#Main Battle Tank Ammunition

[defencestar]

Rheinmetall will supply MBT ammunition worth €200 million to European customer

A European customer has awarded Rheinmetall a contract to supply tank ammunition. Worth over €200 million net, the ammunition will be delivered between 2023 to 2025, German defence company said on Friday. Following the major contract for infantry fighting vehicle ammunition reported in April, this is another significant order resulting from the current surge in demand for ammunition, the German…

[awesome-casuallyfamouscollector]

A damaged Russian T-72B3 tank and BREM-1 recovery vehicle were captured by the Ukrainian army in the vicinity of Izium, Kharkiv region. A destroyed Russian BMP-1 IFV can be seen nearby in the background. Ukraine, 2022. Source:  Ukraine Weapons Tracker

[larrgejarr]

The MBT-70 is such a fever dream of a prototype tank, it sounds more like a sci-fi tank than something from the 60's

It's main gun was an autoloading, 15.2 cm cannon that fired ATGMs and caseless ammunition, the driver was in the turret, placed in a special cupola in the centre of the tank which would rotate against the turret to keep them facing forwards. It also had a remote controlled 20 mm AA gun & a laser rangefinder.

Like, is it any wonder why this got so expensive & overcomplex (ultimately causing it's cancellation) I'm sure even a modern tank with these traits would have similar issues (mainly because of the caseless ammo, all the other stuff can and has been used on other modern tanks (although having a 15.2 cm gun/launcher has only really been done on the M551 Sheridan))

Seriously though, an autoloader with caseless ammunition? A notoriously unreliable & crude at the time loading mechanism with a notoriously fragile round? Why?

[asktheguardponies]

Equestria's most modern tank is the Caballus Mk5, the latest modernization program for an aging Main Battle Tank developed in the late 970s. The Caballus was produced in vast numbers and upgrading them was a piecemeal affair, with many Mk3s and Mk4s still in service with reserve units.

The Mk5 retained the commander's rotary MG and upgraded it with a millimeter-wave radar for better performance against fast moving targets. The main armament is a 120mm smoothbore introduced in the Mk4 variant. The loader can grab ammunition from three storage bins separated by armored bulkheads with blowout doors to protect the crew in case of fire.

The Mk5 is has very good frontal protection with enchanted armor slabs on the frontal hull and ERA panels on the turret cheeks. To address the increased weight, a new V12 turbocharged diesel was installed, giving it even better mobility.

[mariacallous]

Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, recently painted a somber picture of Russia’s war against Ukraine: A positional war teetering on the precipice of a stalemate, slowly tilting in Russia’s favor. Against this backdrop, talk of war fatigue is gaining momentum in Western capitals and the media, with growing calls for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

A year ago, Zaluzhny had underscored the need for specific weapons to achieve a breakthrough in the next Ukrainian counteroffensive. His prerequisites included air defense systems, fighter aircraft, main battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, howitzers, and long-range missiles to strike Russian facilities and supply lines well beyond the 50-mile range of previously delivered systems. “I know that I can beat this enemy,” Zaluzhny told the Economist then. “But I need resources!” But Western support, in both types and quantities of weapons, fell significantly short of his appeals.

Western reluctance to promptly furnish Ukraine with the required military equipment in sufficient numbers—exacerbated by ongoing shortages in artillery ammunition—inadvertently afforded Russia the time to strengthen its frontline through extensive construction of fortifications, trenches, and mine fields. Notably, the United States held back on the delivery of Advanced Tactical Missile Systems until very recently, while German reluctance to provide Ukraine with Taurus missiles added another layer of hesitation. The results are evident on the ground: Whereas we cannot know whether greater and faster delivery of weapons would have led to a Ukrainian military breakthrough, we do know that, without it, the result of Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the land war has been marginal at best. In the Black Sea, on the other hand, Kyiv has achieved significant recent success.

Doubling down on the narrative that it has thwarted Ukraine’s counteroffensive, Russia has launched attacks in several sectors of the front, including near the city of Avdiivka and town of Vuhledar. While they are exacting a significant toll on Russian lives and military resources—October was the bloodiest month for Russia since February 2022—Russian advances are paying off. The strategic value of Russia’s small territorial wins is questionable, but the benefits in the informational realm are clear: They give many observers the impression that the military initiative is back in Moscow’s hands. Alongside the lackluster Ukrainian counteroffensive, the fear that the tables are turning in Russia’s favor is adding to the war fatigue among Western nations and eliciting calls for negotiations.

The West has indeed reached the limits of its current strategy. In practice, if not in words, this strategy has centered on ensuring Ukraine’s survival without enabling it to achieve a decisive victory. Ukraine’s Western supporters are now at a crossroads.

