Tanks are generally disposable items in high intensity combat and need to be simple, reliable, interchangeable (parts and mission) and FIT FOR PURPOSE. They also have to fit the operational doctrine and tactics -- not sure Ukraine has any of it anymore with all the advice, pressure and "training" they are getting from NATO. I think they are desperately plugging holes, which really shows now.
The idea that Western tanks will do well in Ukraine was spun by idiots in Kiev, who quickly ran out of 2000 Soviet tanks (plus whatever old Warsaw pact donations they got). Since the West could not find more old Soviet tanks, this decision was the last resort...
The western Leopards, Abrams, Challengers were designed for a different environment and purpose and, in the right application, are decent (not brilliant) machines. All tanks have strong and weak points.
I can see nothing but disadvantages of giving Ukraine these western tanks:
1) very heavy for the environment (>60-70 tons vs Soviet/Russian tanks in 40-50 range), which affects their logistics and ability to navigate mud. On top of that they have higher profiles making them better targets.
2) complex and high cost to operate and to train (a lot higher initial cost - 3-4X of Soviet/Russian tanks)
3) Maintenance/logistics due to differences in ammo, spare parts, training are not trivial
4) A few unique items, just to highlight these machines are not all that:
a) Leopards have weak protection from mines
b) Abrams are fuel guzzlers (jet fuel, mind you) and have a terrific heat signature
c) Challenger is just overhyped, technologically its gun, sights, armor are old. Vulnerable to its ammo ignition due to the layout
In high intensity conflict, logistics is everything... I don't see how any of the above helped on the battlefield. As a moral booster or a very expensive gift to Zelensky that worked.
By the way, F-16s, if they make it to Ukraine, will be even a bigger fiasco!
Tanks produced by our corrupt and incompetent U.S. military industrial complex are multi-million dollar fighter jets with treads. That's what makes them money.
According to manuals, they should be treated like racehorses. Like Italian sports cars. They belong in the garage, until they can go out and do their thing.
And what is the one thing they can do? Race across a smooth desert for four to five hours and shoot up WWII-era equipment manned by Third World armies with no training while protected by total air superiority, GPS, and total satellite oversite.
All I know about warfare and tactics and strategy comes from a lifetime of reading history ( plus three years in the third armored division in Germany in the 1960’s). I have to wonder if the day of the tank is over. Is anyone seriously thinking about future warfare without tanks? Churchill invented them. They’ve had a good run but technology looks like it’s about to put them out to pasture.
I think of the history of the English Long bow. At one time it was the greatest invention in warfare until it wasn’t. For all things there is a season.
Which country develops what and how, and of course how quickly, will usually be decided by the number and quality of existing and future engineers coming from schools. For this, it is enough to look at how many engineers are produced in the USA or Western countries and how many in Russia, China and not least in India ! Naturally, we know that this image is not favorable to the USA or the West ! If we look at the fact that in a higher level international mathematics competition, the USA only achieves a few places if the competitor is of Chinese or Indian, rather Japanese origin. There is no need to inform anyone about that, when it comes to world chess champions, the champions always come from the former member republics of the former Soviet Union, or from Israel, and those who immigrated from Russia anyway ! While the universities of the USA or the West are busy with gender education and how they can favor certain races against whites, the Russian, Chinese, or Indian ones are busy learning the real studies ! With the above, I just wanted to point out that while the USA is busy developing another (overpriced piece of sh.... / metal), the Russians will not be idle either ! See hypersonic missiles ! Oh, and all this was developed by a country that looks like a gas station ! :)
When will the USA have a working hypersonic weapon ?
It is a myth that we Americans are more solicitous of our soldiers lives. One example of the myth is the Mass production of the Sherman tank in WWII. It was a moving fire pit. It was typical of the American idea of numbers over quality and lives be damned. We always seem to be behind the times in Tank survivability. When i was the attache in Jordan in 1971 I saw our m-60’s knocked out by RPG 7s. Im an artilleryman but spending many years in the ME always interested in the armor factor.
Abrams Tank Upgrade is Cancelled
Tanks are generally disposable items in high intensity combat and need to be simple, reliable, interchangeable (parts and mission) and FIT FOR PURPOSE. They also have to fit the operational doctrine and tactics -- not sure Ukraine has any of it anymore with all the advice, pressure and "training" they are getting from NATO. I think they are desperately plugging holes, which really shows now.
The idea that Western tanks will do well in Ukraine was spun by idiots in Kiev, who quickly ran out of 2000 Soviet tanks (plus whatever old Warsaw pact donations they got). Since the West could not find more old Soviet tanks, this decision was the last resort...
The western Leopards, Abrams, Challengers were designed for a different environment and purpose and, in the right application, are decent (not brilliant) machines. All tanks have strong and weak points.
I can see nothing but disadvantages of giving Ukraine these western tanks:
1) very heavy for the environment (>60-70 tons vs Soviet/Russian tanks in 40-50 range), which affects their logistics and ability to navigate mud. On top of that they have higher profiles making them better targets.
2) complex and high cost to operate and to train (a lot higher initial cost - 3-4X of Soviet/Russian tanks)
3) Maintenance/logistics due to differences in ammo, spare parts, training are not trivial
4) A few unique items, just to highlight these machines are not all that:
a) Leopards have weak protection from mines
b) Abrams are fuel guzzlers (jet fuel, mind you) and have a terrific heat signature
c) Challenger is just overhyped, technologically its gun, sights, armor are old. Vulnerable to its ammo ignition due to the layout
In high intensity conflict, logistics is everything... I don't see how any of the above helped on the battlefield. As a moral booster or a very expensive gift to Zelensky that worked.
By the way, F-16s, if they make it to Ukraine, will be even a bigger fiasco!
Tanks produced by our corrupt and incompetent U.S. military industrial complex are multi-million dollar fighter jets with treads. That's what makes them money.
According to manuals, they should be treated like racehorses. Like Italian sports cars. They belong in the garage, until they can go out and do their thing.
And what is the one thing they can do? Race across a smooth desert for four to five hours and shoot up WWII-era equipment manned by Third World armies with no training while protected by total air superiority, GPS, and total satellite oversite.
The Abrams is a joke.
All I know about warfare and tactics and strategy comes from a lifetime of reading history ( plus three years in the third armored division in Germany in the 1960’s). I have to wonder if the day of the tank is over. Is anyone seriously thinking about future warfare without tanks? Churchill invented them. They’ve had a good run but technology looks like it’s about to put them out to pasture.
I think of the history of the English Long bow. At one time it was the greatest invention in warfare until it wasn’t. For all things there is a season.
Which country develops what and how, and of course how quickly, will usually be decided by the number and quality of existing and future engineers coming from schools. For this, it is enough to look at how many engineers are produced in the USA or Western countries and how many in Russia, China and not least in India ! Naturally, we know that this image is not favorable to the USA or the West ! If we look at the fact that in a higher level international mathematics competition, the USA only achieves a few places if the competitor is of Chinese or Indian, rather Japanese origin. There is no need to inform anyone about that, when it comes to world chess champions, the champions always come from the former member republics of the former Soviet Union, or from Israel, and those who immigrated from Russia anyway ! While the universities of the USA or the West are busy with gender education and how they can favor certain races against whites, the Russian, Chinese, or Indian ones are busy learning the real studies ! With the above, I just wanted to point out that while the USA is busy developing another (overpriced piece of sh.... / metal), the Russians will not be idle either ! See hypersonic missiles ! Oh, and all this was developed by a country that looks like a gas station ! :)
When will the USA have a working hypersonic weapon ?
Thank you for the update. Any thoughts on Seymour Hersh's article today about Putin and Prighozin?
It is a myth that we Americans are more solicitous of our soldiers lives. One example of the myth is the Mass production of the Sherman tank in WWII. It was a moving fire pit. It was typical of the American idea of numbers over quality and lives be damned. We always seem to be behind the times in Tank survivability. When i was the attache in Jordan in 1971 I saw our m-60’s knocked out by RPG 7s. Im an artilleryman but spending many years in the ME always interested in the armor factor.