Sam Cranny-Evans
@Sam_Cranny
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RUSI associate fellow, independent defence analyst and journalist.
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Joined December 2014
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Hey, how are you? It's nearly Christmas.
I've decided to collect images of unusual armoured fighting vehicle modifications in this thread and say what I think about them. Exciting, right?
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Hello! How are you? Hope you’re doing ok.
I’ve built a thread to look at Namer, a heavy armoured personnel carrier (APC) that is in service with the IDF. You might have heard of it recently as 11 IDF personnel were reportedly killed in one when an ATGM hit their vehicle.
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Hello! How are you? I'm good, thanks for asking. It's nearly Christmas and if you're winding down like me, you might enjoy a little technical thread on the T-90M.
Images are from
@RecoMonkey
, those guys do good work! The source? My book (JAFV21), and some desk research.
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A brief explainer on thermobarics for anyone interested: The name of this weapon describes what it does thermo – heat, baric – pressure, it is designed to create a lot of heat and a lot of pressure.
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I've always thought parachuting a crew inside of a BMD-2 or 4 was a bit mad, but looking at this picture of a VDV trooper ready to go, I am more convinced that this is madness:
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A little thing on ATGMs based on a past conflict. So, in 2006 the Israeli Defence Forces deployed Merkavas to Lebanon as part of Operation 'Change of Direction'. There, they were subjected to a very high number of ATGM attacks by Hizbullah.
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Nice colour scheme for Ajax here. I like it. Looks ready to go somewhere cold.
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Big stat:
#Ukraine
has lost more troops, killed and wounded, than there are infantry in the British Army.
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Thanks for reading this far - feel free to ask any questions.
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The result was Achzarit, a heavy APC based on T-55s captured in 1967 and 1973. They were modified in several ways and entered service in 1987. They provided protection for a crew of 3 and 7 dismounts. Fully loaded they weight 44t – compare this with the 36t of a T-55 with turret!
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i.e., it is more evenly distributed around the sides, roof and rear instead of being disproportionately loaded on the front 60*. The roof armour is also thicker than standard, and the roof hatches kept to a minimum. You can sort of see how the armour is arranged here.
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Still here? Cool. Here’s some bits about its protection, I won’t dig into anything else for the sake of brevity.
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The big difference is the more even distribution around the vehicle. During Protective Edge, a Namer was engaged with a 500kg offset IED, it drove away with scratched paintwork. The type also survived several ATGM and RPG strikes.
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Development: Maj Gen Tal, who oversaw development of the Merkava, decided that a heavy APC was needed in the 1980s, he had observed during Israel’s wars that infantry needed more protection than tanks. Interesting, right?
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The IDF’s infantry had shown a preference for advancing on foot in that conflict as they felt their vehicles attracted ATGM fire.
The first Namer based on a Merkava Mk 4 was released in 2008, and it entered service with the IDF the following year.
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They would assume mutually supporting positions and approach objectives from random angles, dispensing infantry like sticks of paratroopers as they went. Achzarits struggled to keep up with Merkavas, which had greater power-to-weight ratio.
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I have some thoughts on this at the end. If you don’t want to read that far; these things can happen to even the best-protected vehicles, a lot depends on the munition that hit it, and what was inside the vehicle.
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The powerpack is at the front of the hull with the driver to the left, the commander behind the driver and the gunner to the right of the commander. It has space for 8 dismounts seated on two rows facing each other.
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However, procurement slowed down because of budgetary constraints and shifting geopolitical realities. Then, in 2014 and Op Protective Edge, an M113 carrying 7 soldiers and explosives was hit by an ATGM. Interest in the Namer picked up and by 2021 270 had been delivered.
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3 keys to defeat Russia:
Undermine the Ru elites psychologically
Defeat Russian forces in Ukraine
Degrade Russia's ability to finance the war.
More weapons, new sanctions and the Ru population must learn that the war will make their future horrific.
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His reasoning was that a tank could use the range of its main armament to keep enemies at bay. Whereas infantry have no choice but to get close, therefore they need greater protection. The IDF agreed and development started, spurred on by the 1982 war with Lebanon.
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The belly plate is bent (as opposed to welded) into a shallow v-shape to disperse explosive energy beneath the vehicle and increase blast resistance.
It carries a hefty suite of passive composite armour, which is distributed according to ‘battlefield findings;’
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Lots of good stuff coming from the
@RUSI_org
Land Warfare Conference today a few things following:
Oleksandr Danylyuk: The west and Russia made some assessments that were poor.
