Tanks have been a game-changing technology in warfare for a century, and Ukraine was the site of major tank battles in World War II. In the current Russia Ukraine war, both sides have used Soviet-era tanks, with the most numerous being updated versions of the T-72. But as the war drags on, more modern equipment is making its way to the conflict, notably the Russian T-90 main battle tank.
Currently, European NATO nations and the Biden Administration have authorized the transfer of advanced Western main battle tanks, the German Leopard 2 and the U.S. M1 Abrams. It appears that a technological showdown is shaping up between NATO and Russia in tanks and the results will likely influence tank design for years.
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Episode Transcript:
Tanks have been a game-changing technology in warfare for a century. The combination of the off-road mobility of track laying prime movers with armor plate and guns made tanks the decisive weapon at the close of World War I, and they were pivotal in both the success of the German blitzkrieg early in World War II, as well as in their eventual defeat in 1945.
In 1950, South Korea was almost lost to the North Korean surprise attack, led by T-34 tanks. U.S. M26 Pershing tanks were used to stop the North Korean advance, and the Korean War ended in 1953 as a stalemate with the two nations separated by a demilitarized zone to this day.
Wars since then have not featured large scale tank battles, either because the terrain was unfavorable, like Vietnam, or the technology mismatch was great, as during the Gulf War.
Today’s conflict in Ukraine, however, is different. The landscape is historical tank country, and Ukraine was the site of major tank battles in World War II. Up to now, both sides have used Soviet era tanks, with the most numerous being updated versions of the T-72. But as the war drags on, more modern equipment is making its way to the conflict, notably the Russian T-90 main battle tank.
Currently, European NATO nations and the Biden Administration have authorized the transfer of advanced Western main battle tanks, the German Leopard 2 and the U.S. M1 Abrams. It appears that a technological showdown is shaping up between Russia and NATO in tanks, and the results will likely influence tank design for years going forward.
There are several differences in design philosophy between Russian, German and American tanks. A major one is in the turret. Russia favors autoloading guns, removing one crewman from the turret, allowing for a crew of three. This also allows a smaller and harder to hit turret. Western tank guns are loaded by a dedicated crewman manually.
The advantage of manual loading is that the ammunition can be stored outside the tank turret, preventing the detonation of shells inside the crew compartment in case of a hit. The result of the ignition of rounds inside the turrets of Russian tanks have been devastating in Ukraine, with the turrets frequently blown off the hull and poor survival odds for the crews.
Armor in all three tanks use composites—special steel alloys—and can be fitted with explosive reactive armor, which explosively pushes against the force of an incoming round.
Armor, and the shells that attempt to penetrate it, are fascinating engineering subjects, but perhaps the most important differences between the tanks is in information systems. All modern tanks use defensive electronic countermeasures to attempt to confuse or defeat missile guidance systems, and all of these use modern connectivity to give unit commanders an overview of the real time location of friendly assets as well as those of the enemy.
The surprising effectiveness of portable, human-carried antitank missiles such as the Javelin has caused some analysts to predict the end of tanks as an effective weapon. But the conflict in Ukraine now features real time intelligence from drones, crewed aircraft and satellite surveillance as well as ground-based radars and sensitive infrared sights.
If modern armor proves to be no match for advanced anti-tank missiles, the battle may go to the side which can preserve situational awareness while jamming enemy systems that do the same thing. If Ukraine demonstrates that drones and missiles have made the main battle tank obsolete on the battlefield, it’s possible that they may re-emerge as an armored, mobile command post, coordinating attacks from autonomous land and air assets. Or, tanks themselves may become fully autonomous or be controlled remotely.
The war of the future isn’t here yet, but Ukraine is going to prove concepts that will likely change warfare forever.