BLUF
Michael Shoebridge writing for the Strategist, argues that recent conflicts in the Ukraine and Azerbaijan has demonstrated that cheap drones can sometimes stop expensive tanks.Summary
Michael Shoebridge makes the following points:
- In the current Russo-Ukraine conflict, the Ukrainian forces have managed to destroy Russian tanks using lightweight missiles and the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 UAV.
- In 2020 Azerbaijan used drones to stop an Armenian armoured vehicle attack.
- Israel has reevaluated the role of tanks in manoeuvre warfare.
- Shoebridge suggests that the Australian Government might need to reevaluate the role of tanks in the ADF.
The magazine Interesting Engineering suggests that:
- The Russian are losing mainly older armoured vehicles such as the fifty-year-old tank the T-72.
- When reporting Russian armoured losses, Ukraine uses the term tank to cover different types of armoured vehicles.
- Russia's real problem is its inability to supply and maintain its stockpile of military hardware.
Note:
When evaluating a news item try to guard against Cognitive Bias? (verywellmind.com)
'A cognitive bias is a systematic error in thinking that occurs when people are processing and interpreting information in the world around them and affects the decisions and judgments that they make.'
Very Well Mind notes the following signs that you might be subject to cognitive bias:
- Only paying attention to news stories that confirm your opinions
- Assuming that everyone else shares your opinions or beliefs
- Learning a little about a topic and then assuming you know all there is to know about it
References
Recent Runway Posts related to this topic:
- RUSSIAN-UKRAINE CONFLICT—RAAF RUNWAY COLLECTION
- RAAF RUNWAY: RATIONALE, GUIDELINES, LEARNING OUTCOMES, ETC.
References from the Web:
- OCT 2020 Cheap drones versus expensive tanks: a battlefield game-changer? | The Strategist (aspistrategist.org.au)
- Mar 2022 Russia is losing a lot of tanks in Ukraine, but why? (interestingengineering.com)
Source: International Institute for Strategic Studies
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