After 1945, there was not a single decade in which a slender chorus of army voices did not predict the imminent death of tank equipment as a class of combat vehicles. Their first gravedigger was named nuclear weapons. However, it soon became clear that in the conditions of its use, the tank, on the contrary, shows the highest, in comparison with all other equipment, survivability and combat effectiveness, after that all the skeptics calmed down, but not for long. Once again, the rolling "shovel" was handed over to anti-tank guided missiles, combat helicopters and now all precision weapons in general. But, despite all this, the tanks were never buried.
Today, main battle tanks (MBT) continue to be the main striking force of the ground forces of any state. And even by significantly reducing tank parks, no one is going to abandon them. Analyzing the experience of military conflicts in the recent future and the current level of equipment of the armies of different countries, as well as the level that they will be able to achieve in the foreseeable future, we can say with confidence that, at least for the next 3-4 decades, MBT will remain the main striking force in ground units of all armies. Being the most tenacious, protected and heavily armed combat vehicles in combat conditions, they, as before, will largely determine the stability of ground forces.
With a great deal of confidence, we can say that for the next 25-30 years, a significant part of the world tank fleet will continue to be vehicles familiar to us today. Such main tanks as T-64, T-72, T-80, T-90, M-1 "Abrams", "Challenger-2", "Leopard-2", "Merkava" and other achievements of design ideas 60- 70s of the last century, which were first improved in the 80s, and then significantly modernized in the 90s, and still continue to improve mainly due to the installation of a new "filling and body kit".
T-90 at the parade in Moscow
Obviously, over time, new models of tank equipment will appear on the battlefield, created, among other things, on existing platforms, but there will not be many of them. Among them, tanks of domestic assembly may find their place, but what kind of vehicles they will be is a separate question.
In the early 2000s, the first mentions of a new-generation domestic tank under development appeared in the press. The vehicle of the Ural Design Bureau was known as Object 195, but received its fame as the T-95. Information about the new tank was then rather scanty, and many thought that everything would end only with blueprints. However, in 2008-2009, information was leaked to the media that a prototype was built and even participating in tests. This tank combines many developments in all machines of this class, which were conducted in the last century, when the M1 Abrams and T-72 were considered the pinnacle of technical thought. You can read more about the possibilities and layout of the "object 195" in our article.
Is there anything cheaper?
Even in spite of its outstanding performance characteristics, the T-95 tank will most likely never go into mass production. The high cost of the tank, together with the curtailment of similar foreign programs, makes the re-equipment of domestic tank units on the T-95 a little meaningful and, most importantly, a ruinous project. Along with this, a new universal army platform is needed. Such a tracked platform could be used for both tanks and infantry fighting vehicles of "heavy brigades". The development of such a platform was started back in the USSR, but in the 90s of the last century it was suspended due to lack of funding. Currently, after abandoning the T-95 as the main tank, a unified platform is being created based on the requirements of feasibility at the existing technical level and industrial potential. Accordingly, the requirements for its combat capabilities were changed.
An expert in the field of armored vehicles, Viktor Murakhovsky, believes that the main requirements for it are - increasing the security of the vehicle's crew, as well as equipping with means and equipment that will allow the tank to interact with all the other forces of the brigade under the control of ESU TZ class systems. When creating new vehicles, the requirements for "dueling capabilities", which determine the ability to withstand enemy MBTs, will be somewhat reduced. More powerful guns, such as the 152 mm cannon conceived on the "object 195", will not be used. Improved 125mm guns will act as a replacement. This weapon still has a high development potential, including in terms of creating a new generation of ammunition, while improving this artillery system requires much less costs than switching tanks to a new caliber of the main weapon.
Challenger 2, UK
The increased requirements for the protection of the crew, together with the development of a new platform, common for both the tank and the heavy infantry fighting vehicle, imply the placement of the crew of the vehicle in a separate armored capsule, as on the T-95, as well as a modular layout. Depending on the purpose of the vehicle, it will receive either a combat compartment of a tank with appropriate weapons, or a combat and airborne compartment for an infantry fighting vehicle.
