Does the tank have a future?

[Peter1469]

Don't judge the future of the tank on the Russo-Ukraine war. The Russians totally goofed with tank tactics, and the T-72 has fundamental design flaws that don't apply to modern tanks.

Clink the link if only for the cool graphics up top.


Does the tank have a future?

[COLOR=var(--ds-color-london-5)]Armies on the attack need ways to move their troops forward. They also need to shield those soldiers as they advance. Most importantly, they need firepower to punch through defences that stand in their way, ideally causing havoc in the enemy’s rear. The tank combines these three capabilities in a single device. For that reason, every significant army makes use of them. There are 60,000 or so around the world.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=var(--ds-color-london-5)]
Yet since the tank first rolled onto the battlefield, at the Somme in 1916, the vehicle’s future has been in question. At the Battle of Cambrai a year later, some 400 British tanks broke through German defences and penetrated five miles so quickly that the astonished attackers were not prepared to exploit their success. Gradually, armies learnt how to do so. In May 1940 the Wehrmacht’s massed tanks sliced through the Ardennes on their way to France, in synchrony with infantry and air power, in what would become known as blitzkrieg.

[COLOR=var(--ds-color-london-5)]Numbers have declined sharply since the end of the cold war, however, and current scepticism about the tank’s future is particularly vehement. Critics argue that the vehicle is ponderous, expensive and fundamentally ill-suited to modern combat. America’s Marine Corps has said it will scrap all of its tanks to focus on preparing to fight China in the Pacific. Many European armies have cut their fleets to the bone since the cold war. Boris Johnson, Britain’s prime minister, declared that the old concept of fighting big tank battles on the European landmass was “over”, even as Russian forces were gathering on the Ukrainian border.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=var(--ds-color-london-5)]The war has turbocharged this criticism. Russia has lost at least 774 tanks since invading Ukraine, according to a count by Oryx, a blog which tracks the war. Around half of those were destroyed, a third were captured by Ukraine and most of the rest were abandoned. This implies that Russia has lost around a quarter of its estimated pre-war inventory of almost 3,000 tanks. Some elite units, such as the 4th Guards Tank Division, appear to have lost an even higher proportion. Vladimir Putin envisaged his tanks rolling into Kyiv; instead they ended up bogged down on the city’s outskirts, before being forced to retreat.

[/COLOR]
[COLOR=var(--ds-color-london-5)]The battles of the last three months have underlined two potent threats to armoured vehicles. One is the anti-tank guided missile (atgm). Its destructive potential has been clear since the Yom Kippur war of 1973, when Egypt’s Soviet-made Sagger atgms smashed Israeli tanks. A memo written by the American army after the war assessed that the Sagger, if not disrupted, had a 60% chance of achieving a “kill” against an m60 tank from as far as two miles out.

****[/COLOR]
[/COLOR]

[COLOR=var(--ds-color-london-5)]Numbers have declined sharply since the end of the cold war, however, and current scepticism about the tank’s future is particularly vehement. Critics argue that the vehicle is ponderous, expensive and fundamentally ill-suited to modern combat. America’s Marine Corps has said it will scrap all of its tanks to focus on preparing to fight China in the Pacific. Many European armies have cut their fleets to the bone since the cold war. Boris Johnson, Britain’s prime minister, declared that the old concept of fighting big tank battles on the European landmass was “over”, even as Russian forces were gathering on the Ukrainian border.

[/COLOR]
[COLOR=var(--ds-color-london-5)]The war has turbocharged this criticism. Russia has lost at least 774 tanks since invading Ukraine, according to a count by Oryx, a blog which tracks the war. Around half of those were destroyed, a third were captured by Ukraine and most of the rest were abandoned. This implies that Russia has lost around a quarter of its estimated pre-war inventory of almost 3,000 tanks. Some elite units, such as the 4th Guards Tank Division, appear to have lost an even higher proportion. Vladimir Putin envisaged his tanks rolling into Kyiv; instead they ended up bogged down on the city’s outskirts, before being forced to retreat.


[/COLOR]
[COLOR=var(--ds-color-london-5)]The battles of the last three months have underlined two potent threats to armoured vehicles. One is the anti-tank guided missile (atgm). Its destructive potential has been clear since the Yom Kippur war of 1973, when Egypt’s Soviet-made Sagger atgms smashed Israeli tanks. A memo written by the American army after the war assessed that the Sagger, if not disrupted, had a 60% chance of achieving a “kill” against an m60 tank from as far as two miles out.[/COLOR]

[stjames1_53]

Tanks, like battleships. are almost a thing of the past. Air power has taken the lead in combat situations and the tank is very susceptible to air attacks. Creative thinking like using drones as suicide attacks or "spotting" your enemy has taken tech to a different level.
WWII we used planes to find the enemy at sea. Today, they are used in much the same manner against armored columns on land.
In the end, it will fall to the ground pounder to maintain control.

[Peter1469]

Tanks, like battleships. are almost a thing of the past. Air power has taken the lead in combat situations and the tank is very susceptible to air attacks. Creative thinking like using drones as suicide attacks or "spotting" your enemy has taken tech to a different level.
WWII we used planes to find the enemy at sea. Today, they are used in much the same manner against armored columns on land.
In the end, it will fall to the ground pounder to maintain control.

And a proper modern tank used properly offers excellent support to the ground pounder.

[stjames1_53]

And a proper modern tank used properly offers excellent support to the ground pounder.

