Canadian Forces expected to renew aging fleet of tanks
According to this article, the announcment will be made today. Tanks will be purchased from the Neatherlands, as well as 20 will be leased from Germany.
Canada would be better off if they purchased 50 M1A2 Abrams MBTs from the US, which would be far more capable than 114 Leopard C2 MBTs. Also the UK is reducing is Armoured force from 286 Challenger MBT to 166 Challanger MBT, so Canada could buy the 120 Challenger MBT the UK wants to get rid of, which would also be better than old Leopard MBTs from the Netherlands.
Both the M1A2 Abrams and the Challenger II MBTs would be a far better investment than old worn out Dutch Leopard MBTs.
At $350K CANADIAN a copy?
Chimo
Why not buying new equipment direcly from Germany?
Also, by combining the Challengers with anything smoothbored, one receives logistical complications. The ammo is not interchangeable.
Is it normal procedure for Canadian forces to lease tanks and other equipment like this?Originally Posted by Canmoore
Fortitude.....The strength to persist...The courage to endure.
Leasing just require the Minister's approval for such a small amount. It comes out of the operational budget instead of the capital budget which requires cabinet approval.
Chimo
Abrams are huge overkill for fighting guerrillas. These will be more than sufficient for protecting troops and attacking infantry type targets.
Plus, I haven't heard that the UK is gonna sell their Challenger IIs.. they are prolly just not gonna operate them because they don't deploy a whole armored division anywhere anymore. They are prolly gonna keep the tanks in reserve.
In Iran people belive pepsi stands for pay each penny save israel. -urmomma158
The Russian Navy is still a threat, but only to those unlucky enough to be Russian sailors.-highsea
As sure as Bush's "Mission Accomplished".The Russian Navy is still a threat, but only to those unlucky enough to be Russian sailors.
High on rhetoric but low on facts.
Prepare or perish!
"Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."
I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.
HAKUNA MATATA
There were alot of happy zipperheads today.
Chimo
Over long term life view a Challenger II MBT or M1A2 Abrams MBT would stay potent into the future much longer than an old Dutch Leopard MBT. Buying more old Leopard MBTs to replace even older Leopard MBT's is just a stop-gape measure. Paying more for a more capable and more modern MBT would sustain the Canadian Army Armoured Force into the future much longer than purchasing an old but slightly younger outdated Dutch Leopard MBTs to replace even older outdated Canadian Leopard MBTs.
The LEO2 A6M is the same generation as the M1A2.
Chimo
Though the internal ammunition stowage (AFAIK) is a bit worrisome, in Afghanistan these things should be pretty same and effective. And probably cheaper, logistically speaking, than an Abrams.
In Iran people belive pepsi stands for pay each penny save israel. -urmomma158
The Russian Navy is still a threat, but only to those unlucky enough to be Russian sailors.-highsea
Considering the current tanks are still capable fighting vehicles this is a very wise choice. Purchasing a new type of tank would just increase logistical and training problems and Canada won't be in Afganistan for ever.
Facts to a liberal is like Kryptonite to Superman.
-- Larry Elder
$650 million for aging tanks, which will be obsolescent as the ones they are replacing within a decade.
All so we can do what? Forty or fifty operational tanks are going to end the guerrilla war in Afghanistan?
It's just another chapter in the history of Canadian defense spending. A history marked by the utter inability to think from first principles.
Let's trace the real thinking here: the government is looking to save a handful of lives from remote-controlled mines, in the hope that a slightly lower casualty rate will prevent the Afghan War from becoming unpopular.
in other words, our government is thinking completely backwards, focusing neither on the country's defense needs nor on the strategy of the Afghan War itself, but instead plainly obsessed with the domestic media image of that war.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
1Likes
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Reply With Quote
Share this thread with friends: