via DefenseTalk.
Blurring the line between sports and warfare, the Russian army premiered a new sport – tank biathlon – and invited US crews to compete. Russian news agency Novosti reports. “We’ve invited our American colleagues to participate… and our invitation was accepted by US Secretary of Defense [Chuck] Hagel,” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Saturday. Italy and Germany also agreed to send their teams to compete with Russian and US tank crews, Shoigu said, adding that the event will take place sometime next year.Hmmm.
Russia will host the world’s first ever tank biathlon championship next week. The country’s best tank crews will compete against each other at a firing range outside Moscow, the winners then taking on competitors from Armenia, Belorussia and Kazakhstan.
The new sport allows showcasing the quality of Russian tanks, comparing them against foreign analogues, Shoigu’s deputy Yury Borisov said Saturday.
Next week’s event, however, will be limited to T-72 tanks, the staple of post-Soviet militaries, Vedomosti business daily said Friday. The newspaper offered a preview of the new sport, covering a test competition held outside Moscow earlier this week. The event involved four tanks painted in bright colors – including yellow and pinkish red – which did three laps over rough terrain, shooting at targets shaped like tanks, houses and helicopters. The best time was 5:28.
Does anyone in the West practice Tank ballet the way the Russians do? By that I mean driving them like maniacs, jumping them over small mounds etc....
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| Centauro Tank Destroyers and Ariete B1 MBT |
I really wish Hagel would have thought a moment before he reflexively accepted. This is going to be a marketing bonanza for the Russians...all because they'll be able to highlight an extremely small, super cramped, malfunctioning autoloading, mechanically unreliable Main Battle Tank against it betters from the West on a Russian designed "war game".
I see the Brits and French are steering clear...at least so far. Good for them. This is going to be a cluster.
Solo..Do you only follow NATO defence updates? Coz yesterday India became the 6th country whcih can build Nuke submarine INS-Arihant and tomorrow India'll become 5th country which can build an Aircraft carrier INS-Vikrant....And yet there's no ubdate on your blog! :(
ReplyDeletei follow India closely. i'm almost a fan ... the only thing is the carrier is....a bit of a snow job.....i'll post on it this afternoon but its going to give critics of the country ammo and supporters a big WTF. as far as the nuke sub....again....we're getting a bit of a job on it too. that'll go up tomorrow.
DeleteQuote,"Russian army premiered a new sport – tank biathlon – and invited US crews to compete. Russian news agency Novosti reports. “We’ve invited our American colleagues to participate… and our invitation was accepted..."
ReplyDeleteOkay but with Sequestration taking a meat axe to the budget, where's the funding going to come from to send a main battle tank squadron overseas? And if it IS funded what will cut in it's place, more personal reductions?
Training is training this has the possibility to be a good thing, in spite of the risk of the Russians making the U.S. look foolish (I think the U.S. track record in Desert Storm speaks for itself). But like Solomon I wish the U.S. Secretary of Defense had looked closer before he "leaped".
Were it not for the expense, logistics, and politics, I'd like to see an IDF tank crew take 'em on. It has been a while, but the IDF has good experience with running tank battles.
ReplyDelete"malfunctioning autoloading, mechanically unreliable Main Battle Tank" -- seriously you must do your homewor, or at least some sources.
ReplyDeleteAnd Solomon wonders why other military bloggers ignore him.
DeleteBut i must admint the whole idea of such "biathlon" is complete insanity. Leopard I from Germany museum would outperform everything i such discipline. Rossiani high ranked thieves again wasting taxpayers money.
DeleteHey Solomon, for the US Army, they would probably send the 1st Armored Division. Before moving to Fort Benning in 2010, they were stationed at Fort Knox since 1932 where they established a mechanized armor school and had 106,861 acres to perform whatever rat race their heart's desired.
ReplyDeleteSome instructors from the Armor school or OPFOR at Ft. Irwin.
ReplyDeleteI see this now in the next 50 years tank biathlon becomes the next Olympic sport and Militaries around the world sending their team to compete. I wonder how you judge a tank biathlon event.
ReplyDelete