I kind looked at it as Putin getting rid of old stock...and Ukraine has to spend the time and manpower to clean it up.
They are definitely obsolete unless you’re messing with a third rate army and even now they could be obsolete regardless
The USMC has been getting rid of their Armor for a couple years now
No, what it shows is that failing to use combined arms and not actually able to run a war are obsolete.
Retired 19Kilo here. I think the days of main battle tanks are numbered.
ping
The question is.....are the helicopters obsolete too? Obviously they are still useful if you fight against an enemy in a third world country. But not if you fight in a first or second world country where they have access to weapons like Stingers that can take out helicopters.
It’s been obvious for a while unmanned drones will dominate war fighting at every level of engagement. Thousands of small anti personnel drones will be released in the near future.
Since snall anti tank weapons have rendered tanks obsolete, wouldn’t they render all vehicles obsolete too? How does one capture territory?
How to Protect Your Computer from Getting Shot by a Main Battle Tank
The FGM-148 Javelin and Drones are quickly illustrating this analysis correct.
Tanks without supporting infantry and ADA has always been a dumb idea, but doesn’t make tanks obsolete. Operating tanks with open LOS beyond the FLOT where they can be ranged by ATGMs is also a dumb idea. Operating tanks in urban areas without infantry support has always been a really, really, dumb idea. Operating tanks with excellent crews with great tactics, on the terrain of their choosing that emphasizes their strengths is still smart and hard to beat.
The major issue is that Armor needs air superiority and good intel, coordinated with mobile infantry, to be effective in the offense. In the defense it is about the same as artillery pieces only worse.
Lack training, lack of spare parts and logistics and lack of precision weaponry have severely hampered Russia's assault. The war has also made it obvious how far corruption has rotted the Russian military from within. How many billions did Putin spend that were embezzled all the way from the top down to the depot commander selling optics and spare parts from mothballed tanks to the Ukrainians?
It also shows what a difference motivation can make.
Armor without infantry and logistics has always been vulnerable to infantry. It's just even more so now.
Armor and mech are “obsolete.”
So we’ll just use light infantry and drones against opponents that don’t do stupid stuff like this?
Another ‘battleship’ that will soon (it has already started, in fact), is the manned fighter jets and bombers.
It’s only a matter of time before drones of all types take over the roles of fighter jets and bombers.
Top gun is a bygone era, and “Tom Cruise” won’t be needed any more.
No matter what in the end infantry will have to take territory to win wars. Armor will be required to lead infantry.
Tanks always have and always will need effective infantry support in order to survive.
It’s not the tanks calling in indirect fire or air support - it’s grunts. Armor doesn’t capture and hold terrain, infantry does. Tanks are mobile direct fire artillery, and that’s still necessary - especially in MOUT environments.
Since the dawn of civilization infantry and a Calvary have struggled for dominance .
Example
Romans heavy infantry
Mongols light Calvary
Then back to infantry with rifles and MG
Then tanks (a heavy Calvary substitution)
Now looks like infantry is ascending to a new dominance. With smart missiles they might even topple the true masters of the battlefield, AirPower (light Calvary substitution).
Yes. Tanks are slow-moving and sitting ducks; easy targets for fast, programmable, computer, GPS-guided, missiles. Unless they can be protected by anti-missile weapons they're obsolete.
Being in a tank is death sentence. Maybe they can re-purposed as un-maned drones but even then they're still slow-moving and easy targets.