And what about abroad?
Most of the developed countries of the world today give preference to the modernization of existing combat vehicles. The USA chose this path after the economic crisis forced the richest country to abandon the implementation of its ambitious Future Combat System (FCS) program, within which various military equipment was to be developed, including MBT. Moreover, none of the projects of the FCS tank demonstrated radical combat superiority over the modernized versions of the M1 Abrams, which did not justify its high price. Using the platform from the M1 tank, you can carry out upgrades, which will actually make it possible to create a new combat vehicle. It was on this path that tank building was taken in the West.
In 2009, the United States announced that the M1A3 would remain the country's main battle tank for the next decade. It is expected that the new modernization of the tank will receive less weight - about 55 tons, against the current 62 tons. This reduction will be achieved through the use of a new turret, which will receive an automatic loader modeled on the French Leclerc tank. It is supposed to put a new diesel engine on the car, update the fire control system and it is possible to install a new gun (according to some sources, the caliber is 140 mm.). These vehicles are planned to be created on the basis of the M1 and M1A1 tanks in storage, they may well remain in service with the country until the 40s, along with the existing M1A2 tanks.
In Germany, the development of the Neue Gepanzerte Platforme (NGP) program is also slowing down (if not completely stopped), where, like on the T-95, they planned to place the main weapons in an uninhabited tower. The tank was supposed to receive a 140-mm cannon as the main weapon. It is currently not clear whether the German Ministry of Defense will be able to find money for a new vehicle, most likely the Leopard-2 will remain Germany's main tank for 10-15 years. Last year, at the Eurosatory exhibition, German tank builders demonstrated a new modification of the Leopard-2A7 tank, along with it at the exhibition showed the futuristic MBT Revolution, which was also created on the radically modernized Leopard-2 platform. It differs from the A7 model by even greater attention to the protection of the tank, as well as the use of "digital armor" technology, which should provide the crew with an almost all-round view from the inside of the vehicle.
MBT-Revolution, Germany
Currently, France has one of the most modern MBTs, the development of the Leclerc tank took place in the 80s-90s of the last century. In the coming decades, France will get by with the upgrades of this machine. It is planned to install the latest fire control systems and a new, more powerful weapon on the tank. Perhaps work will be done to improve the power plant, to which there are now a number of questions. The rest of the components and assemblies will be borrowed from the base tanks.
England also has its own thoughts on the development of a promising tank. They fit well into the mainstream of general trends in the development of armored vehicles - a decrease in the number of crews, a more powerful gun, a perfect fire control system, etc. True, there is information that the successor to the Challenger-2, being developed as part of the Mobile Direct Fire Equipment Requirement program, is planned to be equipped with a new cannon with electromagnetic acceleration of the projectile. There is a possibility that the British will become innovators in this area, being the first to install such a weapon on a serial tank. However, the time to implement this system pushes the development time of the tank by at least 20 years.
Results and trends
Today, the following main trends in the development of main battle tanks can be distinguished:
1. The mass of tanks stopped growing. All promising projects, with the exception of the upgraded Merkava tanks (created for special theaters of military operations), have a total mass of within 60 tons.
2. The growth of the firepower of tanks has slowed down. The transition of Russia to a 152 mm gun would invariably launch a new round of the race for the most powerful tank gun, but this, most likely, will not happen. The caliber of 140 mm will be the limit for the next 20 years, and the bulk of the tanks will continue to be equipped with 120-125 mm guns.
3. Without exception, all promising tanks will receive an automatic loader, which testifies in favor of the development path that was chosen in Russia 30 years ago.
4. The main role in increasing the combat capabilities of equipment will be played by new, more advanced fire control systems, target designation and communication systems, as well as active protection systems and other equipment, with the help of which the combat capabilities of existing equipment of the 2-3rd generation will be able to significantly increase.
