Russia to lower number of tanks to 1/10th of 2005 size - Polidicks

[QUOTE=Mos news]The Russian Army will reduce its tank fleet to 2000 in the course of its current reforms, a Defense Ministry source told Interfax-AVN news agency today. In 2005, there were more than ten times that number of tanks in the Russian Army. The remaining tanks will be included in ground force brigades and border forces, Interfax’s source said. Those units will be divided into two brigades and more than 20 battalions on permanent combat readiness. Until last year, when reforms began, Russia’s tank forces were divided into divisions, regiments and battalions. The main tank models in the Russian Army are the T-90, T-80 and T-72. Some of the older T-62 and T-64 models also remain on duty. The T-72, the basic model from which the T-80 and T-90 are derived, was first produced in 1971 by the Soviet Union. It is roughly analogous to the American M60. The T-72 has been widely exported by the USSR and Russia and can be found in former Warsaw Pact states, India, Finland and several Middle Eastern and African countries.[/QUOTE] [url]http://mosnews.com/military/2009/07/01/rutanked/[/url] Well, I guess Russia's cooling off now from that solar flare last year, what with the nuclear treaty, and now this.

WTF? So they had 20,000 tanks? That's pretty tough.

They [I]lie[/I].

If they actually do this, I'll be pretty surprised.

[i][b]liars.[/i][/b]

I don't think they really have 20,000 tanks. Unless they mean these. [img]http://ultimatepaintballguns.com/images/paintball_mini_tank.jpg[/img]

Not even the United States would do this, why would Russia?

What the hell will they do with the extra 18,000 tanks? I know! hide them for a rainy day.

[QUOTE=Sam Tilgan;15920666]I don't think they really have 20,000 tanks. Unless they mean these. [img]http://ultimatepaintballguns.com/images/paintball_mini_tank.jpg[/img][/QUOTE] Really? They built (according to Wikipedia) at least 25,000 T-72s alone. [editline]11:59AM[/editline] [QUOTE=peabrain101;15920725]What the hell will they do with the extra 18,000 tanks? I know! hide them for a rainy day.[/QUOTE] Sell them to third world countries.

[url=http://www.facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=765769]the russians got a hold of this[/url]

Fuuuuck, don't do it Russia!

[QUOTE=PrismatexV3;15920732]Really? They built (according to Wikipedia) at least 25,000 T-72s alone. [editline]11:59AM[/editline] Sell them to third world countries.[/QUOTE] Almost all of the T-72's sold overseas are inferior export versions. See how badly Iraq got defeated in Desert Storm? Also, the Russians are about to abandon the T-80 for their next-generation tank. The T-90 will kinda remain as a "backbone tank" as the elite units get the new vehicle around 2015. [QUOTE=peabrain101;15920725]What the hell will they do with the extra 18,000 tanks? I know! hide them for a rainy day.[/QUOTE] Exactly, the Russians love to store old things. They never throw anything away.

2000 javelins.

[QUOTE=smurfy;15920598]WTF? So they had 20,000 tanks? That's pretty tough.[/QUOTE] Yeah, until you realize a good portion of them were made back in the fifties. [quote=Wikipedia] * T-90 |~1200| (+ 300 more are modernized T-72s) + more on order. 125 mm main gun, 7.62x54 coax, RC 12.7x108 AA, AT-11 ATGM, Kontakt-5 ERA, Shtora-1 CMS, Arena or Drozd-2 APS * T-80UM |5,956 According to [1] & [2]| 125 mm main gun, 7.62x54 coax, RC 12.7x108 AA, AT-11 ATGM, Kontakt-5 ERA, Shtora-1 , Drozd-2 APS * T-72BM/BV |~9700 According to [3] & [4]| 125 mm main gun, 7.62x54 coax, RC 12.7x108 AA, AT-11 ATGM, Kontakt-5 ERA * T-64BV |~4300 in reserve, According to GlobalSecurity.org| 125 mm main gun, 7.62x54 coax, RC 12.7x108 AA, AT-8 ATGM, Kontakt-1 ERA * T-62M1 |~1900 in reserve/storage. 115 mm main gun, 7.62x54 coax, 12.7x109 AA, AT-12 ATGM, Drozd APS, ERA, Cage armor * T-55 |~1010 in reserve. 100 mm main gun, Cage armor [/quote] T-90's are estimated to be around the strength of the M1 Abrams. The T-55 has the strength of about a Sherman or a Centurion World War Two-era tank. The T-72 are those shitty tanks we fought against in Iraq. Comparatively, they made about a 100,000 T-55's.

