On the Ukrainian battlefield, both Russia and Ukraine lost a large number of tanks , whether it was Ukraine's outdated T-64B, or the relatively backward T-72A and T-72B of Russia and Ukraine, or even Russia's latest T- 90M and T-80BVM both suffered heavy losses on the battlefield. Just when you thought the Russian main battle tanks had become obsolete due to heavy losses in Ukrainian anti-tank precision-guided missile attacks, the U.S. Army suddenly announced the purchase of a new batch of light tanks . The US military gave this light tank a relatively vague name - Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF). The new tank will be equipped for the light infantry division, providing more firepower and protection for the light infantry .
The US military's purchase of light tanks has triggered a discussion in the United States about whether they are needed or not. There is one most direct question, where will this tank be deployed in the future? There are two places where conflicts with the US military may break out in the future. One is when Europe faces Russia. Europe is mostly plains, where the US light tank will be beaten by the Russian heavy tank ; the second is In the Western Pacific, conflicts with China have been fought almost entirely at sea and in the air, without the use of tanks at all. Therefore, U.S. Army planners are not sure about the deployment trend of this tank..
While the major military media in the United States are discussing whether the US military needs light tanks, the Indian media are ecstatic. According to the Indian media "Eurasia Times", the Indian army is looking for a tank suitable for mountain combat to counter China's 5 light tank . At present, India’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) has approved the design and development of domestically produced light combat tanks. At the same time, international defense contractors with ties to the Indian military have decided to provide tanks to India to meet the needs of the Indian army. It is reported that an agreement between India and international defense contractors to cooperate in the design and development of tanks may soon be will be achieved.
As we all know, domestic weapons made in India will eventually become a laughing stock in the world. Even the domestic Arjun tanks produced in India are not even wanted to be used by the Indian Army . For India, buying from outside is more economical and more secure than self-developed. Some, this light tank of the US military is quite suitable for India . Some military analysts pointed out that the Indian army can first purchase a batch of MPF light tanks from the United States for emergency response, and then use domestically produced light tanks to make up the rest.
Indian media said that since May 2020, when the confrontation between the Indian army and the Chinese People's Liberation Army was at its fiercest in Ladakh, both sides had deployed tanks there. However, the Indian army found that although the T-72 and T they deployed -90 tank can also effectively deal with Chinese tank , but on a plateau with an altitude of more than 5,300 meters, the 45-ton T-72 and the 46-ton T-90 are extremely inconvenient to move on rugged mountainous terrain, and they The logistics are also difficult to solve.
Indian media said that on the other hand, China has deployed the Type 15 light tank, which weighs 33 to 36 tons. It is compact in appearance, light in weight and highly maneuverable. It is designed for complex terrains such as plateaus, mountains, hilly forests, and Jiangnan water networks. Designed. It can easily and flexibly pass through the plateaus of Tibet and Xinjiang, and is equipped with a 105mm main gun, which shocked the Indian army. It was at this time that the Indian army realized that they needed a light tank suitable for mountain combat.
Although the Type 15 tank has thinner armor than heavy tanks, the Indian army realized that when it cooperates with infantry and armed helicopters in assault operations on plateaus and mountains, it can cause a devastating blow to the enemy's infantry positions. .
According to reports, the US Army's MPF light tank is manufactured by General Dynamics. 96 units will be produced in advance, with a total value of US$1.14 billion. The first batch of 23 tanks will be delivered to the troops in December 2023. After further training, testing and evaluation, the tanks will be delivered to the US military by 2025, with a total of 42 tanks for one battalion. It is reported that the US military plans to purchase a total of 504 light tanks of this type at a total cost of US$6 billion.
MPF prototype
MPF tank prototype was tested in 2021. According to the tank crews who tested it, the tank was similar to the Abrams M1A2 tank, especially the fire control system . They did not need to spend a lot of training to use the new tank. It is developed based on the Griffin II light tank. It uses a 105 mm caliber gun , which still uses manual loading. The turret is similar to the Abrams tank . The fire control system is based on the M1A2 system. Enhanced Edition. It is said that this tank integrates many suggestions from Army soldiers, which will help the Army establish a set of technologies and tactics for future use.
However, American experts pointed out that this tank is for use by the American light infantry, and the American light infantry has no experience in using tanks, so they need to spend time training to use tanks and learn the tactics of fighting with tanks, etc.; Furthermore, the American light infantry has no experience in using tanks. An infantry brigade combat team consists of three infantry battalions, a cavalry squadron, an engineer battalion, an artillery battalion and a support battalion. There is no air defense force, which means that these light tanks will be attacked by enemy aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles. machine threat. However, it may be equipped with cavalry reconnaissance squadrons for battlefield reconnaissance.
Of course, American experts said that on the European battlefield with flat terrain, the light tank cannot compete head-on with the Russian heavy tanks, and it is also vulnerable to anti-tank missiles . However, it can play a role in South Korea. There are not many plains in South Korea and there are many mountains and hills. Light tanks are more suitable to be deployed here.
At the same time, US experts also pointed out that the light tank can be used as mobile protective firepower for light infantry divisions and airborne infantry divisions. Take the 82nd Airborne Division as an example. As a rapid reaction division, it is not equipped with heavy armored fighting vehicles. In addition to helicopters, it is mainly equipped with some light artillery, anti-tank weapons and some light armored reconnaissance vehicles. The firepower is relatively weak, and the infantry lacks the protection of tanks. Equipping light tanks can enhance their mobile firepower and protection, giving them more options when performing missions.
As for whether this light tank can be airborne from an aircraft and accompany paratroopers in combat, it remains to be seen. Twenty-five years ago, the 82nd Airborne Division was equipped with a battalion of the Sheridan light tank, which weighed 18 tons. The new MPF light tank weighs about 38 tons, which is 20 tons heavier than the Sheridan. The US military's C-17 can transport two MPFs at a time. Some military analysts said that the Indian army is also equipped with C-17. In 2020, the Indian army used C-17 to airlift T-90 tanks to Ladakh. Although India recently The defense industry has been vigorously developed in the past few years, but the development cycle of India's domestic equipment is relatively long. It is very likely that the Indian army will not be able to equip domestic light tanks for a long time in the future, which means that the Indian army lacks the ability to fight against the Chinese Type 15 tanks. Equivalent equipment, so purchasing MPF light tanks is an option for the Indian army.
