Defense & Security Thailand 2019: Harimau Medium Tank with Cockerill Defense turret gets type certification.

On PT Pindad’s booth at Defense & Security Thailand 2019, Thierry Renaudin, CEO of John Cockerill Defense, told Army Recognition that a Letter of Intent for 18 turrets of the C3105 type armed with a Cockerill 105mm HP Gun has been signed on 18 November with PT Pindad in Indonesia to equip the Harimau (Tiger) MediumTank that has just gained its Indonesian combat type certification. The Harimau will be available for export from 2023.

Harimau Medium Tank during an impressive dynamic demonstration at IndoDefense 2018 (Picture source: Army Recognition)

The Harimau is jointly developed by PT Pindad and the Turkish company FNSS which names it Kaplan. It was unveiled in Jakarta at IndoDefense Expo 2018. It recently underwent firing tests, mine blast tests, various dynamic and static tests, and more tests aiming at granting its combat type certification. The Harimau is equipped with Aselsan’s Pulat Active Protection System for urban combat operations (initially developed with Tubitak Sage for the Turkish M60T MBTs), an upgrade that was displayed for the first type at IDEF 2019.

In 2014, FNSS of Turkey and PT Pindad of Indonesia developed the Modern Medium Weight Tank (MMWT) project called Kaplan MT (Medium Tank) to respond to a request from the Indonesian army for a new medium tank. In August 2018, PT Pindad announced the final firing tests with the Kaplan to control all the functions of the C3105 turret system, designed and developed by the Belgian company John Cockerill Defense (then CMI Defence). 

Abraham Mose, CEO of PT Pindad, and Thierry Renaudin, CEO of John Cockerill Defense, during the interview for Army Recognition's Defense web TV about John Cockerill Defense's C3105 turret to be fitted on the Harimau Medium Tank (Picture source: Army Recognition)