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Will drones make tanks obsolete? (lemmygrad.ml)
submitted 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) by to c/tanks@lemmygrad.ml
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Some say that tanks are obsolete in modern battlefield. One example is a recent total destruction of Leopard tanks in Ukraine by Russian Lancet drones. On the other hand, it may be just because Leopards were not prepared for such a kind of weapon, and tank designs will adapt for the use of drones. I hope tanks will survive of course :) What do you think?

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[–] 5 points 3 years ago (1 child)

NATO has been developing the concept of Strike/Stryker brigades as their main meat for a long time

And how is that working out?

From what we can see they’re less effective as breakthrough weapons and more as short-range, direct fire, mobile artillery

Preeeetty sure they've stopped being the main breakthrough force since WW1. Cracking enemy defenses is artillery's job. Tanks are cavalry - exploiting the breach to speed towards the soft stuff at the rear. Fuel storages, depots, the works.

If anything, Ukraine war and the aforementioned extensive usage of drones just goes to show that artillery is still king.

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  • [–] 3 points 3 years ago

    And how is that working out?

    Haven't really seen it yet, have we? It's a fairly new concept and countries like the UK struggle with even procuring the vehicles necessary. The UAF got enough for like half a brigade, but interestingly afaik no Strykers have yet appeared anywhere on the fronts. In general I'd imagine they'd work out about as well as the current Ukrainian forces since they're predicated on air and artillery supperiority and space to maneuver. Bashing them against fortified positions isn't the point from what I understand. Which just makes the "NATO would beat Russia ezpz" fantasy even more laughable since NATOs state of the art structure isn't at all suited to conventional peer warfare.

    Preeeetty sure they’ve stopped being the main breakthrough force since WW1.

    Sure, combined arms yadda yadda. They were still a breakthrough weapon and still are used as such. They just don't seem to work that well in this role anymore.

    If anything, Ukraine war and the aforementioned extensive usage of drones just goes to show that artillery is still king.

    Definitely. Very long range fire capabilities dominate this war, but surprisingly infantry remains incredibly important at the same time.

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