Putin's T-90 fighting in Syria now, will meet M1A1 used by ISIS

[Sammyboy RSS Feed]

An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/28558/53/


Syria gets T90 Tanks to assist in Aleppo takeover
Monday, 14 December 2015


The Fourth Division of the Syrian army has been equipped with at least 6 modern T-90MS Tagil tanks, provided by the Russian Federation. Their function is to help the Syrian Arab Army advance in the southern province of Aleppo.


The exact date of their deployment in Syria is shrouded in mystery. Some say they have been on the ground since early September, other sources indicate their presence as a new development thanks to recent agreements between Damascus and Moscow, including rumors of a delivery of the S -300 to the Syrian Arab Republic.

The T-90MS and its outstanding capability to destroy incoming TOW and M79 missiles appears to be perfect for a theater of war like the one in Syria. In 4 and a half years of conflict, more than 9,000 BGM-71E3B TOW and M79 anti-tank systems have been introduced in the country. Their capability to easily penetrate T-55 and T-72 tanks is the main reason why the Syrian Arab Army has had so many problems gaining ground in the southern province of Aleppo.

The great advantage of the T-90MS is its reactive armor and defense systems. It comes equipped with reactive armor blocks like the Kontakt-5, and a system such as the Arena-3 that detects, intercepts and detonates missiles at a distance of 2-3 m from the target makes this tank unique and a much needed upgrade for the Syrian army’s capacity to achieve important victories on the ground.



pics click:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2016-0..._128700760.htm


组图：T-90坦克在叙利亚战斗画面首次曝光

2016年02月04日 06:57:24 | 责任编辑: 杨茹 | 来源： 腾讯军事

2月2日，叙利亚电视台在新闻节目中出现了T-90主战坦克的镜头，报道称这些坦克正在叙北部阿勒颇地区与IS极端武装组织进行战斗。

1 2 3 4 5 6

[新华网图片频道RSS要闻汇总] [查看原图] [复制URL到MSN或QQ好友] [打印] 支持键盘翻页 ←左 右→
分享到：




http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the...who-wins-13849


The Buzz
Russia's Lethal T-90 Tank vs. ISIS' Captured M1 Abrams: Who Wins?
Dave Majumdar

September 15, 2015
Tweet
Printer-friendly version

With Russia’s surprise move to deploy ground forces to Syria, the remote possibility that Russian forces might confront Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) operated M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks emerges.

According to numerous media reports, the Russian military has deployed a half dozen T-90 main battle tanks, 15 self-propelled heavy artillery pieces and thirty-five infantry fighting vehicles along with about 200 naval infantrymen—basically marines—into the war ravaged nation. The Russian forces appear to be building an airbase as a staging area to bring in additional military supplies for the beleaguered Syrian government.

While the chances of a direct confrontation between Russian forces in the area and ISIS operated armor are fairly remote, there is a small possibility that could happen. ISIS has destroyed or captured a number of the Iraqi Army’s 140 M1A1 SA Abrams tanks. While many of these tanks were destroyed using anti-tank missiles, at least a few were captured and may continue to be operated by the terrorist organization. Most of those Abrams tanks are probably operating in Iraq (if they are still functional), but it’s not completely inconceivable that ISIS might move some into Syria.

(Recommended: NATO's 5 Most Lethal Weapons of War)

So how would ISIS’ Abrams fare versus the best Russian-owned and operated tanks? Probably not very well—the Russian crews are professional soldiers, with proper training, tactics and a functional logistical train. ISIS, meanwhile, might have some veterans of Saddam Hussein’s army, but they aren’t exactly experts at employing an Abrams or even mechanized warfare in general given their past performance.

Unlike in previous encounters between Russian-built hardware and U.S.-built machines, the Soviet-built machines were generally export models that didn’t feature the most advanced equipment. Moreover, crew training, tactics, maintenance, spare parts availability and logistical support may have been subpar—like Saddam Hussein’s army when it faced off against the U.S. Army in the first Gulf War.

(Recommended: Russia's Most Lethal Warplane)

In this case, ISIS’ Abrams would be the export models that were sold to Iraq. While the M1A1 SA has many advanced features, it lacks the heavy depleted uranium armor matrix found on the U.S. Army’s own tanks. Further, the Iraqi Abrams were not equipped with features such as explosive reactive armor that would have helped those vehicles survive in combat against ISIS or other insurgent groups’ anti-tank missiles from various angles. But even then, the Iraqi Army is losing to ISIS not because of its equipment, but because it lacks the discipline, tactics, training and procedures to fight and win.

While ISIS likely has the motivation and discipline to put up a fight, what the group doesn’t have is the logistical train to operate the Abrams. The Abrams is a complex, maintenance intensive machine that requires a steady stream of spare parts and ammunition. Moreover, its 1500hp gas turbine engine also burns fuel at a rapid clip—so a steady supply of JP-8 fuel is a must. At the end of the day, the Abrams is designed to operate as part of a large conventional army—which ISIS is not.

(Recommended: 5 Russian Weapons of War America Should Fear)

ISIS is not a conventional fighting force—in many ways it’s a hybrid between a conventional army and an insurgency. While the group may use armor captured from Iraqi or Syrian stocks, it’s not going to employ tanks in massed armored formations like the U.S. Army or Russia. ISIS doesn’t have enough tanks or the training to undertake such an endeavor even if they can learn to operate an individual Abrams as a vehicle. Fighting as part of a conventional mechanized force is a lot more complicated than just learning operate a single vehicle—it takes a lot of coordination and training.

Overall, if there was an encounter between the Russian T-90s and group of ISIS operated Abrams, it’s likely that a force of trained Russian soldiers would prevail. The problem for the Russians is probably not going to be ISIS tanks but rather the hordes of ISIS soldiers armed with rocket-propelled grenades, anti-tank missiles and explosively formed penetrators that they might face-off against.

Dave Majumdar is the defense editor for The National Interest. You can follow him on Twitter: @DaveMajumdar.

Image: Flickr/Creative Commons.


Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com.