Tank Tactics: How to get not hit by ATGMs?

A favorite channel. "If you hear the plane it's already too late."

One of the biggest lessons of the current Ukraine war is the continuous drones observing the battlefield. No target can move without being targeted. When a cheap commercially available drone with a small shaped charge (not an expensive ATGM) can immobilise a modern expensive tank additional counter measures beyond smoke are needed.

Basically you need to do terrain analysis and conduct an appreciation in a safe location (last bound) before you start moving and then move as part of a combined arms team. Then if detected, use weapons and your Multi Barreled Smoke Grenade Dischargers (MBSGD) to suppress the firer and obscure their view (if optically tracked).

The reality is that you always expect to lose so many tanks a day, soldiers a day, etc. It is sad, but it is also true. People are so impressed by the number of tanks the USA and USSR built in WW2, but rarely does anyone discuss how many were still running at the end of the war. My understanding is that on the eastern front both Wehrmacht and Red Army constantly put tank chassis on trains, sent them back, refitted them, and returned them to the front. Some tanks must have been put out of action multiple times. Think, if there are unacceptable losses that implies there are acceptable losses. I would think a better situation is to have anti-aircraft vehicles accompanying the others for detection and countermeasures. Better yet control of the skies, but Ukraine does not have that.

- "Encounter with a helicopter is basically the most dangerous situation you can find yourself it" - Airplane loaded with guided munitions: Am I a joke to you?

all war thunder players paying close attention to this video

Great video. Good format as a straight to the point interview. Plenty of new content.

These videos are great. A tank vs drone video in this same style would be a good addition

Yeah, I'm an experienced tanker who made it to top-tier Germany on warthunder as my credentials. Helicopters are indeed the worst, and the SU25s are almost as bad. However, these days, those are just the side show compared to fpv quads operating in theater in the real world.

INTERESTING!

Will be watching later as i have no time right now but its mostly about terrain use and combined arms. However i think that for 2024 that is simply not enough, modern armies simply have no peer on peer land warfare experinece and are still relying on 1980s tactis. All tanks should have multiple active protection systems including detection of incomign threats, jamming, and hard kill systems, similar logic to modern combat aircraft, armor should be there to defeat "dumb ammo" and HE shells.

17:10 I really hope nato will invest in Laserwarning recivers more or similar system that might just give the first guy that is being targeted to alert everyone early and maybe even do something its a cheap system that can be added to any vehicle and I am suprised that it isnt Standard equipment on MBTs and IFVs

I think increasing prevalence of active defence systems especially Hard-kill ones might led to a bit of resurgence of heavy armoured vehicles.

10:13. So tanks or their escorting infantry need an anti-aircraft missile with a 10km range? Or infantry or drones with anti-helicopter capability operating in front of the tanks.

You would think that each tank would have a drone attached to scout out a possible path or to see infantry movements in the area? Could someone in the tank have communication with it and if he had another immediate duty the drone could go autonimous to maintain a set distance to the tank? It would be nice if it had radio contact to warn of aircraft in the area, if possible.Communications is key.

For those not aware of it, another tankers view of the use of missiles, ATGM. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv85yPV57Ag Though it's perhaps more generalised, still more info. As for the final point, well, yeah. If the point of an ambush is not to be seen, detected before?

I wonder why tank-fired anti-air missiles aren't common. I'd think that something like a 10 km range missile that could track a helicopter (or possibly a larger drone) would be extremely useful, even if it only has a rudimentary guidance system.

Without watching the video, lemme guess... Don't be detected in the first place

I think perhaps one tool that might prove useful is lasers? Iirc the US armed forces have the tech for lasers, not sure about mass production, those could be used against drones perhaps

Tobias tells us how the helicopter threat was most serious and training was crucial. During his time in service drones were not a thing. I wonder what Tobias thinks the training in case of drones is currently.