Soon Challenger 2, Leopard 2A5/6 and M1A1/2 Abrams will roam across the Ukrainian steppe to hunt and destroy russian armor.
All three are leagues better than what the russians field, but tanks on their own are useless. So, an easy to understand thread about combined arms 🧵: 1/n
Western tanks like the M1A1/2 Abrams, Challenger 2, Leopard 2A5/6/7, Leclerc, Ariete AMV, Merkava IV, K2 Black Panther have way better armor than russian tanks.
An M1A2 Abrams is visibly larger than i.e. a T-72 or a T-80, and weighs (depending on model) 15-20 tons more. 2/n
That extra weight is mostly armor. russian tanks are not able to penetrate the front armor of modern Western tanks at distances of 2 km (because the armor is twice as thick as what russian APFSDS projectiles can penetrate).
Photo of a Strv 122 APFSDS training round, which 3/n
in its non-training version will smash through all russian tanks' frontal armor with ease.
More importantly Western tanks have way better optics, which means Western crews will see russian tanks first and from further away. And thanks to ballistic computers, which use laser
4/n
rangefinders, wind sensors, cant sensors, boresight data, ammo, barrel and air temperature, barometric pressure, tank and target speed etc. Western tank guns never miss a shot.
Photos of a USMC M1A1 FEP AIDATS commander's station, vs. a russian T-90 commander's station. 5/n
But the biggest advantage of Western tanks are their far superior thermal sights.
At night russian tankers won't even see Western tanks, while Western tanks will see, target and destroy russian tanks from distances of up to 5km. russian tank crews will only survive if they 6/n
jump out and run, because with reverse speeds of 4 km/h (T-72), 10 km/h (T-80), and 6 km/h (T-90) there is no escape for russian tanks from Western APFSDS rounds.
In this video a Finnish T-72 reverses at maximum speed... and if a russian tank does a U-turn, then the APFSDS 7/n
will punch through the russian tanks thinly armored side or rear.
The only danger Western tanks will encounter in Ukraine is russian infantry or helicopters with anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM). As expected the russians are technologically 20 years behind and so don't have 8/n
Fire and Forget ATGMs like the Javelin, Spike or Akeron and no top-attack ATGMs, and no overfly top attack ATGMs.
russian anti-tank teams have to see the target and aim at it from launch until impact, which means they are immobile... and that firing smoke grenades can defeat 9/n
incoming russian missiles.
But the best way to defeat enemy infantry is infantry paired with infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) like the Bradley, CV90, etc.
Let me compress this info in a very simplified way: IFVs and the infantry they carry protect tanks from enemy infantry, 10/n
while tanks protect IFVs and the infantry they carry from enemy tanks.
The tanks' 120mm tank gun is used to destroy enemy tanks and bunkers.
The IFVs 25-40mm autocannon is used to destroy enemy infantry and light vehicles.
The infantry is used to clear enemy positions and 11/n
enemy-held buildings.
As said: this is very simplified. If you attack just with infantry, or only with tanks - you will get your troops massacred and tanks destroyed, as russia shows us every day again and again and again.
But tanks, IFVs, and infantry are still not enough 12/n
for a successful armored attack formation. Armored recovery vehicles, armored engineer vehicles, armored bridgelayers, and self-propelled anti-aircraft gun are required or an combined arms attack will bog down and be defeated. 13/n
Armored Recovery Vehicles (ARV) are needed to recover damaged tanks and IFVs before the enemy can destroy or capture them. Modern ARVs like the German Bergepanzer Büffel (pictured) on a Leopard 2 chassis can recover damaged tanks while the crew remains inside the vehicle. 14/n
All modern Western ARVs: American M88A2 Hercules, British CRARRV, French DNG/DCL, German Büffel, include a crane to help repair damaged tanks in the field.
No ARV means every damaged tank is lost, and even if you can recover one, without the crane you can't repair it. 15/n
Germany sent 15 older Leopard 1 based Bergepanzer 2A2 ARVs, which are much less armored than the eight M88A2 Hercules the US sent. Still more are needed.
Armored Engineer Vehicles (AEV) are needed to remove obstacles like anti-tank ditches and to open lanes in minefields. 16/n
Without AEVs an armored attack will be stopped by the obstacles it encounters, but with AEVs:
if there is a minefield send i.e. a Leopard 2 based AEV3 Kodiak or an Abrams based M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle with a mine plow forward to clear a lane, while the tanks, 17/n
IFVs, and infantry cover the AEVs. If an anti-tank ditch is the problem send i.e. a Leopard 2 based Wisent 2 or a Challenger 2 based Trojan forward to fill it in.
So far only five older Leopard 1 based Dachs 2A1 have been delivered, so far more are needed. 18/n
To clear a lane through a minefield the M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle can also launch two line charges, which when detonated will destroy the buried mines and thus clear a lane for the attack to continue.
