Is the age of tanks over ?

[Zapper]

There are Anti-Ship Missiles = Ships are sinkable = The age of ships is over.

I find it funny whenever people say ships are easy to sink and naval warfare is over with the advent of AShMs

Even after a few AShM hits, this ship was hit by a Torpedo which was a major blow but the ship didn't sink. Imagine this was in an active battle scenario where the ship would go on the offensive while simultaneously employing all it's defence mechanisms and being supported by other surface vessels, aerial cover and underwater fleet

 

[Nilgiri]

I find it funny whenever people say ships are easy to sink and naval warfare is over with the advent of AShMs

Even after a few AShM hits, this ship was hit by a Torpedo which was a major blow but the ship didn't sink. Imagine this was in an active battle scenario where the ship would go on the offensive while simultaneously employing all it's defence mechanisms while being supported by other surface vessels and underwater fleet if any

There are no miracle superweapons, at least for the vast bulk of conventional engagements. Everything is matter of breakthrough and counter-breakthrough...and lot of things held close to the chest on the most significant ones regarding these....and that only really has chips called during a war.

It is near impossible to develop something (especially cheaply) that will defeat way more expensive things easily...engineering RnD is after all very much you get what you pay for.

But there is always going to be large buffer for zero-sum absolute wonder-drama clickbait.

 

[500]

Why are tanks with so much armour needed when a single person with a ATGM or a light combat drone can take it out? I think Technicals are a better option and if hit by a ATGM or drone there is a greater chance of survival. Ok they don't have the fire power of a tank but they can always be armed with some built in ATGM.

The survivability is much higher and they are faster and more mobile. Can be used in tight urban areas. Cross light bridges and mountainous areas easily.

Tanks in recent conflict have turned into high value targets.

Problem with Technicals is vulnerability to IEDs.

I think that the Mongols would have loved Technicals.

Sorry if i have repeated what some of you may have said. I haven't had the time to read the thread yet I was just replying to the tread title.

1) Tank often survives an ATGM hit. Technical will be blown to pieces.
2) Tank with APS are almost immune to ATGMs.
3) Technical are vulnerable to almost everything: machine guns, sniper rifles, artillery/mortars...
4) In terms of firepower technicals are not even close.

If you allow armed drones to fly over you then all classical army stuff became useless, not just tanks: IFV, APC, towed artillery, self propelled artillery, MLRS, army trucks.... technicals wont help u either. u will need to turn into some kind of taliban hiding in caves.

 

[Test7]

 

[Cabatli_TR]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1406611133105061894

 

[Kartal1]

By that logic not only tanks... every land vehicle including APCs and IFVs without active protection system will be obsolete.

I personally don't think the age of tanks is over. I think that the tank will slightly change its shape and the newer products will make a bigger emphasis over active protection systems, datalink, electronic warfare, recon, situational awareness systems and interoperability with unmanned platforms.

Tanks will be filled more with sensors and electronics. They will be able to work together with man in the loop autonomous UAVs and modular UGVs with different payloads and tasks including recon, anti-tank and anti-air roles. Emphasis will also be given over IR signature suppression, silhouette and noise reduction.

Apart from the advanced fire control systems granting great first hit probability I think that also guided anti-tank missiles will be more widely adopted, some types of shells will be taken out from inventory and on their place one but configurable shell will enter inventory.

Maybe the crew of the tank will change, the loader will be removed and on his place autoloading systems will be widely integrated. Probably 4th crew member tasked with the control of sensors and control of the UAVs/ UGVs operating together with the tank will take the place of the loader.

 

[Nilgiri]

By that logic not only tanks... every land vehicle including APCs and IFVs without active protection system will be obsolete.

I personally don't think the age of tanks is over. I think that the tank will slightly change its shape and the newer products will make a bigger emphasis over active protection systems, datalink, electronic warfare, recon, situational awareness systems and interoperability with unmanned platforms.

Tanks will be filled more with sensors and electronics. They will be able to work together with man in the loop autonomous UAVs and modular UGVs with different payloads and tasks including recon, anti-tank and anti-air roles. Emphasis will also be given over IR signature suppression, silhouette and noise reduction.

Apart from the advanced fire control systems granting great first hit probability I think that also guided anti-tank missiles will be more widely adopted, some types of shells will be taken out from inventory and on their place one but configurable shell will enter inventory.

Maybe the crew of the tank will change, the loader will be removed and on his place autoloading systems will be widely integrated. Probably 4th crew member tasked with the control of sensors and control of the UAVs/ UGVs operating together with the tank will take the place of the loader.

Yep its always good to be somewhat default pessimistic to concept of superweapons.

Such breakouts do happen, but in this day and age, its rare that whole swathes of existing tech are suddenly out of commision in one fell stroke.....rather there are counter-iterations and counter-dev etc....often harnessing the underlying breakthrough as well as you describe.

 

[500]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1406611133105061894

The concept is very similar to existing BLU-108:

 

[Nilgiri]

He brings up several good points:

Taking a slightly different tack on this debate. There has been much focus in recent years on the ability of various systems like drones and sensor-fuzed artillery to destroy tanks. Some have observed that the tank has been declared 'dead' several times, going back as far as 1919. In this video, I attempt to explain why the tank still has a place on the modern battlefield, even if it takes more work and money to keep them alive.

- "Unanswerable superweapons" demonstrably not being a rational concept
- What a tank precisely brings to the table (that nothing else does) that remains extremely relevant
- Combined warfare relevancy for addressing its weaknesses (just like any other component of combined arms)
- Continued RnD iteration that brings these elements together.

and much more