ROYAL TANK REGIMENT

however there are other armoured regiments with tanks in the British Army.

Yes 2 more

Alongside the new Royal Tank Regiment, the King’s Royal Hussars and the Queen’s Royal Hussars.

We have just 156 tanks, with 56 of them belonging to the Royal Tank regiment.

Because of 'the cuts' or because tank warfare is outdated? Similar to Cardigan and his bheys.

Les Miserable wrote:

Because of 'the cuts' or because tank warfare is outdated?  Similar to Cardigan and his bheys.

Tell the Russia

T-54/55 1,200
T-62 1,689
T-64 4,000
T-72 10,255
T-80 4,500
T-14 20_

Even Switzerland as 250 Leopards, Sweden 122, Spain 344, Japan 1,121

Les Miserable wrote:

Because of 'the cuts' or because tank warfare is outdated?  Similar to Cardigan and his bheys.

During the last war the German tanks, even those as big as the Tiger, became vulnerable when the rocket firing Hawker Typhoons took to the sky after D Day. The unmanned drones that we have today are highly sophisticated and accurate, however, the skies will be mighty crowded should Russia attack using large armour formations. So, the only alternative for our lack of tanks would be battlefield nuclear shells fired from howitzers or short-range artillery rockets. The only trouble is what can of worms do you open when you use even the smallest nuclear shell? Of course we should also take into account the Tanks of our NATO allies.

I find it increasingly alarming that, in spite of Nick Clegg's denials, Germany and France are as keen as ever for a Europe army. So much so that 'Krauss Maffie' of Germany, the makers of the Leopard tank, and the massive armaments firm, 'Nexter Systems SA,' which is fully owned by the French government have now fully amalgamated - just what do they have in mind? Ursula von der Leyen, the German defence minister has already moaned that many types of weaponry are being replicated by EU member states manufacturers which seems to me that she's calling for a 'standardisation' of military equipment used across the entire future EU army, navy and air forces - and guess which favoured nations will be in pole position to cream off the contracts should it come about? I think Europe should be very worried if France and Germany can control just who gets what when it comes to defending themselves.

Do we need tanks in 2017?

Don't we just need a joystick and a computer screen?

P.O.I wrote:

Do we need tanks in 2017?

Don't we just need a joystick and a computer screen?

When you say, "do we tanks," do you also lump armoured personnel carriers and other tracked vehicles with them? all of them serve a very needed purpose of getting troops, equipment and munitions to and from battlefields and are equally vulnerable. If Russia can attack with over 7000 tanks as they did against the Germans at Kursk, then that would require a mighty amount drones to knock them out, and you could find yourself quickly overrun if you couldn't put tank against tank should your drones fail to deliver. Sure, I believe the Tanks better days are behind them but they still pose a very dangerous threat.

A joystick and computer screen pretty well sums it up, but do drones have the answer for all situations? During the Ardennes offensive in 1944 the Germans moved large armour formations under the cover of low cloud and a dense canopy of trees and nobody saw them coming. Also, I imagine that slow moving drones would be easy prey for not only ground to air missiles and fighter jets but that Lockheed Martin has now developed a single beam 60 kW laser that could protect against swarms of drones, rockets and mortars, and can be fitted to trucks, helicopters, aeroplanes and ships.

I would respectful submit that whilst we retain the nuclear deterrant with Vanguard Submarines carrying Trident 365/24/7 that the pitfalls of having a limited tank capability are pretty much null and void.....Even the lunatic in North Korea is quite capable of being decimated should the need ever arise for the UK

harvetheslayer wrote:

I would respectful submit that whilst we retain the nuclear deterrant with Vanguard Submarines carrying Trident 365/24/7 that the pitfalls of having a limited tank capability are pretty much null and void.

