U.S. Army M1A2 Abrams tank at Fort Irwin, California. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Esmeralda Cervantes
Popular Mechanics: Russia Claims New Missile Can Clobber U.S. Tanks, But Can It Really?
The new missile is shot out of the barrel of the new T-14 Armata tank.
Russia claims a new missile gives its tanks a decisive advantage over Western tanks, the M1 Abrams in particular. The new missile can allegedly penetrate twice the armor of on the Abrams tank. Given the grandiosity of Russia's claim, it's one worth investigating. The answer: Maybe. Sort of.
For decades, Russian tanks have had the ability to fire missiles from their main gun tubes. Russian tanks fire shaped charge and armor piercing shells to kill enemy tanks, but at very long ranges enemy vehicles become more difficult to hit with unguided rounds. While the accuracy of shells gradually drops off with distance, the accuracy of guided anti-tank missiles remains steady out to the missile’s maximum range. A group of Russian tanks might engage NATO tanks at short ranges with armor piercing rounds and at longer ranges with missiles. It’s a uniquely Russian capability that no NATO tank possesses.
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WNU Editor: I learned a long time ago to always be skeptical of these Russian claims.
