Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

To: C19fan

Doesn’t matter all that much now. With drones, attack helos, and attack aircraft, the tank is just a show of strength on the modern battlefied. Tanks are vulnerable to even small AT crews with top attack. And if we have the tech, you know the Chinese have stolen it and sold it.

The U.S. and U.S.S.R. proved in WW2 - build enough mediocre tanks, you can overrun the best tanks in the world.


16 posted on 03/30/2015 7:12:27 AM PDT by Azeem (There are four boxes to be used in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury and ammo.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]


To: Azeem

I wouldn’t count the tank out just yet. Most of the vulnerabilities you cite presume one nation will have complete air superiority over the other - which is not guaranteed.

And top attack anti-tank missiles have been around probably longer than you think. At least 30 years, probably longer. They haven’t proven to be a game changer yet, and there are countermeasures.

The problem with anything that can stop a tank is...well...it has to be in the right place at the right time to be effective. Anti-tank missiles have relatively small ranges, and they generally can’t do a frontal attack (even with top attack, since another tank may fire back). So they have to lie in wait, not unlike deer hunting with a bow - everything has to be perfect.

And aircraft don’t stay up in the air forever. They have to refuel, get maintained, etc. This is nibbling on the edges of the age old debate about whether or not air power can take and hold ground. History has shown that air power alone cannot do it. So, I think tanks will be around for a while.


18 posted on 03/30/2015 7:32:04 AM PDT by lacrew
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies ]

To: Azeem
The U.S. and U.S.S.R. proved in WW2 - build enough mediocre tanks, you can overrun the best tanks in the world.

Hold it right there. The Russian T-34--especially the T-34/85 version with the 85 mm gun--was absolutely deadly to German tanks, especially since it could withstand a lot of punishment and the 85 mm tank gun could take out most German tanks. The Russians did field bigger tanks such as the IS-2 more comparable to the German tanks, but they served in much smaller numbers compared to the T-34/85.

33 posted on 03/30/2015 9:05:15 AM PDT by RayChuang88 (FairTax: America's economic cure)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson