Army – Viral Telegraph

The Most Advanced Main Battle Tanks in The World

In 1916 the first ever tank was used on the battlefield by the English Army against Germany during World War 1. The tank was designed to be a weapon capable of breaking the enemy trenches, crushing the barbed wire and making the crossing into No Man’s land, whilst destroying anything in the way. Whilst these tanks were incredibly dangerous, slow, cumbersome machines when they were used against other tanks, the tanks of today have undergone a total transformation and sport thicker, larger and more powerful engines. This in itself resulted in an arms race as each nation wanted to produce a better and more sophisticated model. The competition mainly took on changes to the tanks characteristics such as protection, mobility and the fire ability.

[adinserter name=”Place Holder 1″]

Today’s tanks are far more complex weapons as a result of the high technology sensors and communication that they are equipped with. The tanks also sport advanced armour and major engine improvements. It is for these reasons that the tank has become such an integral part of the arms export market with the Americans and Russians amassing a combined income of $56 million from their dealings.

T-84 Oplot-M (Ukraine)

When the Soviet collapsed the tank factory in Kharlov was left to Ukraine, however as they wanted to develop their own tanks, the Ukraine started with modifications to the T-80 designs and this then became the T-84 Oplot-M which was most suitable for their needs. In the same way as the Soviet styled tanks this tank was armed with a 125mm smoothbore gun and also anti-tank missiles which are laser guided. With the assistance of a ballistics computer and thermal and panoramic imaging sights the gun can find and hit targets accurately and also has an autoloader that takes about 8 seconds per round has an advanced reactive armour and a countermeasure system.

Type 99 A2 (China)

Whilst the early Chinese tanks were inferior when compared to the American and Russian offerings their newer modified tanks show far superior levels of sophistication. The Type 99 is a really good example of the modern tanks and built by NORINCO, the tank came into service in 2001 and there was an even further advanced A2 deployed in 2009. This latest offering has more advanced armour that is complete with advanced explosive reactor armour modules, heavy battle management and digitized controls similar to those of the Russian tanks and they are also fully equipped with an active protection that can detect and defeat advancing missiles.

AMX-56 Leclerc (France)

The AMX – 56 Leclerc entered the French army in 1992, and there are still about 400 Leclerc tanks in service and a further 350 being used on the United Arab Emirates. The tank has an extremely fast autoloader that can load 12 rounds for the 120mm smooth bore gun in just a minute. The fire control system is completely digital and has the capability for the operator to pick six targets and the tank can then be engaged in under thirty seconds. The tank thermal sights and laser range finders and thermal can identify the enemy from more than 4km away and the armour on the latest models is complete with missile and laser warning, explosive reactive armour, infrared decoys, and tungsten/titanium modules.

Challenger 2 (Great Britain)

Apparently the British Challenger 2 is the most protected tank thanks to the Dorchester’ armour, which is a combination of ceramic and an array of other metals. The Challenger 2 came into service in 1998 and has an armour that is so strong that it has stood the test of time after having been bombarded by rocket propelled grenades when in combat in Iraq. Equipped with a 120mm rifle gun that provides a very high accuracy rate and also explosive reactive armour modules. The tank is also complete with an information system that is British made and fire control computer made in Canada that assists the crew so that they can use the gun and tank to the best possible advantage.

Leopard 2A7+ (Germany)

The Leopard 2A7+ entered German service in 1979, and it has been upgraded continually to provide what is now a really good all round weapon. The current Leopard 2A7+ is far superior to the original and is complete with 120mm smooth bore gun which can fire a number of different forms of ammunition which includes the LAHAT guided missile. The tank is capable of hitting a moving target of up to 5km thanks to the stabilization of the gun and the excellent laser range finder. The tank also has enhanced thermal and daylight sites plus combined information and command system.

The Pentagon Can Save Billions With The Closure Of Military Bases

In accordance with some of the Defense Department money men it could be possible for the Pentagon to close a number of the military bases, however the agency has pleaded with Congress to review the potential closures as carefully as possible. This is not the first time that the military bases have been threatened with closures, as this has been a topic of debate and ended up with nothing actually happening. It is due to the current budget conditions that it may be carried through this time, and there is also new data that supports the idea. This time round there is a distinct feeling that it is really possible that the proposed closures may become reality sometime soon.

[adinserter name=”Place Holder 1″]

This is the first time where the defense officials have requested that this type of review is undertaken after just a year from the last reviews where the past has seen the requests fall upon deaf ears. The main reason for this is that the law makers are incredibly concerned that this process could target military systems and equipment in their own districts, which in turn would cause a negative impact on them as leaders and on their own personal interests.

