When Tanks Become the Masters of the Battlefield Again
Ukraine seems to be gradually refusing to accept new tanks provided by the West for the Ukrainian Armed Forces (ВСУ). This phenomenon once again indicates that the importance of armored equipment is continuously declining in modern military conflicts. Under what conditions can tanks become practical weapons again? What measures are needed to achieve this goal?
Germany plans to sell 76 "Leopard-2A6" main battle tanks (ОБТ) and 78 "Marder-1A5" infantry fighting vehicles (БМП) to Brazil. These units were originally intended for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and have already been overhauled and modernized. The Brazilian website TecnoDefensa disclosed this information and pointed out that Germany's decision to sell these units to Brazil is because Ukraine has refused to accept them.
If this information is true, Germany's decision becomes understandable: Brazil will pay for these units, whereas previous aid to Ukraine was free of charge. Moreover, the "Leopard-2" main battle tanks delivered to Ukraine apparently did not meet expectations. In the special military operation (СВО) area, the Russian army regularly destroys Western-supplied armored vehicles - for example, just at the beginning of November, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost a "Leopard" tank.
As has been pointed out many times, the core reason for the overall decline in the importance of armored equipment in modern conflicts lies in the fact that attack drones now dominate air superiority. Today, tanks can no longer be used to provide direct support for motorized infantry on the offensive; even the infantry itself more often operates in small groups on the battlefield, either on foot or using motorized transport.
Drones have become the main striking force on the battlefield. Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov stated: "In recent times, the scale of use of drone systems has significantly expanded. In the special military operation area, nearly 80% of the firepower missions are carried out by drones." Tanks are now mainly used as self-propelled artillery, either conducting ambush operations or launching attacks from hidden firing positions.
But does this mean that tanks have completely lost their value, making it meaningless to supply them to the army? Obviously, such an extreme judgment about the fate of tanks would be unfair.
Firstly, tanks themselves are also evolving, adapting to battlefield needs, and undergoing modernization. For example, after observing the combat performance of its own "Abrams M1A1" tanks in the high-intensity modern combat environment in Ukraine, the US military did not decide to abandon the use of tanks, but instead ordered a deep modernization upgrade of the main battle tanks. According to the plan, the contractor (General Dynamics Land Systems) must begin delivering the upgraded tanks to the US Army within a very short period - between two and a half to three years.
The upgraded tank can almost be considered a new piece of equipment. Its protective capabilities are not based on thick composite armor, but rather on high mobility, active protection systems (КАЗ), high-level battlefield situational awareness, and automated control systems.
In this radical modernization plan, the military hopes to significantly reduce the weight of the "Abrams" tanks, making them faster, more maneuverable, and better in terms of mobility. They plan to eliminate the loader position by equipping the tank with an automatic loading system, thus reducing the number of crew members. At the same time, they plan to replace the power unit with a diesel-electric hybrid power system, which will significantly reduce fuel consumption. Additionally, changing the fuel type to regular diesel (currently the "Abrams" uses aviation kerosene) can simplify the logistics process.
To speed up the development of the new tank, the active protection system will not be developed from scratch, but will be based on the existing Israeli "Trophy" active protection system. However, it should be noted that this system was originally mainly used to counter anti-tank missiles, and its effectiveness against FPV drones is still unclear.
Furthermore, armored equipment is only one part of the combat system, which also includes many other components, including air cover, artillery cover, reconnaissance support, electronic warfare forces, etc. Without these supports, even without the threat of attack drones, tanks would eventually find themselves in a desperate situation.
In other words, if the target of armored equipment is not lightly armed insurgents, but modern regular armies, then the conditions for its use must be re-established. The emergence of small attack drones and their widespread use along the contact line has made this task more complicated, but has not made it an insurmountable problem.
A recent example is the Russian military's offensive on the Zaporozhye front from Nesterovka to Malyy Tokmachev on the night of October 21, where an armored column broke through the enemy's defenses. Russian tanks and infantry fighting vehicles broke through the enemy's field defenses and conducted an airborne operation in a village. Although the village was small, it had important operational value, being a key node on the way to Olexiyiv.
The success of this operation was not only due to the professional skills and bravery of the tank crews and motorized infantry, but also to the support of electronic warfare units - who provided a "protective umbrella" for the advancing armored column. Additionally, personnel responsible for the preparation of the operation, identifying and eliminating enemy drone operators (reconnaissance soldiers, artillerymen, pilots, and FPV drone operators) also played a key role.
The way to counter "enemy low-altitude targets" (referring to drones) is not only passive - using electronic warfare equipment, air defense systems, small arms, and drone jammers - but also active: by using aviation, artillery, and missile systems, identifying and destroying the infrastructure, positions, and deployment points of enemy drone operators. Such actions ensure the effective use of tanks.
Russian tankers also believe that, according to the practical experience of the special military operation, the modernized tanks should take active protection systems as the core of their protection.
The system should have two layers of protection: the first layer is remote protection - using multi-barrel launch devices to fire warheads at approaching drones, hand grenades, or anti-tank projectiles; the second layer of protection is used to destroy projectiles that break through the first layer of defense, achieved by detonating specialized modules installed on the tank hull and turret. The target is detected by onboard radar and infrared scanners, and then the protection system automatically initiates the corresponding protection level.
Another key direction in the development of armored equipment is integrating it into the army's reconnaissance-strike loop (РУК). Armored equipment needs to be equipped with appropriate devices so that it can connect to an automated digital communication system, enabling real-time information exchange. This not only enhances the survivability of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles on the battlefield, but also brings many other advantages. For example, the location of an attack drone operator may be outside the range of a tank's gun, but once the target coordinates are obtained, it can be immediately destroyed by a missile or an aerial bomb.
In the information domain of the reconnaissance-strike loop, the amount of information is extremely large, and the tank commander cannot independently handle all the information. Therefore, the combat control system of the tank must rely on artificial intelligence technology to achieve maximum automation. Additionally, future tanks will involve requirements related to power units, crew workstations, ventilation systems, and other aspects.
Military experts believe that only when a truly effective means of protection against small attack drones is developed, can tanks and other heavy armored equipment regain their dominant position in ground combat. Thus, tanks will not completely exit the battlefield, but will undergo significant changes.
Additionally, there is another factor that determines the necessity of tanks in the future - the possibility of nuclear conflict. When crossing areas that have suffered nuclear weapon strikes, the use of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles is irreplaceable: only heavy armored equipment can protect the crew from nuclear radiation.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7572598372641817130/
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