Russia's military demonstrations throughout 21 were designed to get Ukraine to accept Russia's view
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We can say that a large warhead, as is common on ATGMs, would create a large and powerful jet. If it hit the sides or rear of the vehicle, even with greater armour there than is normal, it would have been hard pushed for any vehicle to prevent penetration.
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The behind armour effects can be horrific if penetration is achieved. Spalling is bad, especially if no spall liner is present, which can lead to several casualties at once. There is also the risk of the jet striking something like explosives, as happened with the M113 in 2014.
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Armour was added to the sides and roof and the diesel fuel tanks at the rear of the dismount compartment provide additional protection – as does the engine on the other side. Achzarits were observed operating in groups of 3 by Jane’s reporters.
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The lifespan of a UAV is about 7 days - a reflection of air defence, EW and malfunctions. They need to be thought of as munitions. We cannot go for the exquisite, refined, and expensive. Some components need to be robust, but lots of them can be "cheap and cheerful."
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They were revised, but development had started on the Namer and the first prototype produced in 2004 using a modified Merkava Mk 1. It was field tested in Gaza and then refined, but the 2006 conflict with Hezbollah pushed it across the line.
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Active protection is provided by Trophy – you probably know about that right? If not, here's a video:
The total weight of a Namer is 62t, compare this with the 65t of a Merkava Mk 4 and you get a sense of how much armour it’s carrying.
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Can we say what happened to the Namer and its unfortunate crew? Not from where I am. But we know that no vehicle is invincible, and that generally speaking, lethality always has had an edge over survivability. A strike with a high casualty rate was therefore always a possibility.
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Hello again, it’s Friday, how has your week been? Would you like to know more about the Trophy active protection system (APS)? Awesome, have a glance at the following. It's used by the IDF and others to protect armoured vehicles from anti-tank weapons like RPGs and ATGMs.
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So, how does an ATGM defeat such a heavily armoured vehicle? There’s a lot that isn’t known right now, so I’ll keep this general. ATGMs or RPGs used shaped charges are a wicked problem for any AFV. Have a look at these threads: and
A thread on shaped charges, building upon yesterday's theme of ATGMs, which you can find here: Shaped charges are essentially a type of hollow charge explosive, designed to magnify the explosive's effects on a target.
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Wheels vs Tracks: The soil has become waterlogged reducing its cohesiveness. As the MTLB passes, its tracks are deforming the soil leading to shearing. Because it has a very large surface area, and it weighs very little (11t ish), it can get away with it.
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A shot of the Nexter 140 mm tank rounds on display at
@DSEI_event
this year. A BLOS round and APFSDS are visible on the right, with standard NATO 120s on the left. The Nexter rounds are monsters as you can probably see.
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Some images of those Piranhas for Botswana. Source unknown.
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The second order effects are that the detonation quickly burns all of the oxygen in the surrounding area. If these weapons are used against a building, the fuel will spread throughout the structure, getting into gaps and places that people normally hide.
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"Not long ago we were shot at by BTR main gun. It to me is the worst...Wounds from these are horrible. A whole leg can be removed. A shot to the body makes someone almost explode. They are easy to destroy but not good to fight directly.”
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Hello! Good morning. If your timeline is like mine, you might be seeing the Telegram post from the image below today.
Why? Well, in short, the poster claims to have seen intercepted Russian FPV footage that shows the drone using AI for terminal guidance.
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More details on the USMC’s plans to abandon its MBTs and form littoral regiments:
Of particular interest is the use of a JLTV to launch Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System or NMESIS missiles to create sea denial effects.
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Anyhow, thanks for reading this far. Are you ready for the rest of the day now? Cool.
Take it easy, and feel free to ask any questions below!
#tank
#UkraineRussianWar
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A thread on recovering battle-damaged vehicles: Sometimes my research involves searching through endless pages of Chinese propaganda, but at other times I get to read things like combat reports from US Stryker Bdes. The following is based on the latter. /1
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Are we honest? We would have two days' of arty ammo at Russian consumption rates, two weeks at Ukrainian. If we do not have the ammunition ready, we are not being honest with ourselves.
Ukr is in critical need of 155 ammo, but it has obtained 7 diff arty platforms, none of
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Today
@RUSI_org
published the third in our series of commentaries examining the Russian military. This one provides a technical analysis of Russian armour:
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What’s going on at DSEI? Type X in the flesh! Looking pretty neat.
