Thread 64494324

Hey /k/ I'm a anti tank missileman in training. We're learning MBT identification, and I suck. Could you lend me some tanktism by posting MBTs and giving me some tips? It'd be much appreciated. I'll promise to get a gopro and get some combat footage for you fags if ever deployed.

>>64494324 (OP)
how specific do you need to get? is it just 't-whatever' or 't-90'

question: do you have to identify them if they look like a shed which is typical of all obr 2025, because that's what they all look like now apparently

>>64494324 (OP)
>Hey /k/ I'm a anti tank missileman in training.
>in the age of a FPV drone

>>64494347
>muh drones
Incel take.

>>64494324 (OP)

which tanks are you shooting at? Look at the number, size, and spacing of the roadwheels. For older soviet kit, the roadwheel size and spacing are your biggest tip-offs on what you're looking at.

Then look at the hull- does it have a driver on the left, right, or center? Does it have a hump on the rear deck? Does it have splash-guards? Fuel tanks? Side skirts?

Then look at the turret- is it rounded/overturned suacepan? Slanted prow? Boxy? is it covered in ERA or add-on armor? Does it have a commander independent thermal sight or other sensor equipment along with the cupola? Does the gun have a muzzle brake or bore evacuator?

Note: this may not apply if you're shooting at those mad-max hedgehogs they have in Ukraine. In that case, aim at center of mass and pray.

>>64494326
Just basic base models like T90 or T72. Haven't gotten into specific variants yet. But the more complicated shit is welcome. I'll need to learn it at some point.
>>64494343
Yes, unfortunately.
>>64494347
>Meanwhile, a Russian tank is getting lollipopped by a JAV

>>64494329
>>64494334
>>64494340
>>64494343
Thanks for the diagrams fren
>>64494413
Good advice

Here's the tanks for the initial quiz off the top of my head if you guys got any pics of them doing shit.
>M1A2 SEP
>Challenger II
>Leopard 2A7
>Leopard I
>T55
>T62
>T64
>T72
>T90
>T14 Armata
>Type 90
>Type 10
>K2 Black Panther
>ZTZ 96
>ZTZ 99
>Merkava Mk III
>Merkava MkIV

>>64494450
>T14 Armata
I got you covered.

>>64494450
Serious question missileanon...why would a guy with an AT missile need to know what every tank looks like? I think you'd be fine with just knowing what your own tanks look like. I mean, either it's friendly or it's not, and if it's not it gets a missile, right?
>because the .gov training syllabus says that I need to memorize every goddamn tank made in the last 60 fucking years is an acceptable, although unfortunate, answer

>>64494503
>>because the .gov training syllabus says that I need to memorize every goddamn tank made in the last 60 fucking years is an acceptable, although unfortunate, answer
Lmao pretty much this. But a lot of third-world shitholes apparently use nigger rigged old tanks. That and I'm expected to eventually advise other infantry on armored threats, so I also need to know their max effective range and other shit.

>>64494324 (OP)
OPSEC

>>64494526
I'm not leaking anything, am I? Figured this thread would be ok. I'll delete it immediately if yes.

>>64494516
>But a lot of third-world shitholes apparently use nigger rigged old tanks. That and I'm expected to eventually advise other infantry on armored threats, so I also need to know their max effective range and other shit.
I genuinely don't see why this would matter. In reality, people are going to be in the heat of the moment and call every moving vehicle a tank and lob missiles at it. People just need to be told to call it out, fall back, and pop it. Or in the worst-case scenario, know where the sights are and knock them out.

>>64494450
OH boy, time for tank autism

>M1A2 SEP
>7 small roadwheels, gap between first and second roadwheels
>Distinct polygonal turret front with little triangular cut-outs on either side of the main gun
>Center-mounted driver's hatch
>"Doghouse" gun sight on turret right, in front of commander cupola
>bore evacuator midway on main gun- evacutor is offset upwards
>Commander Independent Thermal Sight (that weird little mushroom thingy on the turret left front, in front of the loader's hatch
>fiddycals

>Challenger II
>6 roadwheels, spaced 3-2-1 from the front
>Sharply sloped turret front, turret sides slightly sloped inwards but otherwise blocky
>Distinctive blocky sensor directly above main gun- unique to the Challenger II
>Center-mounted driver hatch, sunken between FAT CHEEKS
>bore evacuator midway on main gun, evacuator is centrally-mounted

>Leopard 2A7
>7 roadwheels, evenly-spaced
>distinctive "arrowhead" turret front- metal plates slope into a point surrounding the gun
>"doghouse" gunsight on turret right
>driver on right side
>rear deck slopes upward
>similar gun as Abrams- bore evacuator mounted close to turret, also offset upwards

>Leopard I
>7 roadwheels, evently-spaced
>driver on right side
>rounded turret sides
>separate turret mantlet, shaped like (>------
>bore evacuator near middle of barrel, offset upwards

