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Solid thread. Some pretty solid pics as well. However none of the points raised by the author effect an MBTs combat function or justify not incorporating full main gun ammunition compartmentalisation were the majority of rounds should be stored in the turret. Lets consider why 1/
Let's start with combat function. Contact is likely. Offence or defence. You already have a round loaded. At best the loader has the mechanical safety engaged. The gunner Id's a target, the commander confirms with the executive "fire " the loader arms the gun if required 2/ 
What happens next? Depends on whether you hit or missed. If you hit & the target is destroyed you will look for the next target, there will always be another target. If you miss, you re-engage. That means, relasing, relaying & firing the next round, with a sense of urgency 😎 3/
But you cant, your waiting for sombody. Who? The loader. How long you wait depends on how well the people who designed your MBT minimised the route between your main gun ammo ready bin and the breach. This is a design element critical to an MBTs combat function 4/
Unsurprisingly, all modern western MBTs incorporate a compartmentalised main gun ammunition ready bin located in the rear of the turret with supporting blow off panels to vent an explosion away from the crew compartment in the event the turret is penetrated. 5/
However some MBTs have better designed ready bins than others. Key considerations include the point of access, manual redundancy and most of all, the number of "ready rounds"
The Leclerc MBT has a very good ready bin capacity of 22 main gun rounds. 6/
The Leclerc MBT has a very good ready bin capacity of 22 main gun rounds. 6/
The Merkava IV holds 10 ready rounds while the Leopard 2A7 holds 15. The number of ready rounds is critical to the endurance of the platform when in a fight. At some point you will go red on the number of ready rounds available before you have to conduct a restow 7/
At that point your no longer in the fight. Why? Because almost all MBT semi-ready bins are located in the hull. That means going firm in a secure location, safeing the gun, traversing the turret and conducting your restow. In a Tk with an autoloader that's all the turret crew 8/
There is one tank though that incorporates it's semi ready bin along side it's ready bin. Both bins hold 17 rounds each & utilise armoured doors & blast off panels. Most importantly this tank can conduct it's restow without the same level of risk as it's peers. How?
The M1 platform allows the commander & loader to conduct the restow drill without using the gunner. That allows the gunner to continue to move the turret & utilise the sights, maintaining their SA and the ability to bring the turret back to the ready at haste if required 10/
Now let's consider the concept of full compartmentalisation of main gun ammo. Its hard to believe that western tanks haven't always possessed that feature. Most vehicles designed in the late 60s and 70s didnt. The Leopard 1A3 is an example.
59 rounds total, including HESH, HEAT & WP amongst other natures. This Tk had a ready rack of 13 rounds plus an additional 4 APDS under the gun with the remaining rounds in the wine rack to the left of the driver. All co-located with the crew, no compartmentalisation. 12/
In the event of turret/hull penetration, even from a relatively small anti-tank mine, the likely hood of the ammo igniting was high. Had that occurred there would be no escape for the crew, regardless of their position. A design feature from another era best left in the past 13/
Even Russian tank designers have embraced the design philosophy of full compartmentalisation of crew from ammo with the T14 Armata, although the entire crew in the hull/ unmanned turret concept is an unproven combat combination with it's own compromises 14/
So if your in the business of buying a new tank or retrofitting an existing one, do the right thing by the crew and insist on full compartmentalisation of ammo and fuel from the crew compartment, mandate the fitting of AFES and relocate as much of the main gun ammo into the-15/
turret bustle as you can. The crew don't care how heavy it is or how wide the turret is, but if you stick a semi ready bin half full of HE, HEAT or AMP in the crew compartment with them in the 21st century they will tell you were you can go and stick your tank. End/
