Picard578

Full article, including background, is avaliable here: https://defenseissues.wordpress.com/2015/09/21/nato-main-battle-tanks-comparison/ Force presence Unit price is as follows: Abrams: 8,58 million USD Challenger 2: 6,9 million USD Leopard 2: 5,74 million USD Leclerc: 12,9 million USD Ariete: 7 million USD M-84D: 2,5 million USD (?) However, Leclerc and M-84D are disadvantaged by additional maintenance requirements of having an autoloader while Leclerc and Abrams are disadvantaged by maintenance- and fuel- -hungry power plant. Consequently, all three will likely fare worse in actual combat presence than indicated by simple price comparis

Introduction A-10 is the premiere close air support fighter today, and one of the very few dedicated CAS platforms in existence. Close air support is one of the most important, and most difficult, missions that air force can be tasked with. However, it is part of a spectrum of missions which require cooperation with other services (army cooperation missions are close air support, armed reconnaissance, battlefield interdiction and tactical reconnaissance; navy cooperation missions are patrol surveillance, air defense and anti-ship attack; missions controlled by the air force are air-to-air, deep interdiction and strategic bombing). As such, c