>Type 90
>6 roadwheels, arranged 1-1-2-2
>Blocky turret front with straight-upward sides
>doghouse on turret LEFT
>can bow
>bore evacuator near middle of barrel, offset upwards

>Type 10
>5 widely-spaced roadwheels, hidden by sideskirts
>Turret shape also has arrowhead, but has distinctive "two layer" slope/cutouts on turret front, think "\\[]//"
>doghouse on turret LEFT
>CITV on right-rear of turret

>K2 Black Panther
>6 roadwheels
>flat "hammerhead" turret with big center block for gun- block also has sensors on it
>Doghouse on left
>CITV on turret front-right
>active protection thingies on turret front corners

>>64494450
>M1A2 SEP
runs out of fuel before you see it. If you see it you are already dead from air strike
>Challenger II
so slow that you die of old age before you see it
>Leopard 2A7
beer on the barrel. very dangerous.
>Leopard I
gay cousin of beer on barrel. shoot anywhere it dies
>T55
rusty old piece of shit. shoot it anywhere, it dies
>T62
rusty old piece of shit that already killed the crew with noxious fumes. no need to shoot
>T64
broke down before it made it to you
>T72
>T90
same thing, just shoot it, it dies, turret go into low earth orbit
>T14 Armata
extinct in the wild
>Type 90
>Type 10
>K2 Black Panther
what do you care you'll never see them
>ZTZ 96
T55 but boxy
>ZTZ 99
boxy T-72, shoot it anywhere, it dies
>Merkava Mk III
>Merkava MkIV
all the commanders and guys around them look and sound like mort from family guy. Just shoot, all will be fine.
>t. ISIS AT gunner

>>64494324 (OP)
https://youtu.be/2doYYblaLFU?si=9s3I3Q0lj00-1Ms2

>>64494588
worth mentioning that since the posting of this video most t80/t72/t90 have been destroyed and now there are more t62/t64 than ever, and possibly some t55/t54. The addition of cages and other improvised armor make ID more difficult.

>>64494540
Exactly why I need to know fren from foe. It's generally tactically inadvisable to blow up friendly armor because the riflemen call out a Leopard as a T72 or some other stupid shit like that.
>>64494543
This is the tism I need thanks.
>>64494576
Lol

>>64494543

>ZTZ96
>6 smaller, widely-spaced roadwheels
>driver on left(?) side
>turret slopes forward, kind of like a Leopard 2 turret but squished downward, turret sides are striahgt up
>doghouse on left side
>Hull sides slope forward
>more evacuator on gun middle, centrally-mounted
>No CITV, instead has a sensor on commander's cupola

>ZTZ99(A2)
>6 evenly-spaced roadwheels
>ZTZ99 has center-mounted driver, A/2 has left-mounted driver
>also has "uneven arrowhead" turret- upper slope is bigger than lower slope
>doghouse on left side, A/2 has cutout in turret roof for it
>additional sensor mounts on turret front right and on mast on turret left rear
>may have tiny sensor above gun
>segmented gun barrel, bore evacuator in the middle
>hull sides slope forward across entire hull

>Merkava MK III
>6 roadwheels arranged in pairs
>big, long front plate, turret located near rear
>also has a rear hatch, unique to the Merkava
>gunsight on right side
>bore evacuator in gun middle
>distinct pointed turret with large cutout on right side for gunsight- look for long, pointed armor wedges on either side of the gun that don't elevate
>turret roof slopes downward
>exhaust grille on front right side of hull- look

>Merkava MK IV
>same wheels as MK III
>also has exhaust mesh on hull front right and rear hatch
> bore evacuator on gun near turret, gun looks stubby compared to other tanks
>gunsight on turret right, high on turret roof
>very distinct turret- think polygonal UFO, but without ERA. May have active-defense sensors (hexagonal drumheads) mounted. May have slat armor and ball-and-chains dangling from turret rear. May be marked with Hebrew numbers.
>CITV on turret left

>>64494324 (OP)
Please do everyone a favour and learn to ID allied tanks too, we don't need another A-10 incident.

>>64494347
>tank bursts out of treeline 2km away
>do you spend 2 minutes launching a drone with a 2kg warhead
>do you spend 30 seconds launching a ATGM with a 5kg warhead

>>64494503
The Americans only knew what American vehicles looked like in Iraq and they kept killing Brits.

>>64494747
What an amazing ally

>>64494450
t-55 is just a tall mushroom, very easy

the difference between it and T-62 is that the T-62 is more sloped downwards in the front, I found the turret to be the easiest identifying mark personally.

>>64494741
real answer: you fire what you have on hand

>>64494812
versus t-62 (angling prominence depending on viewing distance/angel)

>>64494805
Fuckups happen and they unfucked themselves, the main thing making the US a terrible ally these days is:
>threatening to annex an ally
>tariffing countries they have free trade agreements with
>saying they won't honor defensive agreements
>showing their checks and balances don't work
>having the POTUS say there won't be future elections
Honestly it's going to take a purge for anyone to trust the US again.

