All morning, the armored battalion under the command of Liu Zunshan ran wild in the desert.

Although the advance speed is maintained at less than 30 kilometers per hour, it is inconceivable that an armored assault force with more than 30 main battle tanks, nearly 100 infantry fighting vehicles and hundreds of other types of combat vehicles can still be marching in the field.

Of course, Liu Zunshan and they are not fighting alone.

In addition to the reconnaissance helicopters that flew to the front of the team in turn to lead the way, over the rear border, there was also a "Finger-10A" belonging to the Air Force.

In fact, even without a reconnaissance helicopter, the "Finger-10A" can detect the approaching threat in time.

The assault force has not stopped because it has never encountered a real threat.

Although the "Finger-10A" discovered several armored reconnaissance combat vehicles of the Iraqi army, they did not let Liu Zunshan and them do it, and directly assigned the strike task to the reconnaissance helicopter in front of the attack. As a result, the Iraqi armoured reconnaissance vehicles failed to get close to the assault armoured units.

In fact, those reconnaissance helicopters, in other countries, can be regarded as genuine armed helicopters.

Under normal conditions, the Z-13F will carry 1 rocket launcher nest and 2 heavy anti-tank missiles, or replace one of them with a machine gun pod.

In this way, even when performing reconnaissance missions, the "Z-13F" has a strong strike capability, and it is easy to deal with the enemy's armored reconnaissance vehicles.

In fact, when making this design, it was taken into account that the enemy's armor would be encountered.

Otherwise, the Z-13 can be made lighter, or carry more fuel, so as to gain a longer flight range.

Because the attack was too smooth, when they reached Salman, Liu Zunshan did not let the troops stop, leaving only one infantry company to occupy and control the town in the heart of the desert, while the main force continued to advance northward, and stopped advancing after two o'clock in the afternoon.

It's not that Liu Zunshan wants to stop and rest, but that he needs to refuel the tank tank.

At this point, about 210 kilometers have been advanced

According to the Code of Operations, the fuel reserve of armored units should never be less than 60% when performing combat missions or when there is a threat in the vicinity.

Because all tanks are equipped with an external fuel tank, they have about 60% of the internal fuel left when they stop.

To put it rightly, this is also the main benefit of the Imperial Army's insistence on diesel engines.

When the ZT-99 was designed, because the development of the supporting diesel engine was not going well, that is, the output power could not meet the 1500 horsepower required by the Imperial Army, so in order to ensure that the ZT-99 could be delivered in time, the Imperial Army also invested in the development of a small gas turbine.

Since then, the development of the 1,500 hp small gas turbine has been completed on time, and the main performance has met and exceeded the targets set by the Army. Even fuel consumption is within an acceptable range. Using only internal fuel tanks, the ZT-99 can gain a field range of about 300 kilometers and more than 450 kilometers on paved roads, which has already met the minimum tactical performance indicators proposed by the Army.

In fact, in some aspects, gas turbines have obvious advantages.

For example, gas turbines do not have special fuel requirements and can use almost all refined oils, so they can greatly reduce the burden of logistics.

In addition, the gas turbine can be started much faster than the diesel engine, which can give the tank better maneuverability.

It is precisely for this reason that the T-80 of West Luosha and the M1 of the Republic of Nuland coincidentally use gas turbines.

At that time, the Reich Army really made up its mind to use gas turbines on the ZT-99, if only to make the necessary attempts.

Just before the Imperial Army made a decision, the supporting twin-supercharged diesel engine was successfully developed.

Although in some performance, diesel engines are inferior to gas turbines, even if mechanical and turbocharging systems are used, diesel engines have a very prominent advantage.

Fuel efficient!

Under the same operating conditions, the fuel consumption of a diesel engine is less than two-thirds that of a gas turbine.

In addition, the dual-supercharged diesel engine is not very sensitive to temperature, so in a high-temperature working environment, the actual fuel consumption of the diesel engine is lower than theoretical.

According to the actual tests done by the Imperial Army, the maximum stroke of a diesel engine can be at least doubled!

That alone was enough for the Imperial Army to make up its mind.

The reason is also very simple, in the tactical system of the Imperial Army, the main battle tank is both a defensive support point and an assault force for counterattacks. The point is that the Imperial Army mainly faced the vast continental theater. All these factors place high demands on the tank's stroke.

The tanks that the Imperial Army was equipped with after the war all had a higher mileage than other tanks of the era.

