Any contest is significantly dependant on two aspects. First is the criticality ,of time such as when and in response to the the enemy’s OODA loop. Second is where, in essence the space which is critical. The interplay of this continuum is how any contest will pan out. The winner in any contest or War will always be in a better position at the most crucial time to pull of a victory. All plans are therefore drawn towards this end. A victory for any country is drastically incumbent upon the outcome of an Armoured Operation. Victory in war will seek blood and as is the wont in Armoured circles, weakness in a tank will be determined by the heart of its commander and not by the challenges it is faced with.
The Armoured Operations
Why are the tanks so important to a conflict? A tank is by virtue of its fire power, mobility and protection one of the most lethal battlefield equipments. It is versatile in application and hence requires ingenious minds to employ them, herein enter the commanders of the armored forces with very well honed strategic skills, an imperative for battles spread over large territories of a few hundred square kilometres. The planning of an impactful offence or defense is significantly determined by the occupation of critical areas, deep within an adversary’s territory, by this resource.
Fire Power: Imagine a 125 mm 10 kg ammunition being aimed and fired at a bunker controlling a bridge or a crossing or a dominating position. Now compare it to a .32mm bullet being fired weighing a few grams and its lethal impact on a person. That is a tank for the non-initiated. A direct firing platform capable of precision.
Mobility: A tank can move very fast and that too cross country, it has more gears than what one can find in any top of the line SUVs irrespective of the cost and brand. A tank destroying equipment for example a shoulder fired Rocket Launcher will require a firer to break cover amidst a rain of hell, aim his weapon on the tank, assess the aimoff speed and then fire, hoping to hit the spot. All this has to be done before the tank disappears behind some cover and brings down precise machine gun fire on the daring firer.
Protection: The meaning of armoured means a thick layer of highly designed armour plates all around the crew who steer this iron horse. The advancement of technology has seen various active/ passive innovations to ensure that the fire from the example quoted above is neutralized even before it hits the tank.
Crew: A word about the men behind the machine who have been trained in the art of posturing, identification of Threats, skillful exploitation of opportunities and rapid application of own strengths against weakness of the adversary. Their technical knowledge about the intricate interplay of various systems that make a tank function is indepth, rendering them capable of handling many repairs on their own. A battle where tanks are involved requires immense coordination, multitasking skills, decisive action and oodles of team work between the crew as well as the tanks.
The Leader: The role of an armoured force commander is critical in this to be able to cover for not only his tank but also for the others under his command. The team looks to him for the next step when he is around or have been made capable to take their own when he is not, in line with the ultimate objective. The fluidity of the operations in an Armoured scenario thrives on transformational leadership synonymous with Directive Style of Command in the military parlance.
The Future Battlefield
The future battlefield is going to be different but not automated. It will seek blood, sweat, limbs and life. No matter the progress in technology, nation-states will to be imposed over another will always require human intervention. A video game will never replace the battlefield even if we take the cyber warfare into existence. No one will shed a tear for a destroyed robot or server or a segway for that matter. Having said that, the use of technology will definitely integrate into the battlefield. A few points are highlighted as under:
Aerial Threat: The threat to tanks from the air always existed, but the advent of drone swarms, loiter, SADARM ammunitions have necessitated a rethink about the tanks survivability. The drones will require a counter drone effort from prophylactic Air Defence Systems and an integrated anti drone system. Additionally the tanks will need to be adorned with an active defence measure capable of handling the repeated drone interference.
Built Up Area challenges: The importance of a node or a built up area is a key aspect in defining the priority of an objective. Thus the capture or reduction of such a built up area is an imperative especially when looking to strike deep and strengthen tenuous lines of communication. Therefore the Armour will be consistently faced with the Built Up Area challenge while moving through narrow streets with adversary having the advantage of a vantage position. To defeat this in addition to the infantry Armour integration an AI enabled drone cover will be an essential.
