"The tank is dead. Long live the tank." Foolish things are a fact of history, and many such utterances will come in the future. Predictions of the tank's death were very loud in the 1990s. Such musings resurfaced after the U.S. overran Iraq (twice). The "experts" said the tank had no real role in future U.S. military operations. Future conflicts would involve light forces, small wars, and counterinsurgency campaigns, they confidently proclaimed. Well, those same experts once said fighter aircraft no longer needed guns and ground forces were obsolete in an era of nuclear weapons and precision-guided munitions. The tank is alive and well. Tank production will exceed 5,000 vehicles through 2023. As long as tanks are around, armies will need countermeasures. This is where anti-armor missiles come in. Yet anti-armor missiles are taking on an added mission of engaging bunkers and other reinforced structures.
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