Some believe that there are only two routes ahead: either the perpetuation of war—with the risk that it tilts in Russia’s favor—or negotiations that lead to some form of territorial compromise. Yet reality in Ukraine—and, above all, in Russia—suggests that the negotiation option is not available. Ukrainians believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ambitions reach beyond the annexation of a few regions and instead extend to the genocidal subjugation and erasure of their country and identity. For Ukrainians, the stakes extend beyond affirming an abstract principle of territorial integrity; their concern is about the lives of their compatriots living under Russian occupation. Framing negotiations around a land-for-peace compromise is untenable for Ukrainians.

Those in the West who believe in negotiations might retort that whether Kyiv desires to negotiate is irrelevant—without Western support, it will have no other choice. But as is often the case in Western discussions about Ukraine, this tends to ignore the other side of the equation: Russia. Those advocating for negotiations assume that Putin will acknowledge that he cannot achieve an outright victory and settle for the territorial gains he has made so far. However, the idea that Putin will genuinely embrace negotiations and seek an end to the war overlooks the strategic role the war itself has gained in sustaining his grip on power, especially as his narrative of the war has evolved over the last two years. The reconfiguration of the war in Russian propaganda, from a preventive attack against supposed Ukrainian Nazis to a patriotic war to defend the Russian homeland against attack by the collective West, means that the show must go on.

Putin’s need for a large-scale war arose between 2018 and 2020, when the political momentum from the annexation of Crimea dwindled and Russia grappled with a myriad of domestic challenges. The 2018 pension reforms sparked street protests and a sharp decline in Putin’s approval ratings. The years 2019 and 2020 were marked by widespread anti-government protests in Moscow and the Khabarovsk Krai region. The political and social environment, already tense, was further strained by the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic repercussions. The poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and his subsequent imprisonment, coupled with restrictions on civil liberties through legislation that curtailed supposed foreign agents and undesired organizations, added to the tension. It is in this tumultuous period that Putin released his infamous article on the national unity of Russians and Ukrainians, which proved to be the ideological and argumentative prelude to war. Bringing the war to an end now would mean having to address not only a host of festering issues, but also fresh problems arising domestically from Western sanctions and Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Putin has nothing to gain from any of this.

The choice facing the West is not between war and compromise but between defeat and victory. The trajectory the West is on—maintaining current levels of support or perhaps scaling them back while pushing for negotiations—raises the chances of defeat. Putin is banking on this: At the heart of his theory of victory lies his conviction that Russia’s staying power in the war is greater than the West’s (and, by extension, Ukraine’s). Unlike the West’s muddled hope for compromise, Putin’s strategy has a clear logic.

At the current crossroads, Ukraine’s Western supporters should ask themselves: What are the costs of a step change to enable Ukraine’s victory relative to the costs of maintaining the status quo or scaling back support leading to Ukraine’s defeat? Such a defeat, to be clear, would not be limited to Ukraine. A victorious Russia would not limit itself to occupying the five annexed regions and, through them, politically influencing or controlling Kyiv. While some may think that a militarily and economically degraded Russia no longer poses an existential threat to Poland or the Baltic states, a victorious Russia would certainly pose such threat to Moldova. No one can know what could happen next—or after a vindicated Russia rearms. No reasonable European country can afford to take that bet, and no reasonable U.S. administration should take that bet either.

Of course, ensuring Ukraine’s victory comes with costs, too. The economic cost of sustaining Ukraine to victory—involving not only weapons but also many other forms of aid—is significant, especially in the context of other challenges faced by the West in the Middle East and elsewhere. A victorious Ukraine emerging from years of war would pose significant challenges, and its integration in Euro-Atlantic structures would not be smooth. But surely the West would much rather deal with these problems than the much more existential ones that would result from Ukraine’s defeat.

[walkingthroughthisworld]

