US main battle tank destroyed in southern Iraq

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.khaleejtimes.ae/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/focusoniraq/2006/October/focusoniraq_October44.xml§ion=focusoniraq&col=

BAGHDAD - A state-of-the-art US main battle tank was destroyed in the southern Iraqi city of Diwaniyah during clashes with militias, the US military said on Sunday, adding there were no coalition casualties.

‘Our reports currently indicate that a CF (coalition forces) tank was destroyed during clashes last night with insurgents,’ said a coalition spokesperson. ‘The tank destroyed was a M1A2 second generation Abrams.’

[malaise]

1. Was its name Freedom?

If it was, we need no further proof that freedom is no longer on the march. Of course I needed no more proof.

[Nimrod2005]

2. Reminds me of Hizballah's success against Israeli tanks in South Lebanon

Maybe someone in Iraq just received some anti tank shoulder fired laser guided missiles????

They were very effective agaisn Israel...Either Hizbollha just donate some to the Shia brothers in Iraq or somehow some got in from Iran!!!

[conscious evolution]

5. 'Maybe someone in Iraq ....'

My guess would be that they came from the same people that supplied the Afghan muhajedeen(sp?) during the 80's

[Nimrod2005]

8. The money yes, comes from the same people --- But actual weapons

come from Iran and Syria I would think.

[Pavulon]

12. Different armor

different tank.

[madokie]

3. I think this might be what it looks like

[madrchsod]

4. well this is interesting

i`ll wait till further confirmation on this but if this is true the "insurgents" had the latest russian anti tank missle

[leveymg]

6. That makes more than 20 Abrams knocked out in Iraq so far. Losses:

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/special_packages/galloway/13889046.htm
Posted on Wed, Feb. 15, 2006
Commentary
A true tally of war's costs
By JOSEPH L. GALLOWAY
Knight Ridder Newspapers
WASHINGTON - There are always costs in a war, human costs and hardware costs, and as we draw close to beginning the fourth year of our operations in Iraq it's time to tally those costs one more time.

As of this week a total of 2,270 Americans have lost their lives in Iraq, the great majority of those losses suffered in combat. The number of wounded has reached 16,653, just over half of those marked wounded but returned to duty. A little known cost is in vehicles lost in combat. Just for the U.S. Army alone that number has reached nearly 1,000. The cost for replacing those totally destroyed vehicles and overhauling thousands more worn out by heavy use totals $9 billion in this year's proposed defense budget and in the off-budget emergency wartime supplemental budget Congress passes twice each fiscal year.

Since the Iraq combat operations began in the winter of 2003 the Army has lost 20 M1 Abrams tanks; 50 Bradley fighting vehicles; 20 Stryker wheeled combat vehicles; 20 M113 armored personnel carriers; 250 Humvees; and some 500 Fox wheeled reconnaissance vehicles, mine clearing vehicles and heavy and medium transport trucks and trailers.

The bulk of these losses in tracked and wheeled vehicles were to the ubiquitous improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, that the insurgents employ to such deadly purpose.

To that equipment toll, for both Afghanistan and Iraq, add 27 Apache attack helicopters; 21 Blackhawk utility helicopters; 23 Kiowa Warrior assault helicopters; and 14 big Chinook cargo helicopters.

Only 17 of the helicopter losses are counted as combat downings.

The rest were destroyed in accidents.

This information and these figures are courtesy of The Army Times weekly newspaper, Feb. 20 issue, with thanks. The Army has ordered 19 new Stryker armored vehicles to be built to replace the losses. In the case of the Abrams tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles and M113 personnel carriers which are no longer in production the Army pulls replacements out of mothballs and runs them through a frame-up depot rebuilding process that upgrades them to the newest high-tech versions.

In addition to replacing the totally destroyed vehicles, the Army is faced with near-total rebuilding jobs on literally thousands of other Abrams tanks, Bradleys, M113s, Humvees, trucks and aircraft that have been worn out by heavy use in the combat zones.

The wear and tear on those vehicles is estimated at five times normal

SNIP

[TahitiNut]

14. That's why the Army Chief of Staff dug in his budget heels.

The GOP hasn't assured cost-effective replenishment of materials and weaponry. They have a propensity for the 'no-bid' contracts that have little in the way of objective delivery standards or 'cost-plus' open-ended development contracts. That's where the profiteering is greatest.

[Pavulon]

15. General Dynamics

manufacturers the m1 tank..

[leveymg]

16. It's not like repairing a tank requires a lot of real high-tech R&D work.

There might be an excuse for a few no-bid contracts for cutting-edge technologies. But, this is nothing more than corrupt GOP Congresscritters looting the Treasury in exchange for bribes and campaign contributions.

Arrest them all, put them through Basic Training and infantry school, and send them to Iraq. Same thing with the management and big stockholders of defense contractors.

[Divernan]

7. How many soldiers would have been inside that tank?

nt

[leveymg]

10. Like most tanks - 4

[Pavulon]

11. 4

all alive. I would bet it broke down, got stuck, or damaged. Crew evaced and we blew the shit out of the hull.

That tank can take a hit from anything in the iraqi arsenal. Other then running over a ton of explosives they are pretty much untouchable.

[Pavulon]

9. Having recovered

these tanks I can tell you in a firefight if they are disabled, blown track, they are left and blown in place if a tank recovery vehicle cant get to it.

Other than a large explosive, there is no weapon in the iraqi arsenal that can destroy a main battle tank.

No crew death, that means it could have been disabled, broke down, or stuck in the mud. The remaining tanks blow the shit out of it after the crew evacs.

[Roland99]

13. "coalition forces" tank? How many other countries have tanks in Iraq????