Army To Roll Out Electric Tanks To Fight Climate Change!
By Paul Homewood
h/t Ian Magness
The Russians must be quaking in their boots!
Electric tanks and vegetarian options in the mess are just some of the ways the Armed Forces will go greener, the Ministry of Defence has revealed.
The MoD sets out in a new report how it will respond to “the threat posed by climate change”, following an internal climate change and sustainability review conducted by Lt Gen Richard Nugee last year.
Lt Gen Nugee told The Telegraph that a major factor under consideration was how renewable energy could replace fossil fuels. He said that while it was not possible to turn the UK’s “monster” Challenger 2 main battle tanks electric, there was a “distinct possibility” that in the next “10 to 15 years”, 20 tonne, un-crewed tanks could potentially operate with renewable energy.
Lt Gen Nugee said in such a scenario, “that makes it possible, not definite, but possible to be propelled by a green energy solution.
“Not all our vehicles are going to be susceptible to this, but what we should be doing is looking for the mindset and the opportunity to develop different types of vehicles which are susceptible to renewable energy over time,” he said.
Lt Gen Nugee, who revealed that he had reduced his own meat consumption by “80 per cent”, added that troops were being educated about the benefits of vegetarianism for both a healthy lifestyle and the planet.
He noted that while it was Napoleon who said “an army marches on its stomach”, the Armed Forces would look to educate troops “that eating less meat is a good idea”.
He added that they would also “produce menus in our messes that might offer more alternatives to meat”.
“If we’ve educated people and we have told them of the value of some of the other diets that are available, then I think we might see a difference,” he said.
Oh for General prepared to tell the Ministry of Defence where to get off, instead of kowtowing to what they must know deep down is absolute, and extremely dangerous, nonsense.
Whether they are “monster” Challenger tanks or 20 tonne ones, it is absurd to think that they can be powered by batteries and/or renewable energy. If battery power is to be used, how on earth are they supposed to be recharged every night in the middle of nowhere? Or maybe they are thinking of putting a solar panel on top, and hope that the Russians don’t attack at night.
And, as we know, the range for electric cars is distinctly short. By contrast, tanks can carry around their own fuel, which allows them to carry out extended operations.
The Telegraph editorial goes one step further, suggesting that tanks will simply swap batteries, not seeming to realise that you would need a crane to lift the darned things. Or for that matter questioning where the flat batteries are supposed to be recharged.
There was a time when proper journalists would rightly have torn these proposals to pieces. Instead they have been replaced by babies.
FOOTNOTE
In another Telegraph article last week, covering the Defence Review, they reported:
Given that our Armed Forces have traditionally been trained and expected to operate in all environments, from desert to snow, and jungle to mountains, I am not quite sure why they need to build resilience to climate change!
Comments are closed.
NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT 
Two weeks into a war with Russia, Ivan emails the MOD “Lt Gen Nugee, your army has exceeded its allowable carbon footprint for the month, withdraw immediately!”
Love it!
Maybe somebody has got their dates wrong. If it was published this Thursday it would be very appropriate.
This is all a result of the new multi gender command structure.
A risk assessment has been conducted and it has been found that the use of tanks in a battlefield scenario generates several serious hazards.
Stress, accidental injury, and in extremis – deliberate injury, and then post traumatic stress – to both sides.
The plan is that the theatre of war will be undertaken by green electricity powered helicopter drones that will conduct a dance off that will be recorded by both sides and marked by both the combatants for difficulty and artistic content. Should this result in a draw, it will be adjudicated by an independent panel of UN peacekeepers. The winners will advance, the vanquished will retire
Author Tom Clancy had one of his characters saying “The purpose of an Army is to kill people and to break things as efficiently as possible”. Anything else is “off the mission” and is simply polishing weak egos.
The UK has so few tanks and AFVs I doubt it would make much difference whether they were powered by batteries or elastic bands. I would also hazard a guess that the prototypes never make it to the battlefield or even exercises.
Actually, Penda100, being powered by elastic bands would probably be better than batteries.
But Nugee wants there to be 20-ton unmanned tanks on the battlefield. Oh dear. I bet Nugee spent his youth playing video games and thought they were documentary.
Will it fit under the bonnet of my Octavia do you think?
