A short thread on why anti-tank ditches are a very effective but underappreciated way to stop tanks and why you will see more of them in the coming days 1/x
1. They are cheap. They require only machine or manual labor to erect. They are perfect for a prepared defence in-depth 2/x
2. They can be dug quickly. With the proper equipment you can dug hundreds of meters in a few hours. 3/x
3. They are suited to the current terrain. Soft soil and open plains are the perfect conditions for anti-tank ditches 4/x
4. They are effective. Tanks are made for rough terrain but they have limits to their mobility which anti-tank ditches use perfectly to their advantage. 5/x
5. They are suited for a prepared defence. They slow the attacker down. They push him into narrow breaches in the open. And they force the attacker into a single column while the breach happens. 6/x
6. They are hard to breach. You can't get through the ditch without support. But the equipment that is needed to breach is few in numbers, very specialised and takes alot of skill to use properly. Without them you wont get across the ditch. 7/x
7. They are hard to cross. If everything has gone well you still need to get your tank across the breach. One tank after another while the enemy is targeting you. If your tank gets hit or stuck inside the breach you will have to get the tank out or open another breach. 8/x
This is just one of many obstacles of an defence in-depth. A complex obstacle breach is one of the most difficult operations one can do. Even most US Army Units struggle with it at the National Training Center. Below is a very good but long Explainer. 9/9
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
Because I got asked quite a lot here and privately about the Leopard 2 upgrades, I decided to do a thread about it here to have something I can link to. This will be just a ramble about some trends and thoughts on the matter. 1/x
Caveat! I think nearly all of the tanks/concepts we see rn are essentially show cars that are in no way fit to see service now or in the next 4-6 years in their current form. Especially with production lines running very hot and orders for 2A8s coming in. 2/x
Cannons are getting bigger. No debating that. Most prototypes still have a 120mm equipped but all turrets are also designed to fit a 130 or 140mm. Everyone is just waiting for the selection of the main gun for MGCS or the dissolution of the program. 3/x
A short thread on the 30 Leopard 1A5s from Belgium. Why you need 50 Leopard 1s to get 30 functioning Tanks and why a Leopard 1A5 is not the same as a Leopard 1A5 (sorry for no fancy pictures or videos) 1/x https://t.co/VDAXuODwEJ
First of all those are not Leopard 1A5, ackchyually (🤓 ☝️) they are Leopard 1A5 BE/Belgium (or just Leopard 1 BE depending on the source and time). But why are two letters so important? 2/x
Because there are ALOT of different Leopard 1A5 Variants. Some with basically no changes to the original german version and others with some rather major changes. 3/x
Nach langer Zeit mal wieder ein Thread. Diesmal ohne großen Ukraine-Bezug.
Es geht um "... eines der teuersten Rüstungsprogramme in der Geschichte des Heeres." 1/x
Die anfänglichen Forderungen waren überambitioniert weswegen Maße und Gewicht sehr niedrig gehalten werden sollten. „… keine Gewichtserhöhung wurde zugelassen.“ Damit war man auf 5 Laufrollen pro Seite begrenzt. 2/x
Gleichzeitig wurde aufgrund dieser Anforderungen ein neues Turmkonzept nötig was völliges Neuland für die Bundeswehr war. Dabei waren auch gleichzeitig einzelne Baugruppen störanfälliger. „das Seitenrichtgetrieben war nicht dauerstandfest“ 3/x
"Es könnte jährlich bis zu 400 Kampfpanzer vom Typ Panther produzieren." 🤡
Vielleicht in 5-7 Jahren. Hier die Zahlen der Leopard 2 Produktion aus dem Kalten Krieg als fast die gesamte deutsche Rüstungsindustrie beteiligt war.
Hier der Lieferplan aus dem Buch von Krapke mit der niederländischen Lizenzproduktion. Genauso haben auuch niederländische Firmen für die deutschen Leopard 2 produziert.
Hier die Auflistung der beteiligten Hauptunternehmer aus dem Buch von Krapke. 10.000 Menschen aus über 1.500 Unternehmen/Zulieferer-Betrieben.
Who can/has "build/t" Leopard 2s? Since the 1990s there was alot of industrial cooperation/compensation with the "great Leopard 2 Firesale" and follow-on orders.
A thread on industrial cooperation: 1/x
First of all i wrote "build/t" because there is a spectrum of Leopard 2 production. Some countries only produced some subcomponents locally other did only some final assembly and others nearly built every component of the tank with their indigenous industry 2/x
One of the most recent users and producers was Greece. This cooperation is still relevant today because METKA still produces new hulls and other parts for KMW. 3/x