antaress73

I used steel beast PE #s . so maybe 600-650mm then .. Makes it almost immune to RPG-7 105mm (650-700mm with/without ERA)

Side turret : 500-550mm against HEAT.. (Single ERA) Side Hull: 300mm against HEAT (protected by double ERA) Rear Hull/turret Maybe 100-150mm

The AT-13 metis is very good at killing the Abrams from the rear with catastrophic results (all crew killed and big explosion)

I was talking about the RPG-26 disposable ... top hits, rear hits penetrate and do damage (sometimes to critical components) but I did not see a crewmember taken out or a tank destroyed or abandoned. Such hits with the RPG-27 (disposable too but with the 105mm warhead of the RPG-29/7VR) would be kills. The RPG-26 is a weak 72.5 mm, resulting in much less catastrophic behind armor effects on an Abrams. To kill an Abrams, you not only need to penetrate the armor but also to have enough behind armor effects to disable or hard kill the tank, or force the crew to abandon. Using it nn the T-90A/T-72B3 or Ukrainian tanks, it can be more effective since they cook off much more easily.

The latest RPG-7 rocket has the same caracteristics as the RPG-29 and the russian army doesnt use it as a standard weapon. I would much prefer to see them adopt the RPG-27 as the standard disposable rocket since the RPG-26 is weak . But it is smaller and lighter and widely available. It is weak even when penetrating the top turret of an Abrams. It only destroyed the CITV, the balistic computer and the data sharing network the one time one of my soldiers achieved a top turret penetration. The RPG-27 would have destroyed the tank and injured or killed some crewmembers.

the PG-7VR is the same warhead as the PG-29. The only thing that the RPG-29 has against the RPG-7VR is better accuracy at range. But it is heavier, bulkier and far less versatile (the rpg-7 can fire HE and thermobaric warheads, even if the thermobaric one with the penetrator against walls is not modeled). RPG-30/32 and RPG-28 , now.. that's a firepower improvement (RPG-28 is 1000mm+ behind ERA with a 125mm warhead and RPG-30/32 is supposedly useful against APS)

and of course it is dwarfed, i'm not debating this. But it's still a big piece to swallow. USA + EUropean Union is 34 together. Anyway, nuclear umbrella and sleep peacefully LOL

No I actually didnt realize because the link was for a GDP list of countries for the last three years. Don't know why. here's the correct link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28PPP%29

A GDP like Italy ? More like Germany adjusted for purchasing power : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28PPP%29 Italy is at 2.1 Russia at 3.5 Germany at 3.6

thanks for the update chris !

we're all gonna die !

They took them all and used them in combat

historically they do their best to release for a weekend

Maybe they were cutting corners on export models at the time. The data i've seen about russian tanks in chechnya and georgia / Ukraine (soviet grade tanks) seems to indicate they turned into volcanos/ champagne bottles less often and the crew survival rates were higher.

APS worked very well against the Hamas because it didnt have the tech to disable it by electronic means (jamming) or even low tech means (decoys like RPG-30, volley firing etc) . Even some massive artillery bombardment by MRLS with DICPM or run of mill arty could disable APS before the vehicules are engaged by direct missile fire in combat. It goes for both sides.

The article is on russian but: Russia will fill all NCO postings with contract soldiers starting this year. No more conscripts in leadership roles. Also, Thé russian army will hold more than 4500 exercices of various sorts this year.

Final candidate release can last 24-48 hours or a week depending on problems

Ukraine against Russia is not very fair for the Ukrainian player if playing with realistic OOBs

Trophy will intercept Javelin. I did a blue on blue civil war and Javelin was innefective against APS equipped Abrams but as effective as against russian tanks against normal Abrams. Trophy coverage is a dome over and around the tank.

Kornet and kryzanthema will penetrate M1 frontally on : gun mount, turret ring. When firing from an elevated position you will achieve penetrations (and hard kills) on a non negligible basis on top frontal Hull and top turret, especially if the tank is driving down a slope or sitting immobile on a downward slope. The launcher will be spotted and die from other assets but hey, one less M1 to deal with.

As far as we know, no m1s with live tankers inside were ever hit by a real powerful sabot (iraqis training rounds do not count and even then they were so innacurate that the sample is minimal). I would imagine the noise is deafening (claaaaanggg) thats why they wear helmets and ear protection )

John kettler: looking at a mostly empty can of meat sauce according to real tankers that could stomach looking inside a sabot destroyed Iraqi tank that didnt explode.

A sabot weighs much less than that lol

Hull with armored crew capsule seems to be on the level of western tanks for protection.

The turret seems well sloped and smallish, it could be very well armored for a 55 tons tank since its basically only a gun with mecanisms.