Military Armed Forces The M1A2 Abrams Main battle tank. M1A2 (Baseline) : Production began in 1986 and entered service in 1992 (77 built for the US and more than 600 M1s upgraded to M1A2, 315 for Saudi Arabia, 218 for Kuwait). The M1A2 offers the tank commander an independent thermal sight and ability to, in rapid sequence, shoot at two targets without the need to acquire each one sequentially, also 2nd generation depleted uranium armor components. M1A2 SEP (System Enhancement Package) : Has upgraded third-generation depleted uranium armor components with graphite coating (240 new built, 300 M1A2s upgraded to M1A2 SEP for the USA, also unknown numbers of upgraded basic M1s and M1IPs, also 400 oldest M1A1s upgraded to M1A2 SEP) M1A2 SEPv2 : Added Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station as standard, color displays, improved interfaces, a new operating system, improved front and side armor with ERA (TUSK kit), tank-infantry phone as standard, and an upgraded transmission for better durability. M1A2C (SEPv3) : Has increased power generation and distribution, better communications and networking, new Vehicle Health Management System (VHMS) and Line Replaceable Modules (LRMs) for improved maintenance, an Ammunition DataLink (ADL) to use airburst rounds, improved counter-IED armor package, improved FLIR using long- and mid-wave infrared, a low-profile CROWS RWS, and an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) under armor to run electronics while stationary instead of the engine, visually distinguishing the version by a small exhaust at the left rear. Prototypes began testing in 2015, and the first were delivered in October 2017. Fielding is expected to begin in 2020. M1A2D (SEPv4) : Under engineering development with delivery planned to start by 2020. The Commander’s Primary Sight, also known as the Commander’s Independent Thermal Viewer, and Gunner’s Primary Sight will be upgraded with 3rd Gen FLIR, an improved laser rangefinder and color cameras. Additional improvements will include advanced meteorological sensors, laser warning/detection receivers, directional smoke grenade launchers and integration of the new XM1147 multi-purpose (AMP) 120 mm tank round. The AN/VVR-4 laser warning receiver and ROSY rapid obscurant system have been trialed by the US Army for adoption on the Abrams tank and Bradley fighting vehicle.

[ukrainenews]

Daily Wrap Up March 21, 2023

Under the cut:

A Ukrainian army major in the Bakhmut area says the situation remains extremely difficult, but that he believes the Russians are losing their "offensive potential."

The U.K. Minister of State for Defense Annabel Goldie said on March 20 that some of the ammunition her country would deliver to Ukraine alongside Challenger 2 tanks contains depleted uranium. “Such rounds are highly effective in defeating modern tanks and armored vehicles,” Goldie added. The U.K. pledged to supply Ukraine with 28 Challenger 2 main battle tanks as part of the Western allies’ assistance package. Multiple countries promised to send dozens of German-made Leopard 2 tanks, and the U.S. promised to send 31 Abrams tanks later this year.

Chinese president, Xi Jinping, and Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, have finished formal talks at the Kremlin, and are signing documents on strategic cooperation, Russian state media are reporting. The pair signed a joint statement “deepening the two countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era”, Hua Chunying, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign affairs ministry, said.

The US has changed course and is now providing Ukraine with 31 M1-A1 Abrams tanks instead of the newer M1-A2 variants previously planned, Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said Tuesday. This will allow for the tanks to get there faster. 

Patriot missile defense systems are set to be deployed to Ukraine faster than originally planned, and a group of 65 Ukrainian soldiers will complete their training on the systems at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in the coming days, US defense officials said on Tuesday.

Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin emerged from two days of talks on Tuesday with warm words of friendship between China and Russia and joint criticism of the West, but no sign of a diplomatic breakthrough over Ukraine.

“A Ukrainian army major in the Bakhmut area says the situation remains extremely difficult, but that he believes the Russians are losing their "offensive potential."

Maksym Zhorin said on his Telegram channel that "the main task for the Ukrainian army is to hold the connection corridor, which allows for the supply and evacuation of the wounded."

"Therefore the fighting around this corridor, in the area of Ivankivske and Bohdanivka, is the most difficult," he said.

The two villages sit on routes west from Bakhmut toward the city of Kostiantynivka.

"One thing I can say for sure is that the enemy is gradually running out of offensive potential," Zhorin said. "They have sustained significant losses while trying to advance in the South and in the North, as well as while trying to attack directly through urban areas. Nevertheless, the endless assault attempts continue." "The Russians have a goal to take Bakhmut at any cost. We have orders to hold the line. We are following our orders."”-via CNN

~

“The U.K. Minister of State for Defense Annabel Goldie said on March 20 that some of the ammunition her country would deliver to Ukraine alongside Challenger 2 tanks contains depleted uranium.

“Such rounds are highly effective in defeating modern tanks and armored vehicles,” Goldie added.

The U.K. pledged to supply Ukraine with 28 Challenger 2 main battle tanks as part of the Western allies’ assistance package. Multiple countries promised to send dozens of German-made Leopard 2 tanks, and the U.S. promised to send 31 Abrams tanks later this year.

U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said in an interview with Reuters on Feb. 22 that Challenger tanks could start to arrive in Ukraine in the spring.

Depleted uranium is a dense metal formed as a byproduct of enriching natural uranium for nuclear fuel. Being still radioactive but at a much lower level than the original material, depleted uranium is used in armor-piercing projectiles and bombs for greater penetration power.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, depleted uranium can seriously threaten human health if its particles are ingested or inhaled. Munitions containing depleted uranium were used in both Gulf Wars, Serbia, and Kosovo.

Many studies on depleted uranium report no evidence of danger, but their results remain controversial, the Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks of the European Commission wrote.

On March 21, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin condemned the U.K.’s plans to send ammunition containing depleted uranium to Ukraine, saying Moscow “would have to respond accordingly,” as quoted by Reuters.

Russia has made a series of nuclear threats since the beginning of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Kremlin's continuous messaging of low-credibility threats of nuclear escalation aims to "intimidate the West and appeal to its (Kremlin's) ultranationalist base," the Institute for the Study of War wrote on March 2.”-via Kyiv Independent

~

“Chinese president, Xi Jinping, and Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, have finished formal talks at the Kremlin, and are signing documents on strategic cooperation, Russian state media are reporting.

The pair signed a joint statement “deepening the two countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era”, Hua Chunying, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign affairs ministry, said.

Xi and Putin “stressed that the Ukraine crisis should be settled through peace talks”, she said.

Hua added, “On the Ukraine issue, the two sides believe the purposes and principles of the UN Charter must be observed and international law respected. Russia speaks positively of China’s objective and impartial position on the Ukraine issue.

The two sides oppose the practice by any country or group of countries to seek advantages in the military, political and other areas to the detriment of the legitimate security interests of other countries.””-via The Guardian

~

“The US has changed course and is now providing Ukraine with 31 M1-A1 Abrams tanks instead of the newer M1-A2 variants previously planned, Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said Tuesday.

“[A]fter further study and analysis on how best to do this, DoD in close coordination with Ukraine has made the decision to provide the M1-A1 variant of the Abrams tank, which will enable us to submit significantly expedite delivery timelines and deliver this important capability to Ukraine by the fall of this year,” Ryder said at a press conference.

He added that the US would also be providing Ukraine with “advances armor and weapons systems” that are “very similar capability” to the M1-A2, including a .50-caliber heavy machine gun and 120 mm cannon.”-via CNN

~

“Patriot missile defense systems are set to be deployed to Ukraine faster than originally planned, and a group of 65 Ukrainian soldiers will complete their training on the systems at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in the coming days, US defense officials said on Tuesday.

The troops will then move on to Europe for additional training on the two Patriot systems—one American, and one built by the Germans and Dutch— that will be deployed to Ukraine in the coming weeks, the officials told reporters at Fort Sill.

US trainers at Fort Sill, where the 65 Ukrainians have been training since January 15, were able to significantly speed up the timeline of the course because of the Ukrainians’ baseline knowledge of air defense systems, the officials said. The acceleration of Patriot deployments comes the same day it was reported that the US will accelerate the time it takes to ship Abrams tanks to Ukraine by sending older M1-A1 models of America's main battle tank instead of the more modern version of the tank, according to two US officials.

“Our assessment is that the Ukrainian soldiers are impressive, and absolutely a quick study,” said Brig. Gen. Shane Morgan, the Fort Sill commander. “Due to their extensive air defense knowledge and experience in a combat zone, it was easier— though never easy—for them to grasp the Patriot System Operations and Maintenance concepts.”

The US military had allocated 10 weeks for the training, but the Ukrainians completed it in about 8 weeks. The training schedule was “aggressive,” a Fort Sill official said, with the Ukrainians training daily from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time.”-via CNN

~

“Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin emerged from two days of talks on Tuesday with warm words of friendship between China and Russia and joint criticism of the West, but no sign of a diplomatic breakthrough over Ukraine.

Xi's visit to Moscow - long touted by the Kremlin as a show of support from its most powerful friend - featured plenty of demonstrative bonhomie. The two leaders referred to each other as dear friends, promised economic cooperation and described their countries' relations as the best they have ever been.

A joint statement included familiar accusations against the West - that Washington was undermining global stability and NATO barging into the Asia-Pacific region.

On Ukraine, Putin praised Xi for a peace plan he proposed last month, and blamed Kyiv and the West for rejecting it.

"We believe that many of the provisions of the peace plan put forward by China are consonant with Russian approaches and can be taken as the basis for a peaceful settlement when they are ready for that in the West and in Kyiv. However, so far we see no such readiness from their side," Putin said.

But Xi barely mentioned the conflict at all, saying that China had an "impartial position" on it.

Responding to the meeting, the White House said China's position was not impartial, and urged Beijing to pressure Russia to withdraw from Ukraine's sovereign territory to end the war.

The summit, Putin's biggest display of diplomacy since he ordered his invasion of Ukraine a year ago, was partly upstaged in Kyiv, where Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made an unannounced visit and met President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

The latest world leader to make the gruelling overland journey to show solidarity with Ukraine, Kishida toured Bucha on the capital's outskirts, left littered with dead last year by fleeing Russian troops. He lay a wreath by a church before observing a moment of silence and bowing.

