Quote:
Originally Posted by Vespers War
The AMX-10 RC uses a 105x527mm round instead of the NATO-standard 105x617mm. It's also an old round, with the APFSDS being of 1987 vintage, with a small penetrator even for that caliber and age, taking the existing dart from 90mm F3 ammunition and just putting that in a bigger shell. It'll penetrate a NATO Single Heavy Target at 1.2 kilometers and a Triple Heavy Target at 2.2 kilometers, with the latter designed to simulate shooting through an armored skirt, road wheel, and tank hull side. I don't think it will perform well against MBTs unless it ambushes them on a road march, but equipped with HE shells it should do nicely in an infantry support role while having some anti-tank capability if the right circumstances arise.
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If I haven't told you before, Vespers War, your wealth of technical knowledge is darned impressive. Thanks.
Since you posted, I've seen 3 or 4 headlines from major media outlets along the lines of, "France sends these tank killers to Ukraine" (in reference to the AMX-10 RC). I wish the media did more due diligence before publishing. Hyperbole gets views, but it can also be very misleading.
In other news...
It looks like we might soon see how the Leopard 2, arguably one of the best MBT designs of the late Cold War period, stacks up against Russian armor of the same era, and later. The UK is also considering giving Challenger 2s to Ukraine. With their 120mm smoothbores, both are definitely legit tank-killers.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...nks-to-ukraine
There's no doubt that Ukraine will need these kinds of systems if it is going to continue to liberate its Russian-held territory. I do wonder how Russia will respond as more and more patently offensive-oriented heavy weapon systems continue making their way into Ukrainian hands. One can reasonably argue that towed artillery, AAA/SAM systems, and ATGMs are primarily defensive weapons. It's much harder to make that argument for M2 Bradleys, Marders, and Leo IIs. I worry that a flood of potent offensive weaponry will trigger Putin to threaten escalation, especially of the tactical nuclear variety, against what he perceives as a growing threat to Mother Russia's territorial integrity.
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