Thanks, and has that changed much over time?
Interesting that the hi tech western tanks dont all use autoloaders.
In regards to the auto-loaders and selection of ammunition, there's a few ways that selection of different shell types can be achieved.
1. The auto-loader ammo store has reserved slots for the different shell types and the gunner literally hits the button for the desired shell and that shell is loaded.
2. The auto-loader has no reserved slots and the crew have to decide what shell type to load the ammo store with before a fight.
3. The ammo store is filled with the most commonly used shell type but the crew can replace/refill slots on the ammo store so that if, for example, HE is desired but there's only AP loaded into the ammo store, the crew remove the AP shell next in line to be loaded with the desired HE shell.
Now having said that, I know this from some theory on the subject but I couldn't tell you specifically what tank (or even what country) uses what method. From what I recall, the T72 has option 1 and the gunner selects what shell he wants to use and the ammunition carousel rotates to place that shell in line for loading.
How much less time this takes compared to a human loaded is debatable but what having an auto-loader does achieve is a reduction in size and weight of the tank and with a lower superstructure the Soviet belief was that their tanks would be harder to see and somewhat harder to hit.
P.S. This page has some internal diagrams of the T72, I found it when I was checking my info for the above and if you go to pictures 6 & 7 on the page, there is a description of the auto-loader and ammunition carousel that explains things better than I did.
http://panzerfaust.ca/AFV interiors/t72a.html
My time in armoured vehicles was limited to the M113 family and a brief dalliance with a working Centurion that the unit had as a parade piece.Well I learn something every day, I always thought it was the tank commander that made the shell and target decision...
I saw what looked like a fricking huge tank when I was in Utah and one that looked similar in Alabama. One of my buddies also claims to have seen a similar tank in Australia.
why can't we use super tanks as defensively deployed tank destroyers?
yepper, was because of these new-fangled toys that I got out of SheridansSo has the other guys.
I have to admit I wanted to see more of that vid... was a mite *roomy* in there... We did have a Sheridan *burn into* the drop zone once.... rumor had it that because we couldn't get the parts we needed for it they decided just to get a new one.... left an impressive hole... turret was over that-a-way a skosh.
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