When they use T I always thing they've got terminator tanks. "Hey bitches, check out our new rollin' T-850"

[QUOTE=Xystus234;15921660]Yeah, until you realize a good portion of them were made back in the fifties. T-90's are estimated to be around the strength of the M1 Abrams. The T-55 has the strength of about a Sherman or a Centurion World War Two-era tank. The T-72 are those shitty tanks we fought against in Iraq. Comparatively, they made about a 100,000 T-55's.[/QUOTE] And consider that T-80U's (specifically T-80[b]U[/b]) are just are good as a T-90. The T-55 is much stronger then any world war two era tank, and its usefulness lasted well into the 70's. It's a reserve tank, regardless. Export T-72's are pathetic. Iraqi T-72's are not representative of Russian T-72's. But anyway it doesn't really matter who has the better tank anymore, as helicopters are the true tank killers nowadays.

[QUOTE=Scherf!;15921112]2000 javelins.[/QUOTE] Hello, don't think USA is the only country with weapons capable to defeat tanks. Sorry for ruining your elitism :D

[quote]And consider that T-80U's (specifically T-80U) are just are good as a T-90.[/quote] I agree with the rest, but T-80U's haven't been used in a theater of war yet, as far as I know. So it's an open book.

Most likely just getting rid of the old trash they have had since WW2.

This reminds me of a rather funny conversation me and my friend were having in a biology lesson one day. We were talking about Russian technology and it ended up on the subject of rusty tanks which ran on coal and would fall apart after having a rock thrown at them.

[QUOTE=smurfy;15920598]WTF? So they had 20,000 tanks? That's pretty tough.[/QUOTE] Note that most of them probably were not at 100% combat efficiency. The T-72s are already aging, and being that that is one of there three MBTs (T-72, T-80U, and T-90) there's a good chance some of them were totally inoperable. [editline]06:09PM[/editline] [QUOTE=Xystus234;15922098]I agree with the rest, but T-80U's haven't been used in a theater of war yet, as far as I know. So it's an open book.[/QUOTE] First and Second Chechnyan war. In the first they failed horribly due to the fact that they were used to capture cities. In the Second they performed very well because now Russia had learned its lesson and used them in a supporting role. [editline]06:11PM[/editline] [QUOTE=Conscript;15921856]And consider that T-80U's (specifically T-80[b]U[/b]) are just are good as a T-90. The T-55 is much stronger then any world war two era tank, and its usefulness lasted well into the 70's. It's a reserve tank, regardless. Export T-72's are pathetic. Iraqi T-72's are not representative of Russian T-72's. But anyway it doesn't really matter who has the better tank anymore, as helicopters are the true tank killers nowadays.[/QUOTE] Lots of Russian tanks are very good, even if many of their tanks arrive just a little too late for them to be the newest stuff on the block. [editline]06:15PM[/editline] Anyway, I think the chance of them doing this is VERY low. I think this is just a publicity stunt- despite Medev's reforms of the military, this is a little big. If the story was they were cutting 1/10th of their tanks (as in removing 2,000) this would be FAR more believable.

[QUOTE=Tac Error;15921022] Exactly, the Russians love to store old things. They never throw anything away.[/QUOTE] Well, they do have all of Siberia to store their old things. Why the hell else would they have conquered all that land? No one lives there. It's just one huge closet full of awesome shit. Conquered? Bought? Idk, but they have that land somehow, and they wanted it.

Bleh Communist tanks as an individual are pretty shitty, the main strength of it was that they could mass produce them in such high quantity. Don't have a clue about the newer ones though.

I can see that. Russia needed those 20,000 tanks because, should all out war actually happen, 18,000 of them would be sacrificed for the old Russian strategy of "suffocate our enemies underneath our legions of dead soldiers"

This thread is full of troll / americans.

[QUOTE=Shoopiwoop;15921945]Hello, don't think USA is the only country with weapons capable to defeat tanks. Sorry for ruining your elitism :D[/QUOTE] Sorry, the USA is the only country with weapons capable to defeat tanks which cost $143358.03 for one launcher and $86014.80 for one missile tank you come again

[QUOTE=Garion;15941179]Sorry, the USA is the only country with weapons capable to defeat tanks which cost $143358.03 for one launcher and $86014.80 for one missile tank you come again[/QUOTE] I would love to see how you have come to that conclusion. Because technically you can take out a 35 million dollar abrams with a landmine.

[QUOTE=Canuhearme?;15920673]Not even the United States would do this, why would Russia?[/QUOTE] Because Russia is a shit 2nd world nation. What's the point of having 20,000 tanks if you have a rampant TB problem and an overwhelming number of poor people.

This decision makes sense. Russia produced all their tanks for fear of an all-out war between East and West. Now that that's not going to happen, they're getting rid of all the old ones. This means their more modern tanks are better supported in combat and they no longer need to pay to maintain their old ones.

[QUOTE=Garion;15941179][b]Sorry, the USA is the only country with weapons capable to defeat tanks which cost $143358.03 for one launcher and $86014.80 for one missile[/b] [/QUOTE] God Bless America :911: