| Some folks refer to "rifles" with very large bores as cannons. It's not wrong, just a different way of saying "Big Damn Gun".
I have several friends that fought in Angola and the 76mm's big brother, the 90mm Cannon, mounted on the ratel 90, decimated Angolan/Cuban tanks. I can't recall exactly what models they were, but the were of the later T series tanks introduced during the 70's. The key to success was that the Ratel moved at a faster pace than the T's turrets could rotate. This would enable the Ratel to move so far ahead that it could actually stop, aim and get a good shot, then move before the tank could aqcuire target, if it wasn't destroyed.
No, the Rooikat is not a tank killer, but it could be used as one in a pinch. What it is, is a very high mobility, heavily armed scout vehicle that would so very well in urban operations. There is not magical weapon out there - you will have to compromise something. The rooikat compromised a bit of armour and a Massive gun for speed, simplicity, costs and reliability. I can tell you that anyone that takes a tracked vehicle into sub-saharan Africa is sure to regret it. The cubans paid a high price for making that mistake. IMO, we should never have gone into Afghanistan or Iraq without decent wheeled armour. Tracks are great for muddy situations, but absolutely suck when you want to move fast or on pavement.
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\"...but Napoleon and all his veterans have never treated us
so roughly as these hard-bitten farmers with their ancient theology
and their inconveniently modern rifles.\"-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle on the Boer. www.fambook.com |