Obstacle System: With the ever widening obstacle system coming into the defensive set up the concept of breaching and bridging will undergo a tremendous change. It is here that technology will have a major role to play. Whereas, for the defensive force an obstacle system provides numerous options for an offensive force an obstacle becomes expensive for both time and resource each worth its weight in gold in fast paced military operations. It is the ability of a force to utilize an obstacle system to its gain that will dictate the outcome of an operation. The breaching may entail controlled explosion to blaze a trail or a team of demining robots to clear the area. The bridging may however use a set of drones, land based robots or air transportation of Prefab bridges, there are options galore which will find alternative uses in the civil world as well.
Fire Power, Mobility and Shock Action: The armoured force joins battle as a platform which encompasses a lethal mix of fire power, mobility and protection. A designer for a tank will need to balance out this mix without compromising the essence of a tank. A heavier gun will need that much more weight of the hull to be able to accommodate its fire as well as the rotation of the turret thereby adding more weight and reducing the mobility aspect of it. Hence the linkages are essential in all aspects.
Rapid Deployment- Strategic Move: The tanks being extremely heavy are dependant on tank transporters and aircrafts with heavy lift capabilities specially for strategic moves and rapid deployment. Whether deployment in theatre of war following interior lines of communication or an overseas deployment to assist a foreign country is concerned the future tanks will need to be adaptable to any scenario. As such imperative here would capability to switch from wheeled to tracked within the shortest possible time. Propulsion from an auxillary engine rather than the main power pack for road moves under own propulsion could be a game changer. The warfare in future will witness this interesting development fructifying.
Heavy vs Light Debate: Though most NATO countries subscribe to the heavier tanks weighing upwards of 60 tonnes unlike the Russian, Indian and Chinese who generally align with the 45 tonne medium tank. A lighter tank for example the ZTQ -15(weighing about 33 tonnes) by the Chinese or the Indian Light Tank Zorawar( weighing about 26 tonnes) has its uses in higher altitude and in slushy areas. The debate rages on, however, it would be fair to highlight that the weight of the tank is more pertinent with the kind terrain and role it is expected to be employed in. Towards this end and the multitude of terrains/ roles Indian Armoured Corps is required to be operating in, the medium tanks currently being used were therefore considered adequate till the time advantages of a light tank in Galwan were not ascertained. Therefore, the future armoured battles cannot just be fought with one kind of tank. The quiver of the theatre commander is required to be full with a range of options based on the terrain and role.
Speed of Operations: The speed of operations is an imperative since the OODA loop of both the contenders has been considerably shortened by virtue of enhanced technological support enabling quicker decision making. Amongst the most critical in increasing the speed of operations is the aspect of survivability. Towards this end the tanks will need to be extremely modular to confirm they are capable of rejoining operations in the shortest possible time even after being faced with a mobility or gun kill. This will continuously ensure numerical superiority at the point of contact enabling maintenance of tempo.
Conclusion
The conflict of Russia and Ukraine has seen the frequent repose of Armoured being a non entity in todays gamut of operations being shattered consistently. Infact since the very first day Armoured forces have been judiciously used to gain territory as well as to control it. Despite reports to the contrary, with Drones being cheap and effective in taking the challenge to the tanks, there was no let up in its use.
While considering the Israel Hamas Conflict the Armour capability has been adroitly exploited with integrated technological upgrades such as active protection systems and decision support systems ensuring successes in battle even against Built Up Area challenges brought out above.
Though challenges have increased for the Armoured operations with increased precision, they are definitely not new. The Armoured Warfare has always been based on the tenets of integration contributing towards Armoured Commanders persistently attempting to identify solutions than lament over problems. Armoured warfare will only modify along the battle spaces and the capability of a force to exploit various dimensions. It would be prudent to conclude that the Armoured Operations are rapidly adapting to the changing battlefield scenario but success cannot be achieved in isolation. The effort such as Theaterisation of the Indian Defence Forces with the single minded focus to prevail over any adversary will enable aligning of all stakeholders of the battlefield, an imperative to effect the Changing Face of Armoured Warfare.
