Iraqi officials took a group of Western journalists to view the charred carcass, and a Special Republican Guard soldier told them: "We destroyed it with an anti-tank rocket," according to several news agencies. Perhaps no incident pierced the tank's aura of invincibility more than television images broadcast Sunday, showing Iraqi fighters dancing atop the blackened shell of an Abrams tank on the highway between Baghdad and Karbala. The war in Iraq has written several new chapters in the history of the Abrams tank - its first close-quarters fight, for one, and the first Abrams crew member killed by enemy fire. And like any tank, the tracks can be vulnerable to mines or well-placed explosives. Parts of it, particularly the top and the rear, are less fortified, a concession to the added weight of additional plating. While regarded as one of the strongest armored vehicles in the world, with a skin made out of a classified mixture of steel, titanium and depleted uranium, the Abrams tank has its weaknesses. "But it takes awhile to ship it there, and it eats a lot of fuel." They're very happy with it," said Army Secretary Thomas E. "Once we can get it wherever you want it to get, it creates mayhem. It burns a gallon of fuel for each half-mile it travels, and needs a steady drink from tanker trucks following behind. The Abrams tank is also a challenge for military logistics. Its 1,500-horsepower gas turbine engine emits enough heat to cook a nearby infantry soldier, and its main gun fires with enough force to cause a concussion. "Had we been forced to go to Baghdad, many of the bridges and causeways would not have been able to handle our tanks."Įven if the roads don't crumble, the Abrams tank is not ideal for block-by-block fighting in a city like Baghdad, analysts say. News & World Report several years after the war.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |