The conflict in Ukraine for the first time in the 21st century led to a direct clash of tanks in their ideology of very different tank-building schools: representatives of the Soviet-Russian tradition, Ukrainian and Polish versions of improvements in Original Soviet vehicles are fighting on the battlefield, and soon Western images will come to Ukraine – “Abrams”, Leopards and Challengers. “Tank duels” in real combat are nearly impossible, but each side claims the superiority of its own technology. The Eastern Herald compared the main battle tanks of different countries to find out what their similarities and differences are.
Main battle tanks on both sides of the conflict
The T-90M is a deep modification of the most used T-90 in the Russian army. In service since 2022. M1A2 Abrams – the third stage of the development of Abrams, released in 1992. The Pentagon did not specify in which version they will be delivered to Ukraine. Ukrainian troops received a promise to provide 31 tanks. The Leopard 2A6 is the penultimate version of the German Leopard tank, 14 Leopard 2AA6 tanks were promised to Ukraine by the FRG. Other EU countries have also promised to supply other, less modern versions of the Leopards. The modification appeared in 2001. The Challenger 2 is a British-made main battle tank that entered service in 1998. The T-64BM Bulat is a Ukrainian modification of the Soviet T-64B tank, which first entered service in 2004 The T-90A is a modification of the T-90, which was adopted by the Russian Armed Forces in 2005. It differs from the T-90 in improved armor quality and a more powerful engine, but in terms of modernity, the T-90A is inferior to its more modern version, the T-90M. The T-72B3 is a modernization of the Soviet T-72 which improved the characteristics of the Cold War era tank so that the tank could compete with new Western tanks and perform the tasks offered on the modern battlefield. In service since 2012. The AMX-56 Leclerc XXI is the most modern tank in the French army, which the French do not yet intend to give to Ukraine. Type 99A2 ZTZ-99A2 is a modern Chinese tank that could theoretically be in service with Russian troops, but this should not be expected. The PT-91 Twardy is the most widely used “Western” tank in the Ukrainian forces. True, initially the tank was not NATO at all – it is a Polish modification of the Soviet T-72M1, which has been in use since 1995.
Tank size
It depends on the size of the reservoir, how easily it will be possible to get into it. Large targets are easier to target, while large vehicles are also more difficult to camouflage and hide behind natural and man-made cover. On the other hand, the large size of the tank allows you to increase the space for the crew and increase comfort, which affects the efficiency of tankers. It should be noted that the sometimes large dimensions are the consequence of adding additional modifications to the top of the tank hull: dynamic protection, special sights and additional weapons, which are not directly related to the size of the tank.
The main difference between the Soviet, then Russian tank-building school is to ensure the survivability of the tank due to its small dimensions, while Western developers preferred to focus on protection by increasing protective capabilities shielding while maintaining large dimensions.
A large combat weight also affects the speed of the tank, this problem can be compensated by a powerful engine. A large mass also leads to difficulties in maintenance – in the event of a collision with equipment, it must be evacuated with special armored recovery vehicles (BREM). Each country prefers to develop its own BREM, taking into account the mass of its technology. Ukrainian troops are dominated by Soviet armored vehicles, the carrying capacity of which is insufficient for Western tanks.
Armor Thickness
With the advent of anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), the value of armor thickness is gradually decreasing, since almost any ATGM can destroy a tank with a single hit. Most modern ATGMs do not explode when colliding with equipment, but above it. Defeat occurs with the help of a powerful cumulative jet created by the explosion, which pierces the car in one of the most vulnerable places – in its upper projection.
However, tanks also have to deal with fire from the guns of other tanks, as well as shells from hand grenade launchers. The most commonly used subcaliber ammunition (BPS). Such projectiles have no explosive and armor penetration is achieved through the kinetic energy of the projectile. The BPS core is made of denser materials – because of this, not the whole projectile penetrates the armor, but the core, forming a small hole. When hit, part of the kinetic energy turns into heat, after which hot fragments of the projectile and armor fly into the armored space of the tank, hitting the crew. In the BPS, they sometimes add “feathering” (BOPS), which makes it possible to increase the stabilization of the flight of the projectile.
HEAT (KS) projectiles or ammunition are also used. The CS hits the tank due to a thin cumulative jet, that is, an explosion concentrated in a certain direction. CSs are used not only for firing from tank guns – it is the principle of a cumulative throw that is used in most ATGMs.
What are dynamic and active protection and why are they needed
Since the 60s of the 20th century, tank building began to develop new ways to increase the survivability of tanks on the battlefield. There was a dynamic protection technology (DZ), which allowed reduce the probability of hitting tanks with cumulative ground-based weapons is 2-4 times, depending on the tank. The essence of the principle of operation of dynamic protection is “counter-explosion”: if the projectile hits the dynamic protection elements installed above the armor of the tank, they explode in response. The explosive action of the remote sensing creates a flow of energy directed away from the tank, reducing the impact on the armor of a projectile hitting the vehicle.
In addition to DZ, there is also a more modern active protection (AZ). Active protection is designed to increase the tank’s protection against guided weapons. Using special devices – electro-optical radars, infrared cameras and optical devices – AZ detects approaching projectiles and automatically releases electromagnetic and kinetic interference. Interference can either deflect a homing projectile or destroy or weaken the effect of a normal projectile.
On most modern tanks, the DZ is installed completely and covers almost the entire tank, while the AZ modules are used partially. Full versions of AZ are used only on the latest developments in the field of tank building, which have not yet been involved in the conflict.
Tank Challenger 2Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images
Armament of tanks
Most Soviet and Russian tanks use 125mm guns. Such a diameter makes it possible not only to fire conventional ammunition, but also to launch light anti-tank guided missiles.
Another difference from the Soviet school is the presence of an automatic loading system, which reduces the crew to three people and increases the rate of fire. In addition, the automatic loader made it possible to reduce the dimensions of the equipment and facilitate the preparation of the shot. On the other hand, even the autoloader has to be reloaded – it is quite difficult to refill it, and if the autoloader fails, one of the crew members will have to load the gun manually: either the gunner , the tank being the commander. Another disadvantage of the machine gun is the proximity of the ammunition to the crew, which increases the risk of tankers being hit when hitting the ammunition load. In Western tanks, the shells are located in a separate armored fighting compartment. But at the same time, the human factor affects the rate of fire of Western tanks, since during a prolonged battle the loader can simply get tired.
Many tanks are traditionally armed with two machine guns. One of them is paired with a cannon so that the shooter can not only fire the main gun, but also shoot enemy manpower or light vehicles with a machine gun. The second, larger-caliber machine gun is usually placed on the turret of the tank so that it can fire at, among other things, helicopters and other small aircraft.