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1323519
BBC/MO meltdown, today some concrete aprons were almost as hot as a village in March 1968. Tomorrow it’s odds on some’ll be hotter. We’re doomed I tell thee. The nearest place to the hot place in 1968 was only about 21C though – probably says it all.
What an absolute joke. Quite frankly, they can power our handful of main battle tanks with whatever they like. In one recent item I read, Russia has 22,710 tanks. The U.K. currently has just short of 230 Challenger 2 MBT’s ~ & that’s going to be reduced. Russia also have a large airforce & navy ~ something we also used to have ~ and are looking to increase their aircraft carrier capabilities. Doubtless they’ll go for a sensible catobar config whilst we have two carriers with the largest flightdeck area the RN’s ever had ~ but we cannot cross-operate anything except choppers, the F-35 & Harriers as our carriers have neither catapults or arrestor cables. There’s nothing like forward planning ~ and that’s NOTHING like forward planning! Yet somehow the Russians manage to do so much more even though their defence budget is only 50% more than the U.K.
Yep. Net Zero will quickly insure that you don’t have any money for a military.
So, go ahead. Create battery powered tanks (LOL). In 5 years, you are done, anyway. Denmark, Norway and, perhaps, Germany will soon be working on Pionierlandungsboot und Marinefährprahm in preparation for invasion. You Brits are sofa king dead.
With UK dead, and Biden as president, Australia is dead, too. China will easily sweep them up.
Back in 1959 in his book Parkinson’s Law C. Northcote Parkinson highlighted the increasing numbers of dockyard officials and Admiralty clerks as the number of capital ships (and serving officers and men) declined.
That might be one explanation for their better “bang for the buck”.
I was once in a meeting with South African defence force officials (on a communications issue), and I swear that there were more Navy captains at that meeting than the Navy has ships! And THAT’S counting all of the ships that have been stuck in dock for the last umpteen years!
And Israel. There was a report some years ago that compared what Israel got from their budget compared with UK. No lessons learned and never will be. Challenger is ‘past its sell by date’. Experience in the Middle East has shown that even modern tanks like the Leopard 2 is susceptible to being put out of action by anti tank missiles. A 20 ton low profile fighting vehicle equipped with anti tank missiles and attack helicopters will probably be a better bet against Russian tanks as long as the numbers are there.
Actually, UK defence spending in 2020 was 42.2b gbp = 58.2b usd
https://www.statista.com/statistics/298490/defense-spending-united-kingdom-uk/
And RF military spending (open + undisclosed) was 1055b + 3270b = 4325b rub = 56.2b usd
https://aftershock.news/?q=node/826366&full
Not that an all out war between Russia and NATO is remotely plausible though
£7 bill of that is depreciation, most of that goes back to Treasury, another £5 bill is for the ‘nuclear organisation’ which is the submarine nuclear reactors and the missile warheads ( the Missiles are US manufacture)
The point is 25% is locked into a very specialised area and an accounting process ( a bit pointless on that as it doesnt pay tax or have shareholders, US doesnt use this accounting method)
So are we just going to carry on grumbling among ourselves offering dry humour, sarcasm or erudition according to our means?
Or do we set up a part time information officer who will write the sort of letter to the editor of the Daily Telegraph deserves suggesting that a defence correspondent should know the subject well enough not to produce copy that is manifest nonsense. Paul is so productive that all the material is to hand to support such an educating effort.
There is no sign of a messiah who can lead the campaign for logic and honesty that is needed, sadly. It is beyond belief that the whole media and politics of the west have been taken over by pseudo-scientists and Malthusians. Bozzer was a hope, but has now been nuttered.
Maybe a protest at COP 26 would be a good start!
You could have a point, Jack:. Considering what’s in store:
Bleak Lives Matter.
Using conventional tanks and shooting at the climate monster will be just as (in)effective to “fight” climate change.
Have we now reached Peak Climate Idiocy, or is there more?
Oh no, there’s much, much more. The insane are now in charge.
They have gone full retard. The same is going on in the US. This IS frightening! Here is a segment on what is going on in the US: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tv2MoCja3s I thought the military had ONE purpose, to win wars and defend our country.!
Break things and hurt people. Now, they are to do it nicely.
