The age of the tank is not yet over.

Stuart Crawford

23 April 2022

14 min

BLUF

This article from a former LtCol in the Royal Tank Regiment argues that tanks still have a role in coordinated combined arms groups, including infantry in Infantry Fighting Vehicles, recce vehicles, engineers, artillery and air defence.

Summary

This article makes the following points:

The conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the war in Ukraine have focused attention on the main battle tank’s role.
It’s a continuous see-saw battle between tank protection levels, and the potency of weapons designed to defeat that protection.
Bigger guns versus thicker armour or active armour that intercepts incoming missiles.
In Ukraine, Russia has the technology to defeat many anti-tank weapons, but they haven’t been used or didn’t work.
Russian tanks lacked logistic support, air superiority and air defence cover.
Cheap mobile cannon/ laser systems can knock down drones.
The Ukrainians have dispersed and conserved their aircraft, using them at the right place and time.