Do Tanks Have a Place in 21st-Century Warfare?
As explosive drones gain battlefield prominence, even the mighty U.S. Abrams tank is increasingly vulnerable.
The drone combat in Ukraine that is transforming modern warfare has begun taking a deadly toll on one of the most powerful symbols of American military might — the tank — and threatening to rewrite how it will be used in future conflicts.
- drone 无人机
- take a toll on 对……产生不良影响，对……造成损害
take a deadly toll on 即造成致命打击 - might 强大力量，威力
- conflict 争执；战争；冲突
Over the last two months, Russian forces have taken out five of the 31 American-made M1 Abrams tanks that the Pentagon sent to Ukraine last fall, a senior U.S. official said. At least another three have been moderately damaged since the tanks were sent to front lines early this year, said Col. Markus Reisner, an Austrian military trainer who closely follows how weapons are being used — and lost — in the war in Ukraine.
- take out 消除，清除，这里是摧毁的意思
- the Pentagon 五角大楼，pentagon 即五边形
- moderately 适中地；一般地
That is a sliver of the 796 of Ukraine’s main battle tanks that have been destroyed, captured or abandoned since the war began in February 2022, according to Oryx, a military analysis site that counts losses based on visual evidence. A vast majority of those are Soviet-era, Russian or Ukrainian-made tanks; only about 140 of those taken out in battle were given to Ukraine by NATO states. And Russia has so far lost more than 2,900 tanks, the Oryx data show, although Ukraine claims that the number exceeds 7,000.
- a silver of 一点，一小部分
- a majority of 大部分
- Soviet-era 苏联时代
- although Ukraine claims that the number exceeds 7,000.
- claim 声称，exceed 超过
- 尽管乌克兰声称这一数字超过了 7000
German Leopard tanks have also been targeted in Ukraine, with at least 30 having been destroyed, Oryx says. But the Abrams is widely viewed as one of the world’s mightiest. That it is being more easily taken out by exploding drones than some officials and experts had initially assumed shows “yet another way the conflict in Ukraine is reshaping the very nature of modern warfare,” said Can Kasapoglu, a defense analyst at the Hudson Institute in Washington.
- Leopard tanks 豹式坦克
- be targeted 成为目标
- mightiest 最强大的
- That it is being more easily taken out by exploding drones than some officials and experts had initially assumed shows “yet another way the conflict in Ukraine is reshaping the very nature of modern warfare,” said Can Kasapoglu, a defense analyst at the Hudson Institute in Washington.
- That (it is …) shows … ，that 引导主语从句
e.g. That they should have different views is natural.
即 It is natural that they should have different views. - exploding drones 爆炸无人机
- reshape 重塑
- very nature 本质
- defense analyst 防务分析师
- That (it is …) shows … ，that 引导主语从句
This weekend, the U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine that will include desperately needed defensive weapons. Here is a look at why it matters for tanks.
- House of Representatives 众议院
- Senate and House of Representatives 参众两院
- is scheduled to 计划做
- vote on 对……进行投票表决
- aid package 援助计划
- desperately needed 急需的
A highly accurate, low-cost tank killer
Despite their power, tanks are not impenetrable, and they are most vulnerable where their heavy plated armor is the thinnest: on the top, the rear engine block and the space between the hull and the turret. For years they were mainly targeted with land mines, improvised explosive devices, rocket-propelled grenades and anti-tank guided missiles, like “shoot and scoot” shoulder-fired systems. These were widely used early in the Ukraine war because they could strike tanks from above and hit them up to 90 percent of the time.
- Despite their power, tanks are not impenetrable, and they are most vulnerable where their heavy plated armor is the thinnest: on the top, the rear engine block and the space between the hull and the turret.
- impenetrable 令人费解的；顽固的；此处意为坚不可摧的
- vulnerable 脆弱的，易受伤的
- hull 船体；（果实的）外壳，这里指车体
- turret 炮塔；角楼；小塔；攻城用的冲车
- 尽管威力巨大，但坦克并非坚不可摧，它们最脆弱的地方是厚装甲中最薄的那里：即顶部、后发动机缸体还有车体和炮塔之间的空间
- mine 矿，矿井；地雷，水雷；宝库，源泉
- improvised 简易的；即兴的
- explode （使）爆炸，explosive 爆炸性的；爆炸物
- rocket-propelled 用火箭推进的
- propel 推进，驱动；
- grenade 手榴弹；榴弹；扔手榴弹
- missile 导弹
- shoot and scoot 打了就跑
- scoot 溜走；迅速跑开；
- shoulder-fired system 肩扛式发射系统
- These were widely used early in the Ukraine war because they could strike tanks from above and hit them up to 90 percent of the time.
