What? if anything, will ever make the tank obsolete?

Its unlikely that we will have any tank battles that involve masses of powerful, expensive tanks (the kind used by big superpowers) in the future. The days of large scale conventional warfare are over until we invent space travel.

 

That's very true Gats. Tanks are expensive to build and keep running in a combat enviornment. Not a lot you can do about that.

Airmobile warfare will never replace the tank, especially in mobile warfare. As I said before Helos ect are too vulnerable, they will be forced back to the ground because they are too easily defeated in a hostile enviornment.

I think that some kind of a undetectable heat induction device will seriously hurt the concept of the tank. But then again only until a defence is found for it.

 

oh...we can forget about mass tank battles if china invades taiwan. how many tanks can china load up to taiwan through the starits...dun forget this is not normady, where the german navy had no ability to stop the fleet with their small navy nor are their airforce in the sky. haiz...no more mass tank battles in ww2 anymore though...

 

Taiwan no.
But China has other places it can (and has) invaded.
India, for starters.
Or maybe somebody will invade China...

 

The perfect place for armored warfare has always been and will continue to be in the desserts. With all the conflicts and tensions in the Middleeast, you bet the tanks will continue to be the backbone of any military operations in the region.

 

The only thing that can eliminate the tank from the modern battle field is the price to produce them. Nowadays, as wars are smaller local battles against military-inept 3rd world countries, the modern tank can not fully fill its role, and is used (Iraq for example) mainly as a show of power. Military leaders are soon going to find out that $4 million is alot of money to spend on a 60 ton terror weapon.

 

Which means that we are about to start the cycle all over again and go with smaller tanks once more.

 

Smaller tanks!!!! ARE YOU NUTS!!!!! :lol:

Really though Ricky a smaller tank? I just can't see it. Specialized fighting vehicles and specialized defensive systems on tanks but I cannot see a smaller tank standing up to todays anti armor weapons.

It is possible though.

 

Tanks are effective so long as they are invulnerable to the majority of standard issue infantry equipment.

Anyway the anti tank weaponry these smaller tanks will be up against will most probably be a bunch of untrained militants toting leftover cold war relics.

 

If there is one thing to make the tank obsolete, its the modern aircraft. especially if it carries advanced missiles like the maverick, Harm, and Hades.

 

Isn't HARM an anti-radar missile?
(not being picky, but... )

 

The people stating that there will be no large-scale tank battles in the future:

Fallacy.

Ever heard of "73 Easting?" That wasn't too long ago. Large scale tank battles DO take place in modern warfare, just not as often.

 

Nope. At least, not under that name. Details?

 

Two days into Operation Desert Storm (G+2), and the allied VII Corps had wheeled through southern Iraq towards the Kuwait border. In the Center of the advance were the men and tanks of the US 3rd Armored Division and the 2nd Cavalry Regiment supported by the 1st Infantry Division. The greatest glory though went to the 2nd Cavalry, who after an initial encounter with 10 Iraqi T-72 tanks all of which were destroyed near longitudinal line 60 (Easting 60), moved on until the bulk of the battle occurred at 73 Easting. Despite having to fight in almost zero visibility due to dust storms and nightfall, the regiments M2A2, M3A2 Bradleys and the M1A1 Abrams, decimated the opposing elements of the Iraqi crack Tawakalna Republican Guard Division and the 12th Armored Division. Their success was followed up by the 1st Infantry Division who carried on the attack to take Objective Norfolk the following morning and by the 3rd AD to the north who engaged and destroyed the remaining elements of the two Iraqi divisions.

http://www.militaryartgallery.com/HTML_ ... asting.htm

 

Ok, thanks!

 

HARM is indeed an anti radiation missile with a smart warhead! However the HARM is able to kock out armoured fighting vehicles like the Russian ZSU

 

There is a place where we may yet see very large tank battles, the plains and forests/Taiga of central Asia and eastern Russia.

I wonder who would win that one if it were ever to happen.

 

Probably, vehicles like the ZSU a pretty lightly armoured. Even if it doesn't blow the vehicle to piece it's like to damage all sortsof vital stuff. Assuming that the radar immission of ZSU are signifcant enough to earn the attentions of a HARM type missile.

 

HARM produces a spray of tungsten 'bits' to pepper the radar, though I would imagine they could also pepper a lightly armoured vehicle and the crew and fuel tanks just as well.

http://globalsecurity.org/military/syst ... agm-88.htm

 

Or India and Pakistan.

In his book 'Dragon Strike' Humphrey Hawksley has a war involving China, India, Pakistan and Taiwan.

Nukes end up getting used.