"The world was astonished to see innocent civilians in Bucha killed one year ago. I really feel great anger at the atrocity upon visiting that very place here," Kishida said.”-via Reuters

[jcmarchi]

Abrams Tanks May Have Some Problems in Ukraine - How Serious Are They? - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/abrams-tanks-may-have-some-problems-in-ukraine-how-serious-are-they-technology-org/

Abrams Tanks May Have Some Problems in Ukraine - How Serious Are They? - Technology Org

The Armed Forces of Ukraine are using a bunch of different types of Western tanks. Those include German Leopard 1 and 2 tanks, British Challenger 2 and, of course, at least 31 M1A1 Abrams tanks. All of these tanks have certain peculiarities about them and crews have to be prepared for each of these types individually. However, the Abrams main battle tank may pose the most serious problems.

Ukraine absolutely needs main battle tanks. The more the better. And the more advanced the better. However, the West lived in peace for so long that the tank reserves are not that great. NATO countries don’t have that many tanks to spare actually.

On top of that, the choices of which tanks to supply need to be made in a smart way, because Ukraine does not have any experience with the Western-designed tanks, there is no servicing or ammo supply infrastructure there.

M1 Abrams tanks are special in many ways. They also require special care. Image credit: Oregon National Guard via Wikimedia

And now the Ukrainian Ground Forces have a mish-mash of tanks, which have their own peculiarities:

The Leopard 1A5 is not only the oldest in its architecture, but also has a rifled 105 mm gun. This means that it needs special ammunition, which is not common in NATO anymore.

The Leopard 2s are the most standard, but Ukraine is getting a bunch of different versions of this tank, including 2A4s, 2A5s, 2A5s (Stridsvagn 122) and 2A6s. There are differences between these versions that need to be learned in training.

The Challenger 2 is of the same era as the Leopard 2, but it uses a rifled 120 mm gun, which also required special ammunition.

Finally, the M1A1 Abrams can share ammo with the Leopard 2, but has a multi-fuel turbine engine, instead of a regular reciprocating engine with cylinders and pistons.

Abrams tanks can burn any fuel – diesel, petrol, vodka, doesn’t matter. They are powerful and resilient. However, these gas turbine engines do need a lot of care.

Forbes writes that despite the engines in the Abrams tanks costing an unbelievable amount of money, they can succumb to dust and debris if the crews don’t maintain the filters very well. This is something crews learn during long months of training, but the Ukrainian tankmen had to learn this very quickly.

If the tank filters are not cleaned every 12 hours or so, the damage can be so severe that the engine and possibly the transmission will need to be replaced. Obviously, in a battlefield that could bring the tank to a tragic ending.

How do you clean the filters? Ukrainian Abrams crews will have to rev the tank’s engine to redline twice a day to start the pulse-jet system and blow air through the filters clearing out the dust and debris.

Power unit of the Abrams tank out of the hull. Image credit: Lance Cpl. Zachery Laning via Wikimedia

Even with the filters being kept up to, the Arbams will cause some issues to the Ukrainian Ground Forces. These tanks use a lot of fuel and require deep maintenance, which will have to be performed in Poland. Getting them there will not be easy either, because the Abrams is rather heavy at over 62 tonnes.

However, the effectiveness of the main battle tank mostly depends on the tactics. And if the defenders of Ukraine manage to exploit the strong sides of the Abrams well, these tanks will do a lot of damage to the Russian invaders.

Written by Povilas M.

Sources: Focus.ua, Wikipedia

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

October 17, 2023 (Tuesday)

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

OCT 18, 2023

This morning, the Ukrainian military launched a surprise attack on two Russian airfields in occupied Ukraine, using a longer-range missile system secretly supplied in the last few weeks by the United States. The Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, has a range of about 100 miles, or 161 kilometers. It enabled the Ukrainians to damage runways and destroy nine Russian helicopters. The missiles also killed a number of Russian soldiers. One of the conditions of Ukraine’s acquisition of these weapons was that they would only be used within Ukraine against the occupiers, not in Russia itself. 

The thirty-one M1 Abrams main battle tanks the U.S. had promised Ukraine have all arrived, the U.S. confirmed today. All the Ukrainian military personnel who trained to use those tanks in Germany have also returned.

A recent Russian offensive has been largely unsuccessful, while the Ukrainian goal of dividing the Russian invaders in two (much as the U.S. did to the Confederacy) has been partially achieved but troops have not punched through. At the same time, strategic Ukrainian attacks have pushed Russia’s Black Sea fleet out of its main base in the Crimean port of Sevastopol, and the Institute for the Study of War assesses that the attacks on the airfields will force Russia to pull its aircraft back and either to disperse its ammunition depots or to fortify them. 

Meanwhile, the struggle in the House of Representatives today looked like a preview of the 2024 election. 

Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH), a staunch supporter of former president Trump and a key figure in the attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, is pushing hard for election as speaker, emphasizing how imperative it is for the House Republicans to enable the House to get back to business. As Karoun Demirjian outlined in the New York Times, Jordan and his allies have deployed a pressure campaign against those Republicans opposed to him, as she puts it, “working to unleash the rage of the party’s base voters against any lawmaker standing in his way.” 

