St. Petersburg Times (Florida) March 28, 2003
Gearing up for a tank battle
As coalition forces push further into Iraq the likelihood grows of a major tank battle just to the south of Baghdad. Some of the weapons involved:
U.S. forces:
Air Support
AH-1 Cobra: Provides armed cover night or day or in adverse weather. Also used in antiarmor offenses.
F-15E fighters: Designed to establish air superiority, equipped with all-weather radar and laser-targeting equipment.
A-10 Warthog: Specifically designed for close air support of ground forces during night or day. Effective against all ground targets, whether armored or not.
B-52s: Pursued Iraqi divisions during recent sandstorm with carpet bombing or cruise missiles.
Tanks
Bradley Fighting Vehicle: Provides mobile protected transport of infantry into close contact with enemy. Also has enough firepower to suppress or defeat enemy tanks.
M1A1 Abrams: Improved version of tank that performed very well in the Gulf War. It can reach speeds of up to 45 mph. Its 120mm cannon has a range of 2,700 yards.
Iraqi forces:
Iraq has virtually no air power.
Tanks
T-72: Iraq lost hundreds of these tanks in the Gulf War to enemy tank fire. Manufactured by the Soviet Union in the 1970s. Its 125mm cannon has a range of 2,300 yards.
BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle: Used by the Soviets in Afghanistan and the Russians in Chechnya. Has a 30mm gun and AT-3 anti-tank missiles.
Sources: GlobalSecurity.org, Periscope, Federation of American Scientists.
GRAPHIC: DRAWING, STEVE MADDEN; Drawing of eight types of U.S. and Iraqi military vehicles.
Copyright © 2003, Times Publishing Company
