200 Russian tanks found abandoned in forest

The Telegraph ^ | 2/28/2010 | Andrew Osborn in Moscow

[BallyBill]

Been looking for a used T-34 for a few years. Got to look harder.

[Southack]

The sale wasn’t completed for those...

[Blood of Tyrants]

T-72s are death traps and obsolete. They are so small inside that T-72 tank crewmen are all 5’6” or less.

[ataDude]

20,000?!?

[valkyry1]

“If you need one, come and get it”

yah try to fuel one up an get it started after all those years.

[LachlanMinnesota]

I wonder if Obama will abandon more than that number of our own in the desert somewhere before he is through.

[darkangel82]

fail

[SoCal Pubbie]

Yekaterinburg was the city in which Czar Nicholas was murdered, FYI.

[valkyry1]

//T-72 tank crewmen are all 5’6” or less//

that’s only for extended periods of time. And any tank is a death trap once they get a bead on you.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

Ebay.

Winning bidder pays all shipping costs.

[hoosiermama]

No keys....How easy to hot wire a tank?

[dfwgator]

Also the birthplace of Boris Yeltsin.

[Richard Kimball]

Have I got a deal for you.

[Blood of Tyrants]

“that’s only for extended periods of time.”

Ummm, isn’t tank crewman more or less a semi-permanent job? It’s not like they are tank crewmen for 2 hours and then change up with infantrymen for 6 hours and then back into the tank.

[17th Miss Regt]

20,000 sounds about right. Lots are T-72s and even some T-55s in reserve stocks. I think they have about 10,000 of the T-64, T-80 and T-90 models. They used to have about 60,000 tanks back in the 70s, but some 40,000 of those were T-55s, T-54s, and even T-34/85s.

Note that I did not mention T-62s. The Soviets retired those and did not keep very many because they were just awful tanks.

[bruinbirdman]

Someplace there is a critical analysis on Rooskie tank forces. Something like maybe 2000 might be available if needed?

yitbos

[DemforBush]

Hmm, I’m surprised no one tried to sell one of the tanks on the black market.

I would imagine one could trade for a lot of vodka with one of those things.

[tacticalogic]

No keys....How easy to hot wire a tank?

Assuming it's a diesel, it shouldn't be too hard. There's no ignition system, so if it's got fuel and will turn over it should start. There may be fuel cutoff solenoid that has to be jumpered, but that should be it.

[mamelukesabre]

In other words, half of their tanks aren’t much good for anything. If the gun still works, they should give them to some country somewhere as stationary howitzers, then start selling them ammo.