All eyes turned to the man who hadn't spoken yet on the journey.
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The very large power output of modern tank engines (typically in excess of 750 kW or 1,000 hp) causes a distinct thermal signature. The unusually compact mass of metal of the tank hull dissipates heat in a fashion which marks it off sharply from other objects in the countryside.How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't thinkComment
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A moving tank is thus relatively easy to spot by good land-based or aerial thermal infrared scanners. One reason for the one-sided fighting during Operation Desert Storm was that tanks like the US M1 Abrams and the British Challenger had almost four times the night-time infrared scanning range of the older T-72s used by the Iraqi armyHow fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't thinkComment
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Another factor in Desert Storm was that, even when camouflaged and not moving, Iraqi tanks at night would cool at a different rate from their surroundings, making thermal detection easier.How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't thinkComment
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Getting a tank to move proved to be important in the Kosovo conflict in 1999. During the initial few weeks of the conflict NATO air sorties were rather ineffective in destroying Serbian tanks. This changed in the final week of the conflict, when the Kosovo Liberation Army began to engage tanks.How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't thinkComment
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Although the KLA had little chance of destroying the tanks, their purpose was to get the tanks to move whereupon they could be more easily identified and destroyed by NATO air power. But even this proved ineffective, as the Serbian army had few tank losses on its side, while the KLA suffered heavy infantry lossesHow fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't thinkComment
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