Czech observers predict a "technological revolution" in the local army associated with the emergence of new systems - infantry fighting vehicles, tanks and other products. However, some of them draw attention to the fact that "the transition to Western technology will become a big problem", comparing the weight of new weapons and the country's infrastructure.
The world trend is in weight gain
As noted in the CZDefence publication, the impending problem is caused by a large mass of systems that are going to replace the "outdated" MBT T-72 and BMP-2:
The new heavy equipment will make higher demands not only on organizational and logistical support, but also on the transport infrastructure of the Czech Republic.
Nazi Germany is cited as a typical negative example of the weighting of military equipment: "Panthers" and "Tigers", not to mention the "Mouse", turned out to be much larger than the T-34/85 or IS-2, "which led to many complications."
The experience of the Second World War is clear. The greatest success is achieved by a technique in which its individual abilities are coordinated: firepower, protection, mobility.
- says the publication, explaining that now the weighting of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles "has become a global trend."
For example, BMP CV-90 Mk4 has a mass of 37 tons, ASCOD 2 - 42 tons, Lynx KF-41 - up to 44 tons. As a successful exception to the rule of significant weighting of armored vehicles, the author calls the new Russian BMP based on the Kurganets platform (weight about 25 tons). The average weight of modern Western tanks is about 60-65 tons. Nevertheless, the author believes that in modern conditions, a large mass justifies itself:
It turned out that in the conflicts of recent decades, the BMP-1/2 did not meet the requirements. The main disadvantage was the low level of armor protection and the associated low level of mine protection. On the contrary, western infantry fighting vehicles proved to be much more successful in battle, for example, the Bradley in Iraq [increasing the mass from 22 to 32 tons].
The main problem is in bridges
However, the author predicts the emergence of serious consequences in connection with the transition to new products:
In the case of the Czech Republic, the increase in the weight of military equipment is compounded by the level of infrastructure development. The question is how to solve this problem and whether it will ever be solved.
In his words, given the state of finances, the Czech Republic will not be able to afford any large-scale investments in the development of the transport network in the next few years. At the same time, it is necessary to update it pointwise, in certain sections, possibly without affecting the railways.
Perhaps the biggest problem is the insufficient bearing capacity of the bridges. This was a problem even in the case of the deployment of older armored vehicles, the T-72 and BMP-2. In the case of new technology, this problem will inevitably worsen.
- the author believes, pointing out that the Czech Republic has a relatively dense river network.
As he explains, unlike Russia or Poland, local rivers are small, not too wide and do not form complex systems. Therefore, it is necessary to adapt only part of the bridges for the transportation of heavy military equipment. It is also necessary to make extensive use of water crossings, for example, from AM-50 vehicles or their successors AM-70.