<story><title>The tank is dead: Long live the javelin, the switchblade, the ... ?</title><url>https://warontherocks.com/2022/04/the-tank-is-dead-long-live-the-javelin-the-switchblade-the/</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>simonh</author><text>The tank isn&amp;#x27;t dead because armies still need the capabilities the tank gives them. You need a long range direct fire weapon, capable of engaging armoured targets and infantry (canister or airburst rounds), with rapid engagement of multiple targets, low time to target, rapid reloads and follow up shots, and high survivability.&lt;p&gt;Lighter wheeled gun armed vehicles can be cheaper, but they don&amp;#x27;t have the survivability. They also can&amp;#x27;t go everywhere a tracked tank can go, such as jungle busting or just driving right through many kinds of buildings or cover. Missile have much longer flight times to target than gun rounds. A tank can move into position, fire, destroy it&amp;#x27;s target and be back in cover before a missile gets anywhere near it&amp;#x27;s target. The missiles are also vastly more expensive than tank rounds.&lt;p&gt;Yes tanks are vulnerable when not properly integrated with air support, artillery and infantry. They&amp;#x27;re still a lot more survivable than pretty much anything else that can provide the same capabilities though. One tank in the second Gulf War shrugged off 14 RPG hits, and overall tanks in that conflict amply proved their value, when used effectively.</text></comment>
<story><title>The tank is dead: Long live the javelin, the switchblade, the ... ?</title><url>https://warontherocks.com/2022/04/the-tank-is-dead-long-live-the-javelin-the-switchblade-the/</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>cm2187</author><text>On that topic: why Russian tanks are so vulnerable to these missiles and explode spectacularly [1]. Basically the canon auto-loads shells, and the shell storage is not in a different compartment than the turret.&lt;p&gt;[1] &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.forbes.com&amp;#x2F;sites&amp;#x2F;davidhambling&amp;#x2F;2022&amp;#x2F;04&amp;#x2F;01&amp;#x2F;why-do-russian-tanks-explode-violently-when-hit&amp;#x2F;&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.forbes.com&amp;#x2F;sites&amp;#x2F;davidhambling&amp;#x2F;2022&amp;#x2F;04&amp;#x2F;01&amp;#x2F;why-do...&lt;/a&gt;</text></comment>