Canada's tanks

[dapaterson]

Lots of equipment exists in the marketplace without a thought to the need, or employment practicality.

But jobs in the right risings / districts...

 

[KevinB]

But jobs in the right risings / districts...

Green/ Blue welfare and pork barreling drives me berserk

 

[GR66]

Whatever tank we end up getting we're sure to need more than we currently have...

Ukrainian tank units face shortage of combat-ready vehicles

Ukrainian armored warfare specialist Mykola Salamakha says the current state of Ukraine’s and Russia’s tank forces is “roughly the same – grim,” with most frontline tank battalions operating at a fraction of their intended strength due to heavy attrition and drone threats. In an interview with...

defence-blog.com

Ukrainian armored warfare specialist Mykola Salamakha says the current state of Ukraine’s and Russia’s tank forces is “roughly the same – grim,” with most frontline tank battalions operating at a fraction of their intended strength due to heavy attrition and drone threats.

In an interview with Radio Svoboda, Salamakha explained that operational battalions rarely field more than a handful of functioning tanks. “Instead of 30 or 40 tanks per battalion, at best five or six are combat-capable, sometimes only two or three,” he said.

Units that don’t understand the tank’s role often misuse them, resulting in unnecessary losses. “They send a tank forward just to show the infantry they have support — we lose them in such operations,” he said.

Salamakha said tank deployments are vulnerable from as far as 10 kilometers behind the front line. “The moment tanks are spotted, drone attacks follow quickly, using various tactical techniques and drone types,” he said.

Salamakha emphasized that drone saturation, persistent surveillance, and deep reconnaissance are now the primary challenges for tank crews. “Even rear columns are within reach,” he said, adding that armor alone no longer guarantees survivability in a battlespace constantly scanned from above.

I'm hesitant to assume that a NATO-Russia conflict will look like the Russia-Ukraine war but I do think that serious thought needs to be given to the future role of tanks on the battlefield and what a tank and tank unit need to look like.

One think that I'm confident of however is that we need to massively increase our indirect fire capabilities. One Reg Force Fires Brigade to three Maneuver Brigades I'm sure is a completely wrong ratio.

 

[KevinB]

Whatever tank we end up getting we're sure to need more than we currently have...

110%

Ukrainian tank units face shortage of combat-ready vehicles

Ukrainian armored warfare specialist Mykola Salamakha says the current state of Ukraine’s and Russia’s tank forces is “roughly the same – grim,” with most frontline tank battalions operating at a fraction of their intended strength due to heavy attrition and drone threats. In an interview with...

defence-blog.com

I'm hesitant to assume that a NATO-Russia conflict will look like the Russia-Ukraine war but I do think that serious thought needs to be given to the future role of tanks on the battlefield and what a tank and tank unit need to look like.

I fully agree with you.
I'm of the opinion (and I know many folks will disagree) that the Tank Platoon and Company need to have more than just Gun Tanks in their makeup. Which is another reason I like the CAB approach, and the ABCT composition as opposed to Infantry heavy Bde's.
But I think that in addition to main gun tanks, and APS systems for them, that a 35-40mm Air Defense turret (like the Geopard) and a DE C-UAS turret should be considered, in addition to VSHORAD and DE C-UAS turrets for a IFV (tracked) as part of a combined arms force.

One think that I'm confident of however is that we need to massively increase our indirect fire capabilities. One Reg Force Fires Brigade to three Maneuver Brigades I'm sure is a completely wrong ratio.

That is a pretty standard Divisional Artillery setup -- the issue is more what the Fire Bde consists of.
I am adamant that each Bde major maneuver unit (Armor, Inf, Cav) needs a minimum of a 6 gun 155mm BTY in close support (ideally 8 gun for 2x4 gun troops). So if you have 2 Infantry and 1 Armour in a CMBG, then it needs an 18 gun CS Reg't.
Assuming the 3 Maneuver units for a CMBG and 3 CMBG's then you need 3x 18 gun CS Reg'ts and a GS Regiment of HIMARS.
With the addition of the Light Infantry Regiment (or Light Infantry Brigade) to the Reg Force Div - you need a 4th 18 gun CS Reg't (and a role for the M777's once the SPA program gets moving).

I'm also a big fan of adding the M1287 AMPV Nemo Mortar carrier to the Mech Infantry BN's to give them a 120mm Mortar Platoon.