The main battle tank is obsolete! Where are the main battle tanks?

The delivery of Western main battle tanks, in particular of the Leopard type, to Ukraine has been the subject of much discussion in recent days. There is a lot of opinion, but hardly any well-founded knowledge. The aim of this article is therefore to redress this imbalance. In doing so, the the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2020 in order to outline the mindset, which has recently changed completely, before describing tank training in Austria. The logistical challenges are then explained and experiences in the training of tank soldiers are described from the perspective of Tank Battalion 14, before finally providing an outlook on the situation in the Ukraine war war.

When, from September 27, 2020, shortly after the start of the renewed fighting for Nagorno-Karabakh, the first video recordings of drone attacks on battle tanks reached the general public via social media and news channels, the end of the main battle tank was quickly proclaimed (comprehensive report on this in Truppendienst). Yes, the images were devastating. A weapon invisible to tank crews took out one vehicle after another. In practice, only turret hits were seen, which often led to the conversion of the ammunition and thus caused a total failure. Drastic descriptions of the “dinosaur on the battlefield”, which was eliminated by “state-of-the-art flying robots”, were quickly at hand and the “miracle weapon” Umanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), or simply drone, seemed to paint a new picture of war within days – and it was precisely this picture that was to quickly solidify in the expert world. We are familiar with the same images from Ukraine: Battle tanks in position or abandoned are being taken out by drones. These are often commercially available drones that can be turned into flying anti-tank weapons by dropping explosive devices. One could also speak of an airborne anti-tank mine. https://militaeraktuell.at/haben-panzer-in-modernen-armeen-noch-zukunft/ Despite this, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has been demanding the delivery of battle tanks from the West since the first days of the war. This request was also met by the West – many countries of the former Eastern Bloc such as Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and even Morocco delivered main battle tanks from the T-72 family to Ukraine. Germany, on the other hand, ruled out such deliveries for a long time. Main battle tanks from the Leopard family were not to be actively deployed in combat.

“The main battle tank HAS BEEN buried many times, but it still has an effectiveness like no other land-based system.”

The reasons for this are manifold, but the bottom line is that Zelensky wanted to strengthen the Ukrainian armored weapon, which can also be interpreted as a sign that although the main battle tank has often been laid to rest, it is still more effective than any other land-based system. This is understandable due to its mobility, firepower and armor protection, as it was always built for the purpose of fighting other tanks – and emerging victorious from the firefight. However, tanks also inevitably conjure up images of the Prague Spring or the demonstrations on Tian’anmen Square in the collective memory. The prevailing opinion is that such a weapon does not secure peace. Instead, a tank is seen as the epitome of mechanized warfare, which was long thought to be a thing of the past. One reason for Germany’s refusal to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine that is rarely mentioned, but should not be underestimated, is military and technical/industrial secrecy. A downed Leopard 2A6 is not a good advertisement for German tank manufacturers, who are currently processing many order requests. And no combat vehicle is invulnerable, not even the Leopard, as Turkey had to painfully learn in Syria.

On the battlefield, however, the main battle tank remains the heavy mechanized backbone of the land forces. Without main battle tanks, an attack or offensive on a large scale is doomed to failure. If the enemy has main battle tanks that you cannot counter with your own, such an undertaking will inevitably be a suicide mission. Even the major territorial gains in Ukraine were only possible on both sides thanks to the support of main battle tanks. However, this also revealed weaknesses: Mine hits, anti-tank guided missiles or targeted artillery strikes with bomblet ammunition quickly turn the tank into a steel coffin. As a consequence, the main battle tank is only able to fully exploit its capacity in combined arms combat in conjunction with reconnaissance vehicles, grenadiers, hardened infantry, artillery, engineers, air defense and air assets. This list can be preceded by any other type of weapon and followed by all the others, because combat must be conceived, trained and practiced with all systems in order to achieve the tactical objective. It is therefore clear that the delivery of a few dozen battle tanks is a clear commitment by the West to continue supporting Ukraine, but they will not end the war single-handedly. And certainly not in just a few weeks.