This is the same tactic that the extremists have used for decades to move the Republican Party to the right. But there is a different dynamic at play in this speakership crisis. Jordan and his allies created the crisis in the first place by supporting Trump’s demands to shut down the government, tossing out former speaker Kevin McCarthy because he would not agree to shut down the government, and refusing to abide by the vote of the Republican conference to accept the choice of the majority: first McCarthy and then Representative Steve Scalise (R-LA).

There is another way in which this moment is different. Jordan is a flamethrower who was one of the original organizers of the right-wing Freedom Caucus. Republicans saw McCarthy, who was an excellent fundraiser, as a pro-business Republican who worked with the far right, but Jordan is the real deal: a far-right extremist. Republican donors have already suggested they are not enthusiastic about working with him to fund Republican candidates.

The third way this moment is different is that putting Jordan in the speaker’s chair makes him, along with Trump, the face of the Republican Party going into the 2024 election. Representative Pete Aguilar (D-CA) previewed the many downsides of Jordan as speaker when he nominated Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) for the speaker’s chair. Aguilar blamed extremism and partisanship for the unprecedented chaos of the House and urged the Republicans to embrace bipartisanship to do the work the American people had sent them to Washington, D.C., to conduct. 

Aguilar noted that Jordan was “the architect of a nationwide abortion ban, a vocal election denier, and an insurrection inciter.” He has “spent his entire career trying to hold our country back, putting our national security in danger, attempting government shutdown after government shutdown, wasting taxpayer dollars on baseless investigations with dead ends, authoring the very bill that would ban abortion nationwide without exceptions, and inciting violence on this chamber. Even leaders of his own party have called him ‘a legislative terrorist.’” 

Aguilar pointed out Jordan’s opposition to disaster relief, veterans’ relief, support for Ukraine, and military aid to our allies, including Israel, and added: “This body is debating elevating a speaker nominee who has not passed a single bill in 16 years. These are not the actions of someone interested in governing or bettering the lives of everyday Americans.” Jordan as speaker would mean the Republican Party would “continue taking marching orders from a twice-impeached former president with more than 90 pending felony charges.”

Even without mentioning Jordan’s involvement with the cover-up of a sexual assault scandal at Ohio State, Aguilar put Republicans on notice that placing Jordan at the head of the party would have brutal consequences in Democratic campaign ads. 

When House members voted for speaker, the Democrats were unified behind Jeffries, who won all 212 of their votes. Jordan won only 200 of the 217 votes necessary to become speaker, with 20 Republicans voting for someone else. His allies initially said they would call a second vote tonight but changed their minds, apparently realizing that another loss would weaken his candidacy significantly. They say they will hold another vote tomorrow.

Tonight, hundreds of people were killed in an explosion at a packed hospital in Gaza City. Palestinian authorities blamed an Israeli airstrike for the explosion; hours later, Israel Defense Forces said the explosion was a misfired missile launched as part of a “barrage of rockets” by the Islamic Jihad militant group. Neither version of events has been confirmed.

Governments around the region have blamed Israel and sometimes the U.S. for the catastrophic loss of life, and protests have broken out in Lebanon, Iran, and Turkey as President Joe Biden travels to the region personally to demonstrate U.S. support for Israel, pressure Israel to permit humanitarian aid into Gaza, learn any new information about the hostages, and to try to keep the conflict from widening and escalating. 

Biden will meet in Tel Aviv, Israel, with Israeli leaders, first responders, and families of hostages, but the second leg of his trip—to Jordan, for a meeting with King Abdullah II, Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, and Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi—was canceled as Abbas rushed home. National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby told reporters Biden would speak with Abbas and Sisi on the trip back to the U.S. 

—

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[fictionalafvsmybeloved]

M-12 Sabretooth from Resistance: Fall of Man?

You know, the closest I ever came to playing that game was an ARMA 3 Halloween operation.

Anyways, The M-12 Sabertooth

Aliens are invading Earth again, and this time they're coming hot on the heels of WWII.

So, this chassis has some pretty clear inspiration from the M1 Abrams; Running gear, side-skirts, mud-guards, even the front of the hull bear similarities to some extent.

Engine Deck is a mix of Leopard 2 fans, M60 rear grill, and even the air filters from early model Tiger 1's. Turret draws lineage from British Centurions (notably the Mk1 prototype which mounted a co-axial 20mm auto-cannon) and the add-on armor on the turret brings to mind a T-80 with ERA fitted.

This is apparently a "Light Battle Tank" so its mobility should be decent. Those road-wheels are packed in there pretty tightly.

