Ok,
In the video the civs weren't stepping on the tank front rather loading from the engine and from the side...
Even So, FY-II is so unstable that a few kilograms of uniform weight will cause it to be damaged or become unstable ??!!
Is the housing so weak that it can't take minor weight ?
The fact that T-80 can take weight of ERA and has all time ERA protection either points to better ballistic and heat rounds protection for AK on base level or a better power to weight ratio even though T-80 has the older/weaker engine (the later not being the case)...
The turret top still remains a weak point and mustn't be ignored in any case as has been seen in Ukr/Russ war.
Nag and Spike is still a threat even if we ignore the fpv threat for now.
The jammers will obviously not be bought by younglings but what about simple anti drone cages ? That's a unit level decision, fabrication could be done very easily.
As per knowledge you provided for paints. Both the videos I saw ( I'm looking for it and will post it once I find it ) are showing movements to forward positions. The one with the civis helping load it was not hull down and was parked under a tree and covered with camo netting... Showing it's intent quite clearly...
Intermat isn't just a coating but also has side nettings that enables better camo on the move as well something like nakidka or barracuda but not as detailed.
Your concern with regards to upkeep and funding are 100 percent valid. Thus there must be night fighting centric regiment/ units whatever is deemed adequate because this doesn't seem like the right way to go..
Either have better IR camo coverage across the fleet or have better ERA coverage... Both can't be ignored...
Thank you for clarifying about the optics, so do we use our own thermals and sights for ToTed VT-4s or kits from China ?
I’ve seen the video in question. It doesn’t show what happened before or after, accidents are always possible, besides, that’s just one of the reasons I put forward.
And yes, you will absolutely not be stepping on ERA when it’s mounted even if just standing on it doesn’t set it off. Why do they practice not Having a finger on the trigger even when the gun is on safe and pointed away, will the gun fire? Not really, but why take the risk? What if you slip and fall and damage a flyer plate or a housing?
The T80UD weighs 46 tons with the ERA. The AK weighs 47 tons without it. The UD is not too Mobile to begin with, with too much ERA the AK becomes sluggish too. The ERA on the T80U is designed as an integral part of the armor, it can be taken off but rarely is. It’s also a more involved process than removing it from AK. Base protection levels are higher on UD than AK.
No amount of ERA Will stop the missiles you mentioned anyways - you need an APS for that - or much better ERA coverage, even the VT4 doesn’t have that because of the turret design.
The Cages you mentioned are the Jugar I mentioned before, they’re a bandaid solution to a problem we don’t currently have that comes with a bunch of trade offs. First, added weight, second, they don’t always work, third, you’re hampering your field of view and your sensors while actively making the silhouette of your tank taller, means it can be see from further away when it’s hiding in a defensive position. As a tank commander you take all these into account.
If it was parked under a tree (presumably for shade) and loading ammunition, do you think it was in its forward most position, or being prepared/kept on standby to advance to said position? That’s not hard to figure out. If a tank is going to be in a defensive role, they will dig a ditch or find a natural barrier for it to go hull down from, that is absolute last resort when you know the enemy is on their way, you don’t do it just because.
The side nettings aren’t a part of intermat, intermat is just one brand of thermal signature reducing paint, which is already applied on the tanks in question, the side nettings are just side nettings painted with intermat. Once again, in an ideal world with enough funding you’d want them on all your tanks.
Specialized night fighting tank regiments don’t make any sense. All tanks equipped with thermal sights or NVs can fight at night, the ones with newer thermals and CIVs can do it much better than those without, but let’s say you have to do a specific armored assault in a specific area at night (which is going to be never because if you’re using tanks then it’s an all out ground war anyways), do you now move your specially trained crews and tanks all the way to that sector for that Op? What if the required sector is Sialkot and the regiment is at Multan? No, you just train all your crews to use the technology they have and fight at night when needed, thermal coatings aren’t going to be the deciding factor in that fight I can assure you. If you’re going on the offensive then there’s going to be something that spots you sooner or later anyways, morning or night, and if you’re on the defensive (which is where concealment for a tank actually matters), you can’t decide wether the enemy attacks at night or in the morning, you have to fight with what you have whenever needed.
For either better IR coverage or ERA you need funds, get those first, then do whichever you want - the priority right now is to retire Type 59s & 69s first and foremost, all funds are directed there. Adding Camo to an AK has a far smaller overall effect on your capability than adding one more Haider instead of a Type 59.
VT4 is using Chinese thermals, I don’t think they’re made locally yet (for the gunner and commander), VT4 driver is using local thermal sight.