- strike 打击
- 这些（武器）在乌克兰战争早期被广泛使用，因为它们可以从上方打击坦克，命中率高达 90%
The drones that are now being used against tanks in Ukraine are even more accurate. Known as first-person view drones, or FPVs, they are equipped with a camera that streams real-time images back to their controller, who can direct them to hit tanks in their most vulnerable spots. In several cases, the FPVs have been sent in to “finish off” tanks that had already been damaged by mines or anti-tank missiles so that they could not be retrieved from the battlefield and repaired, Colonel Reisner said.
- accurate 准确的，精确的；（工具，方法）精密的；（武器、投掷）精准的
- Known as first-person view drones, or FPVs, they are equipped with a camera that streams real-time images back to their controller, who can direct them to hit tanks in their most vulnerable spots.
- stream
- n. 河；溪；流；音像流；数据流，指令流
- v. 流动，涌动，在文中是传输的意思
- direct … to … 指示 … 去做 …
- 这种无人机被称为第一人称视角无人机，它们都配备了一个摄像头，可以将实时图像流回（传输回）控制器，控制器可以指示它们击中坦克最脆弱的地方
- stream
- be sent in to 被派去做
- finish off 消灭，彻底击败或摧毁某人或某物
- be retrieved from 从 … 中找回，收回
Depending on their size and technological sophistication, the drones can cost as little as $500 — a paltry investment for taking out a $10 million Abrams tank. And some of them can carry munitions to boost the impact of their blast, said Colonel Reisner. These could be rocket-propelled grenades, he said, or self-forging warheads known as explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, that were widely used in roadside bombs during the war in Iraq. Colonel Reisner has collected videos of tanks in Ukraine being chased down by the drones or drones flying into their open turrets.
- technological sophistication 技术复杂性
- paltry 微不足道的
- paltry investment 微不足道的投资，指用成本 500 美元的无人机去摧毁造价 1000 万美元的坦克
- munition 军火，军需品，弹药
- boost the impact of their blast 扩大爆炸产生的影响
- boost 使增长，推动；impact 撞击，冲击力；巨大影响，强大作用
- blast 爆炸，爆破；冲击波
- self-forging warhead 自锻造弹头
- explosively formed penetrators 爆炸成形贯穿式弹头
- chase down 追逐并抓住；搜索并找到
“Welcome to the 21st century — it’s unbelievable, actually,” said Colonel Reisner, a historian and former armor reconnaissance officer who oversees Austrian forces’ training at the Theresian Military Academy.
- armor reconnaissance officer 装甲侦察军官
- oversee 监管，监督
No easy, or single, way to defend
In November, within weeks of receiving the Abrams tanks, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said, “It is difficult for me to say that they play the most important role on the battlefield. Their number is very small.”
- play (the most) important role on (in)… 在 … 中发挥重要作用
Some officials and experts believe Ukraine’s commanders had planned to save the Abrams for future offensive operations next year and resisted sending them to the front lines, where they risked losing the few they had. Instead, the tanks deployed early this year with the American-trained and equipped 47th Mechanized Brigade as Ukraine sought but failed to maintain control of Avdiivka, a stronghold in the eastern Donbas area that fell to Russian troops in February.
- offensive （军事）进攻，攻势
- resist 阻挡，抵制；
- 易混：insist 坚决要求，执意坚持；坚称
- deploy 部署
- Mechanized Brigade 机械化旅
- seek - sought - sought
- maintain 保持，维持
- stronghold 据点；要塞；大本营；中心地
- troop 军队；士兵；部队
Colonel Reisner said drones, potentially including FPVs, may have been able to pick off the Abrams tanks because the 47th Brigade did not appear to have the protection of short-range air defense systems like the self-propelled, German-designed Gepard cannons that help safeguard Kyiv.
- pick off 解决掉；逐个射击或击落
- appear to 似乎，好像；表示某种可能性或推测
- self-propelled cannons 自行火炮
- safeguard 保护，护卫
FPVs can be stopped with jammers that disrupt their connection to the remote pilot. Shotguns and even simple fishing nets have been used to destroy or catch some of them on Ukraine’s battlefields.
- jammer 干扰器
- disrupt 中断，扰乱；使瓦解，使分裂
“At this stage, the most effective means used to defeat FPVs is electronic warfare and various types of passive protection,” including additional armor and other kinds of shielding on the tanks, said Michael Kofman, a senior fellow in the Russia and Eurasia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington. He said defeating FPVs required a “tailored approach on the battlefield” and that Ukrainian forces were becoming more adept at it.
- means 手段，方法；金钱
- passive 消极的，被动的
- shielding 防护；屏蔽
- tailored approach on the battlefield 在战场上量身定制的方法
- tailored （衣服）定做的，合身的；特制的
- adept /əˈdept/ 熟练的，擅长的
- 易混：adapt /əˈdæpt/ 适应；调整，使适合
But Colonel Reisner suggested that Ukraine was so desperate for air defenses that it was depriving tanks of full protections by sending Gepards or other short-range antiaircraft weapons that would traditionally deploy to the front lines to instead protect cities and critical infrastructure.
- But Colonel Reisner suggested that (宾语从句) Ukraine was so … that (结果状语从句) it was depriving … of … by sending (… weapons that <定语从句> would … ) to instead protect …
- be desperate for 对 … 极度渴望
- deprive /dɪˈpraɪv/ 剥夺，使丧失；免去……的职务
- deprive … of … 从（某人或某物）夺走（某物）；不允许（某人或某物）拥有或保留（某物）
- critical infrastructure 关键基础设施
- 但 Reisner 上校认为，乌克兰迫切需要防空系统，以至于它将通常会部署到前线的 Gepards 或其他短程防空武器送去保护城市和关键基础设施，而不是为坦克提供全面的保护
A spokeswoman for the 47th Brigade did not respond to requests for comment, and Ukraine’s Defense Ministry declined to discuss the issue. But other Ukrainian troops said they had only rarely used advanced surface-to-air missiles or other air defense systems against the FPVs, given that those weapons are usually needed to shoot down jets and helicopters. And some experts doubted they would be effective because the drones are too small and fast to be hit or picked up on radar.
- spokeswoman 女发言人
- not respond to requests for comment 不回应置评请求
- Defense Ministry 国防部
- ministry （政府的）部，部办公楼；
- decline to … 拒绝做某事
- surface-to-air missile 地对空导弹
- given that 考虑到，鉴于
- jet 喷气式飞机，喷射流 helicopter 直升机
- be picked up on radar 在雷达上被发现
Some militaries are already testing laser beams that could destroy drones on attack, by essentially burning them with energy, said David M. van Weel, NATO’s assistant secretary general for emerging warfare. Such so-called directed energy weapons are likely to be cheaper and in larger supply than other kinds of ammunition, and would be able to hit small targets like FPVs. But, as with all emerging warfare, it is only a matter of time before countermeasures are invented to defuse even weaponized lasers, Mr. van Weel said in an interview on Friday.
- laser beams 激光束
- essentially 本质上，根本上
- secretary 秘书；书记员，干事；部长，大臣
- emerging warfare 新兴的战争
- emerging 新兴的，发展初期的
- be likely to 很可能，表示某事情有很大的可能性发生
- ammunition 弹药，军火
- countermeasure 对策；反措施；反抗手段
- defuse 平息；化解
Mr. Zelensky has repeatedly implored the West to send more air defenses, which European and American defense officials agree are among Ukraine’s most urgent needs. That could happen this weekend if the U.S. House approves the aid package that Republicans have stalled for six months. Other allies, most notably Germany, are trying to fill the gap, including in negotiations this week among diplomats at a Group of 7 summit in Italy and defense ministers at a NATO meeting on Friday.
- implore 恳求；乞求
- official 官员，高级职员
- urgent 紧急的，急迫的
- stall /stɔːl/ 暂缓，搁置
- most notably 最明显的是，尤其是
- fill the gap 填补空缺，填补这一空白
- negotiation 谈判，协商；转让
- diplomat /ˈdɪpləmæt/ 外交官，外交家；有手腕的人，善交际的人
- summit （政府间的）首脑会议，峰会；山顶，顶峰；
So are tanks obsolete?
Colonel Reisner said military engineers had sought new ways to destroy tanks for as long as they have been used on the battlefield and that the FPVs did not render the Abrams and other advanced tanks like the German Leopards obsolete in Ukraine.
- render 渲染；使成为，使处于某种状态；给予，提供
- obsolete /ˌɑːbsəˈliːt/ 淘汰的，废弃的
“If you want to seize terrain, you need a tank,” Colonel Reisner said of the single most lethal weapon in ground warfare.
- seize terrain 抢占地形
- seize 抓住，捉住；（用武力）夺取，占领
- terrain 地形，地势；领域
- said of 谈及
- the single most lethal weapon in ground warfare
地面战争中最致命的武器- lethal 致命的，致死的；危害极大的
But he added that the FPVs were a key part of what some analysts believed would drive future warfare underground, with remote-controlled weapons fighting it out on the surface. In this circumstance, soldiers would direct weapon systems from nearby underground bunkers to ensure they could maintain lines of sight and radio frequency over the weapons.
- drive 迫使，驱使
- circumstance /ˈsɜːrkəmstæns/ 条件，情况，环境
- bunker 沙坑；煤仓；燃料库；这里应指掩体
- lines of sight 视线
Such land battles could largely pit first-person view drones against unmanned ground vehicles, Colonel Reisner said: “They will be fighting each other like in ‘The Terminator.’”
- pit … against … 使竞争，使对立
- The Terminator 《终结者》