19/n
Armored bridgelayers allow the crossing of streams, brooks, etc.
Without bridgelayers an armored attack must either ford a river (risky because of the mud) or move around it.
Germany sent 16 Biber bridgelayers, which are Leopard 1 based and can't be used with Leopard 2 or 20/n
M1A1/2 Abrams or Challenger 2, as the maximum weight the bridge can carry is 55 tons.
Therefore either American M1074 JAB, British Titan, American M104 Wolverine, or German Leguan bridgelayers are needed (the latter two are best, as they offer a much smaller silhouette when 21/n
deploying the bridge.
Self-propelled anti-aircraft guns (SPAAG) are needed to shoot down enemy drones and helicopters... but only Finland built a SPAAG on a modern tank chassis: the Leopard 2 Marksman. But only seven pieces were built.
Other NATO members use the Stinger 22/n
with the US using a Bradley variant called M6 Linebacker that carries four Stinger missiles. Good against helicopters, but pricey when used against drones.
Luckily Ukraine received 37 Leopard 1 based 7 Gepard SPAAGs. Ukraine can pair the Gepard with their armored spearheads, 23/n
unless Sweden includes the better Luftvärnskanonvagn 9040 in their CV90 donation.
This almost concludes this combined arms thread. I focused on the key systems: tanks, IFVs, and tank based armored support vehicles, BUT combined arms also includes reconnaissance, artillery, 24/n
helicopters, logistics, a lot of IFV based support vehicles, and so on and on.
russia has shown again and again that it is incapable of combined arms, and Ukraine now gets the tools for it - but training will take some time. And then Ukrainian forces will be unstoppable.
25/n
PS: an armored attack with all the armored support vehicles is stopped by nothing, not even a forest as this video of a Bergepanzer 2 shows (watch until the end).
26/end
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To my American followers: it is time to plan for exile.
Doesn't mean you will have to leave, but based on experiences of Jews fleeing Nazi Germany after 1933 here are a few things to make escape and exile easier:
1) get an up to date passport (the regime might no issue you
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one in the future thus stranding you) 2) if possible get a passport from another nation. It doesn't matter which; just get a passport the regime can't cancel. 3) open bank accounts in a foreign nation (I can't stress this enough! The regime will freeze your American accounts,
2/n
which will prevent you i.e. from booking a flight; and you will arrive in another nation penniless if you do not shift your funds into a non-American bank in a non-American nation ASAP) 4) plan for the regime putting you on a no-fly list. How can you get to the border and to
3/n
I am sorry 🇸🇪 Sweden, but I must talk about the Blekinge-class submarine procurement disaster.
Because it exemplifies what happens, when a nation guts its defence budget AND nonetheless demands from its defence industry to deliver cutting edge systems.
This never works!
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Sweden built its first submarine HM Hajen (pic) in 1904.
Since then Sweden continuously built submarines at Kockums' shipyard in Malmö and at the state owned Karlskrona shipyard.
Between December 1954 and December 1988 (34 years) the two yards launched 24 newly built and 2/n
6 upgraded submarines (The latter, the Jaktubåtarna boats, were extensively reconstructed WWII era coastal submarines).
From 1960 to 1979 Swedish defence spending was always above 3%... in 1980 the decline began, but when the last Västergötland-class submarine was launched 3/n
Those of us, who have been at Euromaidan, know that Ukrainians are fearless, fight for freedom, and never surrender.
Even if the US betrays them, they will fight on.
If you ever met a Ukrainian, you would know that.
Trump etc. have no clue, about these people. 1/9
Ukrainians stood their ground and defend their capital against these russian stormtroopers for months... in the deepest winter.
Ukrainians, like the English, Scottish, Welsh and North Irish during the Blitz 1940, never surrender. They will continue the fight even if alone. 2/9
I lived in Ukraine from 2009 to 2015... the Ukrainian people want to be European and free.
They already fought two revolutions in this century for freedom and Europe.
Now Ukrainians fight bloodiest war in 80 years to keep Europe safe from tyranny and destruction. 3/9
One of the big issues for European navies is General Electric's LM2500 gas turbine... which powers an obscene number of European warships.
Only the 🇬🇧 Royal Navy continued to buy Rolls-Royce gas turbines for its carriers, destroyers and frigates, which is why now Europe
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produces the most advanced gas turbine for warships, namely the Rolls-Royce MT30, which so far has been installed in these classes:
🇬🇧 Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers (2× MT30)
🇬🇧 Type 26 frigates (1× MT30)
🇮🇹 Landing Helicopter Dock "Trieste" (2× MT30)
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The MT30 is a Rolls-Royce Trent 800 turbine (mounted usually on the wings of Boeing 777 aircraft), which has been encased and adapted to propel warships at blistering speed through the water.
A MT30 (pic) produces up to 40 Megawatt of power and is usually mounted in a mix 3/n