How to defeat a Main Battle Tank as a civilian.

First of all why would anybody want to defeat a Tank? Because its suicidal to even attempt such daring task. This article does not aim to help terrorist group in their deadly activities but to stimulate the minds of curious African MiliBlog readers.  Any of this method listed here should work in an event whereby the target tank is isolated and has detached itself from the main force. However, ALL tank force are usually accompanied by a variety of specialize troops like Infantry, Armored forces (IFVs and APCs), assorted aircraft, artillery, drones. A lthough it doesn't really take high-tech equipment to stop a single tank. A direct attack will never defeat ANY tank, unless you get some serious military hardware.

NO 1) TANK TRAP

The use of tank traps has been in existence for decades and has proved to be effective in numerous occasions. There is no known counter-measures for tank traps. A modern day camouflaged tank pit still works. A few meters drop into a muddy hole wouldn't destroy a modern tank but it could quite possibly trap it, rendering it pretty much helpless without the aid of recovery vehicles or in military parlance 'A Mission Kill'.

For optimum effect, do it where it's least expected: in the middle of the road, for example. The bigger and deeper, the better.

The pit should be about 10 feet deep and 30 by 15 feet in dimension

STEP 1) Dig a really deep rectangular or circular hole of about 10 feet deep of about 30 feet long and 15 feet wide (taking into account the M1A1 Abram dimensions which is Hull length: 26.02 ft (7.93 m) and 12 ft (3.66 m) ). Except if an MBT learns how to fly quickly then it wont be able to come out of it.

When fully dug, it should look like this.

STEP 2) Support the edges with light material like wooden beams or aluminium beams, then fill the top with concrete so that a really heavy vehicle like an MBT will break it. Note that an Abram tank for instance has about 57 tons in weight so that wont be a problem.

A MBT stuck in soft ground.

Due to their immense weight, MBTs are surceptible to soft and uneven terrains. Of course, you can't kill more than 1 tank unit this method - but smart deployment of trap holes would slow down a rapidly invading force a whole lot.

An Abram M1A1 Stuck in a ditch

NO 2) MOLOTOV COCKTAIL

A.K.A  The Poor mans artillery. A molotov cocktail is named after Vyacheslav Molotov, Its a general name for a variety of improvised incendiary device, also known as the petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, or Molotov bomb. Simple to make, they are frequently used by rioters. Most people reading this already knows how to build one.

How it is done

OK lets assume for academic reasons that you don't know how to build one, A Molotov cocktail is a breakable glass bottle containing a flammable substance such as petrol, Alcohol, Kerosene or Diesel mixture, with some motor oil added, and usually a source of ignition such as a piece of rag held in place by the bottle's cover. The rag is then soaked in the mixture and ignited.

In action, the rag is lit and the bottle thrown at the tank when the bottle smashes on impact, the cloud of petrol droplets and vapor ignites, causing an immediate fireball followed by spreading flames as the remainder of the fuel is consumed. As the fuel rapidly spreads around the tanks body, hopefully some of it might seep into the TANKS ENGINE or AMMUNITION STORAGE COMPARTMENT and explodes thereby ripping the tank apart. This is known as 'cooking Off' in military term.

A Canadian soldier training with Molotov Cocktail

Aim for the rear of the tank. 

                                         
They were used with a great degree of success in Hungary, Spanish Civil War, Finland, Britain against tanks. Although this is technically a conventional weapon because it has be used in real conflict by real soldiers against enemies.

During the Second Battle of Fallujah in 2004, U.S. Marines employed Molotov cocktails made with "one part liquid laundry detergent, two parts gas" for 'burning out' their enemies from house.

An Israeli soldier with several Molotov cocktails

Note: As incendiary devices, Molotov cocktails are illegal to manufacture or possess in many regions. In the United States, Molotov cocktails are considered "destructive devices" under the National Firearms Act and regulated by the ATF.

NO 3) ROCK IN THE BARREL

An M1 Abram MBT 

YES! you heard right rock in the barrel, Just pick up a very hard rock and fling it into the barrel of the main gun. Easy right? Wrong.

You have to be gravely insane and borderline suicidal (i mean MAD MAX FURY kind of crazy) to attempt such a thing. First of all, Tanks have a secondary machine guns on the turret built for this kind of attack. If you are not killed first by this machine gun then you'll probably be run over by the tracks of the tank.

Machine Gun mounted on a sherman tank

That's where the Molotov cocktail might come in handy, First hurl a molotov cocktail on the turret to force the tank machine gunners inside, then you can now hurl the rock into the barrel.

EXCEPT!!

If the tank has a Remotely Operated Machine gun system, This is a piece of electro-mechanical device which allows machine guns mounted outside to be operated from inside the tank. Most modern MBT have those so if you come across such, then its advisable to forget about defeating such a tank.

A clean tank gun barrel 

A damaged tank gun barrel 

BUT If you do succeed in hurling the rock into the gun barrel, the Tank gun round will explode inside the barrel shredding the gun just like the picture above. When a tank fires a round, the barrel needs a CLEAN GUN BARREL to operate. Any debris found inside the tank barrel will damage the gun. Although most MBT have an automatic Gun barrel flushing system to deal with such debris but most of this systems cannot handle a really large hard rock. If you are really lucky, it might even be able to knock out the tank turret off.

A damaged tank gun barrel

A damaged tank gun barrel

NO 4) ALL BARBED UP

Although this does not actually destroy the tank but it renders it immobile for some time. All military men knows that an disabled tank is as good as a defeated tank. Now go roll up A LOT of barb wires, the ones used by some rich folks to protect their properties. Now when you've gotten enough of this, just roll them up in bunches right in-front of the tank path. First you'll have to know EXACTLY where the tanks is going to pass through. It will be advisable to do this at night because, if a tank crew sees any suspicious object they'll just find an alternative route or send in accompanying infantrymen to check it out.

A tank rendered immobile for some time

When an unsuspecting tank rolls up the barb wires, the wires tend to get bundled onto the tank's tracks, messing up everything and thereby rendering the tank immobile.

Like previously mentioned, this method do not actually destroy the tank but renders it immobile (mission kill) for sometime before the tank crew guys clears of the mess. But a tank crew will never come out in the open in an hostile environment.

NO 5) Huge bolt of Electricity.

A Main Battle Tanks armored hull is made of metal right? So metals conduct electricity right? Yes Right!! but has it been tried and tested before? Hell no!!

Nobody has been insane enough to try such a thing but in principle, it should work. All tank hulls are made with metallic material like steel, Depleted Uranium, Aluminium Alloy e,t,c which conducts electricity nicely. Ok here's how you use this information against tanks.

The cables should be placed where it won't be sighted

Lay out a long line of Electric cables on the road where the tanks might pass through, the voltage passing through the cables should be very high. As the advancing tank rolls ontop the electric cable, quickly hit the switch immediately.

Electric current will pass from the cable into the metallic tracks and then electrify the whole vehicle stunning or killing the crew inside instantaneously. Easy -- but be careful not to get killed first by the electricity.

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