- Joined
- Sep 30, 2019
If it can stop MG fire, its less dumb than you think. Might be the only thing Putin can build that's cheaper than an NLAW.
A tank needs to do more than stop small arms fire though. Anti-armor is basically one of the main roles of a tank in the modern battlefield (from what I understand). If you want to provide infantry support, use an IFV.an old and obsolete tank is at the end of the day still a tank, so if you can get it in working condition you can probably still get some utility out of it.
the armor is obsolete against modern tanks and anti tank weapons, but it still deflects small arms fire and shrapnel perfectly fine.
the cannon is worthless against modern tanks too, but it can still punch holes in building walls and annihilate unarmored vehicles without issue (if it can hit its intended target lol)
probably the biggest downside would be the slow speed and horrendously bad fuel efficiency of 80+ year old engine designs, and reliability is probably not the best either with transmission systems and tracks that were made four generations ago.
The T-62M is probably the oldest they can get away with as far as tanks are concerned, and even that is stretching it as Ukraine gets its hands on more and more modern Western armor.