For example, the ZT-80 had a maximum road range of 600 km, while other tanks of the same era generally reached between 400 and 500 km.

In order to gain a long enough range, the Imperial Army was even willing to sacrifice some of the other features.

The same ZT-80, because of the need to increase the volume of the fuel tank, the size of the hull could not be reduced, and as a result, in order to control the combat mass, the thickness of the armor could only be weakened.

Some problems existing in diesel engines have also been solved with technological progress.

For example, in the past, diesel engines were very picky about oil products, and the dual-supercharged diesel engine developed for ZT-99 can even directly use gasoline! For another example, the low-temperature starting performance of diesel engines is very poor, and this problem is perfectly solved by installing a low-power auxiliary engine.

Crucially, with the help of the dual supercharging system, the performance of the diesel engine has been greatly improved.

In terms of starting speed, a twin-supercharged diesel engine is not much worse than a gas turbine. At an ambient temperature of 20 degrees Celsius and sea level, it only takes 20 seconds to reach the maximum output of the cold train. Ideally, it can accelerate from zero to 30 kilometers per hour in about 7 seconds.

If anything, the ZT-99 has a definitely not slow start.

Equipped with a gas turbine and known for its maneuverability, the T-80, with a total combat weight of more than 40 tons, accelerates from zero to 30 kilometers per hour in nearly 6 seconds. Also equipped with a gas turbine, the M1A1 with a total combat weight of 64 tons has an acceleration time of almost 7 seconds.

If the ZT-99 has a 1500-horsepower gas turbine, the acceleration time is 6.4 seconds.

It can be seen that the increase in the use of gas turbines is not obvious.

The problems associated with this are very prominent.

To reach 450 kilometers on the road, the ZT-99 had to have an internal fuel tank volume of 1,800 liters, and with a diesel engine, even if the fuel tank volume was reduced to 1,200 liters, it could reach a range of 550 kilometers, and when expanded to 1,500 liters, it could reach 700 kilometers.

Don't underestimate the internal volume of a few hundred liters.

At the time of finalization, the volume of the internal fuel tank of the ZT-99 was only 1200 liters, which saved space and loaded 12 more shells.

If gas turbines were adopted, the ammunition base of the ZT-99 would be less than 40 rounds!

This, if to say, was also a major reason for the Imperial Army's determination to use diesel engines.

As for the combat stroke, it can be solved by carrying an external fuel tank.

With an external fuel tank with a capacity of 1,000 liters, the ZT-99 can travel up to 900 kilometers on the road.

The key is that the ZT-99 can theoretically hang 2 such auxiliary fuel tanks, increasing the road journey to 1300 kilometers!

Of course, this is completely unnecessary, because the maintenance-free breakdown cycle of the diesel engine of the ZT-99 is theoretically only 1000 kilometers at most. The maintenance intervals of the track and suspension systems are also within 1,000 km, so a trip of more than 1,000 km is of no real combat significance.

Because the external fuel tank will block the backward firing range, the commander will often directly abandon the external fuel tank before the combat mission.

At the time of replenishment, Liu Zunshan ordered all tanks to abandon the external fuel tank, and used the refueling effort to do the final inspection and maintenance.

There's no way around it.

The ZT-99AL is a tank developed specifically for the Marine Corps, oriented towards the Primorsky area, so in some respects the situation of fighting in the interior is not taken into account.

The most prominent thing is actually the air conditioning system.

The ZT-99AL still uses the first-generation air conditioning system, not the second-generation air conditioning system of the ZT-99B.

After exporting the ZT-99AG to allies such as Pakistan, the main feedback received by the Imperial Army was that the power of the air conditioner was seriously insufficient, and the cooling effect was very poor in the low-latitude tropics, especially in the tropical desert, thus weakening the tank's sustained combat capability.

The tank crew can't stand the heat and is unwilling to stay in the tank, what combat effectiveness does the tank have at all?

The Imperial Army deployed in Pakistan has also reported problems with air conditioning.

Because the temperature inside the car was too high, the Imperial Army stationed in Pakistan also made a special regulation to limit the training time of tank troops in summer to two hours. Provide at least half an hour of rest between training cycles and prepare for the heat, such as providing cool drinks to quench your thirst.

In peacetime, it's not a problem.

In times of war, tanks cannot fight for a long time, and that must be a big problem!

Crucially, it is not only tank crews that are affected.

