How does a war tank work?
Lucas Silva Cintra,
Franca, SP
They are designed to be powerful weapons both in offense and defense, traversing uneven terrain and providing security to their occupants even under intense fire. Today, this mission is facilitated by modern electronic navigation resources and super-reinforced armor – all without giving up the vehicle’s trademark, the tracks on which the wheels run. It is this accessory, by the way, that differentiates tanks from other tanks, such as armored vehicles (models like the Urutu, from the Brazilian Army, which move on wheels) or half-tracks (which have wheels at the front and tracks at the back). , or vice versa). To illustrate how a tank works, we chose the Abrams M1A2 model, used by the US Army in the invasion of Iraq and considered the best today, the most modern point on an evolutionary scale that began almost 100 years ago. The first tanks in history were crude: at the beginning of the 20th century, the British Army adapted metal sheets to tractors to protect pilots and passengers from gunfire. The workaround worked and, in 1915, the first tank prototypes appeared, which reached the “incredible” speed of 6.5 km/h. In 1916, during World War I, the British became the first to use tanks in combat, in the battle of Somme, France. Of the 32 vehicles at the front, nine managed to cross the “no man’s land” – regions between the trenches of the armies – and advance on the German defense lines. And it wasn’t German fire that stopped the other 23. They broke midway! “Today, information technology has transformed the technical aspect of combat tanks, making them a dream for enthusiasts. But that doesn’t mask its sole purpose: to bring death and destruction to the enemy,» says military researcher Peter Eriksson of the Swedish Army.
Deadly machine We unravel the American Abrams M1A2 tank, considered the best today
TOTAL FORCE
To propel the almost 70 tons of the tank, the internal combustion engine has a power of 1,500 HP — just for comparison, this is equivalent to the power of 12 cars with a 2.0 engine. Even with so much force, the top speed is 48 km/h
PASSING OVER
Serving as the basis for the wheels driven by the tank’s engine, the tracks allow the vehicle to advance over any type of terrain. The angle at the front serves to overcome higher obstacles such as hills or craters.
THICK SKIN
The armor is formed by a system of several layers of metal, to stop the shots, interspersed with ceramics, to block the heat of the shots. Armored pod protects four passengers, engine, fuel tank and tank controls
DYNAMIC DOUBLE
The tank has two machine guns, one 12.7 mm in diameter and the other 7.62 mm, which can take down even helicopters. Both have 180 degree rotation and can shoot high to low, between -30 degrees and 65 degrees to the horizon
SECOND FLOOR
Thanks to a system of gears attached to the bodywork, the turret can rotate up to 180 degrees, increasing the autonomy to use the cannon and machine guns. The connection with the body is made through a passage where the gunner is located.
MIGHTY PETARD
The main gun is a 120 mm diameter cannon. Commanded by an internal computer, it has a high power of destruction: it manages to break down walls, turn cars upside down and penetrate the armor of all known tanks.
NAME: Abrams M1A2 tank
WEIGHT: 69.5 tons
HEIGHT: 2.88 meters
LENGTH: 8.15 meters (9.82 meters with cannon)
WIDTH: 3.65 meters
PRICE: 5.6 million dollars
The commander is responsible for the progress of the mission. Its function is to transmit tactical orders to the other three occupants.
The loader keeps the weapons always loaded and takes care of the communication systems
The gunner is second in rank of the tank. It is he who controls the main cannon and machine guns.
The pilot is the one who drives the tank. One of the tasks is to find the least bumpy path