Article

2022-04-29 Science & Technology

The Russian tank design flaw that makes them 'mobile coffins': Multiple shells stored together means even an indirect hit can spark chain reaction and set off an explosion

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Posted by Skidmark 2022-04-29 00:00|| || Front Page|| [14 views ] Top

#1 ...We pretty much knew this fifty years ago when the first generations of Soviet tanks with automatic loaders came out - that's why the shells are in that 'carousel'. Of course, it's understood that to this day the autoloaders still aren't quite perfect, because from time to time they still try and load one of the crew members.

What should be terrifying - and enraging - Russian tank crew members is this: see those boxes on the tank's exterior? They're for Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA). Short version is that if they get hit by something, they explode outwards, cancelling out the effect of the hit. Now, missiles like JAVELIN have a double warhead which can defeat them, but they still provide considerable protection against garden-variety RPGs, artillery/cannon rounds, and some ATGMs. (They don't do much against the A-10's cannon, because they might stop the first round but they won't do much against the other hundred or so coming right behind it.)

The thing is that there's pics out there of destroyed Russian tanks where the ERA boxes have been blown open by whatever killed it.

And the boxes were empty.

Mike

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2022-04-29 07:08|| 2022-04-29 07:08|| Front Page Top

#2 Of course, it's understood that to this day the autoloaders still aren't quite perfect, because from time to time they still try and load one of the crew members.

LOL, my senior thesis in High school was on the difference between the soviet mindset of quantity vs the NATO one of quality. One of the articles I read mentioned the autoloader's tendency to grab the gunner's arm and attempt to load it. The next line of the article was and I quote as I remember it vividly, "Supposedly, this has been fixed."

Posted by Silentbrick 2022-04-29 07:13|| 2022-04-29 07:13|| Front Page Top

#3 Oh, and that was in 1989

Posted by Silentbrick 2022-04-29 09:17|| 2022-04-29 09:17|| Front Page Top

#4 Massive corruption revealed, and obviously widespread. But also simple reality of not actually having massive inventory sustainment funding, hence empty ERA containers. Maintenance of any system in the Soviet/Russian inventory is always suspect, but conscript soldier, weak NCO corps, and slavishly pliant junior officers don't make for confidence in actual operation readiness.

Posted by NoMoreBS 2022-04-29 12:01|| 2022-04-29 12:01|| Front Page Top

#5 /\ When I first read of the Soviets using ethanol
in vehicle hydraulics and the soldiers straining it through bread to get drunk...

Posted by magpie 2022-04-29 12:59|| 2022-04-29 12:59|| Front Page Top

#6 ^^^^
God, I remembered filtered Listerine mouthwash through a 1/2 loaf of french bread from the commissary, cut with Welch's grape drink... USMC 1969

Posted by NoMoreBS 2022-04-29 13:13|| 2022-04-29 13:13|| Front Page Top

#7 Well Somebody had a late night checking hydraulic fluid levels.

Anyone else catch that video of the gal in the loading position in a M1? Took like a minute to load and almost managed to breech he hand. One of the comments was like, "That took long enough to step out of the tank and have my last smoke." Hopefully it was one of those 'Trying something new LOL' videos and not 'Hey check me out in my MO!' vids.

Posted by swksvolFF 2022-04-29 14:17|| 2022-04-29 14:17|| Front Page Top

#8 And another nice thing about the T-72 is not only is there ammunition stored around the turret, the fuel is under that! So one boom leads to another!

These tanks were made for conscripts. You can always get new conscripts.

Posted by DarthVader 2022-04-29 14:25|| 2022-04-29 14:25|| Front Page Top

#9 Talkin' T-72; gonna have secondaries.

Posted by swksvolFF 2022-04-29 14:27|| 2022-04-29 14:27|| Front Page Top

#10 #5 #6, Also recall it was popular with Soviet airforces to report that they were experiencing "icing" which would then give cover for draining out the deicing agent to filter and then consume. Tasty.

Posted by Rex Mundi 2022-04-29 16:18|| 2022-04-29 16:18|| Front Page Top

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