Hi The video link you provided has been removed
Interesting – uploader has removed this link.
Did the idea originate from Walminton-on-Sea?
We’re doomed!
This is an April 1st joke – the other joke for April 1st is that Co2 is dangerous and must be removed.
I served in the British Army for 30 years and I am horrified to see that a three star General has fallen for the Green propaganda so readily and pathetically. Trust me, the troops will not want to be fed on vegetable matter instead of proper food. The ‘battery replacement’ proposal for gun tanks will require a long logistic train to make it work, as opposed to a swift refuel by the tank’s own crew from squadron resources It all smacks of planning on the back of a fag packet; I despair!
It’s decadence. They are so comfortable they can leave the military useless.
Many years ago a British (senior) Officer wondered why the French officers still rode horses, not vehicles. The answer was (paraphrased) horses meant a supply of mushrooms.
While the ranks may not want vegetable mush it might be possible that the British Army will be well supplied with pork (outside of official records).
Seriously, electric tanks are to fight climate change, not Russia!
Yes George – I had to head to darkened room for a while to contemplate that.
BUT the lunacy started back in the early 90’s when I heard a H&S guy explain to a room full of Officers that even in a war they were liable for H&S breeches !!!
It gets worse every day. Will the nightmare ever end??
We currently refuel by driving the tank(s) back off the front line to a massive, blindingly obvious, highly explosive, zero-armour, wheel-based fuel tanker.
Would it be vastly inferior if we used a small support vehicle to drive a replacement battery out to the tank instead?
Especially if that battery allows for several hundred miles of range, as two decades of battery tech advancements would suggest?
Perhaps it’s not as ridiculous as you’d first think. Just because something is “green” doesn’t mean it’s a compromise.
You would need several “support vehicles” to ferry enough batteries to keep one tank going. And how would they be fuelled?
And you obviously have not got aclue how much one of these batteries would weigh. you would need a crane to lift one.
The current system of refueling has worked perfectly for well for decades. I suggest you get in touch with the real world before you make an idiot of yourself again.
Why would you not drive the tanker to the tank if you can drive the battery loader to the tank? And believe me, a modern laser guided missile will make a mess of both of them. As for range, given the huge number of systems that need to be powered in a modern tank, no battery pack is going to last long. Turrets don’t rotate on their own and countermeasures don’t run on thin air.
Seriously James, how old are you? That is an amazingly naive remark.
Cease fire arrangements will be necessary in cold periods and for battery recharging. Additional clauses to this effect will need to be negotiated for insertion in to the Geneva Conventions. I feel confident that there will be no argument from Russia, China or indeed any other peace loving countries.
It’ll work, as long as every day is Christmas.
I am very close friends with a senior commander in the British Army. Notwithstanding the recent Defence Review, and the intended reduction of the standing army by another 10,000 troops to @70,000, operationally that means that the army might be capable to ‘help’ with a national vaccine roll out. It might also mean that it might be capable of launching short term special forces missions. What it doesn’t mean is that the British Army could ever again launch a division strength attack on anybody. We now struggle to put a fighting brigade together. Even more sad is the fact that over 25% of the standing Army are medically unfit.The current fighting arm of the British Army roughly equates to the home crowd at Millwall. Which ain’t a lot. Let’s pray they have the ‘lions’ spirit.
I suggested you have 5 years. Perhaps I was optimistic.
Echoed here in South Africa. Apparently the average age of the members of the SA defence force is in the FORTIES! The majority are under-fit, and there is about one general per 400 others of all ranks. We might be able to withstand an attack by the “South Neasden Ladies Knitting and Bomb Disposal Circle” (as a colleague once entered on a security questionnaire), but I doubt it!
I guess in an age of unstoppable precision hyper-sonic kinetic weapons, tanks and aircraft carriers and just about everything the UK armed forces have is irrelevant. In a fight with China or Russia it would be over before we knew it had started.
Certainly leaving a tank hooked up to a charger for many hours means you lose the tank.
Um. Dragonfire. Nukes, stealth jets, Meteor etc.
Nukes will never be used (by us) and the location of everything is tracked and known (even subs) by the enemy 24×7 – in event of intention to invade/war all our assets will be gone in the minutes before the declaration is made. To believe we stand a chance is delusional. Nothing can stop hyper-sonic weapons currently, Dragonfire v glide vehicles is especially futile.