If the temperature is too high, many electronic devices will not work properly.

In fact, this is also a problem that the thermal imager of the ZT-99 has not solved.

As a result, the ZT-99B uses a more powerful second-generation on-board air conditioner.

It is a pity that the ZT-99AL of the Marine Corps does not have a second-generation air conditioner.

In the words of Liu Zunshan and other tank soldiers, the logistics officer in charge of purchasing tanks has certainly not been to the armored unit and does not understand what it is like to spend more than ten hours in a tank, so when purchasing tanks, in order to reduce the price, they choose a vehicle air conditioner with a cheaper price and much worse performance.

After coming to Posha Bay, in order to solve the problem of insufficient power of air conditioning, the officers and men of the Marine Corps came up with a local solution.

Let the logistics support troops prepare a large amount of ice, and send a bucket of ice to the tank every time it is replenished, so as to reduce the temperature inside the tank.

If a special container is used, the ice cubes can be stored in the tank for about 4 hours.

The key is that the Marine Corps tanks have been modified for high humidity environments, and all electronic equipment can work properly in wet environments. In the case of amphibious tanks or amphibious armored vehicles, it is also required that all internal equipment can be used normally after being immersed in seawater.

That's right, so you don't have to worry about your electronic devices getting wet.

In addition, when the ice melts, it can be used to replenish the fresh water that has been consumed, for example, a diesel engine needs to replenish several hundred litres of coolant every 1,000 kilometers. Often, especially in wartime, the so-called "coolant" is actually fresh water with additives. In case of special circumstances, or conditions that do not allow, using fresh drinking water can also keep the engine working normally for several hours.

When refueling, the most critical work to do is actually to count the ammunition for the last time and decide the ammunition ratio according to the actual situation.

Liu Zunshan issued a very important order.

Let all tanks increase the carrying capacity of armor-piercing shells to fifty percent, and take anti-armor combat as the main task.

At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, Liu Zunshan led the team to set off again.

After only half an hour, news came from the rear that the "Finger-10A" had detected an armored unit from Semavo and was advancing south, suspected to be a Republican Guard division deployed there, and deduced that there were at least 100 main battle tanks.

Apparently, the Iraqi army has discovered the assault force led by Liu Zunshan.

The key point is that Liu Zunshan and his team were about 80 kilometers south of Semawa, and the Iraqi army rushing in from the north was only about 50 kilometers.

The "Finger-10A" did not send a message in advance, mainly because it did not move north with the armored forces, and is still patrolling the border between Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

At the speed at which both sides are advancing, it will be an hour, or at most an hour and a half.

Obviously, this is a very fateful time.

Even if the Marine Corps helicopter gunship is dispatched immediately, because it is deployed in the rear, it will take about two hours to arrive at the earliest. If there is a change in the weather, such as reduced visibility, it will be difficult for Marine Aviation to provide direct support.

As for naval aviation deployed on land airfields, don't count on it even more.

The first round of strikes began at about 1 o'clock in the afternoon, so by this time, almost all the tactical aircraft carrying out strike missions had run out of ammunition, and many of them could not be dispatched again until about 5 o'clock at the earliest, on the way back, to carry out evening strike missions at the earliest.

It can be seen that there is simply no need to expect air support before an encounter with the enemy.

It's not terribly bad, though.

A sandstorm was coming from the northeast, so the "Finger-10A" sent a message that the front-line commander could choose to stop the advance immediately and try to delay until about 5 o'clock, that is, after the sandstorm arrived, there was no question of engaging the Iraqi army.

It's just that Liu Zunshan did not adopt the suggestions put forward by the air commander.

It's not that he's bold, it's that if he stops now, the whole assault will be affected.

Dust storms will last at least until dark, and then spend a few hours at night to prepare, especially for tank fighting vehicles, which will certainly not advance to Semavo as planned.

Crucially, the Iraqi army will not necessarily retreat when the sandstorm arrives, but may hide in place.

In other words, the Iraqi army will still have to be engaged tonight or tomorrow morning, and air support may not be available by then.

Crucially, due to the sandstorms, all tactical reconnaissance methods have failed.

If anything, the Iraqi army must know more about this desert and how to deal with sandstorms.

If the Iraqi army is the first to regain combat effectiveness, then the armored forces under the command of Liu Zunshan may be attacked at night when they are preparing.

When the time comes, let alone marching into Semavo, it would be good to be able to save a small life.

Obviously, it must not stop now!