Apart from this, there is still a lot of misunderstanding and uncertainty about whether these military bases are surplus to requirements or if thinking about their finances could compound their security. In spite of all of this the plans to push for a review is moving forward.

A complete re-evaluation of the military bases has been a main aim and goal for many years and the studies that the department has conducted has generally resulted in findings of about 25% and in some cases even more infrastructure that is surplus to actual requirements in the majority of the mission areas. This was the information that Michael McCord, the Pentagon Comptroller announced when speaking at a recent event held at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, based in Washington.

The main argument put forward by Michael McCord was that the cost for keeping the bases was far higher than it needed to be, and by keeping staff in military bases that are outdated was simply a waste of resources that in comparison to the cost of maintaining the bases is substantially more than the department needs.

The closure of any military bases is bound to be a sensitive issue, particularly when many of the local economies rely heavily on them, and currently it is not yet known how many bases could be affected. However, statistics show that if the closures were approved the potential savings could total about $5.5 billion savings per year and a net saving of just under $50 billion over the next 20 years.

It is reported that these base closures would not mean a reduction in the size or capabilities of the American forces. It has been confirmed that the military would stay at its current size with the same capabilities it would literally just be a reduction to the actual number of bases.

Taliban Threatens Key Helmand Capital As Afghan Soldiers Desert

Just three miles outside Lashkar Gah the Afghan soldiers can see a white flag, this is not in surrender, in fact it is quite the opposite. The flag illustrates quite how close the Taliban are to the Helmand Province. Regardless of the Afghan government reassuring that the army can hold and retake the ground it is looking less and less likely.

[adinserter name=”Place Holder 1″]

With the Afghani troops pulling out of the Helmand districts it is understandable that those inside Lashkar Gah are becoming increasingly nervous. A source from the Helmand police made a statement to CNN last week confirming that the army have made little if any headway and that at least five complete districts are now under the full control of the Taliban. He also confirmed that the incredibly valuable opium crop was now being harvested in Helmand and this was the main reason for the Taliban’s focus on the southern area.

Whist the government are denying any suggestion that Helmand is under a threat of Taliban, stating that if it were Helmand would be overrun. The government are blaming the Taliban’s recent advances on the assistance that they are receiving from the fighters coming across from the Pakistani border.

The defence minister added that the newly appointed Afghan army leaders were sensational and whilst they were facing a difficult battle there was no way that Lashkar Gah is on the point of falling. What doesn’t help is the fact that many Afghan soldiers have deserted and now joined the Taliban and more troops with the Afghan army are dying.

This was further confirmed by two deserters who despite undertaking army training and taking an oath to serve their country, the situation has changed and the army has let them down so they had no choice but to join with the Taliban where they are treated really well. There have been record casualties and when their dead and injured comrades lay in their base and no one came to assist them or take them to hospital it was then we realized we should take our skills and used them in a better way, currently this sees us training the Taliban fighters.

The US Drop Bombs Quicker Than They Can Possibly Make Them

The aerospace and defense policy analyst Roman Schweizer, has admitted that whilst the US has a steady inventory of missiles and bombs the 2 ½ years of fighting ISIS and continued bombing of Afghanistan have exceeded the weapons projections leading to the Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, asking Congress to include further funding for 45,000 smart bombs in the 2017 budget, however it is looking like it could be a while before the stockpile is rebuilt.

[adinserter name=”Place Holder 1″]

The United States dropped more than 20,000 guided missile bombs on Iraq and Syria in 2015. Recent months have seen the US has transferring further quantities of bombs to allies in the region. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been a lot less active in the fight against ISIS as they have been focusing their military on defeating rebel groups in Yemen since March 2015. This Saudi led coalition has with the American support been bombing Yemen but this is all being done using munitions made by US companies, and have purchased American weapons for over 10 years. through US State Department-brokered deals for more than a decade.

Although Roman Schweizer has confirmed that US bomb makers are capable of producing enough weapons to meet the demands, however he was quick to reiterate that if the US were in a state of war they would need to run three shifts of eight hours, twenty-four hours a day to supply the weapons.

Lockheed-Martin have confirmed that they have been asked to increase their Hellfire missile production facilities. Additionally, Boeing, makers of the Joint Direct Attack Munition, are also ramping up production. CNN reported in December that an unnamed US official reported that it may take up to four years for the country to rebuild their Hellfire missile inventory.

Schweizer had confirmed that the Pentagon are faced with an unresolved question as they are using weapons at a rate that they never determined and they do not know how long this current rate of use will continue.