Friday, February 17, 2017
BATTLE TANKS THEN AND NOW
Incredible images show tanks on the streets as striking workers in 1919 raised fears UK would go the same way as Russia had two years earlier
100 years ago the first tanks rumbled into faltering action on the Somme at the start of a century in which they became one of the world's most effective weapons of war
The Army are planning to cut its number of front line tanks by up to a third, leaving Britain with fewer than Serbia, Russia and only a few more than Switzerland.As MailOnline reported earlier this month hundreds of Ajax mini-tanks are due to be supplied to the Army next year with the full order of 600 delivered to the Ministry of Defence by 2024 costing around £3.5billion.The Ajax armoured vehicles will travel at speeds of up to 40mph and have been touted as the first ever fully digital armoured fighting vehicle in UK military history.
The FCS was the most expensive, most ambitious, and most transformative modernization program ever undertaken by the U.S. Army. It is often hypothesized that the U.S. experience in the first Gulf War of 1991 and in the NATO Kosovo intervention of 1999, led to the desire for a more rapidly deployable U.S. Army expeditionary force.
British military intelligence officers have issued a warning over a new Russian 'super tank' which they claim is far superior to anything which is available to Nato.
The document claims that Britain's Challenger II main battle tank could be overpowered by the Kremlin's new Armata tank.
Officials believe the new Russian tank is 'revolutionary' and blames the government for failing to provide a proper response.
Russia displayed its new Armata main battle tank at the Victory Day parade in Red Square in May this year
The new tank has several highly advanced features including an un-manned turret which makes the machine safer for crews
Military analysts have warned the tank is more advanced than Nato's current heavy armour including Britain's Challenger II
The new Armata is the first Russian tank which considered the crew's ability to survive
The current policy is to not consider a new main battle tank for at least 20 years as heavy armour is not suited to countering the threat posed by lightly-armed Jihadis.
According to the Sunday Telegraph, the internal military document said: 'Without hyperbole, Armata represents the most revolutionary step change in tank design in the last half century.' 'Unsurprisingly, the tank has caused a sensation.'
The Russians showed off their new Armata tank at the annual May Day parade.
Intelligence experts believe the new Russian tank has a lower profile than Western heavy armour, is faster and lighter.
The turret has the ability to self-load its ammunition, including high explosive and armour piercing rounds. It also has the ability to fire anti-tank missiles.
British officials believed the main battle tank was obsolete and ineffective against jihadis
British defence planners had initially decided to abandon plans to replace the Challenger II
Also, the Russian machine has an unmanned turret and for the first time, Russian tank designers have considered the the ability for their crews to survive a hit as part of their design.
The document also assesses the Russian tank's potential armament and claims it could be far superior to the current Nato offerings.
It adds: 'For the first time, a fully automated, digitised, unmanned turret has been incorporated into a main battle tank. And for the first time a tank crew is embedded within an armoured capsule in the hull front.'
The document warns that Vladimir Putin presents a threat to countries surrounding his borders and this new tank will be crucial to his expansionist aims.
The Armata is the first totally new Russian tank since the introduction of the T-72 in 1973.
The crew of three is smaller than most Nato tanks who normally have four people on board.
The vehicle's hull is made from steel, ceramics and composite materials. It is also protected by explosive reactive armour.
The tank's 125mm main gun loads itself an is capable of firing anti-tank missiles.
The missiles have a range of approximately five miles.
Western government have expressed concern about the Russian government's attempt to replace much of the Soviet Union.
Nato has accused Moscow of trying to undermine the former Soviet states such as its policy towards Ukraine.
Officials from the military alliance have expressed concern over Russia's intentions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said: ' he truth is, however, that Russia is not going to attack anyone, that’s ridiculous.’
Putin has ordered the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean do enable airstrikes in Syria
Russian leader Vladimir Putin, pictured, has been accused of trying to undermine the US presidential electiion.
He added: ‘Russia values its independence and own identity
‘We don’t want world domination or expansion or confrontation with anyone.’
Mr Putin’s assurance came as Russia launched a new super stealth submarine which will be deployed to the Black Sea.
The Veliky Novgorod is the latest addition to the Balck Sea fleet and is capable of striking land, sea and underwater targets.
And pictures also emerged of of elite Russian ‘super’ soldiers dressed in black who can parachute out of a plane before using special equipment to plunge 100ft below water with underwater machine guns.
Putin’s Special Operations Forces divers are armed with night vision goggles and underwater submachine guns APS and SPP-1, which can send bullets several metres through the water.
Video footage showed them swimming for long distances below the water before coming onto land to launch an assault.
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon announced on Wednesday that Britain would send warplanes, drones, tanks and 800 troops to Eastern Europe to deter Russian aggression.
The armoured force, deployed next year, will be part of the Nato’s biggest military build-up in the region since the Cold War.
British troops took part in international military drills in Germany yesterday in a show of force.
RAF pilots joined forces with seven other EU allies for a major exercise involving 600 troops from across the continent.
The unit will test the NATO member’s readiness to deploy a multi-national task force at short notice.
The start of the exercise saw British troops from RAF Leeming’s 90 Signals Unit establish communications, navigation aids, a mobile air traffic control tower and mobile radar facilities at the fictional air base in southern Germany.
Personnel from 1 Air Control Centre then set up a temporary landing zone and provided enemy air activity warnings in the staged drill.
They provided enemy air activity warnings and directed helicopters, fighter jets and drones to their landing targets.
Last month,Putin ordered the deployment of the aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean to continue his was war in support of Bashar Al-Assad.
