PLA Ground Forces news, pics and videos
- Thread starter Jeff Head
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Supposedly a VT4's barrel exploded during the recent engagement when Thai army was firing against Cambodia military.
The picture looks real to me. I wonder what happened here? I know shit happens but it doesn't look good.
I hope Norico finds out what's going on and fix it pronto.
The picture looks real to me. I wonder what happened here? I know shit happens but it doesn't look good.
I hope Norico finds out what's going on and fix it pronto.
This was posted earlier.
It’s definitely real. There are a lot of reasons circulating the Internet ranging from the tank being used improperly as artillery to Chineseum from Temu. Given how Thailand isn't an industralized rich country and how the RTA are used to older and simpler tanks, they could potentially be very cheap and lax on maintenance. So, when SHTF, that particular VT4 wasn't combat ready. This is a common trait found among unindustralized countries (eg Egypt and Syria). Nonetheless, as we see in life, the reason could consist of a concoction of several variables. We'll see if Norinco and RTA openly addresses the issue.
Do we have any idea about the legitimacy of the 500 round barrel life stated on the training manual? if the barrel life is really just 500 round could it be it compromise on the durability of the barrel for price/weight?
I heard that VT-4 went though 200 rounds a day, but consider the ENTIRE barrel life for almost all tank is about 1000-500.
I would be hasitent to put 100 rounds a day and not inspecting and doing a maintaince on the barrel.
It is the same with artillery barrel really, sure it says it can do 10 round in 60s , but that is only for about the first 20 rounds , it need to rest after it for fear of overheating and benting.
I suspect that safty guidlines are often igored in combat , and in this is just the a case of "fuck around and find out".
The tank crew pushed the tank too far ,and didn't do maintaince , so physics taught them a lesson.
I would be hasitent to put 100 rounds a day and not inspecting and doing a maintaince on the barrel.
It is the same with artillery barrel really, sure it says it can do 10 round in 60s , but that is only for about the first 20 rounds , it need to rest after it for fear of overheating and benting.
I suspect that safty guidlines are often igored in combat , and in this is just the a case of "fuck around and find out".
The tank crew pushed the tank too far ,and didn't do maintaince , so physics taught them a lesson.
then that explain the unusal amount of rounds in a day,but it also shows that the Thai army logistic and training is lacking , the crew should have known that they need to switch out the barrel.
It not even that long of a maintaince , barrel switch can be done in an hour.
It take a bit longer to switch out a maingun tube on a tank. The recoil mechanism on tank mainguns are quite large and heavy. Even with overhead lift, in a facility in doors and with all the tools, it takes a bit of time to do it right and certainly not an hour.
If anyone sells a country a tank and states the maingun (100mm or larger) can be changed out in an hour or less is selling wolf tickets and you should take a shower after meeting with the sales team.
Kidding aside, it take more than an hour to switch out a tank's maingun.
The confirmed facts we have:
1. VT-4 has damage.
2. On going conflict between Thai and Cambodia
3. Tanks are being used in the conflict
The facts we can not prove without proof are Assumptions consisting of:
1-Excessive rate of fire led to the guntube damage which in turn led to the tank's damage
2-Tanks used improperly
I would state that less than assumptions now are
1. Chinese gun tube manufacturing quality is poor. (Norinco has over 30+ years producing tank gun tubes with the Technical data packages from other countries such as .)
2. The Royal Thai Army armor training is developed by the US Army way back in the Seventies and standards in the Royal Thai Armor Corp are pretty good. If you look at the VT4 and the unit that accepted it, you can still see methods of training the RTAC was still using.
3. One report states there was a gun tube blockage of unknown type. This happens in tank operations and all the pictures of M1A2 with gun tubes spread open at the muzzle like a flower demonstrates that this happens. What the article stated was that "". My assumption is that the VT4 crewman were in intense battle and did not keep the gun tube cleared of obstacles and it became blocked by some obstruction and a round was fired.
The Thai Army and more than likely the local Norinco rep are looking over the ammunitions, the gun tube, the crew training records, vehicle maintenance and other factors.
I would reserve any judgement on the VT4 or the Soldiers operating the tanks until more facts come forward.
Right?
I don't know how to define whether this equipment belongs to the army or navy, but I suspect that it is some kind of land ejection platform, and it may even be modularized to adapt to electromagnetic ejection with different qualities. The drone on the board is connected with the device suspected to be a Mover.（The full picture of the drone can't be sent out because it is too big, but the scooter is completely straight, sinking the cockpit, and there are many high-voltage wire harnesses suspected of storing energy on the chassis.）