Light tanks, which make up a certain class of armored vehicles, seem to have already said their word and gone down in history. Nevertheless, they still exist, projects of such tanks periodically appear and there is a discussion of the need for such tanks and their intended use.
On this occasion, there are different opinions, for example, and such: “In my opinion, the C-13/90 is a quite worthy vehicle, a decent light tank weighing 16 tons, suitable both as a vehicle for the qualitative reinforcement of infantry fighting vehicles, and as a light tank, in fact, and a bunch of applications."
Speaking about the prospects or futility of these tanks, first of all, it is necessary to assess their technical characteristics and the possibility of performing a combat mission in a modern battle.
According to its parameters, a light tank is an armored vehicle weighing up to 20 tons, with weak armor, providing protection against small arms and shell fragments, and with small arms or cannon armament, as a rule, of low caliber (up to 100 mm).
The heyday of light tanks came at the dawn of tank building in the 30s. They were also used in significant quantities during the Second World War, for example, the Soviet T-60 and T-70. These tanks were developed and were in service after the war, such as the American Sheridan, the Soviet PT-76 and a number of light tanks in other countries.
With the adoption of the concept of the main tank in the 60s, light and heavy tanks as a class of armored vehicles practically disappeared. The development of short-range and long-range ATGM systems did not leave an opportunity for light tanks to survive on the battlefield in contact with such anti-tank weapons.
The niche of light tanks was occupied by infantry fighting vehicles, which, with the same firepower and increased maneuverability, could also provide the landing of an infantry group. They finally ousted light tanks from the means of escorting and fire support for the infantry. They were also pushed aside by the further developed self-propelled guns, which made it possible, with serious firepower, to remain a serious means of supporting tanks on the battlefield.
There was no room for light tanks in the battle formations of tank subunits, and they, naturally, disappeared in this capacity. One can give an example of the tragic use of light tanks in battle formations during the Prokhorov battle in July 1943 at the Kursk Bulge.
In the 5th Guards Tank Army, which took part in this battle and one of the most equipped at that time, T-70 light tanks were massively used. So, in the 29th tank corps there were 138 T-34 and 89 T-70, and in the 31st tank brigade there were 32 T-34 and 39 T-70. More than half are light tanks! How could they resist the German Tigers and Panthers? With such a ratio of tanks, the catastrophic losses of our tankers were simply inevitable.
Any armored vehicle is characterized by three parameters: firepower, mobility and protection. Therefore, analyzing the capabilities of light tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and self-propelled guns, they must be assessed by these parameters, revealing their strengths and weaknesses.
Each of these classes of armored vehicles has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Light tanks - low firepower and protection, high mobility.
BMP - low firepower and protection, high mobility, the ability to deliver infantry to the battlefield.
ACS - high firepower, medium security, low mobility.
The BMP has one serious advantage over a light tank - it is the ability to deliver and drop infantry, which makes it a weapon of the battlefield.
In terms of the totality of parameters, light tanks are inferior to the main tanks in terms of firepower and protection, infantry fighting vehicles are inferior to the possibility of landing infantry and self-propelled guns in terms of firepower. Light tanks and infantry fighting vehicles also have an indisputable advantage: they are mobile, amphibious and can be airborne, which is not the case for main tanks and self-propelled guns.
By bringing the firepower of a light tank to the level of an SPG and a main tank, it can acquire a new quality that allows it to be used as a means of fire on the battlefield. Then the question arises, in what operations and in what capacity it can be used.
Two types of operations can be considered here - classic large-scale operations during the Great Patriotic War and the use of rapid reaction forces, to which in recent years they are more inclined. When performing the second type of operations, local tasks are solved in a remote area and "police" functions are performed to clean up areas, including in conditions of dense urban development. For such operations, already special armored vehicles are needed.
When conducting large-scale hostilities, the use of light tanks, even with high firepower, in the battle formations of main tanks is pointless, since high combat losses are inevitable due to weak security. They can be used with fire support for infantry in the same order with infantry fighting vehicles, when breaking through to an unprepared defensive line, working from ambushes, and supporting fire in defense.
