What do the Arab League countries look for?

Infantry fighting vehicles!

However, not an infantry fighting vehicle in the traditional sense, but a heavy infantry fighting vehicle!

Although there were not a few decent armored battles on the battlefield in Iraq, and most of the time they were offensive and defensive battles around the city, but in the few armored battles, such as the one on the outskirts of Nasiriyah and the one north of Kut, all proved without exception that the infantry fighting vehicles that were supposed to accompany the main battle tanks in the charge have all become useless embroidered pillows.

In these battles, anti-tank missiles for infantry fighting vehicles were practically useless.

In addition, when encountering tanks, infantry fighting vehicles are even more powerless.

Why?

The first is that the protection is not good enough, the second is that the range of the anti-tank missile is too close, and the third is that the flight speed of the anti-tank missile is too slow.

In fact, it can also be said that while the combat effectiveness of the main battle tank is getting stronger and stronger, the infantry fighting vehicle is standing still.

You know, over the past few decades, the combat capabilities of the main battle tank have been increasing, while the infantry fighting vehicle, which was born during the Cold War, has not changed much.

Take the M2A3 of the United States as an example, the maximum range of the "Tao" heavy anti-tank missile is only 4 kilometers!

Placed 20 years ago, this range could have been said to have been sufficient.

Why?

At that time, even the most cutting-edge main battle tanks, such as the M1A1, which was in the limelight in the Gulf War, had a maximum engagement distance of about 2,000 meters.

In many cases, the M1A1 even needs the assistance of the M2A3 because the sighting system is not good enough.

With an anti-tank missile with a range of 4 kilometers, it is certainly no problem to deal with a main battle tank with an engagement distance of only 2,000 meters.

In fact, at that time, the M2A3 faced Soviet-style tanks such as the T-72, while the T-72 was only 2,000 meters during the day and when the weather was ideal, and even less than 800 meters at night, so the M2A3 did not need anti-tank missiles with a longer range.

What now?

Needless to say, Russian tanks, even if they are equipped with artillery-launched missiles, are limited by the observation and sighting system, and the combat distance will not be far.

If you can't see it, how can you fight?

However, with the main battle tanks of Russia, the main battle tanks of other countries are improving, and the observation and sighting equipment equipped with them is becoming more and more advanced.

Take the VT-4 as an example, the top version uses a high-resolution infrared imager, which has a visual distance of up to 4,000 meters to tank-like targets at night when the weather is good.

As for the range of tank guns, it has not always been a problem.

It can be said that as long as you look far enough, you can hit far enough.

Actually, it's nothing.

With the advancement of technology, especially the popularity of drones, the engagement distance of the main battle tank will become farther and farther.

The U.S. military has long conducted tests, and with the cooperation of small UAVs, the main battle tank can hit armored targets at a distance of 10 kilometers with precision-guided projectiles.

As long as it is not limited by the terrain, it can even shoot at targets at a distance of 5,000 meters.

That is, against armored targets at a distance of 5000 meters with armor-piercing shells.

Are drones expensive?

The military ones are not cheap, but the civilian ones are not expensive at all.

In Huaxia, tens of thousands of yuan can buy a drone that can fly hundreds of kilometers and stay in the air for more than 2 hours, and can carry dozens of kilograms of goods.

Obviously, such a civilian UAV, equipped with high-resolution cameras and digital communication equipment, is a small military unmanned reconnaissance aircraft.

In addition, various long-range ammunition developed for the main battle tank has also been developed.

The United States has been engaged in long-range ammunition and exploited the potential of tank guns, and the range of its latest generation of 120-mm precision-guided artillery shells has reached 10 kilometers.

And, of course, Russian artillery-launched missiles.

There are similar shells in Huaxia, but they have not been promoted in the international market.

The point is, there is not much demand for this.

If you need to hit an armored target at a distance of 10 kilometers with precision shells, why not let the artillery do it, but let the tanks go into battle?

It's just that, in a small war, there is really a similar need.

What's more, as the striking range of tanks increases, the first to be threatened are infantry fighting vehicles.

You must know that in field battles, infantry fighting vehicles are accompanied by the main battle tanks, and the armored forces move rapidly, and the enemy's artillery may not be able to play a role.

In this way, infantry fighting vehicles are required to keep up with the times, that is, to increase the engagement distance and be able to fire at the main battle tank at a greater distance.

An anti-tank missile with a range of only 4 kilometers is certainly not enough.

In addition, the flight speed of the anti-tank missile is critical.

Compared to artillery shells, the speed of the missile is indeed too slow.

You must know that the muzzle velocity of armor-piercing shells is more than 1,500 meters per second, which is more than 4 times the speed of sound, and even high-explosive shells and grenades have muzzle velocity of more than 2 times the speed of sound.

Even if a self-seeking guided anti-tank missile is used to ensure that the infantry fighting vehicle can be transferred after launch, and even if it is destroyed, the missile will not lose control, because it will take more time to search for the target, so the survival of the infantry fighting vehicle is still a serious problem.

As a result, faster missiles are needed.

In fact, as early as the Cold War, the United States developed hypersonic kinetic anti-tank missiles, and even planned to replace tank guns with such missiles.

Unfortunately, not to mention a few decades ago, even now, there are insurmountable technical difficulties.

It's just that, with the existing technology, it is not very difficult to increase the speed of anti-tank missiles to 2 times the speed of sound, and it has great practical value.

Doubling the speed is equivalent to cutting the flight time in half.

In addition, increasing the flight speed of anti-tank missiles is also an effective way to deal with active defense systems.

Why?

Nowadays, all active defense systems developed for tanks are aimed at low-speed targets, and the maximum interception envelope is 450 meters per second.

With such a setup, it is actually impossible to intercept high-speed targets.

Therefore, as long as the anti-tank missile flies fast enough, it will be regarded as a high-speed target by the active defense system, and it will not be intercepted.

As for the protective performance, it is a requirement for urban warfare.

In any case, an infantry fighting vehicle is an infantry fighting vehicle, and no matter how it is enhanced, its protection capabilities will certainly not be comparable to that of the main battle tank.

Suffice it to say that the existing infantry fighting vehicles are simply too fragile.

In a city with a complex environment, the survivability of infantry fighting vehicles is very problematic.

Worse still, the infantry fighting vehicle is an indispensable combat platform, because the machine gun it carries is a sharp weapon in the battle of urban fortifications.

Whether in Yemen or in Iraq, cities are graveyards for infantry fighting vehicles.

In order to improve the survivability of infantry fighting vehicles in urban warfare and maximize the value of infantry fighting vehicles, it is necessary to enhance the protection capabilities of infantry fighting vehicles.

Combining these, what is needed is a heavy infantry fighting vehicle.