Tanks have been leading the land battlefield for decades, but in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, this hegemon has encountered unprecedented challenges and tests. Both the $4 million T-90M and the $10 million Leopard 2 are overwhelmed by drones and anti-tank missiles. Faced with a few hundred dollars of drones or thousands of dollars of mines, tanks have become powerless victims. Is it because the tank is outdated, or is it a tactical mistake on the part of the user? This article will provide an in-depth analysis of this and look forward to your participation and discussion on China's 99A and next-generation main battle tanks.
First, let's take a look at the "tank uselessness" that is currently prevalent. Despite the huge losses suffered by the tank in the face of UAVs and anti-tank missiles, its comprehensive combat capabilities on the battlefield remain irreplaceable. Although the tank cannot solve all problems, it is still the main equipment on the battlefield, combining firepower, protection and mobility, which is difficult for other armored vehicles to match.
However, the potential of the existing tank has been tapped to the limit, and the next step in its development faces many difficulties. In order to increase the protection of the tank, it must increase the thickness of the armor, but this in turn will cause the tank to be overweight and reduce its mobility. To increase the firepower, you need to increase the hull, but this in turn increases the exposed area of the target. The existing 120-125 mm guns have reached the limits of caliber, and larger caliber guns are limited by size and weight and cannot be practical.
Therefore, the direction of the future tank development may be a new hull structure, a more powerful information system, and an enhanced active defense system. The hull structure may be updated with a human-bullet separation design, with ammunition stored in a separate magazine at the rear of the turret to reduce the risk of detonation of ammunition after penetration. The enhancement of information systems can help tanks better counter the threat of UAVs, including detection, jamming and attack systems. In addition, active defense systems need to be improved against small-sized UAVs in order to increase the survivability of tanks.
In short, the changes in modern warfare pose new challenges to traditional tank tactics and techniques. In order to meet the needs of future wars, the development of tanks must develop in the direction of becoming more intelligent, information-based, and multi-functional. China's next-generation main battle tank is expected to make a major breakthrough in this area, and this is also an excellent opportunity for us to overtake in corners.