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Just like your average firearm, tank cannons can also have recoil springs to push the barrel back into position after firing, in addition to hydraulics.
Below are photos of the giant recoil spring used on the Abrams' 120mm M256 cannon.
High caliber - the future of tank armament or wunderwaffe?
For decades, experimental high caliber cannons were developed, but not adopted.
Challenges with weight, safety and practicality largely outweigh the firepower advantage.
We have reached such a high technological ceiling that high calibers become a logistics and survivability nightmare.
Combined arms warfare, cheap drones and modern ammunition put pressure on tanks to be affordable, easy on the logistics and expendable.
🧵The tank duel of Logvinove
In the early morning hours of February 12th 2015, three T-64BM Bulat tanks received orders to attack an occupied village near Debaltseve with no intel on enemy forces.
Here is how the battle went:
The tank, a T-72B, attempts to drive behind its destroyed comrade for cover, but gets hit by all three T-64s with HEAT and HE ammunition.
It is immediately disabled and catches on fire.
Suddenly, two T-72B tanks appear. They open fire, but they mistakenly target an abandoned vehicle, not knowing the location of Bozhok and Barkatov.
The tank in question was the famous T-64 "Smiley", which was damaged on the 26th and left there.
It served as a decoy.
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Barkatov sees that Bozhok's crew left the tank for cover, in case of a fuel explosion.
A shell flew past his head and exploded behind.
Barkatov hits another T-72 in the cheek. A truck that was behind it also gets hit and burns. The T-72 escapes by retreating down the hill.
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🧵During the fight for Debaltseve in 2015, many incredible tank battles took place. Sadly, most of the stories have been lost.
Today, I will be telling one of them. This is the ambush of January 28th.
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28.01.2015
Two T-64BV tanks led by commanders Oleg Barkatov and Vasily Bozhok stood hidden in a ditch East of Svitlodarsk.
Below are photos they took from the position. Due to low ammo stocks, they looted nearby tank wrecks for usable shells.
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Ukrainian T-64 hit by an APFSDS shell during combat in Donetsk in January of 2015.
The armour was not penetrated. The crew survived but abandoned the vehicle.
