CASR

Canadian
American
Strategic
Review

Armoured Vehicles - NATO/ISAF - Southern Afghanistan  –  September 2006 Passage to Panjwaii  –  Canadian Tanks Go to Afghanistan Leopard  Tanks  Shake Up  the ISAF Armoured Vehicle Mix Stephen  Priestley ,  CASR   Researcher / Illustrator Things Get Snaky  –  Operation  Medusa  Changes Emphasis  on Vehicle Types Much has been made of the need in Afghanistan for well-armoured, highly-mobile wheeled combat vehicles. [See: Armour for Afghanistan]  Rightly so, the wheeled LAV III has proven ideal – it is quick, reasonably well-armoured, and its main gun has high elevation allowing it to engage targets in mountainous terrain.  However, while fighting in Panjwaii,  Canadian Forces are once again dealing with mud brick compounds. These walls must be “mouseholed” or punched through with gunfire. In a pinch, the LAV’s 25mm automatic gun can be used to mousehole, giving troops access to the compounds. At times, it is necessary to fire over a wall.  Then, indirect-fire artillery support is needed. The CF uses M777 155mm howitzers and the Dutch have self-propelled 155mm guns which they have assigned to assist  CF troops. These 55 tonne Dutch self-propelled howitzers [1] are among the largest armour in Afghanistan. Their use revived  the idea of  sending the heavy CF Leopard tanks. It was no secret that  Leopard C2  main battle tanks were being overhauled at CFB Wainwright. But, as late as the end of August, CF officials denied that these tanks were being prepared for Afghanistan. That has now been reversed –  15 Leopards (one report said 20) will ship out with the Lord Strathcona’s Horse within a month. [ Also see:  Assessing the Threats to the CF Leopard C2 Tanks in Afghanistan and CASR Background article  Canadian Tanks to Kandahar – the Leopard C2. Of   Big Cats  and  Mouseholes  –  A  Ninth  Life  for  Canada’s  Leopard  Tanks What can Leopards do in southern Afghanistan? Their  main  job would be direct fire  support  – the  Leopard’s main gun is the 105mm L7A3, a weapon able to “mousehole” a mud-brick  wall with  one  shot. CF officials also mentioned convoy escort duties. As tanks go, the Leopard C2 is very fast. When new, Leopards could hit 65km/h on good roads or about 45 km/h cross-country. But Leopards are anything but new. It remains to be seen whether 28-year-old tanks can run convoy duty.  Maintenance and  reliability issues aside, Leopards would be imposing.  However, the high-velocity gun is their main asset. Like the self-propelled howitzers, the Leos are heavily armoured, tracked vehicles. But SPs specialize in ‘indirect’, or ‘non-line-of-sight’, fire support (at least at long ranges). By comparison, ‘direct’ fire  from high-velocity  tank guns is ideal for Panjwaii. Indeed, this was the exact role intended for the CF’s planned Mobile Gun System. But with MGS cancelled, attention turned back to the CF Leopards. Booking Our ‘Passage to Panjwaii’  –  Getting  There  Becomes  the Tricky  Bit Fighting in Panjwaii  has been underway since 02  September 2006,  but  NDHQ  says  it  will  take  at  least  another  month before  Leopard  tanks  can deploy to southern Afghanistan. So, why the delay?  The military intends to ship the tanks by sea. More desirable would be the option of having the USAF transport these CF vehicles in their  Boeing C-17 airlifters. [2] The C-17 can lift a 70t Abrams tank but not two 42t Leopards. So at least 15 flights will be needed. It is admirable that the Army has used the urgency of the situation in Afghanistan to speed up refurbishing of the Leopards. But to play a useful role in Panjwaii, the tanks must arrive soon.  It is time to look for alternative transports. The answer is familiar.  Most CF heavy equipment has been flown in by leased Antonov or  Ilyushin commercial airlifters. Like the C-17, an IL-76  lifts a single tank. The larger An-124 is capable of lifting three 50t tanks. Through NATO, Canada has paid for ‘assured access’ to leased An-124s. The larger An-225 (which flew DART to Pakistan) carried five 50t tanks (above) on one flight. The choice is clear  –  NDHQ  must exhibit  the same urgency shown by the Army. [Update: In the end, transport was a compromise. The first Leopard (accompanied by a Taurus armoured recovery vehicle) left Edmonton on 29 Sept. 2006 onboard a commerical An-124. The Antonov flew the two armoured vehicles the 9,925+km to a US airbase at Manas Int’l Airport (near Bishkek, Kyrgyztan). At Manas, the tank and ARV transferred to two leased USAF C-17s for the final 1490km down to KAF. [1] The PzH 2000NL SPs (or Pantserhouwitser in Dutch) are just entering service. The Netherlands made two PzH 2000s available to back the CF in OP Medusa (the Dutch are also operating Apache attack helicopters and took over FOB Martello). [2] Transporting Leopards in C-17s may be political (to reinforce Canada’s choice of strategic airlifter. Instead, it may be politically dangerous  –  giving ammunition to those who would portray Canadian involvement  in Afghanistan as supporting US policy objectives. Making use of  SALIS An-124s, on the other hand,  ties the Leopard tank shipment to NATO and to ISAF which, ultimately, is a UN mandate.