US Army to acquire new light tank

[Slater]

According to the Army:

"MPF will provide infantry brigades greater survivability, the ability to identify threat systems earlier and at greater distances, and will not restrict movement in off-road terrain. MPF will also allow Soldiers to move at a faster pace, protecting the assaulting force."

Although that does sound very generalized.

[utahjeepr]

I disagree. Tanks aren’t obsolete. Tanks with broken or missing parts not properly supported by air, infantry, or anti-infantry, or even fuel, and using bad tactics…..now that’s been obsolete since 1918.

No. Being idiotic with tanks, throwing them forward without adequate infantry support, is obsolete, but tanks in and of themselves are not. I'm hardly a friend of tankers, but there are some roles that a tank is oh so useful for. A lighter tank would seem to be a good idea, especially if paired with a functional active protection system. I have no clue whether or not these tanks will be any damn good, but we probably won't know that for years.

^^^This^^^

It's all about "combined arms" and applying the correct combination to the mission environment. Kinda like a Jazz trio, individual players are all well and good but it's the ensemble working together that really sets it off.

[Harpoon]

The other question is, what's the intended oppo? T-90s or peasants with small arms?

This^

[Wake27]

The other question is, what's the intended oppo? T-90s or peasants with small arms?

Bluf: think more of BMPs, BDRMs, and fortified defensive positions over T-90s.

I’m speaking out of my lane but am pretty confident in saying that it’s not to face off against enemy armored formations in large scale. From what I understand of this, it’s going to IBCTs so light infantry. We’ll still have our ABCTs to fight the bulk of their tanks. Up until this, the IBCTs walk or get rides from people. Each line battalion in an IBCT has a weapons company that, at least in my last unit, rolled in up-armored HMMWVs. But that’s about the extent of organic vehicles and the support battalion that has a distro (truck) company can’t even move an entire IN CO in one convoy, much less a whole BN. And that distro company supports the entire BDE. So without TPE like in Afghanistan, your average infantry bubba in an IBCT should get a ride to an initial staging point but then is pretty much only walking from there. Which means they also don’t have tons of sensors constantly scanning or lots of weapons that can defeat up-armored enemy vehicles.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Slater]

Would a 105mm round even be effective against a T-90?

[Diamondback]

Would a 105mm round even be effective against a T-90?

Against the top armor from above, maybe. Lateral, exceedingly unlikely. Maybe you hit a sprocket and pop a tread.

[1168]

Would a 105mm round even be effective against a T-90?

Not against the front. Probably other places. We’ll see.

[pinzgauer]

I disagree. Tanks aren’t obsolete. Tanks with broken or missing parts not properly supported by air, infantry, or anti-infantry, or even fuel, and using bad tactics…..now that’s been obsolete since 1918.

This

There's probably a discussion to be had about the impact of low cost loitering munitions on vehicle usage of all types.

But that cuts both ways, infantry and infantry support vehicles are equally vulnerable.

But anyone who's declaring armor is obsolete based on the Russian armor usage debacle in Ukraine is making a flawed decision.

[pinzgauer]

This commentary regarding IBCTs needing to evolve is pretty much on point to this discussion.


https://warontherocks.com/2020/04/is...bsolete/<br />

He is recommending that IBCTs drop back to one less battalion each like they were pre-2015, with engineer battalions going back to a special purpose battalion with increased electronic warfare. (Note that the OCONUS IBCTs are already just 2 battalions)

And then the MPF is added as an additional cavalry squadron. (Or merged with the current cavalry squadron which is reconnaissance focused)

[Alpha-17]

The other question is, what's the intended oppo? T-90s or peasants with small arms?

Both? And everything in between? Probably less T90 than other hard targets the infantry they're supporting would like to no longer exist, but likely any and all targets.

Would a 105mm round even be effective against a T-90?

Possibly in ambush positions. Or used in conjunction with Javelins and the like. As the Chiefton mentioned in a video, it's a whole lot faster for a tank to pop up, fire a shot, and dart back down than it is for a missile crew to set up fire, and the missile hit its target.