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Camouflage Concealment and Deception (CCD) - a thread: Ever looked at these types of things and wondered if they are any good? Or what impact they would actually have on formation survivability? The following is from the
@JanesINTEL
archive:
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Hmmm, India is reinforcing its borders with China including the positioning of a tank brigade with T-90/T-70M1s closer to the LoAC: It is also moving 20 bttns of the Assam rifles to the mountains apparently.
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The Bundeswehr has started tests to assess the procedures needed to transport a Boxer via A400M. As the load ramp is limited to 32 tonnes and the vehicle weighs 35, the mission module is separated and loaded onto a second A400M. Loading the drive module takes around 10 minutes.
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T-90M is the most technically capable tank in Russian service. It started life in 1999 as a way to improve on the T-90. It had entered trials by 2017 (rapid) and in 2018 there was talk of orders and deliveries. Vedomosti reported 160 T-90Ms under contract in 2020.
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Russian targeting has decreased in quality with even laser guided munitions being used as dumb munitions. However, there are massed stockpiles that are being brought forward. But massed arty could be crippled by long range Ukr strikes against stockpiles.
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The Russians thought this had worked and the West believed Russia would succeed in a matter of days.
Despite Western aid, it was Ukrainian heavy weapons that created the initial Russian reverses.
Failure to decapitate Ukr's political and mil control meant its goals failed.
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'But Sam, they keep getting destroyed in Ukraine, that must mean they aren't very good.'
It's strange that we write vehicles off if a few get whacked. Imagine saying that cars are rubbish if you saw one broken down on the motorway?
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We really need to do so in the context of combined arms. How well supported are the vehicles by infantry, air power and artillery? When all of that comes together, tanks are vital and the T-90M is probably a nightmare. But they are much less useful when poorly employed.
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10 rebuilds, 50 T-90A conversions, and the rest presumably new builds. First deliveries followed later that year to the Taman Guards Div, part of the 1st Guards Tank Army. This image shows that fateful day.
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HE natures include the 3VOF128 and probably some older Soviet vintage rounds too. We know from
@RUSI_org
reports that tanks on both sides are used to provide indirect fire support. Ukr accounts note that tank fire is demoralising as there is no warning that a round is incoming.
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Enough history - we want technical details!
Weight: 48 tonnes going off the export version. Powered by the V-92S2F 1,130 hp engine. Giving a power-to-weight ratio of 23 hp/t. Not great, not terrible. Sometimes, more hp/t is not more.
Top road speed 60 km/h, 45 km/h off-road.
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Tank on tank warfare is where most people go, but that's not how the Russians see it. ATGMs and a lot of arty are preferred for blunting armour. Tanks support assaults and defences and they use HE and gun launched-ATGMs to do that.
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What about the armament? It carries the 2A46M-5, this isn't your granddaddy's 2A46. The M-5 includes improved recoil buffers, tools to measure barrel deviations and increased material tolerances over the 2A46 of the OG T-72s. It is more accurate than its predecessors as a result
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The six roadwheel configuration of the T-90A is retained, they are fairly large wheels with a good contact area. Nominal ground pressure is in the region of 1 kg/cm2.
Torsion bar suspension is retained. So, don't expect the silky smooth stabilisation achieved by Leo 2s/Abrams
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In sum, T-90M is technically very capable. But, if it is deployed in isolated packets away from the wrap around care of combined arms, it will eventually get whacked. It might take a bit less to do that than a western tank, but not much less. So, when analysing Russian armour
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To conclude, the important thing to remember with ATGMs is that penetration doesn't necessarily mean defeat. The crew might be shaken, wounded or dead, but if the vehicle is well-designed it may fight on. And, that tactics are very important for survivability.
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Conventional HE is stopped by structures that it can’t knock over, a thermobaric just goes around it. On the flip side, thermobaric munitions are very sensitive, you will see this if the Ukrainians manage to light up any of the TOS-1As that are rolling around.
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Yes, T-90Ms get destroyed, that's sort of their job. The point is, how much effort did it take to destroy them? For example, T-62s and 55s in Yemen had to be hit with JDAMs, because the Adenese fighters lacked the weapons to defeat them.
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A follow-up brief explainer of the BM-30 Smerch multiple rocket system and its munitions: BM-30 Smerch is a complex of launch vehicles and reload platforms. Basic launch vehicle is the 9A52-2, they are fitted with a 12 round, 300 mm rocket launcher.
