What would the "Z" value be for an M1A1 tank platoon in Iraq right now? Any guesses?

Ryan

one clue lies in the after action reports & other accounts of the tank actions in Desert Storm. In one example a company of 12 or 13 US Marine M1 tanks was in a night laguer with all engines & elctrical circuts shut down. Also present were section of TOW launchers. Two I think. The sentrys woke the company reporting Iraqi tanks cresting ridge. The commander ordered them to fire when ready. (It took a little less than a minute for fire control computer of their M1s to boot up.) Cease fire was ordered just over seven minutes after the the inital alert was given by the sentrys. After dawn approximately 35 destroyed T72 tanks were counted and five T55 tanks behind berms were also found destroyed. The range was between 800 & 1500 meter depending on exactly where each Iraqi tank was in the formation.



In AIW terms this translates into one six minute turn. The Iraqi tanks translate to six or seven T72 counters, and one T55 counter. The Marine tanks could be divided into three counters of four or five vehicals and one TOW piece. To reproduce the result of this engagement the M1s pretty much need to have AF large enough for 4-1 odds attacks. That would be a minimum of 280 attack factors. Say 40 each for the M1 pieces, doubled for close range, and the remianing AF going to the TOW piece.



This is just a rough estimate, and it must be noted that this particular company had done extremely well at gunnery practice during the training work up. Perhaps someone else has some ideas on this?

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Replying to:

What would the "Z" value be for an M1A1 tank platoon in Iraq right now? Any guesses?

Sounds like M1A1 tanks should be close to Godzilla units!



Carl - where did you get the neat real life Iraqi war AAR?



Ryan

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Replying to:

Ryan

one clue lies in the after action reports & other accounts of the tank actions in Desert Storm. In one example a company of 12 or 13 US Marine M1 tanks was in a night laguer with all engines & elctrical circuts shut down. Also present were section of TOW launchers. Two I think. The sentrys woke the company reporting Iraqi tanks cresting ridge. The commander ordered them to fire when ready. (It took a little less than a minute for fire control computer of their M1s to boot up.) Cease fire was ordered just over seven minutes after the the inital alert was given by the sentrys. After dawn approximately 35 destroyed T72 tanks were counted and five T55 tanks behind berms were also found destroyed. The range was between 800 & 1500 meter depending on exactly where each Iraqi tank was in the formation.



In AIW terms this translates into one six minute turn. The Iraqi tanks translate to six or seven T72 counters, and one T55 counter. The Marine tanks could be divided into three counters of four or five vehicals and one TOW piece. To reproduce the result of this engagement the M1s pretty much need to have AF large enough for 4-1 odds attacks. That would be a minimum of 280 attack factors. Say 40 each for the M1 pieces, doubled for close range, and the remianing AF going to the TOW piece.



This is just a rough estimate, and it must be noted that this particular company had done extremely well at gunnery practice during the training work up. Perhaps someone else has some ideas on this?

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Replying to:

What would the "Z" value be for an M1A1 tank platoon in Iraq right now? Any guesses?

I used a value of 35 in my advanced pnazer blitz. I read the same AAR and agree that unit was more experienced by that point in the war than average. I am thinking that M1A2SEP will round out at 40 depending on what I read in Gulf War 3.

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Replying to:

Sounds like M1A1 tanks should be close to Godzilla units!



Carl - where did you get the neat real life Iraqi war AAR?



Ryan

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Replying to:

Ryan

one clue lies in the after action reports & other accounts of the tank actions in Desert Storm. In one example a company of 12 or 13 US Marine M1 tanks was in a night laguer with all engines & elctrical circuts shut down. Also present were section of TOW launchers. Two I think. The sentrys woke the company reporting Iraqi tanks cresting ridge. The commander ordered them to fire when ready. (It took a little less than a minute for fire control computer of their M1s to boot up.) Cease fire was ordered just over seven minutes after the the inital alert was given by the sentrys. After dawn approximately 35 destroyed T72 tanks were counted and five T55 tanks behind berms were also found destroyed. The range was between 800 & 1500 meter depending on exactly where each Iraqi tank was in the formation.



In AIW terms this translates into one six minute turn. The Iraqi tanks translate to six or seven T72 counters, and one T55 counter. The Marine tanks could be divided into three counters of four or five vehicals and one TOW piece. To reproduce the result of this engagement the M1s pretty much need to have AF large enough for 4-1 odds attacks. That would be a minimum of 280 attack factors. Say 40 each for the M1 pieces, doubled for close range, and the remianing AF going to the TOW piece.



This is just a rough estimate, and it must be noted that this particular company had done extremely well at gunnery practice during the training work up. Perhaps someone else has some ideas on this?

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Replying to:

What would the "Z" value be for an M1A1 tank platoon in Iraq right now? Any guesses?

The PB website "scenarios" section has some US counters for a Desert Storm scenario (unfortunately not active itself). The M1A1 Z-value is given as 40 A 18 45 8/11.



Glen

Does anyone have an opinion on what the AF for other ultra modern tanks should be?

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Replying to:

The PB website "scenarios" section has some US counters for a Desert Storm scenario (unfortunately not active itself). The M1A1 Z-value is given as 40 A 18 45 8/11.



Glen

Ryan

a summary of the AAR was printed in the Naval Institute Proceedings in the mid 1990s. There was some similar stuff printed in the Armor Journal.

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Replying to:

I used a value of 35 in my advanced pnazer blitz. I read the same AAR and agree that unit was more experienced by that point in the war than average. I am thinking that M1A2SEP will round out at 40 depending on what I read in Gulf War 3.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Replying to:

Sounds like M1A1 tanks should be close to Godzilla units!



Carl - where did you get the neat real life Iraqi war AAR?



Ryan

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Replying to:

Ryan

one clue lies in the after action reports & other accounts of the tank actions in Desert Storm. In one example a company of 12 or 13 US Marine M1 tanks was in a night laguer with all engines & elctrical circuts shut down. Also present were section of TOW launchers. Two I think. The sentrys woke the company reporting Iraqi tanks cresting ridge. The commander ordered them to fire when ready. (It took a little less than a minute for fire control computer of their M1s to boot up.) Cease fire was ordered just over seven minutes after the the inital alert was given by the sentrys. After dawn approximately 35 destroyed T72 tanks were counted and five T55 tanks behind berms were also found destroyed. The range was between 800 & 1500 meter depending on exactly where each Iraqi tank was in the formation.



In AIW terms this translates into one six minute turn. The Iraqi tanks translate to six or seven T72 counters, and one T55 counter. The Marine tanks could be divided into three counters of four or five vehicals and one TOW piece. To reproduce the result of this engagement the M1s pretty much need to have AF large enough for 4-1 odds attacks. That would be a minimum of 280 attack factors. Say 40 each for the M1 pieces, doubled for close range, and the remianing AF going to the TOW piece.



This is just a rough estimate, and it must be noted that this particular company had done extremely well at gunnery practice during the training work up. Perhaps someone else has some ideas on this?

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Replying to:

What would the "Z" value be for an M1A1 tank platoon in Iraq right now? Any guesses?