2022

As Saudi Arabia continues its efforts to build up its military industrial complex as part of Saudi Vision 2030, the newly-created defense giant, Saudi Arabian Military Industries, is eager for some project to cut its teeth on. While the firm has signed over 30 MoUs and joint venture agreements in its first five years of existence, it has yet to really design anything of its own, and has instead been relegated to simply producing foreign systems under license. SAMI hopes to change that with the Hamza.

The M60 "Hamza" Upgrade Package (which will be inducted into Saudi service as the M60H) is a Saudi-designed modernization package, intended to be deployed on the over 300 M60A3 tanks still in service in the Royal Saudi Land Forces. The Hamza will bring the RLSF's aging M60A3 tanks up to a more acceptable standard for the modern era, providing considerable improvements to their mobility, firepower, and survivability, and will supplement the more numerous and more advanced M1A2S Abrams in Saudi service.

The Hamza is unique in that most of its components are either designed and produced by Saudi-owned companies (in the case of ERAF), produced by Saudi-owned companies under license, or produced by a joint venture between SAMI and some foreign firm (with a significant portion of the supply chain for said product located in Saudi Arabia). While this isn't particularly impressive in the global context, it is impressive for Saudi Arabia, and is a great step forward in the country's program to indigenize its defense industry. The lessons learned through the design of the Hamza are expected to serve as an important stepping stone in SAMI's future armored fighting vehicle products, which are rumored to include a modernized version of the Al-Fahd APC and accompanying derivatives.

Fortunately, since this project isn't designing anything new (it's just integrating existing systems in a single vehicle), the design time is expected to be relatively short. The Hamza will be available for purchase starting in 2024.

Armaments

While SAMI first hoped to strike a deal with Swiss-owned defense firm Ruag (whose compact tank gun was used in the Jordanian M60 upgrade program), this deal was made impossible by the Swiss government's standing arms embargo against "states violating human rights," which unfortunately includes Saudi Arabia. SAMI then decided to go for the next-best alternative, a similar low-weight, low-recoil 120mm gun designed by John Cockerill--with whom SAMI formed a joint venture in 2019 to manufacture turrets and vehicles in Saudi Arabia to avoid Belgium's strict export license controls. This gun, which will be up-armored from the proposed XC-8 concept (to ensure that the turret is more survivable), includes a bustle-mounted autoloader, which reduced the tank's crew requirements from 4 to 3 (eliminating the loader) and dramatically improves the survivability of the tank (since the M60 was very vulnerable to ammo cookoff when hit). Ammo not in the autoloader will be kept in separated wet storage at the bottom and rear of the fighting compartment. The turret also includes a high performance, digital, fully-stabilized, day/night fire control system, allowing the tank to fire at any time, in any weather, and while on the move--a dramatic improvement over the base M60A3.

The turret will be produced in Saudi Arabia by the joint venture firm SAMICMI, which is 51% owned by SAMI and 49% owned by CMI.

Engine

Pressed for space inside of the existing chassis, SAMI decided not to mess with what previous M60 upgrade packages had already done. While the engine will be upgraded from the M60A3's 750 horsepower engine, the upgrade will not be too big of a jump--SAMI is looking at a 900-1000 horsepower engine (similar to the 950hp engine in the Phoenix or the 1000hp engine in the Sabra Mk II and III). Ideally, SAMI would like to expand their existing joint venture with L3Harris to include engines, as SAMI is eyeing the L3Harris AVDS-1790-7A as its engine of choice. The transmission will also be upgraded to the CD-850-B1 (the same used in the Phoenix) to improve the M60's abysmal cross-country handling.

Protection

To bring the Hamza's protection into the modern era, SAMI has equipped both the hull and turret with new applique armor, increasing the frontal arc and side skirt's protection to STANAG 4569 Level 6. The turret bustle has also been equipped with slat armor to help protect the rear of the turret from RPG attack. Like the Phoenix, the hull and turret are both covered in American-made explosive reactive armor to help protect the vehicle. The tank has also been equipped with laser warning systems and IR jammers to work as a soft-kill protection system.

Outside of improved armor, several design changes have been made to help increased the survivability of the tank and its crew. The fire suppression systems have been modernized and automated. Ammo storage has also been made safer by the elimination of the loader as a crew member, meaning more cabin space could be dedicated to securing the ammunition stored in the fighting compartment. Finally, the tank has been equipped with NBC protection systems.

To finalize the protection of the tank, SAMI is looking to add a hard-kill active protection system. This search has been somewhat complicated: most of the hard-kill APS systems on the market cannot be purchased due to geopolitical constraints (the Chinese and Russian systems), export limitations due to Saudi Arabia's "human rights abuses" (the German AMAP-ADS), or just the plain old fact that Saudi Arabia does not recognize the country that makes them (the Israeli Trophy system). This has left us with limited options--namely, Ukraine's Zaslon system and Sweden/South Africa's LEDS-150. Between these two, SAMI prefers the LEDS-150, since it also includes its own laser and infrared detection systems. SAMI will reach out to Saab Avitronics, the South African subsidiary of Saab that makes the LEDS-150, in hopes of reaching an agreement for Saab Saudi Arabia to produce the system.