re: Are we learning tanks are essentially obsolete

Effective countermeasures are needed against drones and ATGMs. The balance will sway back and forth between tanks and countermeasures. Without effective countermeasures, the drone and ATGMs are very powerful.

Drones are very useful in both offense and defense by providing intelligence and when combined with precision munitions. Drone countermeasure are going to be a priority.

ATGMs are primarily a defensive weapon and a variety of countermeasures already available but undoubtedly others will appear.

I think it is too early to toss the tank into the trash.

The Russians are morons. You always bomb the shite out of your enemy via missiles/planes for a solid month. This is what the USA did multiple times in Iraq. Bomb the ever living shite out of the enemy then you send in the tanks months later.

Panzerfaust!

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The Russians are morons. You always bomb the shite out of your enemy via missiles/planes for a solid month.

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That depends on your goals. If you want to annex another country, presumably you don't want to have to rebuild the infrastructure. You want that country as an asset, not a bombed out husk with a bunch of starving dependents.

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We’re learning that sending a column of armor single-file down a road you do not control is a bad idea

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Yeah, the modern M-1 Abrams is a masterpiece of war machine beauty. Not obsolete at all. Turret gun stays perfectly balanced and on target even at high speed over rough terrain, and deadly accurate in those conditions over thousands of yards.

Strategy is most critical with tank/AV deployment and operating. The Russian strategy has been rudimentary at best.

We've learned what we've already known for decades...Russian mechanized mobility tactics are the epitome of a Chinese Fire Drill...micromanaged, centralized tactics, without the freedom to improvise was the calling card for Warsaw Pact Forces and continues to this day within the Russian military. Putin's private army of mercenaries...Wagner...was a fully functioning reinforced Mech Brigade operating in Eastern Syria, which was sent to seize an oil field operated by Conoco. Standing in Wagner's way, a handful of Army Special Forces Operators, Kurdish Irregulars, and a Company of USMC artillery. The Wagner Group was literally obliterated as they tried to perform a series of assaults on a river crossing. Ukrainian Forces have also benefited from experience in operating in Afghanistan with the ISAF mission utilizing NATO derived tactics.

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The jury is still out on whether tanks are obsolete, but they are definitely suffering from new technology.

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Antique technology versus new sucks.

The Russian tanks are no match for the shoulder fired munitions or the drones being used.

Enter the new (not yet ready for battle)
Russian T-14...built to answer the US Abrams. Sorry boys....the Russians are behind the eggroll once again. The Abrams is being retrofitted to counter the T-14, shoulder fired munitions and drones.

Yet, the sorry group in Washington wants to gut the military budget to make all things equal. While they screw up the universe in the myth of Global Warming.

Ok this is a subject that is near and dear to my heart. I spent over 20 years Shooting, Moving and Communicating. Most of that 20 plus was assigned to the 1st CAV, the preeminent heavy armor unit in the world.

I have done many combat deployments in both M1A1 and M1A2 Abrams tanks. Tanks have limitations. They use over 100 gallons of JP-8 just tooling around for half a day. They weigh 72 tons. You sleep on or in that tank for days. Sleeping on sloped metal sucks.

But nothing and I mean nothing puts absolute far in the enemy as an Abrams with 3 loaded machine guns and a 120 mm main gun doing 40+ mph cross country.

And as far as 19Ds, yeah sometimes we workdwell together. I have done many Forard Passage of Lines with scouts.

There's something life altering about pulling triggers on a beast like that. Death before dismount.

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Wow it is pretty much accepted by all sides and 3rd parties that Russian armor has taken substantial losses but the Putin fanboys still don’t want to hear it lol.

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It's funny that there are still folks out there who think that everything is still going exactly how Russia planned it.

Some probably also believe Russia saying they were just throwing everyone off the scent and really only focused on Donbass.