If the USA can catch up with deployment (it’s some way behind the communists) that might lesson the threat.
“Nothing can stop hyper-sonic weapons currently, Dragonfire v glide vehicles is especially futile.”
Such devices are expensive. The US ran the Soviets out of the Cold War by developing more and more advanced systems. The Soviets had the know how to match, but they didn’t have an economy that could sustain it.
In today’s world, China has an economy that can support such development and deployment. As far as technical know how, modern day Rosenbergs are happy to give it to them.
Yet it doesn’t matter because China’s goal of hegemony over SE Asia is limited by barriers to their north (Russia) and to their west (India). War with either of them, but especially with India would involve hoards with rifles (as the US saw in the Korean War). Super high tech weapons aren’t suitable for use against masses.
The rich, and potentially obtainable, prize for them is Australia. Which has disarmed its citizens, and has only a token military. It is completely dependent on UK and the US for military protection. A really, really bad position to be in.
China is working on Africa, diplomatically. That has potential, though most of the world thinks Africa isn’t much of a prize. But, again, high tech weapons have no relevance to potential conflicts in sub Saharan Africa.
Think of this, what good is all of the US’ high tech weaponry in Afghanistan?
I shall say this again. The only way to stop this insanity is direct action to get the general public to wake up and demand a change of course. It clearly has gone way beyond the point of reasoning when the media promote wind turbines that work without wind, solar panels that work at night and now battery powered tanks. Mass coordinated and simultaneous action to switch on heavy electrical loads at the right time could crash the grid and demonstrate the problems we are sleep walking into.
“The only way to stop this insanity is direct action to get the general public to wake up and demand a change of course.”
Can’t happen. Prosperity brings comfort. Decadence. The successful aren’t going to risk their positions over pop culture. The demise of the UK will parallel the demise of the Roman Empire.
“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.”
Absolutely horrifying. War is not some stupid game played by colonel blimps using battery powered tanks. Once started it is grim, bloody knock down drag out conflict that requires utter resolve in a fight to the death if necessary. I truly fear for my children and grand children’s future with such numpties commanding what is pitifully left our our armed forces that we need to defend our liberty.
Do you know what is really sad William is that we are probably near the day, a day that hasn’t happened in almost three centuries, that we can honestly say that ‘I have little faith in my country to protect me and my family’. When we get to that state anything can happen. Interesting times indeed.
Better not fall out with China:
https://www.voanews.com/silicon-valley-technology/how-china-dominates-global-battery-supply-chain
“According to data released from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, a London-based research firm for the lithium-ion battery industry, in 2019, Chinese chemical companies accounted for 80% of the world’s total output of raw materials for advanced batteries.
“Of the 136 lithium-ion battery plants in the pipeline to 2029, 101 are based in China,” the firm said in May.
“China controls the processing of pretty much all the critical minerals, whether it’s rare earth, lithium, cobalt or graphite,” Pini Althaus, the chief executive of USA Rare Earth, said in a telephone interview with VOA.
A little-known Chinese company that was founded in 2011 is now the world’s biggest maker of electric vehicle batteries.
For three consecutive years ending in 2019, South Korea’s market tracker SNE Research has ranked China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) as No. 1 in the electric vehicle battery production, with a 27.9% market share. CATL makes electric-car batteries for Tesla.”
My reaction echoes Barry Melton’s in “Colorado Town”: Oh no! This can’t be real!
I feel sorry for that General. He was obviously under political pressure to make a bullcrap appeasing proposal. In the end for all his weasel words he promised nothing. Maybe, perhaps some lightweight vehicles will be electric sometime in neverland.
Its appalling the military were forced by idiot politicians to make a green gesture, but I’m heartened that the General’s statement promises nothing and means nothing . All to appease the green monster.
And the vege meals doesnt mean the high protein meal options will be reduced. Just a small vege option on the side offered as a Govt waste gesture to go to compost. I dont read any change here in the military ‘s actions. Just a bullcrap statement to appease Govt green idiots. This is what you get when you put civilians in overall control of the rational military !!!!
