(Europa) Streitkräfte der russischen Föderation

[Quintus Fabius]

Über russische Panzerfahrzeuge:

https://rusi.org/explore-our-research/pu...g-vehicles

Technical Reflections on Russia’s Armoured Fighting Vehicles

What Does It All Mean?

The first point to note is that every single tank design is a series of compromises. It is the responsibility of the design team to balance mobility, firepower, and protection to meet the customer’s needs. Because of this, Russian and Soviet tanks are not inherently flawed, the autoloader was a conscious decision made to improve mobility and provide enough protection for its original role. They have certain weaknesses in modern warfare, but all designs will have some weakness, be that weight, cost, firepower, or limited protection. In sum, the perfect tank doesn’t exist.

The second point is that this article does not cover Russia’s other armoured fighting vehicles, such as the BMP-3 and BTR-82 infantry fighting vehicles (IFV). These vehicles typically have favoured protection to the front, and rarely carry the advanced composite armours of Western IFVs, which would enable them to withstand heavy machine gun and cannon fire to the sides. They often lack mine blast protection too, which places them at a disadvantage when an opponent is comfortable using land mines and improvised explosive devices. However, the same caveats apply as with tanks: they are designed to be used in a certain way that emphasises their strengths in firepower and mobility.

The third and final point is the need to consider of Russian tactics and doctrine, which typically emphasise combined arms operations with a view to creating opportunities for artillery and close air support to deliver overwhelming force onto an opponent. Mission command – the delegation of authority and creativity to the lowest levels – rarely features in Russian training. This means that armoured formations operating independently from their supporting arms are probably doing something that they are not trained to do. It is difficult to overstate the importance of this factor, and failure to take it into account has previously led analysts to incorrectly write off Russian-made armour.

For example, the poor performance of Iraq’s Russian-made T-72 tanks during Operation Desert Storm led many analysts to question their utility against Western main battle tanks. However, subsequent simulations of the Battle of 73 Easting run using the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory’s JANUS system showed that when the Iraqi crews were modelled as using effective combined arms tactics including reconnaissance and infantry support, they inflicted 50 vehicle losses – over 70% of the 2nd Armoured Cavalry Regiment’s strength at the battle – despite losing overall. This was despite the model incorporating the M1 Abrams’ advantages in areas such as range and thermal sights, as well as the effects of US air supremacy. Overall, Russian armour is relatively capable; it must contend with past design decisions that can expose the crew to risk, but images of destroyed tanks rarely provide an idea of the impact that vehicles had upon the fighting before they were destroyed. It is therefore important to put Russian armour into context and understand that it is likely more capable at a technical level than the war in Ukraine suggests.

Anbei noch eine kurze Anmerkung: in der Ukraine operiert auch eine kleinere Zahl von neuesten russischen Kampfpanzern, T-90M, von diesen wurde bis dato noch kein einziger abgeschossen, auch interessant. Das hängt natürlich an einem ganzen Faktorenbündel, beispielsweise dürften die BTG welche diese Panzer haben auch sonst im Schnitt wesentlich besser ausgerüstet und trainiert sein und die Panzer dürften daher auf ausgesuchte Eliteeinheiten konzentriert sein etc