(03-25-2022, 04:06 PM)fullmetal Wrote: Anyway, the success of Ukrainian anti-tank weapons is indirect validation of the value of tanks in modern combat.Well, perhaps, but probably not IMHO. I think the main threat to armor in modern war is aircraft and helicopters. The success the Ukrainians have had with their anti-tank missiles is mostly due to bad Russian tactics. Going back to the Yom Kippur War the Sagger (AT-3) wreaked havoc on the Israeli armor. The reason there too was horribly bad tactics. Armor cannot fight without accompanying infantry to locate and designate threats. The armor can then neutralize the threat before entering it's envelope. OK, sometimes the infantry has to go at their opposite numbers, but in general the armor can provide support that makes it a one-sided fight (unless both sides have comparable armor). The Israelis had got Victory Disease and believed they could go at top speed with their tanks right through the Egyptian infantry, leaving their infantry behind to "mop up". Bad plan. Fix that and everything changed.
Don't read too much in to what is going on in Ukraine. Russia hasn't exactly set the standard for combined arms operation in this war.