Even American Abrams would not survive against the latest ATGMs Iran has to offer. Especially if critical targets like the ammo storage or the engine compartment were struck. Not to mention IED's and mines would absolutely annihilate them as well. Maybe one mine or an average IED, ,okay they might survive but I've seen large American MRAPS, the large variants, being torn to pieces by IEDs in Afghanistan. How ? Because the IED likely had 4-10 times as much explosives as an average IED. Tanks are not invincible by any means. If not used in sufficient numbers in a combined arms doctrine type of scenario they're more of a liability than anything.
Colonel Douglas MacGregor has stated in a recent interview that Ukraine has lost 60,000+ killed and 100,000 injured. That doesn't include captured or missing which brings the number to over 200,000+ so far. This week Ukraine lost 4000-6000 troops. In the last 72 hrs Russia just gained 100 SQ miles of territory towards Mykolaiv, including over 20 settlements in a sudden blitz that nobody saw coming.
Zelensky's Kherson counter offensive, looks like its backfired. The Russians seriously seem to be going towards Mykolaiv, which they might just surround, and then they will likely move on to Transnistria, where there are 4000-6000 Russian peacekeeping troops. If they establish a solid bridgehead then Odessa will be cut off from the rest of Ukraine and it will only be a matter of time because just like Mariupol or Severodonetsk, it falls. Russia will target weapons storage facilities, ammunition dumps, communications, command and control, food stores, fuel depots. Eventually civilians will want out. Russia will open up humanitarian corridors and then let the fighters starve as they slowly strangle them into submission.
According to credible sources Russia recently sent 70,000+ troops and tons of equipment to Ukraine, including convoys of T-90's on trains. I think this war is over for Ukraine. It's just a matter of time now. Ukraine should negotiate or they will cease to exist as we know it. They will lose access to their ocean and Russia just cut off the electricity being provided from the Zaporizhia power plant to Ukraine, which is absolutely devastating to them.
Despite Zelensky's hissy fits, whining and the constant shelling of the plant, the Russians are simply going ahead with transferring the electricity to the Russian power grid. The Zaporizhia power plant is the largest in Europe and provides 20% of the electricity to a large section of Ukraine. This will be economically crippling for Ukraine. The excess electricity was also being sold to the EU. I heard that in the UK and Germany people are collecting firewood for the upcoming winter and doing maintenance on their old fireplaces. I heard both the UK and Germany are going to be looking at negative GDPs in the upcoming year.
The keyword I said is efficient design. Building a powerful efficient reliable engine that can survive Iranian climate of dust and desert conditions while not guzzling litres of fuel is not easy task.
Export Abrams and US Abrams are two very different products. For one, Export Abrams does not get uranium armour or uranium tank shells.
Not to mention, unlike Arab countries (and Turkey), US military uses tanks correct alongside infantry and not as battering rams.
At what distance? How come you don’t mention that? And that is export M1A2 that doesn’t come with uranium armour.
Here are the facts on Mango
At a distance of 2 km, a projectile pierces up to 500 mm of homogeneous armor (direct hit) or 230 mm at an angle of 65 °. It provides penetration of multi-layer armored obstacles at different angles in a wide range of ranges.
Russia has just begun producing “Lekalo projectile” in last 2 years or so. Stats on that:
At a distance of 2 km with a direct hit, at least 650 mm of homogeneous armor breaks through. High penetration qualities are maintained in a wide range of contact angles, including with the defeat of combined obstacles.
Also key word here is homogeneous armour and does not consider advances armour techniques like the use of uranium armour which will do better.
In conclusion: T-72/T-90 crews using old mango shells have to get closer than their western counterparts to get sufficient penetration. And relying on direct hits to win is risky. Hence new generation tank shells are needed.
The keyword I said is efficient design. Building a powerful efficient reliable engine that can survive Iranian climate of dust and desert conditions while not guzzling litres of fuel is not easy task.
Export Abrams and US Abrams are two very different products. For one, Export Abrams does not get uranium armour or uranium tank shells.
Not to mention, unlike Arab countries (and Turkey), US military uses tanks correct alongside infantry and not as battering rams.