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It can fire the Russian suite of 125 mm ammo. This includes exciting things like 3BM60 "Svinets-2" APFSDS, with a longer than normal (for Russia_ tungsten alloy penetrator. Russian APFSDS aren't bad, they technically produce a lot of muzzle energy and L/D ratios are now ok.
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which have common artillery types, fuzing, or training.
NATO STANAGs are followed to the letter, but not the spirit. We cannot draw from each other's stockpiles.
Support for Ukraine must be rationalised with a country taking charge of the ammunition and logistics.
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the side of the hull, affording that vulnerable autoloader some additional protection. However, a penetration is still likely to be quite bad for the crew.
It's not 'invincible' that should be clear. Nobody should take that kind of claim seriously for a tank.
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The blast causes two things: Enormous heat, up to 3,000 kelvins (2700 C) as well as a long period of relatively high overpressure. The pressure/blast wave created is not as high as a conventional high explosive (HE), but it lasts for longer, creating more damaging effects.
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The GL-ATGMs are also useful and Ukr used them to try and avoid getting close to Ru ATGM teams. The 9M119 Svir and 9M119M Refleks rounds can be used out to 5km and penetrate up to 900 mm of steel. They take 17s to reach that range, the operator needs to keep the target in sight,
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The warhead is filled with an aerosolised fuel and metal components, when it detonates, the fuel disperses very quickly (microseconds) from the centre of the blast and then ignites – again, within microseconds. This effect also lends the weapons the name of Fuel Air Explosive.
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Just an addendum: Slight mistake in the second tweet, FAE is regarded as a sub-set of thermobarics because the fuel is dispersed above the target. The two munitions are technically distinct, but similar physics etc. Apologies for that - it's been a long day.
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Added to this the T-90M has good thermal sights that are stabilised and an improved fire control system. Its gun is reportedly 70% more accurate than predecessors when firing on the move, and 10% more when static.
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The T-90M uses an ERA called Relikt, it's covered in it. In theory, Relikt carries two layers of explosive, the 2nd detonates at a different angle to the first introducing additional stress. It is claimed to reduce penetration of APFSDS by 40%, and HEAT by 70%. ERA is added to
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It has a few 'comfort features' like air conditioning built in, and the commander has vision blocks built into the hatch. That's not new, but if the cdr sees something through those blocks, he can press a button and slew the remote weapon station to that direction.
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There is huge value to be had in an information exchange partnership with Ukraine - esp in infantry skills that will help Ukraine to conduct counter attacks.
Oleksandr: NATO doesn't have enough EW as a whole, & there are some very cheap solutions available.
@tomwithington
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You have probably seen this video floating around. It's worth noting the old M791 25 mm APDS round fired by Bradley can penetrate 25 mm RHA equivalent at 1300 m. At the range of this engagement, that is problematic for tank side armour.
#T90M
Footage of 25mm Bushmaster chaingun fire from a Ukrainian M2A2 Bradley IFV slamming into a Russian T-90M in Stepove.
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A thread on shaped charges, building upon yesterday's theme of ATGMs, which you can find here: Shaped charges are essentially a type of hollow charge explosive, designed to magnify the explosive's effects on a target.
A little thing on ATGMs based on a past conflict. So, in 2006 the Israeli Defence Forces deployed Merkavas to Lebanon as part of Operation 'Change of Direction'. There, they were subjected to a very high number of ATGM attacks by Hizbullah.
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detonates driving the plates away from and towards the vehicle degrading the threat projectile. Against ATGM/RPG type weapons it is really effective. It will slow an APFSDS down, too, depending on how heavy the plates are.
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Protection is a hardened steel armour with composites and built-in ERA. ERA is probably the most weight efficient protection you can get. It sandwiches explosive material with metal plates of varying thickness depending on threat. When hit hard enough the explosive
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It has already been tweeted by others, but in case you haven't seen it, this analysis from
@KofmanMichael
on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is well worth reading:
It is succinct and very straightforward in its conclusions, which is always helpful.
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There seems to be some defence development occurring in Ukraine still. This video is the Bohdana truck mounted howitzer participating in the war in Ukraine for the first time. It was in development on Feb 24th.
