posted
It just looks like they scrapped the Abrams, which happens from time to time (for instance, if its track is too damaged to move and in a position where capture is possible).
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
Any explosion that was forceful enough to rip off the turret section would have disfigured the barrel at least minorly (color, and likely warping). The first pic leads me to believe this was a physical, prolonged, shearing.
Also, exploded tanks tend to remain on their treads.
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Blayne Bradley
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posted
Unless there were 3 land mines...
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posted
There ain't a chance that a RocketPropelledGrenade would do much to Abrams' armor beyond superficial scratches. And the only damage to the treads would be due to an extremely unlikely shot, or a suicidally close-range attack placing the RPG directly between the tread link and a wheel. Suicidally close as in the shooter would be killed by the backblast of his own RPG.
Results of a buried ImprovisedExplosiveDevice. Unofficial military gossip/leak, guesstimated IED construction: 100kilograms/220pounds shaped-charge HighExplosiveAntiTank mine* which burned through the bottom armor daisy-chained to 1000kilograms/2200pounds of explosives contained within several bombs.
Which is how the treads were blown off and the turret ring was severely damaged. According to unofficial witnesses, the turret itself didn't come off until the tank rolled after being lifted by the force of the blast.
The two soldiers manning the turret died. The two crewmen stationed in the main body separate from the turret survived.
* Actually an air-dropped bomb modified into a mine; extremely similar to modifications that Iranians made to their HEATbombs when their AirForce couldn't fly because of a lack of (USmade&USembargoed) parts during the Iran-Iraq war. Which is why the US directed some very harsh warnings to "stay out of it" at Iran immediately after the incident.
posted
Hardly 'at will', if they need the kind of preparation aspectre is talking about, plus the tank crew being obliging enough to drive over the place where they put their mine.
Posts: 10645 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
Killing an Abrams is hardly an easy thing to do, even for a full army. Hell we killed sixty two tanks to one of ours in Desert Storm. They damn things are very hard to kill. Combination of luck and overwhelming fire power is what it looks like to me.
Posts: 242 | Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
Look, if you build a mine big enough, you can sink a bloody aircraft carrier if it sails over it. A sufficiently large mine could destroy that space shuttle mover.
Posts: 17164 | Registered: Jun 2001
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posted
I believe Rakeesh is talking about the huge machine that moves the shuttle out to the launch pad.
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