In article ,
"Thomas J. Paladino Jr." writes:

"Scott Ferrin" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 2 May 2004 12:09:06 -0400, "Kevin Brooks"
wrote:


"The Enlightenment" wrote in message
...

"robert arndt" wrote in message
om...
http://www.fprado.com/armorsite/leo2.htm

Forecast International's and Jane's Best Tank in the World... three
years running.

Rob

A fine weapon, though there is not much gap between the M1A2 and the
latter Leopards. I believe the hyperbaric diesel of the Leopard
consumes 3/4 less fuel though the smoother power of the AGT 1500 might
help hill climbing.

What the Americans need, now that they are likely to invade countries
all over the world, is not American or German style tanks but Russian
ones.

The US German and other NATO MBTs are essentially defensive tanks;
heavily armored they trade mobility for the following.

You have never seen an M1 move across the countryside, eh?


He's talking out of his ass. "Trading mobility. . ."? Maybe they
can't be towed by a heard of donkeys in a bind but under it's own
power it'll out drive the typical Russian POS any day of the week.

Maybe what he means by 'mobility' is it's airlift/sealift potential.

The Abrams is a bitch to get in-theatre (but great once it gets there),
though I think that speaks more to our lack of heavy airlift capability (or
high speed sealift), rather than to the need for lighter tanks.

All tqnks are a bitch to get in-theater. The idea of airlifting tanks
as anything other than a show performance, or under some _very_
strange conditions is absurd. Think about it logically.
What would be a better use for 75 C-5s. Airlifting in an M-1 each,
without any supporting arms, without ammunition, without spares, or an
Intel net, or a Comm net, or airlifting umpty-poo Infantry types with
their own mobility, their own bullets and beans (And, if they need
more mobility, they can use local resources - trucks are everywhere.)
ANd the commo net and eyes to allow them to call down fire on whoever
needs it? Or, for that matter, a Red Horse team to turn whatever
airport they're stopping at into a forward airbase so that the
loiter time for the airplanes providing the support is as short as
possible?

Sure, it would be great to airlift an Armored Brigade somewhere, but
there just isn't ever going to be enough heavy airlift to even
consider it. (Or for that matter, enough ramp space available to put
the force in the ground in anything but a thin trickle.

--
Pete Stickney
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many
bad measures. -- Daniel Webster