标题: Taiwan Tank Falls off Bridge, Killing Three Soldiers [打印本页] 作者: choi 时间: 8-16-2016 07:05 标题: Taiwan Tank Falls off Bridge, Killing Three Soldiers BBC, Aug 16, 2016 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37094497
the first three paragraphs:
"A Taiwanese armoured vehicle has plunged from a three-metre bridge in heavy rain after a military drill, killing three soldiers, officials say.
'The CM11 armoured vehicle carrying five soldiers was returning to base when it fell into the Wangsha river 網紗溪 in Pingtung county in the south of the country.
"The driver and tank captain survived.
Note:
(a) Taiwanese media call CM11 戰車. Correct!
(i) CM11 is a "medium tank" -- by definition an old one (read (ii)). See M48 Patton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M48_Patton
(table: medium tank, In service 1953–1990s US; section 3 Variants, section 3.4 Republic of China: a variant is "M48H/CM-11 'Brave Tiger 勇虎' ")
(ii) main battle tank https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_battle_tank
(were originally conceived to replace the light, medium, heavy and super-heavy tanks; they are: M1 Abrams (US), T-90 (Russia) and Type 96 (PTC) )
(iii) M2 and M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle Systems (BFVS). Global Security, undated www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/m2.htm
("designed to carry Mechanized Infantry into close contact with the enemy. It possesses sufficient cross-country mobility to keep up with the Abrams Main Battle Tank"/
Quote: "When facing heavier enemy armor the Bradley relies on the TOW Anti-Tank Missile, manufactured by the Hughes Aircraft [en.wikipedia.org has a page "BGM-71 TOW" ("Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided"/ now produced by Raytheon) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BGM-71_TOW
]. Launched from a smooth tube launcher, the missile's wings and tail fins are folded inside its body until launch. Two of these missiles are carried ready to fire in a collapsible, armored launch rack on the left of the turret. The Bradley must stop in order to fire these missiles, which are them reloaded by the Infantrymen in the back of the vehicle, using a special hatch which provides armor protection during the reload operation. The missile is equipped with a massive shaped charge, high explosive warhead and is propelled by a two-stage solid propellant motor. The range of the TOW missile is nearly 4 kilometers and the missile will reach a speed of almost Mach 1 on its way to the target. This weapon is capable of destroying any armored vehicle in existence today and is deadly accurate. * * * The vehicle's reliability, survivability and lethality has surpassed initial expectations. Of the 2,200 Bradleys involved in Operation Desert Storm, only three were disabled. In fact, more enemy armored vehicles were destroyed by Bradleys than by the Abrams Main Battle Tanks!"