The Russian Army transformed an ageing T-54/55 Main Battle Tank (MBT) into a remote-controlled Vehicle-Born Improvised Explosive Device (VBIEB). In this video the tank, packed with six tons of TNT, is sent towards Ukrainian lines near Marinka, Donetsk Oblast. The tank runs over a mine and disabled. The Ukrainians hit the tank with a rocket which detonates the explosives within. The result was militarily negligible but visually fantastic.

When discussing this video, I mentioned that it seemed like a reasonable use for a T-55, a system outclassed by every other tank and anti-tank system on the battlefield, but Ron astutely observed that the gambit reeks of desperation. This brought to mind other such actions in conflicts past, such as the fire ships that Sir Francis Drake directed towards the Spanish Armada, the tunnels dug beneath World War I trenches and packed with explosives. However, it was not the fireships that turned back the Spanish Armada, it was the foul weather of the English Channel, and it was not tons of explosives detonating beneath trenches that broke the stalemate on the Western Front, it was German exhaustion and the sudden infusion of American resources and manpower. With that said, I doubt that T-55 VBIEDs will shift the fortunes of war in Russia’s favor. When considered alongside the recent destruction of not one but two dams, this incident is indicative of actions that are increasingly desperate, frantic, and malicious. Who knows what will come next?

About the Author

Cam

Cam served as an infantry officer in the Marine Corps, deploying to the Horn of Africa and participating in combat operations in Iraq. He currently works in the maritime industry and in the defense sector as an instructor of combined arms planning and operations. An avid sailor, Cam founded and directs a nonprofit that supports veterans and first responders through sailing.