A concise lecture on Russian tanks from our favorite logistics guy:

[Tomconroy]

Link to tweet

[yagotme]

1. Yes, the Russkie tanks tend to launch their turrets when hit in the ammo compartment.

All that propellant basically makes the chassis of the tank, the "barrel", and the turret, the "projectile". The tanks are put together by lowering the turret into the tank body, and that's the direction it takes when it comes out. "POP".

[brush]

2. What happened to Russian tank designers?

In WWll they came up with the T-34 with the sloping armor that deflected shells, a major innovation that enabled them to defeat the bigger German Panzers and Tigers.

That's a long time ago though so I guess they've lost that kind of innovation.

And those don't seem to be main battle tanks like the much larger and superior Abrams. Do the Russians even have a main battle tank?

[Gore1FL]

4. Most of their stuff is revamped old crap.

They are running T-72 and T-80 variants mostly. The T-14 is their new one, but I don't know how many of those they have produced. In fact, I don't know a thing about that model, but I doubt it's up to a 1:1 match against the M-1.

[Tomconroy]

5. I don't know but I keep reading speculation that large portions

Of the Russian defense budget was siphoned off, presumably by Putin and his buddies.

[brush]

10. Yeah, I heard that too...Pootie and his oligarchy friends.

It led to the Russian army being a hollow shell...no longer the big, bad, Russian bear Putin could use to intimidate other nations.

He didn't know that. I think he does now though. And so does the rest of the world.

[Cracklin Charlie]

11. Corruption.

It’s dangerous for National security.

[yagotme]

6. Ha. Russian tank designers.

You had to have a hand sledge to shift gears in the T-34. Yes, it had good armor, and installing the 76mm (T-34/85) gun vastly improved it's hit capability. However, the Russians never really took consideration for the crew into its designs very well. The sloping armor does 2 things, increasing the deflection of a non-penetrating round, and, by using geometry, increasing the thickness of the armor without increasing weight. At a slope, a penetrator has to pierce a thicker part, due to the angle of the armor (take a book, hold it at an angle, and measure the thickness horizontally. It's thicker at an angle.).

The current MBT is the T-80, which uses some of the designs of the T-72. A cannon auto loader for one, IIRC.

[NickB79]

14. The T-14 Armata is their next-gen tank

It's their answer to the Abrams, but they haven't built many due to cost.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-14_Armata

[fierywoman]

3. Will the ukrainians be able to recycle all the steel from the destroyed and captured Russian

tanks? (In order to rebuild.)

[Gore1FL]

7. The are employing the captured ones. The Ukrainian tank corps has increased in size!

I imagine there is value in the scraps of the destroyed equipment, but I suspect it would be sold off and new materials brought in for the rebuild. That said, I am speculating on costs and recycling abilities, and the materials needed to rebuild.

I like the symbolism of your idea. I hope they could find a way to use recycled/repurposed parts for memorial artwork and special buildings. It's a cool thought!

[yagotme]

8. Don't know why not.

Unlike the armor in the middle east we destroyed, the Russian stuff shouldn't have any radioactivity. (We used depleted uranium penetrators in our tanks, and the A-10. A destroyed Iraqi tank was considered "hot" until proved otherwise.) And a lot of the "tanks" I see destroyed, are actually APC's. Not as much weight there as an MBT. (BMP variant. All that is tracked, is not necessarily a tank.)

[Aristus]

9. I was an M1A1 Abrams tank crewman.

We loved the fact that the ammo was kept in armored compartments. Despite the time it took for the ammo compartment door to open during live-fire missions, a good loader (like me, ) could load the gun faster than the Russian auto-loader.

The Abrams also had “blow-off panels”, panels on the turret roof that were weaker than the surrounding armor. So if the ammo compartment took a hit from enemy fire, the panels would blow off, venting the explosive force up and away from the tank, protecting the crew.

[Stuart G]

15. Thank You for telling us your experience as an M1A1 Abrams tank crewman

What an incredible experience you had. Thank You for sharing this with us. Thank You Again.

[sarisataka]

12. Not much chance to get out

Once the ammo cooks off

[Dial H For Hero]

13. I knew they were smaller, but that really illustrates it well.

[dalton99a]

16. Kick