Military of China, force comment.
Military of China, force comment.

Photo: People’s Liberation Army columns installed 99 new change of main battle tanks data map: Leopard-2A7 main battle tanks

World Network reported that South Korea’s military website” South Korea military defense network, “published an article on July 22, 2012, to Saudi Arabia to determine the impact of purchasing German-made Leopard 2A7 main battle tanks and active duty tank of the future prospects for the development of urban warfare is analyzed. The article says that the two series of the Leopard main battle tank, the latest model, the main urban warfare “Leopard” 2A7 This indicates that Saudi Arabia purchased large quantities of urban warfare, or will become the main direction of development of the future main battle tanks. In contrast, China is now the latest tanks are still the product of the idea of ??traditional tank, there are serious limitations in the fire, upgrade space. Chinese tanks or difficult to adapt to the future of urban warfare, requires the development of existing models.

First of all, the Leopard 2A7 won Saudi Arabia’s largest single indicative of future tank or main urban warfare.

seemingly unrelated things is likely to exist intrinsically linked. Recently, Syria’s domestic situation gradually into chaos, the government troops and opposition gradually into the major cities, urban warfare. Almost at the same time, Saudi Arabia to finalize value of $ 12.6 billion, purchasing 600-800 German-made Leopard 2A7 main battle tanks, military procurement contracts. The former indicates that, in the foreseeable period of time, urban warfare, this has long been regarded as “non-mainstream” form of combat will gradually become the Army’s future combat mode. Special tanks like the Leopard 2A7 main cities such as war, not only will become the darling of the arms market, will also become the future direction of development of main battle tanks. Through a number of “abnormal” or to understand the future direction of development of the urban battle tanks Leopard 2A7 tanks.

“Leopard” 2A7 as the world’s most advanced main battle tanks of the urban warfare, and its technical characteristics reflect the actual needs of the urban warfare at the present stage. As a main urban warfare battle tank, the Leopard 2A7 is used by the Leopard 2A5 44 caliber 120mm smoothbore tank gun. This is mainly because of a shorter gun barrel can effectively reduce the overall size of the tank, to facilitate effective maneuver in the city’s limited road. In contrast, the Leopard 2A6 55-caliber tank gun barrel longer than 44 times the caliber artillery 1.3 m clear of flexibility. In addition, it is noteworthy that, far as the artillery in terms of, the Leopard 2A7 is still a tank of both conventional warfare, the importance of the progressive upgrading of urban warfare, urban warfare battle tank will be equipped with a special type of urban War artillery, rather than existing artillery. Can imagine that this program is similar to the US-made M60A2 main battle tanks and the Sheridan “airborne tank with 155mm missile/artillery dual-use artillery.

In addition to the artillery outside, the Leopard 2A7 of the other technical features is the first time the remote weapon station as tanks, the first original equipment. Leopard 2A7 countries in the primary urban warfare upgrade of main battle tanks, only by passive thickening the turret at the top of armored to withstand the injection of anti-tank rocket or missile from building windows, while the actual proof of this is a neither a temporary nor a permanent cure practices; more positive approach is to make the tank to get a full range of firepower, especially on a hemisphere-wide. The face of the enemy maneuver between buildings, lack of basic armor protection anti-tank group, heavy machine guns as the main firepower of the remote weapon station is enough. The biggest challenge is the need to make the weapon station to get a higher sensitivity, so that it can keep up with the pace of the movement of highly mobile anti-tank group, at this stage in Germany developed the high sensitivity weapons stations, as well as the Leopard 2 series main battle the tank’s original high-end fire control system undoubtedly can effectively meet the needs of sensitivity.

Second, China’s existing tank technology to domestic tanks difficult to apply to the urban warfare environment.

compared to the great technological achievements of the German main battle tanks in urban warfare, in the same area or face many technical limitations. The existing fleet of main battle tanks, 96 and Type 99 main battle tanks have two interrelated but relatively independent of the equipment system, the relationship between the two is somewhat similar to the Russian military in the T-72 and T -80 main battle tanks. Chinese-made main battle tanks with all of the world is equipped with main battle tanks, beginning in the design did not give much thought to the demand for urban warfare, but similar to the Russian-made tanks, the existing tanks in China there are some limitations, resulting in its or difficult to upgrade, to adapt to the urban warfare combat environment.

the beginning of the birth of the Type 99 main battle tanks, China has been claimed that this tank with a new domestic welded turret, while the main battle tank sharp edges and corners of the turret seems to be confirmed in China this argument. But the pictures show, the domestic military sites published by a group of 99 main battle tank turret overhaul Western welded turret the turret of the tank in the traditional sense there are essentially different, the basic structure is smaller cast or welded turret around mount a large number of modular armor. This structure allows the tank with reference to a different level of threat to different defense capabilities through a simple improvement. But the problem is that the structure of the turret interior space is quite limited, and we all know, as the standard equipment of urban warfare battle tank remote weapon station is still difficult to integrate to the overall fire control system of the tank, which means that in the turret internal proprietary operating system to install a remote weapon station, the Chinese-style welded turret with limited internal space is undoubtedly difficult to meet this demand.

main battle tanks, another urban warfare upgrade the technical limitations of its body. Body size from the point of view, 96 tanks basic and Russian-made T-72 is similar to the Type 99 is similar to T-80. Although the Type 99 main battle tank history in development of three batches so far, its body structure has experienced an increase integration process, but its body to increase all around the engine upgrade commence, and the upgrading of urban warfare the most critical battle room is not effective to increase the upgrade. This means that even the latest model of the Type 99 main battle tanks, and its payload is also difficult to get in 40 rounds on the basis of the original breakthrough. Face urban warfare complex and diverse objectives, and difficult to guarantee in the early stage of urban warfare, logistics, the size of their own payload directly determine the strength of the tanks in urban warfare environment, sustained combat capability. Thus, Chinese-made main battle tanks, even though urban warfare upgrade its continued operational capability will be limited, which leads to this negative result, it is the tank the most difficult to improve the overall structure.

, Chinese tanks and usage patterns of domestic tanks difficult to adapt to the urban warfare environment.

in the first Chechen war, Russia deployed high-end performance of the T-80 main battle tanks in urban warfare in Grozny environment losses, a similar situation also occurs in Israel and Hezbollah’s urban warfare, has always been advertised in the high-end defense capabilities of the “Merkava” -4 suffered serious losses. Important reason is that these consequences of main battle tanks in urban warfare environment, not with the infantry effective coordination, and the tank itself lack of the necessary urban war, and then almost did not fight back in face of the enemy anti-tank group of flexible Strike the power. To address this critical issue, in addition to the primary measures of a thoroughly urban warfare upgrade of main battle tanks, main battle tanks and infantry is the most fundamental means of integration of urban warfare. However, the usage patterns of the Chinese tanks or face many limitations when carrying out such integration.

In the urban warfare environment, the urban warfare, main battle tanks as the fulcrum of one’s own fire system exists. In this operational environment, one’s own need to get as small as a pistol, grenades, and large to the full range of fire of artillery shells and anti-tank missiles. In this system, the role of tanks bear the high-end firepower to play on the low end of firepower to carry out the necessary fire support. This makes urban warfare synergies put forward higher requirements for main battle tanks and other equipment to communicate effectively and firepower. At this stage, the armored forces of the Chinese army is still in the main battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, the primary consolidation stage, infantry fighting vehicles transport infantry into the high-risk battlefield environment to support the tanks combat, but between the tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, as well as a single infantry not to establish direct contacts, which undoubtedly will greatly reduce the body’s integration of combat with tanks, great emphasis on the operational flexibility of urban warfare is undoubtedly difficult to accept.

In addition, it should be pointed out highlights of the tank urban warfare mission in the tank to the overall development process, can be regarded as a kind of “reverse development”. In the golden age of development as a tank during World War II, long battle of infantry tanks and main battle tanks. While the representative of France, countries stick to the concept of infantry tanks hold, suffered defeat in the face of the founding of the German main battle tanks and other countries, without exception. The problem is that when the tanks involved in the Brest fortress battle is not the essential difference between the original city of the Battle of Stalingrad wartime, the mutual support between the tanks and infantry combat mode and early infantry tanks thinking. And this in World War II, the Cold War did not get enough attention to the phenomenon of “reverse development” has become mainstream. Whether real-time aware of this trend as a still impunity for the stereotype of the “Continental Army”, and then in the technical development of existing tanks to adjust the use of development and development patterns, will become the future Chinese army’s ability to use combat tanks an important condition. (Compiled: Spring)

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