The use of light tanks in urban areas also does not make much sense, since they will become easy prey for modern RPGs and other melee weapons. With poor security, they have no chance of surviving, in urban conditions they will be doomed.
For city battles and "clean-ups" you need such a "monster" as the "Terminator". This object was created a long time ago and positioned as a tank support combat vehicle. They took the T-72 corps as a basis, threw out the turret with the cannon, and installed a powerful melee weapon system - small-caliber and small-caliber cannon armament using the latest generation of guided weapons. As a means of supporting tanks, it was point-blank and reasonably not perceived by the military. This is not a battlefield weapon, for such purposes there are infantry fighting vehicles and self-propelled guns.
The use of this "monster" in Syria has shown its high efficiency when used in "police" operations in urban agglomerations. It is there that high protection is needed with low mobility and the presence of melee fire weapons. Apparently, for these purposes, the car was put into service.
The light tank has other advantages for use in rapid response operations. This is the possibility of quick transfer, landing in remote territories and mobility of actions in off-road conditions and water obstacles, as well as in clashes with the enemy with an unprepared and weak anti-tank defense.
Under these conditions, the advantages of a light tank are undeniable, and if the firepower is still significantly increased, it can show itself as a machine of the battlefield. The need for armored vehicles of the corresponding class exists in the rapid reaction forces, airborne troops and marines, it is there that it can significantly increase the effectiveness of their actions.
There is such a machine in the Russian army, it is "disguised" under the self-propelled gun "Sprut-SD". According to its characteristics, it is a classic light tank of the latest generation with very strong firepower. There is a version that this machine was named SPG only because it was ordered by the Soviet GRAU, which, according to its powers, does not have the right to order tanks. This is the prerogative of GBTU. This version is well-grounded, having many years of experience of interaction with these departments, I can confirm how, to put it mildly, they “did not like” each other.
The Sprut-SD self-propelled gun was developed for the airborne troops to replace the outdated PT-76 light tank. With high maneuverability and maneuverability, it has the firepower of the main tank. It is equipped with one of the modifications of a 125 mm tank gun and a tank sighting system at the level of the latest T-80 and T-90 tanks. Cannon ammunition is unified with tank ammunition, which is another advantage. It is also possible to shoot from the cannon with the "Reflex" projectiles guided by the laser beam.
In terms of firepower, the Sprut-SD is equal to the latest Soviet and Russian tanks and surpasses the existing foreign counterparts. That is, in terms of firepower, it became equal to the main tank.
In parallel with the development of the "Sprut-SD" at the Kharkov Tractor Plant, the development of this self-propelled gun for the ground forces "Sprut-SSV" was carried out on the basis of the modernized chassis of the tenacious "kid" MTLB, which has served in the army for more than 50 years and is still being produced by the industry.
In the early 90s, at KhTZ, I was shown two prototypes of this ACS. They had quite a lot of latest developments in tank equipment, and then I was surprised how they could put a tank gun on a light and floating chassis and ensure the effectiveness of firing at the level of the latest tanks. The collapse of the Union stopped this promising development, and Ukraine, for many reasons, was clearly not able to do such work.
Development and testing of "Sprut-SSV" showed the possibility of creating such a machine for the ground forces. SAU Sprut-SD possesses many specific qualities necessary for its landing, complicating the design of the vehicle and reducing its reliability. The creation of the same simplified vehicle for the ground forces (and it was being created!) Made it possible to find a worthy application of this class of tanks in the army.
In conclusion, it can be noted that light tanks at the present stage of development of armored vehicles are needed, but not as mass tanks in the tank forces. These vehicles can prove themselves well in the Rapid Reaction Forces, Airborne Forces and the Marine Corps as a means of breaking through the enemy's non-echeloned defense and fire support in local and remote operations. Their use in "police" operations in urban agglomerations may be ineffective due to their vulnerability to melee ATGMs.