>>64494814
which is an atgm, because he's an anti tank guided missile man

>>64494450
Oof. They've taken T80 off the list? I knew they were running low, but...

>>64494324 (OP)
Why do you care if your job is just shoot metal boxes center mass?

>>64495335
Kharkiv isn't exactly making them quickly anymore...

level: advanced

>>64494334
what stops russia from modernising their T-80U fleet? is the T-80BVM upgrade package just good enough that the base model T-80B gets brought up above the T-80U at a cheaper cost? I see countless T-72 and T-64 upgrades for all models yet thr T-80U is strangely absent. Is it extinct?

>>64495632
Omsk was smothered to death so Uralvagonzavod could be the state champion. UVZ also happens to be the most retarded of all the Soviet tank factories (and comboed with their preferred design bureau) and the most arrogant plus corrupt.

>>64494831
I'm pretty happy with the current presidency and how I voted. Shame you're histrionic about it.

>>64495818
If you're an accelerationist I can respect that.

>>64495609
I looked at this and the video of it driving on acid a couple of days ago, it was insane

>>64495609
This thing has an exhaust that looks closest to >>64494334, so it might be a t-80 of sorts

>>64494818
Extra credit T-62 detail: Appearance wise early Nork T-62s are almost identical to Soviet ones although the first production run had slightly thinner armor.

See those curved handles/steps on the side of the turret? The Soviet ones have two per side but the Nork ones have three. Also some modernized Nork T-62s have added return rollers on the tracks. Soviet T-62s have DShKs while the Nork made ones usually have a KPV.

The details can get very confusing because several nations use both Soviet and DPRK T-62s.

>>64494747
I fail to see how this is a problem. All joking aside, it would be easily fixed once you're in theater by giving a brief and keeping A-10's out of the area.
>remember when we told you to shoot any tank that didn't look like ours? also don't shoot any tank that looks like this one either while we're here
>*commence to clicking through powerpoint*

>>64494831
We change our leadership every 4-8 years, anon. When that happens, any dealings with the previous administration can (and often do) quickly become null and void. Anyone that's trusted the US in the last century or so hasn't done their homework. You ally yourself with the US because you have to, not because you want to, and you should only do so with the knowledge that you will be absolutely and thoroughly fucked the moment it becomes politically or economically expedient. Your leaders will howl about this betrayal and your fellow citizens will complain angrily on the internet, but it won't matter; the American leadership won't lose any sleep over pissing off yet another irrelevancy and the American citizens will remember you only until the next news cycle, and then you'll be forgotten because to us, you're ultimately forgettable. Then one day, maybe a year from now, maybe longer, your assistance will once again be useful to the US and you'll be offered a new deal, and you'll take it - not because you want to, but because you have to.

Where the US fucked up was by spending the last couple of decades publicly pretending that the rest of the world was made up of peers, rather than vassals. This hasn't been the case since WWI and encouraging everyone to believe otherwise wasn't doing anyone any favors over the long term. We appear to be correcting our course back to reality, but it's going to be a painful process for people that weren't around during the 20th century and don't understand how the world actually works.

>>64495609
what the actual fuck am I looking at here

>>64494503
>>64497976
the real reason is that if war breaks out then at some point you'll wet, hungry, angry and sleep deprived in a trench that more resembles a pothole, hopped up on rip-its and issued wake-up pills you're pretty sure are secretly just amphetamine courtesy of uncle sam and this means you are so fucked mentally that unless what every single tank in existence looks like has been drilled into your skull and written directly on your eyeballs there is a 50/50 chance you are going to panic the fuck out when a tank suddenly appears in your field of vision while your soul vacated your body for five minutes from the overextertion and accidentally blow up $20m worth of friendly armor

>>64498445
Run-on sentences are gay. Also, quit watching so many goddamn movies. It's rotting your brain.

>>64494324 (OP)
>If it works but just looks and feels incredibly boring
>It's American
>If it looks like it was designed by some insane artist, and you can feel it looking down at you whenever you have line of sight to it
>It's French
>If it isn't there, but does look kind of useful
>It's German
>If it's struggling to carry its own fat ass, is numbered '1 of 20', but is otherwise pretty much OK
>It's British
>If it would have looked retarded and obsolete 10 years before it was introduced
>It's Russian
>If it somehow manages to make the Russian tanks look competently made and designed
>It's Chinese
That might be a little more general and high level than you were looking for OP, but it more or less works.

I honestly think that if you put the 105th and it's two supporting mech divisions against twice their number of Russians that they would thrash the shit out of them. They are meant to not only operate as a armored division but as the head of a multi division armored Army group.

As a reminder, their sole theoretical Russian opponents are currently the 155th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade aka 404 'Brigade not found'

What the fuck kind of a 4th world army doesn't give trainee any training materials and education?