September 06, 2022

Ranking Tanks


Ranking Tanks
A T-72 ready to compete. Wikimedia Commons, Vitaly V. Kuzmin.

As this summer's tank biathlon wraps up, the Russian team has claimed the gold medal for exceptional tank prowess.

This year's event ran from August 13-27 and involved crews from countries as diverse as China, Zimbabwe, and Cuba. Many use upgraded Soviet-era T-72s, but some compete in locally-built machines.

The biathlon is designed to test tank crews' skills at maneuvering in rough terrain and firing. Tanks and their crews must pass through an obstacle course and fire on targets as quickly as possible. The Russian team completed the circuit in one hour, 29 minutes, and 36 seconds, hitting 23 out of 24 targets. In second place came Belarus, at 1:41:05 and 19/24 targets hit.

Russia has won every year since the event started in 2013. However, speaking frankly, nothing can top the showmanship of last year's Belarusian team.

Of course, elsewhere, Russian tanks aren't faring as well.

Tags: sportwartank

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