At what distance? How come you don’t mention that? And that is export M1A2 that doesn’t come with uranium armour.
Here are the facts on Mango
At a distance of 2 km, a projectile pierces up to 500 mm of homogeneous armor (direct hit) or 230 mm at an angle of 65 °. It provides penetration of multi-layer armored obstacles at different angles in a wide range of ranges.
Russia has just begun producing “Lekalo projectile” in last 2 years or so. Stats on that:
At a distance of 2 km with a direct hit, at least 650 mm of homogeneous armor breaks through. High penetration qualities are maintained in a wide range of contact angles, including with the defeat of combined obstacles.
Also key word here is homogeneous armour and does not consider advances armour techniques like the use of uranium armour which will do better.
In conclusion: T-72/T-90 crews using old mango shells have to get closer than their western counterparts to get sufficient penetration. And relying on direct hits to win is risky. Hence new generation tank shells are needed.
Russians are already coming up with new designs where the top of the tank has way more protection. Regardless mines/IEDs can always do the job, or 2 ATGMs at once will likely overwhelm the APS.
APSs are expensive. I'm not against them but really why not use loitering munitions to and artillery to take out ATGM ambush squads. That's what the Russians are doing now and it seems to be working like a charm. I don't know.
M1A2 at its highest point of protection (that's not inert), offers around 600mm KE protection against APFSDS (per Swedish M1A2 trials). So it can likely only stop 3BM42 on frontal turret. Although carousel autoloader limits APFSDS length, it wouldn't be to hard to make a round with 650-700mm KE penetration at 2-3km
Hell no. Last thing Iran needs is Abrams engine with it's insane fuel consumption. Karrar has bustle + blowout panels for extra ammo, only reason I could for bustle autoloader is if there's ever a Karrar II or Zulfiqar IV. Most tanks today don't have hard kill APS, and if they Iran does get one it needs to offer APFSDS degradation and top attack protection unlike Trophy
Georgia still has an awfully weak, poorly trained, poorly maintained air force. Hell they can't even keep some Hinds in the air for more than a few weeks lol
The keyword I said is efficient design. Building a powerful efficient reliable engine that can survive Iranian climate of dust and desert conditions while not guzzling litres of fuel is not easy task.
Export Abrams and US Abrams are two very different products. For one, Export Abrams does not get uranium armour or uranium tank shells.
Not to mention, unlike Arab countries (and Turkey), US military uses tanks correct alongside infantry and not as battering rams.
At what distance? How come you don’t mention that? And that is export M1A2 that doesn’t come with uranium armour.
Here are the facts on Mango
At a distance of 2 km, a projectile pierces up to 500 mm of homogeneous armor (direct hit) or 230 mm at an angle of 65 °. It provides penetration of multi-layer armored obstacles at different angles in a wide range of ranges.
Russia has just begun producing “Lekalo projectile” in last 2 years or so. Stats on that:
At a distance of 2 km with a direct hit, at least 650 mm of homogeneous armor breaks through. High penetration qualities are maintained in a wide range of contact angles, including with the defeat of combined obstacles.
Also key word here is homogeneous armour and does not consider advances armour techniques like the use of uranium armour which will do better.
In conclusion: T-72/T-90 crews using old mango shells have to get closer than their western counterparts to get sufficient penetration. And relying on direct hits to win is risky. Hence new generation tank shells are needed.
M1A2 at its highest point of protection (that's not inert), offers around 600mm KE protection against APFSDS (per Swedish M1A2 trials). So it can likely only stop 3BM42 on frontal turret. Although carousel autoloader limits APFSDS length, it wouldn't be to hard to make a round with 650-700mm KE penetration at 2-3km
Hell no. Last thing Iran needs is Abrams engine with it's insane fuel consumption. Karrar has bustle + blowout panels for extra ammo, only reason I could for bustle autoloader is if there's ever a Karrar II or Zulfiqar IV. Most tanks today don't have hard kill APS, and if they Iran does get one it needs to offer APFSDS degradation and top attack protection unlike Trophy
Georgia still has an awfully weak, poorly trained, poorly maintained air force. Hell they can't even keep some Hinds in the air for more than a few weeks lol