Its also light enough to be air transported, so armor won't be stellar by any measure, but it should be sturdy enough. It's also equipped with so form of add-on armor on the turret, whether its just applique panels or ERA is unknown to me.

The Sabertooth does have some pretty sharp teeth, an 80mm rifled main gun, a .50 cal MG for the commanders hatch, and a 20mm Gatling gun mounted co-axially. That last one is a bit of an odd choice. Now, there have been a few semi-modern tanks that mounted an auto-cannon co-axially in the turret, notably the French AMX-30. But nothing to my knowledge ever mounted any caliber of Gatling gun in the turret. The main issues with this concept is space inside the turret. Its already at a premium with the main gun, armor, crew and ammunition in there; adding a bulky Gatling gun instead a normal auto-cannon is redundant since its fire-rate is probably going to be limited to below 1000 rpm so it doesn't chew through all its ammo in 6 1/2 seconds. And if that's the case, you're better off space wise going with a normal auto-cannon.

I'm not seeing very many viewports on this, or maybe they're just really small. We do atleast get a spotlight.

Driver's hatch in the hull and the commander+gunner's hatches in the turret lead me to believe it has a crew complement of 3-4.

And we have a fair array of stowage, maintenance hatches, panels, headlights and tow hooks.

FINAL SCORES

Credibility: 6/10 - r/NonCredibleDefence Approved

Coolness: 6/10 - Forest MultiCam

BONUS

Some nice AMX-30 Footage

[naturalrights-retard]

The UK's junior Defense Minister Annabel Goldie told Parliament on Tuesday, "Alongside our granting of a squadron of Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, we will be providing ammunition including armor piercing rounds which contain depleted uranium."

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova in words posted to Telegram highlighted the dangerous health effects of depleted uranium for all when introduced on the battlefield.

"Yugoslav scenario. These shells not only kill, but infect the environment and cause oncology in people living on these lands," she said, in reference to cancer and other deadly ailments.

"By the way, it is naive to believe that only those against whom all this will be used will become victims. In Yugoslavia, NATO soldiers, in particular the Italians, were the first to suffer. Then they tried for a long time to get compensation from NATO for lost health. But their claims were denied," she said.

Zakharova then added, "When will they wake up in Ukraine?… Their benefactors poison them." During the US occupation of Iraq, use of depleted uranium by NATO allies was linked to cancer and birth defects among the Iraqi population.

According to a summary of the hazardous weapons technology in the journal Scientific American:

Depleted uranium presents not only a radioactive hazard, but it is also a strong toxin, and when these munitions are used this toxicity and radioactive material can be scattered across a broad area that saw prior battles, and later encountered by humans.

On the same day, reports emerged of a new push by US lawmakers to introduce cluster munitions to Ukraine, which are banned by some international treaties and condemned by human rights organizations.

[definitelynotalpharius]

Sainted Apocalypse, Castigator-Class MBT

// Sainted Apocalypse, Castigator class main battle tank: online. //

// Crew status, optimal. //

// Crew class: Adepta Sororitas; Order: Argent Shroud. //

// Begin battle log. //

SA-TD: "She's online, sister Sigirid."

SA-TS: "Wonderful. You ought to have been an Enginseer."

SA-TD: "I'd sooner swear the oath of repentance than be amongst those heretics."

SA-TL: "Careful. The Cult Mechanicum was sanctioned by The God Emperor Himself, sister Angeline."

SA-TD: "Oh. Is that because our 'lovely' dominus gave you those augmetics, oh sister 'Manus'?"

SA-TL: "To liken me to one of His sons is not but a compliment, sister Angeline."

SA-TG: "Sisters, I believe we're on a schedule. Quit your bickering and allow the Superior to begin the briefing before we're all sworn to the repentia."

SA-TS: "Thank you, sister Dominica. Our target is this forested area south of Hab-836, Hive Secundus. Cannoness Apocrifa has gotten herself into a unfaivorable position against the xenos filth. Our infiltration point is here, we're ariving via LOD along with 3 squadrons of seraphim and several retributor squads..."

SA-TD: "We're dropping from low orbit?!"

SA-TS: "Objections have already been made to Palatine Silvia. Her response was... It bears no need of repetition."

SA-TL: "We'll be fine. Just strap yourself in, nice an tight."

SA-TS: "As I was saying: were to lead a relief force. Prepare for a rough battle, reports mention xenos-tech is relatively effective against conventional armor. Any questions? Good. Mout up!"

// DRIVER LINK: ESTABLISHED //

SA-TS: "Status!"

SA-TD: "Machine spirit under control. Sound!"

SA-TL: "Sound, Superior!"

SA-TG: "Sound, sister!"

SA-TS: "Sound! Driver, advance... Prepare for drop."

SA-TG: "What is our intel on the xenos, sister Sigrid?"

