production program, how do you stand in this project as far as manufacturing capacities go?
- When it comes to the preparations for production I would underline that we will put aside two complete factory halls where the project will be carried out, because we made a decision right at the start that any kind of combination with another project, even the tank project, was not an option. The primary manufacture of the armoured vehicle body will be opened in one of the halls, and its assembly in the other hall, where we will also located activities regarding the outfitting of the base vehicle with weaponry and other equipment, which is covered by a separate contract between the Croatian Army and ourselves, so that the vehicle is ready for Croatian Army use upon leaving the manufacturing line. In September we are launching our manufacturing activities related to the armoured vehicle body, and based on our plan the completion of the six vehicles from Finland is scheduled for the end of the year, so the plan is that the first vehicle made by our company should be done by mid-2009. In the meantime we have to conclude a contract with the Croatian defence ministry that covers the integration of the weapons station and other components on the base vehicle, so shorten as much as possible the time from the completion of the base vehicle and the final delivery of a finalised battle vehicle. In that regard we expect the contract to be effected soon.

NACIONAL: What if the business grows beyond just the Croatian project, do you have enough space?
- It is not our goal to tie everything related to this project to Slavonski Brod. We need to look to cooperation with other companies in assembling the armoured vehicle. The space we have foreseen for assembly is sufficient for a much greater dynamics that this project requires, so that we are ready to take on larger projects. These dynamics, i.e. the number of vehicles, are not so spectacular to employ a large number of people. 126 vehicles is a respectable number, as is the price, but if you are going to look for subcontractors for an axle, it is not any kind of challenge to manufacture 126 such parts over a five year period. In our case most of the people who worked on the tank program will stay on there, assuming that the Croatian defence ministry continues the maintenance and modernisation of tanks as that is the decision that has been adopted. We are working in parallel on the civilian railway wagon program where we are approaching a figure of 40 wagons a month, 90 percent of which is made up of exports to the Western European market, which is a respectable figure. It is our goal to employ young people on the armoured vehicle project, because the will develop and learn best with the project.

NACIONAL: Will you limit yourself to only integrating the purchased equipment on the vehicle, or is there a chance for it to be manufactured at Duro Dakovic, at least in part?
- In any event when buying these kinds of systems one should apply offset directives, considering their value. On the other hand, one should bear in mind the fact that at issue are specific technologies and there are not many of them available in Croatia. And thirdly, for weapons systems to be manufactured in Croatia, to be economically justifiable, you need a larger quantity. It is my estimation that there will not be a localisation, for example, of sensors and missile systems. I feel that 12.7 mm station remote control systems should be of interest for localising production in Croatia, and maybe later on of 30 mm systems. The 12.7 mm weapons station because they are the most present on the 126 vehicles. The fact is that 12.7 mm stations are now in great demand globally. The manufacturers are evidently behind the curve and the market is in a phase that production is likely to see explosive growth soon. If someone in here can establish themselves as a company that can reliably localise production in Croatia, then it is quite realistic, as a result of the growing demand on the market, for a manufacturer of the stations to take on a Croatian firm in certain phases of production.

NACIONAL: How do you see collaboration with Croatian subcontractors?
- We have contacted over 130 companies, half of which have indicated they are ready to participate in concrete talks. Over the past three months we have detected relatively unknown companies that are well-equipped, and one of the initiatives was related to the automobile industry cluster in the Zagreb area, as the armoured battle vehicle project is in some aspects compatible with that industrial branch. We then looked for partners for the project, especially by way of the county chambers of commerce, in particular in Slavonia and Rijeka. Univerzal, Sormiko, Ventilator, Feroimpex, DIV, Hansaflex, INA, Moto mariner, Kompas, Tibo-3Maj, Gumimpex, Borovo – Technical Services and Borovo Gumitrade are only some of the partners that can be taken on as serious partners in the armoured battle vehicle project. In September of this year we will get to the phase in which we can come to our potential subcontractors with concrete requirements. We have initiated the acquisition of all raw materials and components needed for the launch of production of armoured battle vehicles in Croatia. Based on the contract with Patria we are included in the cooperation network they have across Europe. That means we have the opportunity to procure materials directly from Patria's suppliers, that we do not have to go through Patria, whether that be for a motor or reinforced steel. That significantly facilitates and speeds up our operations.

M-84D for the Croatian Army

Nacional: Is there a possibility that Kuwait might only give serious consideration to the tank modernisation program after the Croatian Army has placed orders for the M-84D?
- It is known that foreign buyers always seek references from domestic buyers. For us it is important that the job with the Croatian defence ministry runs its course and that a number of M-84D tanks are ordered for the Croatian Army as is set out in the armed forces long term development plan. The prototype is for the most part done and we plan to finalise the project in this year and in 2009. It can be assumed that the Kuwaitis will monitor the situation in that regard. Likewise it should be said that the Kuwaitis are very well informed of the fact that modernisation at Duro Dakovic is an ongoing operation, and the M-84A4 currently in use in the Croatian Army is also a more advanced version than the M-84 in use in Kuwait. As regards an estimate of the size of the project it is presumed that Kuwait will modernise all of its M-84's. They do not, however, have to do so, but rather go ahead with the modernisation of only 50 or 100 tanks. Our tank modernisation program was not initiated because of Kuwait but because of the needs of the Croatian armed forces.

Modernisation

Operations on the modernisation of the M-84D tank were both numerous and comprehensive, and include the installation of a new cannon propulsion system, remote control of the 12.7 mm firing station and air-conditioning.