Tanks on the Front Lines

TWO QUOTES:
[17 Aug 2006] Referring to the Trophy, a Rafael-developed active protection system that creates a hemispheric protected zone around armored vehicles such as the Merkava 4 tank, Rudoy said he would demand that his tanks be fitted with the defense system once it was deemed operational.--OC Armored Corps Brig.-Gen. Halutsi Rudoy [Jerusalem Post Interview - Link below]

[21.08.2006] If we had decided, a year ago, to buy about 100 systems from Rafael and install them in 100 tanks - the first tanks to cross the border - our losses would probably have been far fewer. Making the right decision at the right time is the bottleneck of exploiting advanced technologies on the battlefield." - Dr. Shmuel L. Gordon, a colonel (res.) in the IAF, is head of the Technology and National Security program at the Holon Institute of Technology. THE JERUSALEM POST

Excerpts are from an article by Yaakov Katz in the THE JERUSALEM POST Aug. 15, 2006.
"Thousands of antitank missiles were fired over the days of fighting at tanks and infantry forces in southern Lebanon. But while soldiers told stories of deadly missile attacks on tanks, OC Armored Corps Brig.-Gen. Halutsi Rudoy revealed Tuesday that out of the almost 400 tanks that operated in Lebanon, only a few dozen were hit by antitank missiles and only 20 were actually penetrated."

RKNEWS: And how many of our young soldiers who were killed in those 20 tanks would have survived had new defensive system available been deployed? Was cutting costs the only consideration?

"The fighting was fierce and they fired hundreds and possibly thousands of missiles," he told The Jerusalem Post in his first interview since a cease-fire went into effect. "But if I compare the number of casualties in this war to the first Lebanon War in 1982 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973; then there were thousands killed in tanks and here only 30."

RKNEWS: Was it just that we improved our systems since 1982? or were their other factors involved such as style of fighting, time at war, etc.? If our numbers could have been down to 0 or even to 10 by deploying available systems, does the above argument carry any weight?

"....the antitank missiles soldiers confronted in Lebanon were some of the most advanced in the world. He said Hizbullah had thousands of Soviet-built Sagger, Cornet and Fagot antitank missiles, the French MILAN and the US-built TOW, all supplied by Iran and Syria."

RKNEWS: So what is he saying here? Is he saying here that they are so advanced we don't stand a chance? Since we were actually fighting against new Iranian electronic systems, does that mean if Iran attacks we are defenseless?? I don't think so.

"But the missiles are not only used against tanks, despite their official title. Aware that in close-range combat the IDF has an advantage, Hizbullah fighters set up positions kilometers away from Israeli forces and also used antitank missiles against infantry forces. More than 70 infantry soldiers were killed in antitank missile attacks on the homes they had commandeered in Lebanese villages and as they moved throughout the hilly terrain."

RKNEWS: Other defensive measures and strategies could surely have been employed to minimize these losses, but even this does not justify not protecting the tanks. It's like saying, "Well, the back door is not very strong, so don't bother locking the front one." (see: Lone Soldier: War )

"We were at war, and in war the soldiers and the tanks at the front are the ones that get hit the most," Rudoy said. "It could have been worse, and thanks to the high professional level of the tank crews, the damage was far less than what was expected in the beginning."

RKNEWS: It could have been worse? Yes, I suppose it could have and indeed all Israel is thankful for soldiers who fight on to protect our homes and family, even when their government and military command fail them!

"Referring to the Trophy, a Rafael-developed active protection system that creates a hemispheric protected zone around armored vehicles such as the Merkava 4 tank, Rudoy said he would demand that his tanks be fitted with the defense system once it was deemed operational."

RKNEWS: That's a little coy. Various media sources indicate that decision had already been made to install it on Merkava 4.....assuming that would be the next tank to be in war. No retrofitting on the ones in use? Have we not lost tanks in Gaza? During the 6 years Hizbollah prepared to attack, what on earth were we thinking....that they were going to fight with sticks and stones?? Even the most primitive in Gaza has access to the lastest munitions and electronic systems. They only need ....money... and we know there are endless sources for that. During the last year or so we let at least 2 drones fly over northern Israel, remember? Did we think it was a child's game?

Counting monetary costs and Ego are the two greatest enemies of victory in war....guarantors of death on the battlefield. Our government and our army choked on our own mythology and couldn't provide clear consistent orders to the battlefield, nor even could they provide food and water for our troops a few kilometers away.

We are not confident there will be any significant changes, given the current political environment. We are in a war for our continued existence and the only ones who can defeat us not only live among us, they rule over us.