Hey I mean Poland apparently build a pretty good tank out of the T-72, it definitely has aspects to it that make it globally relevant but at the end of the day… especially when drones come into the picture, no not having a proper reverse gear I think actually does completely undermine the point in having a main battle tank in the first place. I would rather have all of that logistics in other supplies than a russian tank, they are worse than useless without a fast reverse gear since they cannot fulfill the battlefield role of a main battle tank at a basic tactical level in my opinion.
You can use a russian tank as a combat engineering tool to destroy enemy machine gun nests that have already been surrounded, but you cannot use them as main battle tanks. It is the equivalent of trying to use an airplane with only one wing as a bomber. It needs two wings to fly…
Or… it is like having a Queen on a chess board that can only move towards the enemy side of the board, it almost entirely eliminates the point of having your Queen in the first place, and it certainly makes your Queen into a disposable one time use asset. Yes technically your Queen still is very offensively powerful but it is more accurately described as a guided munition than an actual piece in the same way russian tanks aren’t really main battle tanks.
Comparatively an Abrams is like a proper Queen chess piece, it ideally exists the entire game moving back and forth across your forward assaults, exploiting and creating opportunities and punishing the hubris of the enemy.
There is a story of an Iraqi Abrams playing a crucial lynchpin role in defending a ridiculous number of assaults on a town by overwhelming numbers of fighters, and the Iraqi crew just got good enough that they tactically demolished them one after another. You can’t develop that kind of extreme tactical proficiency over your enemy in an inherently disposable asset such as a russian tank, especially since the crew is considered disposable as well which is psychotic.
RENK of France has made a superior powerpack with proper reverse gears, this makes a T-72 into a real tank or at least begins the process.
The aforementioned powerpack provides the maximum road speed of 60-70 km/h and a backing up at a speed of 4-33 km/h. The clutch and transmission brake control valve linkage has been replaced by a steering wheel, while the control system has retained both pedals. These nodes and components drastically increase the cross-country capability of T-72 and T-90 tanks. The required to replace the engine compartment is significantly reduced. It takes about 45 minutes to install the [Powerpack 350S] unit. At present, the replacement of the existing T-72 engines compartments requires about 3 days," the source said.
He added that the Powerpack 350S had already been integrated with the Polish-originated PT-91M Twardy MBTs and PT-91M-based armoured recovery vehicles (ARV) of the Malaysian Armed Forces.
According to the official specifications, the Powerpack 350S system is intended for T-72, T-90, M-84, and PT-91 MBTs, as well as for the vehicles that have a combat weight of 40-55 t. It features a powershift transmission with eight speeds forward and four speeds reverse, an electronically controlled gearbox that can be used in either manual or fully automatic control mode, a generator drive, an air compressor drive, and a fan drive with fully digital speed control. The transmission of Powerpack 350S has a dry weight of 1,800 kg, while the DI16 engine has a dry weight of 1,340 kg.
I fully agree. But the idea of reversing was always that you don’t. You don’t shoot at a target, reverse away and shoot at another other. You and your 49 buddies shoot at 20 targets, and then ~35 of you move forward. Repeat till Germany and France surrender.
It’s an entirely non-mbt philosophy to fielding tanks, and it’s demonstrably worse and has been shown to be worse repeatedly (pretty much constantly) over the decades. And they haven’t it changed it in the slightest. They’re literally doing the same with tanks as with people. Send em in, and if they make it they make it.
RENK of France has made a superior powerpack with proper reverse gears, this makes a T-72 into a real tank or at least begins the process.
Russians have always been dogshit at making engines. Imagine being so terrible at it that a French company makes an engine and transmission that’s both better AND easier to maintain.
I mean, the French sure have their issues, but I wouldn’t say they can’t make a proper armored vehicle. They know how to do that as well as pretty much anybody in the world, they also understand artillery better than almost anybody in the world, Exhibit A. being the Caesar SPG.
Hey I mean Poland apparently build a pretty good tank out of the T-72, it definitely has aspects to it that make it globally relevant but at the end of the day… especially when drones come into the picture, no not having a proper reverse gear I think actually does completely undermine the point in having a main battle tank in the first place. I would rather have all of that logistics in other supplies than a russian tank, they are worse than useless without a fast reverse gear since they cannot fulfill the battlefield role of a main battle tank at a basic tactical level in my opinion.
You can use a russian tank as a combat engineering tool to destroy enemy machine gun nests that have already been surrounded, but you cannot use them as main battle tanks. It is the equivalent of trying to use an airplane with only one wing as a bomber. It needs two wings to fly…
Or… it is like having a Queen on a chess board that can only move towards the enemy side of the board, it almost entirely eliminates the point of having your Queen in the first place, and it certainly makes your Queen into a disposable one time use asset. Yes technically your Queen still is very offensively powerful but it is more accurately described as a guided munition than an actual piece in the same way russian tanks aren’t really main battle tanks.
Comparatively an Abrams is like a proper Queen chess piece, it ideally exists the entire game moving back and forth across your forward assaults, exploiting and creating opportunities and punishing the hubris of the enemy.
There is a story of an Iraqi Abrams playing a crucial lynchpin role in defending a ridiculous number of assaults on a town by overwhelming numbers of fighters, and the Iraqi crew just got good enough that they tactically demolished them one after another. You can’t develop that kind of extreme tactical proficiency over your enemy in an inherently disposable asset such as a russian tank, especially since the crew is considered disposable as well which is psychotic.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/04/13/the-beast-of-hit-abrams-tank-plays-role-iraqi-fight-against-isis.html
https://www.reddit.com/r/TankPorn/comments/1hnlx9m/iraqi_9th_armored_division_abrams_tank_still/
RENK of France has made a superior powerpack with proper reverse gears, this makes a T-72 into a real tank or at least begins the process.
https://www.armyrecognition.com/archives/archives-land-defense/land-defense-2016/renk-france-to-promote-new-transmission-for-t-72-t-90-mbts-71711161
I fully agree. But the idea of reversing was always that you don’t. You don’t shoot at a target, reverse away and shoot at another other. You and your 49 buddies shoot at 20 targets, and then ~35 of you move forward. Repeat till Germany and France surrender.
It’s an entirely non-mbt philosophy to fielding tanks, and it’s demonstrably worse and has been shown to be worse repeatedly (pretty much constantly) over the decades. And they haven’t it changed it in the slightest. They’re literally doing the same with tanks as with people. Send em in, and if they make it they make it.
Russians have always been dogshit at making engines. Imagine being so terrible at it that a French company makes an engine and transmission that’s both better AND easier to maintain.
I mean, the French sure have their issues, but I wouldn’t say they can’t make a proper armored vehicle. They know how to do that as well as pretty much anybody in the world, they also understand artillery better than almost anybody in the world, Exhibit A. being the Caesar SPG.