SA-TS: "They've a propensity for technology. Heavy use of abominable intelligence. They also use machines mimicing the Titanicus. Drop in 30!"

SA-TL: "Expected armor?"

SA-TS: "Lesser. Heavy void shielding."

SA-TL: "Ah. I triple sanctified our ammunition myself..."

SA-TG: "Then we're definitely doomed..."

SA-TL: "HOW D-"

// ORBITAL DROP INITIATED //

AS-C: "See, sisters?! Reinforcements!"

AS-CS: "CANNONESS, LOOK O-"

AS-C: "A glorious death in His name! We charge! Bring the filthy xenos to heel! Castigator Crew, close fire support!"

SA-TS: "Aye, Cannoness. The Sainted Apocalypse is at your service. Driver, advance 1200!"

SA-TG: "Contact - Xenos Tank - 335!"

SA-TS: "Gunner - Sanct - Tank!"

SA-TG: "IDENTIFY!"

SA-TL: "UP!"

SA-TS: "FIRE!"

SA-TG: "HIT!"

SA-TS: "DRIVER - REVERSE - 400. Contact - h.. hounds?"

SA-TG: "Hounds?"

SA-TS: "By the Throne. They're actual hounds. 65"

SA-TG: "Should I fire?"

SA-TS: "Gunner - Pyre - Hold! I'll clear the horde with the HB."

SA-TG: "Standing by!"

SA-TL: "UP!"

SA-TS: "THRONE PERSERVE US! THEY'RE CHARGING!"

SA-TD: "They cannot get through the armor..."

// Alarm: Hull Breach //

SA-TS: "Ram them back, I'm getting the SB. Dominica, man the HB!"

SA-TG: "Aye, Superior!"

// Alarm: Engine Damage //

SA-TD: "Su-Superior! The... The machine spirit, it's fighting back..."

SA-TS: "We're clear. Driver - Reverse - 1200. Gunner, man the MBC."

SA-TG: "Aye, Superior!"

AS-C: "Status, Apocalypse!"

SA-TS: "Sustainable damage, falling back to backline."

AS-C: "Negative. Priority target, 1500 meters south of my position. Take it out."

SA-TS: "*sigh* Gunner - Sanct -"

SA-TG: "IDENTIFY!"

SA-TL: "UP!"

SA-TS: "FIRE!"

SA-TG: "HIT! Wait, was that all? Throne, it's reduced to mist."

AS-C: "Good shot, sisters! That was quicker than expected."

SA-TS: "We aim to serve."

AS-C: "And to kill, I see. Pull back for repairs, the cowards are withdrawing..."

SA-TS: "Compliance."

SA-TL: "Not our best work, I have to say..."

SA-TD: "Not our worst either. You've all your limbs, and Sigrid still has her good eye."

SA-TG: "Either way, that's at least two more notches."

SA-TS: "One. That last kill was... dishonorable. I'll not have it sully my Castigator."

// Battle log end. //

[asktheguardponies]

Originally designed as a cost-effective tank destroyer to counter Zebra or Equestrian armor in challenging terrain, the Condor MBT is central to the Royal Griffon Army's combined arms doctrine. Battle-tested in various conflicts by Hippogriffia and other Griffon allies, the current generation combines the incremental improvements of the series.

Add-on composite armor gives the turret it's distinctive shape and brings the protection level up to par with Zebra MBTs. Explosive reactive panels shield the thinner hull and turret sides.

Sabot and Fragmentation ammunition is kept a armored bulkhead in the lower right of the turret basket, from which an elevator brings rounds up into the crew compartment and feeds into the main gun automatically. When firing ATGMs the gunner puts the gun in manual mode and the commander helps load the missile from the storage rack in the bustle. The missile is then guided to its target by the tank's laser designator.

The Condor is well suited to hit-and-run tactics thanks to its mobility and low silhouette.

[tanksandbeyond]

U.S. Army Stryker M1128 Mobile Gun System assigned to 8th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment fires a canister round at Yakima Training Center as part of Table VI gunnery qualification, November 11th, 2020.

The M1128 is a now retired American assault gun, and is one of the variants of the Stryker family of wheeled vehicles. It is armed with a 105mm M68A2 (or M68A1E4) gun capable of firing four types of ammunition. These are the M900 APFSDS (Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot) round for anti-armor use, M456 HEAT-FS (High Explosive Anti Tank Fin Stabilized) for lighter vehicles and general fragmentation, M393 HESH (High Explosive Squash Head) for destroying fortifications and putting holes in walls, and M1040 Canister for targets not in cover. Ammunition is fed from an 8-round drum autoloader, with 10 spare rounds at the rear of the vehicle. Due to this, it requires only 3 people to operate as opposed to 4 people with the M1 Abrams main battle tank.