What is clear from what has been written so far is that such a complex system requires solid training. Therefore, a brief overview of tank training as practiced in Austria will now be given. The prerequisite for this cycle is a trained tank NCO and officer corps at the individual tank, platoon, company and battalion level, who are proficient in their weapon system. Tank training begins after general basic training 1, which is estimated to take nine to ten weeks. Sections 2 and 3 of basic training then take place on the main battle tank. The basis for this is formed by the gunner and loader course on the one hand and the tank driving school on the other. Here, all skills are learned in around six weeks, after which the individual tank training can begin. A crew is formed from the individual functions. In addition to individual combat techniques, intensive simulator training is followed by live firing. The Austrian Armed Forces use inexpensive 27-millimetre insertable barrels for this. The best gunners then shoot another seven rounds with 120-millimeter full-caliber ammunition, naturally without the insert barrel, in order to be ready for use in the field. This alternates between combat training and shooting training, during which the duel simulator on the real tank is also used. Not to be forgotten is the technical service, which takes up another day after four to five days of training. The tank is serviced by the crew and, together with the repair personnel, minor damage is repaired, broken components are replaced and worn barrel pads or sprockets are exchanged. This takes at least four weeks. During this phase, the training objectives of platoon training are incorporated. For example, marching, combat marching with initial combat forms, firing as part of the platoon or moving into the disposition room, including camouflage measures. The transition to platoon training is therefore a smooth one. The subsequent platoon training is the core of tank training. The platoon is the fire unit within the company and the battalion. Armored platoons are also often subordinated to grenadiers for fire support. For this reason, platoon training must also promote interaction with as many of the above-mentioned branches of the armed forces as possible. The fact that Austria can do a good job internationally in this area is demonstrated by the outstanding results achieved in the Strong Europe Tank Challenge 2017 and 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsLtBlxJ984 This training leads to platoon and company troop training. Exercises are carried out here – including over several days and nights – under the direction of the battalion. Day and night live firing in a company setting with other branches of the armed forces are the highlights. These exercises are constantly supported by the maintenance and logistics departments. Rescue exercises with medical interludes are repeatedly interspersed in the training to give the soldiers confidence in their actions. This intensive phase takes another six weeks. The final phase is the tactical troop training for the entire tank battalion. Simulation systems are also used here. Once again, all branches of the armed forces are involved and the brigade takes the lead. The final exercise is a full troop exercise. Panzer Battalion 14 will take part in such an exercise in Germany in November with the support of all units of the 4th Armored Infantry Brigade. Our German partner, the Panzerbataillon 104 from Pfreimdwill receive certification to lead the battlegroup in the Baltic States. The exercise will last two weeks and take place at the Army Combat Training Center Altmark combat training center. This means that it will take six months to fully train a small armored unit. The conclusion that this cannot be achieved with six months of basic military service is of course absolutely correct and shows one of the difficulties with the current duration of military service. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COYuNkqvbcM A similar training program will have to be created for the tank soldiers from Ukraine, regardless of which Western army is involved. Of course, the combat experience that these soldiers bring with them means that some things can be taught more quickly, but of course the language barrier also needs to be overcome. The problem will be less a lack of interpreters and more a lack of linguists who also speak “Panzer”. However, Panzer Battalion 14 has had good experience good experience with the training of its Hungarian and Czech comrades. Tank men – the proportion of women in this area is unfortunately still far too low – quickly find a common understanding. However, the function of the gunner is new territory for T-72 crews, as the T-72 has an automatic loader. It is also important to build confidence in the vehicle from the outset. The fire control systems of western and eastern tanks differ considerably.

“It must be crystal clear to the West that images of destroyed Western tanks will be massively exploited by the Russians for propaganda purposes. And these images will exist.”

There was a clear difference between the Hungarian and Czech soldiers. The T-72 variant in use in the Czech Republic, the T-72M4CZ, has a western fire control system, thermal imaging vision equipment for the commander and gunner and a drive with a Caterpillar engine and Diehl tracks. This made it much easier for the Czech tankers to switch to the Leopard than the Hungarian ones. The main aim of unit and formation training must be to emphasize the Leopard’s capabilities and highlight its strengths over the T-72 family. https://militaeraktuell.at/wo-sind-die-10-000-russischen-panzer/ A far greater challenge will be logistical. As mentioned at the beginning, such training is based on a trained NCO and officer corps – and this naturally also applies to the maintenance personnel. This can be trained in parallel. It is difficult to estimate how quickly the mechanics will be able to maintain and repair the system, as this also requires a great deal of experience in troubleshooting. A logistical backbone via the Internet and repairs in Poland, for example, will probably be unavoidable. But there are also other challenges awaiting the Ukrainians: the Leopard is far heavier than the T-72 and armored recovery vehicles will reach their performance limits, especially in deep ground. The same applies to combat bridges, which are essential for offensives.

“The Leopard, Abrams and Challenger main battle tanks of the West can significantly strengthen the offensive power of the Ukrainians, provided they reach the front in sufficient numbers.”

In conclusion, it can therefore be stated that the Leopard, Abrams and Challenger main battle tanks of the West can significantly strengthen the offensive power of the Ukrainians, provided they reach the front in sufficient numbers, have trained crews, a certain logistical maturity can be established and sufficient ammunition is available. However, it must be crystal clear to the West that images of destroyed Western tanks will be massively exploited by the Russians for propaganda purposes. And there will be such images.