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Right-oh, so a few details on the
@USMC
tests of NMESIS - that unmanned JLTV thing with some lovely anti-ship missiles on the back in this
@JanesINTEL
article by
@ashroque13
:
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What changed? Well, Merkavas from Mk 3 use an electric gun control system and ammunition storage that can prevent cook-off for 45 mins, even when internal tank temperatures reach 1,000 C. There's also a whole bunch of other clever stuff going on with the fuel lines etc.
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The key points (if you don't fancy reading further) are that modern MBTs can have high levels of survivability against HEAT missiles even when penetrated. And, that small packets of armour are not a good thing to use against dispersed infantry - but you already knew that right?
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Oh dear, the US Army has initiated soldier testing of its MPF prototypes without the entry from BAE: It seems that as GDLS has confirmed delivery of all 12 prototypes, that BAE is behind on its deliveries.
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The USMC has selected the Kongsberg offering for its MADIS inc 1 SHORAD requirement. The RWS suggested by Kongsberg includes the XM914 30 mm cannon and stinger missiles, and control commonality with the PROTECTOR series used by the US.
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Emphasising that we have been consistently surprised: Covid, Afghanistan, and now Ukraine. We knew a crisis was coming from 2019 - this is due to gutting of planning functions within defence, he states.
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Even after sanctions, Russia is in a much better position than Ukraine. But Ukr's successes have created misconceptions about Ru's capabilities and delayed heavy weapon deliveries.
Ukr had 200 Smerch and Uragan on 24th Feb, inability to replenish ammo has degraded their power.
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Russian target acquisition with UAVs is 3-5 mins, without is 30 mins.
We need to follow through with the statements made by the CGS.
EW has been highlighted for five years at Land Warfare Conference, and yet no exercises are conducted against a realistic EW threat.
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These are some images of Ukrainian BTR-4s from back in March. I came across them doing some research on wheeled mobility and thought I would use them to illustrate some elements of terramechanics.
📷 Four Ukrainian BTR-4s abandoned somewhere in Donbas, probably stuck in mud.
#Ukraine
#Donbas
#UkraineRussiaWar
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21 were penetrated, 11 of the incidents resulted in no fatalities while 10 incidents resulted in 23 crew casualties. Compare this with 73, when 60% of hits with Sagger missiles resulted in penetration, and often the death of all four crew members.
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Corrections and amendments:
As pointed out by
@Medalofdead
the Abrams and Leo 2 employ torsion bars too. A lot of stabilisation is related to the turret and gun drives, but it starts with suspension and shock absorbers. Apologies for that - I’m far from perfect!
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Sure - I know - they were older tanks, but they were older missiles too. The issue, according to IDF sources, was things like oil-based gun control systems, and unprotected ammo. This led to vehicle fires and things that generally aren't good for a tank crew.
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not in service.
Launching UAVs on exercise is hard because the British military is wrapped up in process - soldiers do not know what to do when a UAV comes up against them. We need improved training that is more realistic.
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A protracted war favours Putin's use of secret services to undermine western support for Ukraine.
Strikes on Ukr cities are designed to influence the Ukr population. They are likely to continue.
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This must be combined with plentiful equipment and exquisite effects to have an impact.
Without an asymmetric advantage, means a war of attrition.
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We are always chasing the next crisis because we are not taking the steps now to anticipate it and address it.
Are we prepared? We must follow through with concepts to make sure that they are entered into surface.
UORs for loitering munitions went out in 2015, they are still
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A little thread on the PLA's Xinjiang Military District (MD). Affiliated with the Western Theatre Command (WTC) as this Jamestown image shows. Primary role is likely related to internal security, but also with responsibility for defending against India.
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The IDF is known to have used tactics to mitigate against this. Known as the ‘Sagger Watch’ procedure tanks would use the auto‐track facility of the Merkava's fire‐control system to detect Hizbollah tank‐killers before or during missile launch and respond by direct point fire.
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Very cool, Hyundai is planning to enter the Norwegian tank requirement with a modified K2. RFP is due this summer according to this article: And, a new variant carrying a 130 in an unmanned turret is reportedly under development too.
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"Most of the armoured units were deployed on rescue and covering missions, rather than leading a wide offensive," said retired brigadier general Avigdor Klein, "This is contradictory to the IDF armour doctrine and unnecessarily exposed the tanks to the missiles."
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Next up is tactics. While Hizbullah anti-tank teams appeared well-trained and familiar with the MBTs weak spots, some of their successful hits were attributed to the tactics employed by the IDF in the first weeks of the fighting.
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