Broken_Erika
Play with me.
Many of the Iraqi T-72's were stripped down variants of stripped down export versions.
I think it's legitimate for untested military hardware to be discounted if it hasn't seen combat. It's really hard to make accurate comparisons between a thing which has been used and had its flaws exposed by a trial by fire and something which hasn't. It's relatively easy to look at spec sheets and trials and see all the good features of a thing, while the shortcomings of that thing don't usually become apparent until it's been through real world use - which for military hardware means combat. It's like people who claim the Buran shuttle was a better vehicle than the Space Shuttle based on spec sheets for the former even though it launched exactly once in an unfinished form and didn't actually do anything on that mission besides make two orbits and then land unmanned. The unmanned landing was spectacular, but without a track record you can't even claim that was a reliable feature. I like the Buran a lot and it definitely could have been a better vehicle but we really can't say that for sure based on one demo launch. And I hate the shuttle, so this is saying something.How would we know ?
Maybe there are some untested ones that are better, but we don't know because they haven't been tested.
this part, @LexicusThe American state of mind is such that one intel type writes a whistleblowing type of book , to support his claim to be awarded 150 million dollars in cash from the US , because it was him that captured some 750 from the family of one of the mistresses of Saddam and that's according to a law passed in 1860 something in which Lincoln awards 20% of the loot if you rat on a cannon maker that uses shoddy production stuff
How would we know ?
Maybe there are some untested ones that are better, but we don't know because they haven't been tested.
Did Iraq have "proper" Soviet hardware or some licenced and downgraded versions ? Iirc
the USA and USSR usually exported inferior variants of their weapons to other countries during the Cold War to prevent reverse engineering.
I think East Germany was the only country with a "real" Soviet arsenal because that would have been the frontline in an East/West war.
Speaking of untested, exports and Germany: I think (maybe due to misguided patriotism) that the Leopard 2 is still at the top. It has the same (German manufactured) main gun as the Abrams, better range due to less fuel consumption, and superior protection.
There were some articles last year that a few were destroyed in Syria, but those were old Cold War era models sold to the Turkish Army.
The ones Germany still has (all five of them) have upgraded armor to operate in urban environments.
That we know of.Abrams doesn't have any major design flaws except maybe gas consumption.
That we know of.
Apart from blowing up some 'monkey-model' Soviet tanks in an Iraqi army that was already beaten, the Abrams hasn't seen anything resembling high-intensity modern warfare - the sort it was designed for. It hasn't seen anything remotely like repelling an armored thrust through the Fulda Gap by the 1st Guards Tank Army.
ah , probably the part ı don't go medieval on people , but ı go orbital on them . But , as actually some of you people might have noticed , ı happen to be the guy who is avidly waiting for the US to catch up so that we can have a space war in the 2030-50 timeframe , you know some singer and some company owner and a little sailing club called USN all together claiming that they have UFOs and stuff . ı won't eat you people , because am a good person and plus no predatory moves in CFC , got that ?this part, @Lexicus
'some stoled my camera and pants' is dead, long live the new king of utter, utter mentalness
Iraqi T-72s were downgraded export models, but their weakest part was the crew.
the Iraqi patheticness in the M-1 is much related to how their enemies were regularly fed with information where to ambush them and the whole lot . But then , they stomped on to get Kerkük from Iraqis so coolly that New Turkey had a member to expose the truth . They were newly made chameleon tanks [made in new Turkey] , they change colours and shape to look like Iraqis as they convince the shiny uniforms of Barzani to have a picnic back at home .
oh my , ı had to grant greatness to M-1 , silly me , silly me ...
Complementing what others have said about untested tanks, there's also the matter any advantage one might have against battle-proven ones is strictly theoretical until the vehicle has reached something close to mass production. Until then, the notion it can challenge any properly fielded contender or cause any meaningful impact in a real conflict is just a pipe dream.How would we know ?
Maybe there are some untested ones that are better, but we don't know because they haven't been tested.
Did Iraq have "proper" Soviet hardware or some licenced and downgraded versions ? Iirc
the USA and USSR usually exported inferior variants of their weapons to other countries during the Cold War to prevent reverse engineering.
I think East Germany was the only country with a "real" Soviet arsenal because that would have been the frontline in an East/West war.
Speaking of untested, exports and Germany: I think (maybe due to misguided patriotism) that the Leopard 2 is still at the top. It has the same (German manufactured) main gun as the Abrams, better range due to less fuel consumption, and superior protection.
There were some articles last year that a few were destroyed in Syria, but those were old Cold War era models sold to the Turkish Army.
The ones Germany still has (all five of them) have upgraded armor to operate in urban environments.
I almost want to say that what the Abrams has been through is modern warfare. I don't know that we'll ever see a Fulda Gap-type situation and really hope we never do.Apart from blowing up some 'monkey-model' Soviet tanks in an Iraqi army that was already beaten, the Abrams hasn't seen anything resembling high-intensity modern warfare - the sort it was designed for.
Excellent point about mass production. Look at the ridiculous numbers of defects in the initial batches of F-35's for a great example of how important it is to nail the manufacturing process. And that was a plane ostensibly designed for the biggest mass production program in decades.Complementing what others have said about untested tanks, there's also the matter any advantage one might have against battle-proven ones is strictly theoretical until the vehicle has reached something close to mass production.
There's military theorists who argue conventional conflicts with great tank battles like the 1980s notion of a Cold War gone hot (see Red Storm Rising) are a thing of the past. They call it third generation warfare, and claim that in the post-9/11 world we're into fourth generation warfare: heightened insurgency, more diffuse conflicts, blurred battle lines, dubious combatants, etc.I almost want to say that what the Abrams has been through is modern warfare. I don't know that we'll ever see a Fulda Gap-type situation and really hope we never do.
(keyword: almost)
One could argue that in such context, the reign of the main battle tank as the king of the battlefield is over. Because ultimately, the role of an MBT is to fight other MBTs, and they're currently more likely to run into entrenched/hidden infantry/partisans with anti-tank weapons than an armoured adversary. Often in tank-unfriendly terrain, to boot.
There's military theorists who argue conventional conflicts with great tank battles like the 1980s notion of a Cold War gone hot (see Red Storm Rising) are a thing of the past. They call it third generation warfare, and claim that in the post-9/11 world we're into fourth generation warfare: heightened insurgency, more diffuse conflicts, blurred battle lines, dubious combatants, etc.
One could argue that in such context, the reign of the main battle tank as the king of the battlefield is over. Because ultimately, the role of an MBT is to fight other MBTs, and they're currently more likely to run into entrenched/hidden infantry/partisans with anti-tank weapons than an armoured adversary. Often in tank-unfriendly terrain, to boot.