It's a pair of 30mm CIWS guns, they've gotta hurt something.

I'm not sure if this Sherman ramming has been linked to already...

RE: The kludgewerk abomination

On the bright side it can be used against infantry and lighter technicals and maybe a helicopter but AK-230s won't do hardly anything to even an old T-55.

Despite all that applique armor, I really don't think it'll survive a good old fashioned SMAW or AT-4 or MAAWS round nevermind the ubiquitous RPG-7.

It's a technical. I doubt it was ever supposed to. The guns it has will provide excellent suppressive fire against most targets, even those in heavy cover. 30 millimeters is extremely substantial stuff to be chucking around in an army context and will make short work of anything other than heavy stone construction or fortification earthworks.

Also, fun little post I've been doing research for.

The last confirmed dates of action for various WW 2 tanks.

M4 Sherman and variants: 1960s, Israeli service as the ISherman.

T-34: 1995, in which a Serbian T-34/85 attacked a UN outpost in Bosnia and injured two British peacekeepers before being disabled with a LAW. There are unconfirmed reports that a US air strike destroyed a T-34/85 in the late 2000s in Afghanistan. Some were reported active in Libyan Civil War but also unconfirmed. Still in active service in Africa, North Korea, Yemen, and Albania, so the last may not have been heard from the T-34.

Panzer IV: 1949, Egyptian G models were captured by the Israelis during the Israeli war of independence. Syrian forces may have used them in the 1967 Six Day War.

Matilda II: as above; several were sighted in action by Israeli forces during the Israeli war of independence, at least one was destroyed.

R35 and Hotchkiss light tanks: served with the IDF during the Israeli war of independence.

M.13/40: one was knocked out and captured from the Egyptians by the IDF during the Israeli war of independence.

ISU-152: several were destroyed by US forces during the invasion of Iraq.

M3/M5 Stuart: Brazil used them in action as late as the 1980s, Paraguay had an M3 model slightly damaged in a fight with a 'narcotank' in 2004 and still carries the M3 in active service so we have perhaps not heard the last of the M3 either.

Cromwell: Served on both sides in the Israeli war of independence, may have been active as late as the 1970 War of Attrition.

edited 2nd Mar '15 6:29:25 AM by Night

I've heard that Panzer IV were used by Syrian forces as late as the Six-Day War in 1967.

So have I, but I can't find any photos or first-hand accounts. I'll add it, though.

edited 2nd Mar '15 6:28:24 AM by Night

As defensive pillboxes because the tanks were in such deteriorated and decrepit old shape that they couldn't get anywhere under their own power. Naturally they would've been hit by the IAF instead of engaged by the Sho't or Super Sherman.

Ah, there was a thread: King Tiger vs M1 Abrams. Such silliness.

Most of the post-war German tanks fell victim to their over-engineering. But at the time a lot of World War Two arms were dirt cheap. Honduras had P-51's well into The '80s.

The IDF had no choice but to turn Shermans into the 105mm beast because M-48 and M-60 tanks were in short supply until Operation Nickel Glass.

Most of the Panzers probly got cut up after the USSR poured T-55 and T-64's into the Middle East.

Syrian Panzer IV were used during the Water War in 1967; there they were engaged by Centurion tanks.

Yeah I remember that. All that contortioning to make it seem like the Konigstiger had a chance.

You seem to have discovered the best kept secret in the history of the Cold War. That the Russians exported their most advanced tanks ever built prior to the T-72A to the Middle East.

I'm pretty sure you meant T-62.

edited 3rd Mar '15 5:08:07 AM by MajorTom

I thought we established in the military thread some time ago that a King Tiger could totally take down an Abrams.

If the Abrams never moved. Or got a single hit. And was missing all it's reactive armor. And half it's crew. And was on fire.

And if it's armor was so defective that it was crumbling under it's own weight.

Then I guess it's a race between the fire and manufacturing defects now isn't it?

Or they could team up in a sort-of Abrams-killing Avengers.

The adventures of the King Tiger and it's lifelong companion the engine compartment fire.

I can dig it.

What if, instead of nerfing the Abrams, we buff the king tiger, like a lot, with a modern technology, a new engine, a new chassis, new armor, and a new gun.

And call it the Leopard 2A7?

The worst part of that? It could totally be about just the King Tiger while it constantly has breakdowns and engine fires.

A King Tiger could totally take an Abrams, if you mounted a bunch of modern anti-tank missiles to the turret.

See! Contortioning!

Thanks Major Tom, I got the two confused. Yeah, the T-62 and it's various copies sent most buckets of Nazi bolts to either pillbox duty or the scrap dealers.

edited 3rd Mar '15 5:49:51 PM by TairaMai

The Russian military sure loves its thermobaric rocket tanks.

The Buratino is growing numerous.

Given how effective the Russians have found the weapon system to be I am not surprised. The article was decent with a minor nitpick. The mechanisms for damage are overpressure and heat not lack of oxygen. The oxygen deprivation in an area is part of the over pressure mechanic not a wounding mechanic in and of itself. The second part of the effect is an incendiary one. The weapon causes numerous and extensive thermal damage over a fairly large area. So basically it is a HE blast weapon turned up to 11.

A 'Crushing' Victory: Fuel-Air Explosives and Grozny 2000