Russian anti-tank missiles make US and Ukrainian tanks "feel regret"

The January 2015 issue of the Khanh Hoa Defense Magazine revealed that a series of modern tanks of the Ukrainian Army and the US-made M1 Abram tanks used by the Iraqi Army were destroyed by separatist forces and Islamic rebels thanks to Russian anti-tank missiles.

Article Ukraine is one of the world's leading tank manufacturers, its army currently has some of the most modern tanks such as the T-64 and T-80U, with a number of up to 2,000 units. However, in the recent war in Eastern Ukraine, most recently in September 2014, these tanks proved to be ineffective against the separatists.

Ukrainian and American tanks destroyed on the battlefield

Khan Hoa magazine reported that in the final days of the war before the ceasefire, there were rumors that strange tanks suspected to be T-72B3 tanks of Russian origin had joined the conflict. Examining the ruins on the battlefield, survey teams also discovered the remains of tanks such as T-64, T-72B and T-64BV, most of which had lost their turrets.

The turret of a Ukrainian T-64BM tank was knocked off the hull.

Meanwhile, in another development, the IS Islamists have successfully destroyed tanks mobilized by the Iraqi and Syrian government forces. In fact, the Iraqi army possesses American super tanks such as the M1A1, and even the Iraqi 9th Armored Division lost almost all of its M1A1M tanks, the export version of the M1A1 Abrams.

Although the composite armor covering this version of the tank is thinner than that of the American tanks, the tank's gun barrels are still intact. Some photos have shown the M1A1M being toppled in many cases, but it is still unclear whether this tank is too heavy and unsuitable for combat terrain.

The analysis article on Khan Hoa stated that it is worth mentioning that these tanks were mobilized to fight against rebel forces, which in terms of strength was an unequal battle. Even though there was a photo showing that the M1A1M seemed to be hit by an 82mm mortar shell, in reality, no significant impact from this type of shell on the tank was found. So what weapon destroyed the T-64, T-72 and M1A1M tanks?

In general, in both wars, neither side was equipped with large tanks. In Ukraine, even in a hypothetical tank battle between Russian and Ukrainian tanks, most of the tanks would only be attacked from the flank or from the rear by Russian anti-tank missiles possessed by the separatists.

US M1 Abrams tank destroyed in Iraq

Russian missiles are the "culprits"

According to Khan Hoa, both the separatists in eastern Ukraine and the IS are using Russian Kornet anti-tank missiles. Kornet is currently widely used in the world, using two types of ammunition including the 9M133-1 with a diameter of 152 mm and the 9M133M with a diameter of 135 mm. The previous version of Kornet can penetrate 1,000-1,200 mm of tank armor, while the later version penetrates 750-800 mm of armor. Both use Tandem high-explosive warheads with a semi-automatic guidance system with a range of 3.5-5 km during the day and 3.5-4 km at night. The Kiev army and separatists both possess this type of missile and both also use Metis anti-tank missiles with two versions 9K115-2 and 9K115 capable of penetrating 850 mm of armor at a range of 80-1,500 m.

Russian Kornet or Metis missiles may have been responsible.

The 9M133-1 Kornet missiles can penetrate the armor of Russian and Chinese tanks, including new generations such as the Chinese Type 96A. When hit by this type of missile, tanks are susceptible to detonating internal ammunition tanks, causing the turret to detach from the hull.

Some sources even said that upgraded tanks such as the T-72B3 and T-64BM of Russian origin were also believed to have been destroyed in the clash. That shows the fundamental vulnerability of Russian tanks.

The T-64BM tank entered service in 2005, its hull is equipped with the latest Nozh explosive reactive armor. The tanks are equipped with 850-horsepower 5TDFM diesel engines, weighing 45 tons. In terms of numbers, the Ukrainian government army hardly has enough T-64BMs to form a battalion. That excludes the possibility of T-64BMs being destroyed as a result of tank fighting.

However, the analysis on Khan Hoa noted that, even though they were all defeated by the same type of weapon, the anti-tank missile, the way the tanks in Ukraine and the tanks in the IS battlefield were defeated was different because the tanks of Ukraine, Russia and the US had different designs. Meanwhile, in Eastern Ukraine as well as in the conflict between Russia and Georgia in 2008, the turrets of main battle tanks such as the T-72B and T-64BV were all destroyed. This most likely came from the design of the ammunition compartment located right in the turret near the combat crew. In contrast, with main battle tanks designed in the Western style, the ammunition compartment is separated into a compartment at the back with a total of 34 shells, and 6 of those shells are placed in a compartment in the middle. Therefore, when shot down, the US tanks almost always had their turrets intact.

According to Knowledge