I'm not saying the tank thing is dead. They are becoming a relic because of better air tech. Those poor goons on the ground have pretty much the same issues as their tanks. They are weak to drone attacks.
Either way, it'll be an interesting historical warfare study.

[carolina73]

If you were to eliminate the tank then I am sure a year later someone would come up with the idea of putting a howitzer on a mobile track base, so it can take itself to the battle field.
Wait. Let's put armor around the driver and the gunner to protect them.

We can call it a tank.

[DGUtley]

I've always wanted to own a tank. There's a guy not too far from me that has two. They do those re-enactment things.

[Peter1469]

I've always wanted to own a tank. There's a guy not too far from me that has two. They do those re-enactment things.

Do you know what type?

[DGUtley]

Do you know what type?

Shermans.

[carolina73]

Careful. It is not always a good look.

Michael+Stanley+Dukakis+-+1988+election.jpg+ii.jpg

[MisterVeritis]

Don't judge the future of the tank on the Russo-Ukraine war. The Russians totally goofed with tank tactics, and the T-72 has fundamental design flaws that don't apply to modern tanks.

Clink the link if only for the cool graphics up top.


Does the tank have a future?

[COLOR=var(--ds-color-london-5)]Armies on the attack need ways to move their troops forward. They also need to shield those soldiers as they advance. Most importantly, they need firepower to punch through defences that stand in their way, ideally causing havoc in the enemy’s rear. The tank combines these three capabilities in a single device. For that reason, every significant army makes use of them. There are 60,000 or so around the world.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=var(--ds-color-london-5)]
Yet since the tank first rolled onto the battlefield, at the Somme in 1916, the vehicle’s future has been in question. At the Battle of Cambrai a year later, some 400 British tanks broke through German defences and penetrated five miles so quickly that the astonished attackers were not prepared to exploit their success. Gradually, armies learnt how to do so. In May 1940 the Wehrmacht’s massed tanks sliced through the Ardennes on their way to France, in synchrony with infantry and air power, in what would become known as blitzkrieg.

[COLOR=var(--ds-color-london-5)]Numbers have declined sharply since the end of the cold war, however, and current scepticism about the tank’s future is particularly vehement. Critics argue that the vehicle is ponderous, expensive and fundamentally ill-suited to modern combat. America’s Marine Corps has said it will scrap all of its tanks to focus on preparing to fight China in the Pacific. Many European armies have cut their fleets to the bone since the cold war. Boris Johnson, Britain’s prime minister, declared that the old concept of fighting big tank battles on the European landmass was “over”, even as Russian forces were gathering on the Ukrainian border.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=var(--ds-color-london-5)]The war has turbocharged this criticism. Russia has lost at least 774 tanks since invading Ukraine, according to a count by Oryx, a blog which tracks the war. Around half of those were destroyed, a third were captured by Ukraine and most of the rest were abandoned. This implies that Russia has lost around a quarter of its estimated pre-war inventory of almost 3,000 tanks. Some elite units, such as the 4th Guards Tank Division, appear to have lost an even higher proportion. Vladimir Putin envisaged his tanks rolling into Kyiv; instead they ended up bogged down on the city’s outskirts, before being forced to retreat.

[/COLOR]
[COLOR=var(--ds-color-london-5)]The battles of the last three months have underlined two potent threats to armoured vehicles. One is the anti-tank guided missile (atgm). Its destructive potential has been clear since the Yom Kippur war of 1973, when Egypt’s Soviet-made Sagger atgms smashed Israeli tanks. A memo written by the American army after the war assessed that the Sagger, if not disrupted, had a 60% chance of achieving a “kill” against an m60 tank from as far as two miles out.

****[/COLOR]
[/COLOR]

[COLOR=var(--ds-color-london-5)]Numbers have declined sharply since the end of the cold war, however, and current scepticism about the tank’s future is particularly vehement. Critics argue that the vehicle is ponderous, expensive and fundamentally ill-suited to modern combat. America’s Marine Corps has said it will scrap all of its tanks to focus on preparing to fight China in the Pacific. Many European armies have cut their fleets to the bone since the cold war. Boris Johnson, Britain’s prime minister, declared that the old concept of fighting big tank battles on the European landmass was “over”, even as Russian forces were gathering on the Ukrainian border.

[/COLOR]
[COLOR=var(--ds-color-london-5)]The war has turbocharged this criticism. Russia has lost at least 774 tanks since invading Ukraine, according to a count by Oryx, a blog which tracks the war. Around half of those were destroyed, a third were captured by Ukraine and most of the rest were abandoned. This implies that Russia has lost around a quarter of its estimated pre-war inventory of almost 3,000 tanks. Some elite units, such as the 4th Guards Tank Division, appear to have lost an even higher proportion. Vladimir Putin envisaged his tanks rolling into Kyiv; instead they ended up bogged down on the city’s outskirts, before being forced to retreat.


[/COLOR]
[COLOR=var(--ds-color-london-5)]The battles of the last three months have underlined two potent threats to armoured vehicles. One is the anti-tank guided missile (atgm). Its destructive potential has been clear since the Yom Kippur war of 1973, when Egypt’s Soviet-made Sagger atgms smashed Israeli tanks. A memo written by the American army after the war assessed that the Sagger, if not disrupted, had a 60% chance of achieving a “kill” against an m60 tank from as far as two miles out.[/COLOR]

paste as plain text please.