The image above: German Leopard II tank (Pinterest)
What is the problem with Russian tanks in Ukraine?
The main problem with Russian tanks is that they are not what they should be. Somebody might steal those tanks' electronic components because of corruption. That means the screens are carried to officers' personal computers.
There are tales that the tracks of the tanks changed to tracks, meant for civilian vehicles. Or the assemblers are not made proper work. And there is some kind of leaks in the amphibious vehicles. The problem with reactive armor is that the explosive must be changed after each hit. And if those explosive bricks are not replaced with new ones. That thing causes the hole in reactive armor.
But if we are thinking about the role of the tanks in modern warfare we must realize one thing. If the tank is not modern, equipped with modern weapons and without modern armor that thing makes it a death trap. Also if the crew doesn't handle those systems even the best tank is useless.
Things like killer drones are causing the use of tanks must reappraied. That means the tanks must operate more firmly with the other units. And the tanks must have the ability to shoot down the killer drones. The killer drone should be an easy target and their radio communication should be easy to jam.
But the communication between the ground station and drone will happen by using multiple frequencies at the same time. Another thing is that the armored personnel carrier (APC) is not the same thing as the main battle tank (MBT) with 120-150mm. cannon. So most of the destroyed units in Ukraine are APCs. But the fact is that the old-fashion armored vehicle is a death trap. There is the possibility that some Russian tanks are made of regular steel like cars. And that means those tanks are old-fashion.
The difference between the Russian and Western ways to think and make devices is that Russians believe that a great number of units are enough. The Western way to think is that the quality replaces the number. There are not so many electronics like computers and AI in Russian tanks as in Western tanks. So the Russian tanks are not so highly automatized as Western tanks. But Russians can make more tanks at the same time.
What is the future of the tanks?
So what is the future of tanks? Maybe we are going two different ways. Wery heavy command units that have multi-use weapon and intelligence systems. Those systems are equipped, with the AI that supports the crew. In the future, the tank unit can operate with manned, and unmanned tanks. The unmanned tank can be the regular unit where the man-shaped robots are operating the systems.
Those systems allow the tank to detect and destroy other tanks and flying drones. Also, the tank of the future can use quadcopters for detecting targets. And then the command units are surrounded by smaller and cheaper units that are going to battle. Those systems can be full- or semiautomatic.
One man can operate a robotic tank with an automated gun loading system. But those tanks can also be remote-operating. So the advancing of the tanks goes otherwise to super heavy and otherwise lightweight. But the fact is this: The weights of the tanks are increasing all the time. And there is some limit to that advancing. The weight of the tank cannot increase forever.
Tanks are rulers of the battlefield. They are also rulers of the future's battlefield. But the form of the tank can turn different than it's now. The tank formation can consist of two kinds of units. The lightweight attack systems can be manned or operated by the AI.
The command units can be very heavy and equipped with computers and command links that are making it easier to deliver commands to other units. The idea of that kind of system is that the division acts as the entirety. The tank would be a powerful unit but integrated with other units that can assist it.
Those tanks can have quadcopters for locating the enemy. And things like GPS-guided grenades can make the new tanks more deadly than ever before. The Leopard tank above this text is one of the most modern western tank types.
That tank can equip with screens where the image comes from another side. That kind of active stealth system makes the tank will blend in with the background like chameleons. So stealth technology is one of the things with modern tanks. The system must isolate against the infrared, visual, and radar signatures. And maybe in the tanks of the future uses laser and microwave cannons. The microwave fields around the tank make a new improvement for the reactive or active armor.
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