Also, Putin has been accused of attempting to interfere with the US election process by hacking into the emails of senior members of the democratic party.
The tanks undertake three laps of the circuit, firing at targets as they circle the track, in the ultimate test of complex tank training.
It is an annual event that has taken place since 2013, when only Russia, Kazhakstan, Belarus contested the title - won by the former.
But the competition has now expanded to 12 nations, with the likes of China and India joining in, although nobody has yet been able to topple the Russians.
The main tournament takes place during August, but several military divisions were trying their hand at qualifying today in order to compete for their countries.
Images show the rugged vehicles in action as they stormed around the course at the Sergeyevsky training ground, in Russia's Primorye Territory.
Fire in the hole: A T-72B1 tank crew of the Russian Eastern Military District's 5th Combined Arms Army competes in an individual race at a qualifying round
Shots fired: The same team fire at another target as they compete to represent Russia at the full tournament in the summer
Flying the flag: Servicemen of the Russian Eastern Military District's 5th Combined Arms Army hold up flags and banners as they cheer on their comrades who are going around the track
Taking on the course: A T-72B1 tank crew of the Russian Airborne Troops' 83rd Guards Air Assault Brigade competes in one of the races
All done: Crew members of T-72B1 tank crew dismount from the their vehicle after completing their heat. It is an annual event that has taken place since 2013, when only Russia, Kazhakstan, Belarus contested the title - won by the former
Explosive power: A T-72B1 tank crew of the Russian Eastern Military District's 5th Combined Arms Army fires a missile. The competition has expanded to 12 nations, with the likes of China and India joining in
Gearing up: Two competitors get into their tank as they prepare to take part in the qualifying heats
Birds eye: An aerial view of a T-72B1 as it lets off a shot during one of the races. The course has mostly been cleared but some leftover snow can still be seen on the terrain
Wave to the crowd: Two crew members wave to the crowd following their heat at the event. The main tournament takes place during August, but several military divisions were trying their hand at qualifying today in order to compete for their countries
Double act: Another pair gear up to take part in the course, which is three laps of a 10km course, firing at targets as the circle the track, in the ultimate test of complex tank training
Smooth dismount: Another competitor hops down from his tank after completing his race. Nobody has yet been able to defeat the Russians at the proper tournament in the summer
At first glance, they look like any other military vehicle.
However, Russian army bosses have revealed their latest range of weapons - and they are all inflatable.
The blow up battalions are designed to bamboozle satellites and surveillance aircraft into thinking forces are more powerful than they actually are.
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Aleksei A. Komarov of Rusbal, a hot air balloon company that also provides Russia's Ministry of Defense with everything from tanks, jets and missile launchers - all in inflatable form. Here, he is stood next to a life sized mock a Mig-31 workers had just inflated in a field outside Sergeev Posad, 50 miles to the north of Moscow, where their factory is located.
'If you study the major battles of history, you see that trickery wins every time,' Aleksei A. Komarov of Rusbal, a hot air balloon company that also provides Russia's Ministry of Defense with everything from tanks, jets and missile launchers - all in inflatable form, told the New York Times.
The decoys, made of material rather than rubber, are designed to appear lifelike from as close as 300 yards, yet be able to vanish in minutes.
Employees prepare to inflate a copy of a Mig-31 in a field outside Sergeev Posad, 50 miles to the north of Moscow, where their factory is located.
The fullsize mock of a Mig-31takes around five minutes to inflate fully, the firm says.
The inflatable T-80 tank, one of the company's standard products, weighs 154 pounds, costs about $16,000, and is delivered in two duffel bags.
It can inflate and deflate in about five minutes.
Russia's new fighting force includes tanks, complete with gun barrels, an S-300 missile launching truck, MiG fighter jets and entire radar stations.
Manufacturer Rusbal has been dealing with defence bosses since 1995 but refused to say how many air-filled models have been made, sold and deployed.
Employees looked on after having inflated a fullsize mock of a Mig-31 in a field outside Sergeev Posad, 50 miles to the north of Moscow.
Employees inflated a life sized mock of a S300 rocket system next to a fullsize mock of a Mig-31 they had just inflated in a field outside Sergeev Posad, 50 miles to the north of Moscow, where their factory is located.
A hot air balloon enthusiast founded Rusbal in 1993 and later diversified into bouncy castles.
On its website, the firm now offers a huge range of military vehicles.
However, the technique is not new.
During World War I Britain mocked up wooden tanks which were towed around the country by horses, using a set of concealed wheels behind their pretend tracks.
And in World War II disused British airfields were dressed up like military runways, complete with dummy planes and fuel resources, to confuse German bombers and soldiers.
'There was a lot of skepticism at first,' Maria A. Oparina, the director of Rusbal and daughter of the founder, told the times.
The firm refuses to reveal its sales figures, but say its output has shot up in the last year.
Workers inflate a model of a Russian S-300 long range surface-to-air missile system at the compound of the RusBal balloon manufacturer outside Moscow. The small firm produces infrared and radar reflective inflatable dummy targets in 1:1 ratio that are designed for the Russian military and the international defence market.
Another Russian firm, Rusbal, created this dummy of a truck, designed to look like the real thing from the air
A Mig 31 (left) and an SU 27 (right) - or so it would seem at first glance.
The factory now employs 80 people full time, most sewing inflatable weapons which the firm also exports.
It made about $3 million worth of inflatable decoys of the S-300 antiaircraft missile system to sell to Iran, but was left holding the goods when the Russian government suspended the sale of the actual missile system because of United Nations sanctions.
Posted by ASC at 12:39 PM