Defence Spending Increase

[Manix77]

Originally Posted by Rob

I agree with this post - it's not waves of Russian/Chinese infantry/AFVs that MBT's will encounter, it's a 2-3 man group with an RPG-7/LAW type weapons, who are indistinguishable from civilians.

Also, the current conflicts are centered around built up urban areas, where, as WW2 experience shows us, tanks are very vulnerable.

The Israelis have some interesting & useful ideas regarding AFV design whcih have not been adopted by the rest of the world; the Merkava has it's engine and gearbox mounted forward, idea being to protect the crew above all else. They're also fitted with internally loaded 60mm mortars for anti-personnel use, to save firing the 120mm unnecessarily. That is the sort of thing needed in Afghanistan/Iraq, not APFSDS DU penetrators with prodigious range.

Although the modern MBT was designed to fight other tanks it's actually pretty useful in all levels of conflict.

I'd be the first person to admit that an MBT is NOT invulnerable but it will survive a great deal more punishment than any other land based weapon system. If the 2-3 man RPG/LAW team fire at a modern MBT it will likely be the last thing they ever do. Very few man portable anti armour weapons are capable of scoring even a mobility kill on an Abrahms/Leopard 2 standard MBT. Those that can are generally very expensive and come with their own limitations.

The tactics employed by a tank troop need to also be considered, they don't just bumble along waiting for someone to shoot at them. They cover each other's movement and, in more complex terrain, will move with infantry support.

I'm a big fan of the Merkava and it's basic design philosophy. Incidentally the mortar is rarely used and, although it has its place, it is removed from most operational tanks.

In counter insurgency ops the tank's best weapon is its sensors (Thermal sight and high powered optics) followed by the fact that it attracts all the attention allowing dismounted troops to move under its cover. The main gun is also very useful, the primary anti armour round for most tanks (APFSDS) has no explosive content. This allows them to engage very specific targets with minimal collateral damage. An Abrahms can destroy a Landcruiser size vehicle with one shot at 2.5 - 3km without even breaking the windows of a close following vehicle.

As you can see, I'm a big fan of heavy armour. The capabilities of tanks and heavy fighting vehicles are not well understood even by many military professionals so please forgive my little rants when I think the capability is being misrepresented.

regards

Manix