Ad Hoc AFVs

[HaplessOperator]

Originally Posted by Raellus

In spite of shortages of MBTs at the front in Ukraine, the Russians reportedly have around 1,000 T-72s sitting in a long-term storage depot. While they continue to rust, the Russians have been refurbishing T-55 and T-62 tanks are sending them into battle. Why are the Russians prioritizing older models for refurbishment? It could be the T-72's auto-loader. Having sat outdoors for decades, they might be beyond repair- or it's cost-prohibitive to fix or replace them.

So are the Russians just going to sit on 1,000 MBTs? Recent reports point to a new heavy APC design based on the T-72 chassis.

https://www.armyrecognition.com/news...n-testing-area

In most T2k timelines, there's either no "Peace Dividend" draw-down, or it's greatly reduced in scope and scale. So, more T-72 would be kept in working condition. But still, as the war grinds on, it would be harder to repair or replace auto-loading equipment. In that case, it makes good sense to convert operational T-72 chasses into heavy APCs.

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You touched on it there, but it should probably be remembered that Russian long-term storage is not the same as Sierra long-term storage, where the vehicles are sitting in an arid environment and not subject to multiple deep freezing cycles per year, alternately covered in snow and partially flooded, and without even occasional pulls for parts checks. Most of the strategic vehicle reserve of Russia is literally rotting and rusting where it sits in various depots.

That is, there's a good chance there's more than the autoloaders wrong with a lot of these vehicles.