La resistenza contro la tecnologia
103826112gjgyvk_ph.jpg, image/jpeg, 800x601
Tanks take a
beating in Iraq
By Steven Komarow, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military's Abrams tank, designed
during the Cold War to withstand the fiercest blows from the best Soviet tanks,
is getting knocked out at surprising rates by the low-tech bombs and
rocket-propelled grenades of Iraqi insurgents.
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Abrams' heavy armor is up front, however, insurgents sneak
up from behind, fire from rooftops above and set off mines
below. |
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| Courtesy, USMC
AFP |
In the all-out battles of the 1991 Gulf War, only 18 Abrams
tanks were lost and no soldiers in them killed. But since the March 2003
invasion of Iraq, with tanks in daily combat against the unexpectedly fierce
insurgency, the Army says 80 of the 69-ton behemoths have been damaged so badly
they had to be shipped back to the United States. (Related graphic: Upgrading the Abrams tank)
At least five soldiers have been killed inside the tanks
when they hit roadside bombs, according to figures from the Army's Armor Center
at Fort Knox, Ky. At least 10 more have died while riding partially exposed from
open hatches. (Related story: Tanks adapted for urban fights they once avoided)
The casualties are the lowest in any Army vehicles, despite
how often the Abrams is targeted — about 70% of the more than 1,100 tanks used
in Iraq have been struck by enemy fire, mostly with minor damage.
The Army will not discuss details of how tanks have been
damaged by insurgents, lest that give tips to the enemy. "We have been very
cautious about giving out information," says Jan Finegan, spokeswoman for Army
Materiel Command.
Commanders say the damage is not surprising because the
Abrams is used so heavily, and insurgents are determined to destroy it.
"It's a thinking enemy, and they know weak points on the
tank, where to hit us," says Col. Russ Gold, who commanded an armored brigade in
Iraq and now is chief of staff at the Armor Center.
Because it was designed to fight other tanks, the Abrams'
heavy armor is up front. In Iraq's cities, however, insurgents sneak up from
behind, fire from rooftops above and set off mines below.
A favorite tactic: detonating a roadside bomb in hopes of
blowing the tread off the tank. The insurgents follow with rocket-propelled
grenades, mortars and gunfire aimed at the less-armored areas, especially the
vulnerable rear engine compartment.
It's "a dirty, close fight," says an article in
Armor, the Army's official magazine of tank warfare, by a group of
officers led by Maj. Gen. Peter Chiarelli of the 1st Cavalry Division.
"Be wary of eliminating or reducing ... heavy armor" as the
Army modernizes, the officers warn, arguing it is crucial against insurgents'
"crude but effective weapons."
The Army says most of the "lost" tank hulls can be rebuilt
and returned to battle someday. Meanwhile, the Army is upgrading the Abrams,
including better protection for the tank's engine compartment.
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