Armored Fighting Vehicles VI: Eye of the Tiger

[PsihoKekec]

I don't know what the minimum order number is to make designing and building a new MBT viable, but that's gotta be on the low-end for sure.

They are not designing and building a new tank (no capabilities for that), this is modernisation of existing Challanger 2 tanks which is being touted as a new tank for PR reasons. 

[DOC_Agren]

Want to go see a real Tiger Tank?  On of only 10 left..the Vimoutiers Tiger

Left in a Hedge for 30 Years

[Daryk]

Nice find, thanks DOC! :)

[Fat Guy]

Gotta have a Valentine on Valentine's Day.

[chanman]

Old footage of Chobham armour testing

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vJEBE1VXbP0

[Fat Guy]

Ukraine lost an Abrams.

[truetanker]

Musta been a "golden" BB floating crit roll...

Only way that could have happen.

Sad, hope the crew got out and little or no injuries.

TT

[chanman]

Musta been a "golden" BB floating crit roll...

Only way that could have happen.

Sad, hope the crew got out and little or no injuries.

TT

It's still subject to the laws of physics. 9 destroyed in Gulf 1, 35 or so over the course of OIF, plus Iraqi army losses against ISIL and Saudi losses in Yemen.

Plus, none of the export tanks have the DU NERA (Non-Explosive Reactive Armour) arrays. They've been removed and replaced with a different armour package and that conversion process was one reason why Abrams arrived later in Ukraine than the Leopard 2s.

Regardless, the turret front looks undamaged. The M1 isn't significantly better protected from the top or rear than other tanks, although I seem to recall the turret side armour is reasonably heavy even behind the crew compartment. Either way, the entire top and rear are vulnerable. That's hardly a golden BB slipping through a gap in the protection like directly hitting the co-ax or a periscope. Drones being used to make rear/top attacks against tanks has been going on for months now.

[SteelRaven]

It's crew survival rates that make the Abrams a success story, here's hoping the crew made it out safe.

[glitterboy2098]

It's still subject to the laws of physics. 9 destroyed in Gulf 1, 35 or so over the course of OIF, plus Iraqi army losses against ISIL and Saudi losses in Yemen.

Plus, none of the export tanks have the DU NERA (Non-Explosive Reactive Armour) arrays. They've been removed and replaced with a different armour package and that conversion process was one reason why Abrams arrived later in Ukraine than the Leopard 2s.

Regardless, the turret front looks undamaged. The M1 isn't significantly better protected from the top or rear than other tanks, although I seem to recall the turret side armour is reasonably heavy even behind the crew compartment. Either way, the entire top and rear are vulnerable. That's hardly a golden BB slipping through a gap in the protection like directly hitting the co-ax or a periscope. Drones being used to make rear/top attacks against tanks has been going on for months now.

from the looks of things the main damage is around the engine area, maybe the ammo compartments.

where did you find that pic? would love to learn more of the context.

[Garrand]

If you study the picture it looks like the ammo doors are blown. So I think it suffered an ammo explosion (good thing it has CASE).

From what I understood, this was caused by a Russian drone dropping an RPG round on the roof.

Damon.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

The real question is whether the armored door that separates the ammunition from the fighting compartment was closed at the time.

[Elmoth]

My reference mil analyst says it was hit by a Lancet. Near Adviinka.

[Fat Guy]

where did you find that pic? would love to learn more of the context.

https://www.twz.com/land/ukraines-first-m1-abrams-tank-loss-appears-to-have-occurred

[Cannonshop]

Tanks...get taken out.  They're disposable combat units, it's inevitable that some combination of enemy cleverness, operator mistakes, tactical situation or dumb ass luck is going to take one out.

even an Abrams.

[Elmoth]

I will assume that a lot more Abrahams will be taken out in Ucraine if they are used for anything ressembling real combat. Damage beats armor in the current battlefield.

[ANS Kamas P81]

Abrams, not Abrahams.  There's a lot of ways to kill an Abrams, and there's a lot of ways to not kill one.  What looks like catastrophic damage may just be an ammo explosion and that's something that is easy to repair on the tank because of its armored storage and blow-out panels.

[Cannonshop]

Abrams, not Abrahams.  There's a lot of ways to kill an Abrams, and there's a lot of ways to not kill one.  What looks like catastrophic damage may just be an ammo explosion and that's something that is easy to repair on the tank because of its armored storage and blow-out panels.

Pictures only tell a limited story, true, and in wartime, exaggeration of claims, (both to make it seem better OR worse) is common operations, while objective truth is a goddam rarity, especially on the journalistic end from either side.

[Fat Guy]

In 1985 the Standard Manufacturing Company pitched a wheeled Vulcan Air Defense System (VADS) called Excalibur to the U.S. Army.





At the time, the Army had both tracked and towed VADS in service and it wasn't adopted.

[ANS Kamas P81]

That looks so G.I. Joe it hurts.

[Luciora]

Makes you wonder if there is an inspiration shelf in some designers rooms.

That looks so G.I. Joe it hurts.

[Daryk]

It looks C-130 transportable... I chalk it up to it being ahead of its time...

[worktroll]

Forget GI Joe, it's Battletech-worthy! I'd buy a lance or two of minis.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

I'll bet the army was still smarting over the Sergeant York.

[worktroll]

It's contemporary with the Linebacker (truck with Stinger missile pods on the back), and while it addressed some of the issues with the M163 VADS, the biggest problem is it still used the same 20mm cannon as the VADS. Bigger calibres were preferred, eg. Gepard.

The LInebacker still has problems keeping up with tanks in terrain, which is I assume why they stuck Stingers on a Bradley instead of the TOWs.

[PsihoKekec]

It's adorable, I want one.

[Cannonshop]

It's contemporary with the Linebacker (truck with Stinger missile pods on the back), and while it addressed some of the issues with the M163 VADS, the biggest problem is it still used the same 20mm cannon as the VADS. Bigger calibres were preferred, eg. Gepard.

The LInebacker still has problems keeping up with tanks in terrain, which is I assume why they stuck Stingers on a Bradley instead of the TOWs.

Uhm, Worktroll? "Linebacker" is the Bradley version, you're thinking of "Avenger".

Linebacker.

[Cannonshop]

Chaparral



since we're on an ADA kick...

[Ruger]

At least two or three of those were turned into toys for GI Joe. Or at least look very similar to the toys I remember having.

Ruger

[Istal_Devalis]

A LOT of early GI Joe gear was based on prototype stuff. And then they went off the rails :D