Tank losses in the Russian conflict: what is the truth? In the conflict in Ukraine, Russia has lost a large number of main battle tanks. According to the British Ministry of Defense, about 2600 tanks were destroyed. This figure coincides with other data** and is more reliable than the war report from Ukraine. However, we have to think about the question: have these destroyed tanks been repaired? According to the British Ministry of Defense, Russia produces about 100 new tanks per month. This data was confirmed by the Russian side. Well, we can reasonably infer that Russia is capable of repairing destroyed tanks. However, we still need to investigate and understand the specific situation. In addition, the British Ministry of Defense also noted that the proportion of Russian tank losses has decreased by about 40% compared with last year. The reason for this phenomenon is that the Russian army pays more attention to defense and avoids overly aggressive actions. This is a trend worthy of attention and illustrates a certain change in Russia's military strategy. So, what should we focus on?
First of all, we need to find out if these destroyed tanks have been repaired. If Russia is capable of repairing these losses, then their actual combat power may exceed our expectations. Secondly, we should pay close attention to the strategic changes of the Russian army. Is this a change in their plans for an offensive against Ukraine, which is more defensive? Finally, we also need to pay attention to the situation on the Ukrainian side. Will they be able to effectively defend against the Russian offensive and contain the strategic actions of the Russian army? To better understand these issues, we can analyze and study them from different perspectives. First of all, we can delve into the military-industrial system of Russia and understand their production capacity and repair capabilities. Secondly, we can pay attention to the combat reports of the Ukrainian side to understand their reaction and response to the actions of the Russian army. In addition, we can also use satellite imagery and other technical means to monitor and analyze the battlefield in real time. In general, the data of the British Ministry of Defense are somewhat credible.
However, we need further investigation and research to get more information and details. In this way, we can more accurately understand the situation of Russian tank losses in the conflict in Ukraine and make more accurate strategic directions for the future. The reasons and challenges behind the refurbishment of Russian tanks" With the rapid development of various technologies in the world, tanks, as an important part of ground combat effectiveness, have always attracted much attention. As a country with strong military strength, Russia's tank equipment has always attracted much attention. However, in recent years, the needs and challenges of tank refurbishment in Russia have gradually surfaced. The Russian tank refurbishment project is fundamentally aimed at increasing the combat effectiveness of existing tanks and extending their service life. In this project, preference was given to old tanks with five and six pairs of wheels. There may be two reasons for this choice. First of all, these old tanks are mainly used in positional warfare, providing fire support. Compared to advanced tanks, there is not much difference in performance between five and six pairs of wheels, so they are more suitable for such tasks.
Secondly, these old tanks were mothballed before the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the maintenance and repair work was relatively good, so the vehicles are probably in relatively good condition. In contrast, tanks such as the T-72 and T-80 were hastily mothballed during the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the storage measures were not in place, and the parts were stolen and sold, making it more difficult to repair. Thus, the old tanks of five and six pairs of wheels were able to escape. However, over time, the condition of these old tanks has deteriorated. As a result, Russia has adopted a strategy of "de-escalation" to reduce costs and speed up refurbishment. For example, the T-62 tank of the latest modification abandoned the expensive Pine-U thermal imager and was uniformly replaced with a 1PN-96MT-02 domestic thermal imager. Although the performance of the thermal imager is poor, the armor protection has been greatly improved. This is the lesson that Russia has learned in actual combat: if the sighting equipment is not good, the armor must be stronger. This practice of downgrading refurbishment has led to a significant reduction in the cost of refurbished tanks, as well as a significant increase in the number of tanks. According to statistics, last year Russia refurbished more than 1,300 tanks.
However, as the condition of the stock tanks gets worse, so does the difficulty of refurbishing them. According to the calculations of the British, even in 2023, which is dominated by positional warfare, the loss of Russian tanks may be as high as 1,000 units. This means that in the future Russian refurbished tanks may not be enough. Therefore, Russia needs to increase the production capacity of newly built tanks to prepare for future wars. For Russia, neither the reasons nor the challenges behind the tank refurbishment project can be ignored. Although downgrading refurbishment can reduce costs and increase volumes, this practice can become more and more difficult over time. Therefore, Russia needs to constantly improve its technology and find more effective ways to refurbish tanks. Only then will Russia be able to have a powerful tank force in a future war. In conclusion, the reasons and challenges behind the refurbishment of Russian tanks are complex and acute. Downgrading refurbishments can reduce costs and increase volumes, but it can be increasingly difficult over time.
Therefore, Russia needs to increase the research and development and production of newly built tanks to maintain the competitive advantage of its tank power. Only in this way will Russia be invincible in future wars.