Sorry for my delay in answering your post but I've recently been laid low with respiratory problems. I'm all for retaining the nuclear deterrent which would have put me at odds with the thinking of the late Field Marshal Lord Carver who wanted not only to scrap it in it's entirety, but to greatly expand our conventional forces much more than was necessary. Personally, I'm not sure it would be fair to rely on our NATO allies supplying the bulk of the armoured divisions that would spearhead any attack/defence formation while we mostly relied on four Trident carrying submarines that might or might not be called into any sort of action. Also, I'm not sure the Yanks wouldn't be casting a jaundiced eye in our direction while having to stump up what would be a huge and costly logistical nightmare ferrying troops and equipment across the Atlantic to eastern Europe.

Incidentally, didn't Broon nearly reduce our '4' Trident carrying submarines to '3' in 2009 ? It could end up even worse as I believe Jeremy Corbyn is a fully paid up vice-president of the CND.

Meanwhile, real life goes on here, where it matters. MAD, you lot. But there's no telling you.
Our family had the Waddington game Risk when I was a young soul. I seem to remember the biggest influence over who won was who cheated the best. Deception is where it's at. Far cheaper.

Talking to a ex tankie this morning, couldn't believe what he said. That the Royal Tank Regiment has no tanks of their own but to rent them off babcock when needed for exercises

Used to go on alot of exercises in Poland and Canada with the tankies. Mainly the RDG's & KRH though.

Punchdrunk wrote:

Used to go on alot of exercises in Poland and Canada with the tankies. Mainly the RDG's & KRH though.

They still exercise in Canada,

Indeed they do as did I for many years. I used to volunteer to stay behind to do the Winter repair to earn extra readies.
Warrior finally getting an upgrade, should of been upgraded years ago though.

Tgwu wrote:

Talking to a ex tankie this morning, couldn't believe what he said. That the Royal Tank Regiment has no tanks of their own but to rent them off babcock when needed for exercises

Old news, this from the telegraph 2014

The British Army’s vehicles and light weapons will be maintained and stored by Babcock International after the engineering support business signed a decade-long contract with the Ministry of Defence

The FTSE 100 company said it would pay £140m for the Defence Support Group's (DSG) land business, a Government Trading Fund owned by MoD and which currently looks after the Armed Forces’ equipment.

The sale is part of a continuing drive by the British military to outsource work to reduce running costs so it can focus its shrinking resources on the front line.

We could all pay more tax to have squaddies do the maintenance I suppose.

Tgwu wrote:

Punchdrunk wrote:

Used to go on alot of exercises in Poland and Canada with the tankies. Mainly the RDG's & KRH though.

They still exercise in Canada,

Me.  Suffield, Canada (BATUS) 1975,   5th Innis DG.




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Punchy...  The "skins" amalgamated with the 4/7th to create the RDG's, but that was way after my time....

Ye that photo reminises BATUS training area pretty much.
My last and final time out there was about 2 years ago but by then I had moved to a Quartermasters position so I didnt really get out of the vehicle park and on to the area as much as the troops did.
I spent 23 years in the Infantry but out those 23 I would say I enjoyed my 8 years as armoured infantry as being the best. Based in Munster Germany happy days.

I did a year in Munster (1975) and then spent the next two (Bowie years) in Berlin! Berlin might as well have been a different planet.  It was an absolutely fantastic time!

A year in Osnabruck (with weekends back in Berlin) and I was out.

My two excursion into Germany were Fallingbostel and Wolfenbüttel and two years with the Teeny Weenie Airways in Plymouth

Rickler wrote:

I did a year in Munster (1975) and then spent the next two (Bowie years) in Berlin! Berlin might as well have been a different planet.  It was an absolutely fantastic time!

A year in Osnabruck (with weekends back in Berlin) and I was out.

I was stationed in Bunde which was about 12ks down the Melle straight from Osnabruck. When I wasn't ferrying stores to and fro from an old SS barracks in the centre of town I usually got lumbered with being attached to the 16/5 Lancers while they on exercised on Luneburg heath. I had to load my AEC 10 tonner with 500 jerrycans of mt80 tank juice, which a single squadron of tanks would use in one hit, pick up and re-stack the empties before returning to Osnabruck to refill by hand and return to repeat the same ghastly process. I have never been so tired, then or since.