Are the tanks large enough for the solar panels?
A medium tank with a 750 kW engine would require 3750 square meters of 20% efficient solar panels under direct sunlight to be powered. You could probably fit around 130 such tanks in an area of that size.
I think they really mean on board fuel cells powered by ‘Green’ hydrogen.
Its still quite silly but is more likely
Surely to go green all the army has to do is buy carbon credits? It’s where my green electricity comes from
Why don’t they go the whole hog and dispense entirely with hi-tech that uses valuable and irreplaceable Earth minerals…. and instead use clockwork engines? Just a quick wind-up now and then and away she goes. Just as sensible as using lots of AA batteries.
Simplest solution to the carbon footprint of the Army is to get rid of it alltogether . Why do we need it? We are under the jackboot of an occupying force , with restrictions and penalties previously unknown in our kingdom since the first years of the reign of William
the Conqueror. Would Putin be worse than the future presribed for us by this mad Govt of permanent lockdowns , vax passports to go to a local shop and mandatory lethal injection.
I for one will be down on Dover Beach welcoming the Russian Army as it delivers us from the current hell we are in .
mikewaite: I need to be blunt: you have no idea what oppression of a population really means. The current restrictions in place are trivial and temporary. Read the history of life under the Nazis and the Stalinist era in the former Soviet union to understand what living under the jackboot really means.
A family member was murdered (euphemism; executed) on trumped-up charges as an ‘enemy of the state’ when the communists invaded Latvia at the time of WWII. He was arrested, and his wife (my late mother) was not allowed to see him again – he was murdered by firing squad. She fled for her life with her son (my late half-brother) and was given sanctuary in this country. Had she stayed, there is absolutely no doubt that she and her son would also have been killed. Historic documents made available when the Baltic States regained their independence show that a search for them was initiated as a matter of priority.
My mother’s generation is sadly all but gone, and those such as myself are also now old. Their stories will in years to come be told only in books, but as one who was fortunate enough to be raised in this country after WWII, I consider it my duty to tell people my family story when it becomes necessary. Tyranny is quite different from what we are currently experiencing.
I despair at the present woke teachers who are filling children’s heads with stories about how awful our ancestors were, so I’m writing my family history to hopefully ensure that the truth will not be lost to my great and great grandchildren. I’m including my dear late father’ wartime exploits and the appalling cruelty that he fought against.
And she thinks petrol is “volatile”. Yet in 1,000s of car crashes each year it hardly ever catches fire.
Unlike explosion-prone ‘thermal runaway’ lithium batteries. Good luck on the battlefield with those.
There was a “Mythbusters” episode where they tried to make a “car going off a cliff and blowing up” for real, without extra special effects explosives. They failed. So, they finally used the ‘special effects’, ‘cos they liked blowing things up!
Electric tanks! Remember it is nearly April 1 st.
Alan Burkitt
Most worrying at all and what makes the motives of this Zero so dangerous and questionable is the fact that he seems to either not know or have forgotten one of the main lessons from WWII as to why Hitler and the Nazis lost the last war.
It was because of lack of a guaranteed fuel supply, a lack of energy to move their tanks and aircraft.
Is this virtue signalling nonentity not aware of that or in the bizarre world he inhabits is Klymut Chaeynsh a more pressing problem than keeping the population of the UK save..and winning wars?
What is his vision for the battlefield?
I would suggest he is a life long pen pusher whose “bravery” is counted in success at office politics. Is his battle plan possibly to call time out and to stop the war while the tanks and other vehicle batteries are charged? Maybe he thinks to ask the enemy (nicely) to lend him chargers if there are none to be had.
Were there any adults in the room when this dangerous Zero was selected for the job?
This leads onto another point right across the non government and government quangosphere. Oddjobs like him abound. I am surprised he is not female although, maybe he intends “to come out” some time soon. This means that those at the very top making the appointments are putting someone up who shares their perverted values. At the very least he should be FORCED to demonstrate how none of this tosh compromises our ability to prosecute wars.
Dont blame the General, he was just doing as he was ordered by his civilian masters. The politicians have ordered the Army to make a statement. The Army and this general doubtless think its crap but they have produced the excrement the politicians have ordered. This crap can be laid at the door of 10 downing St.
I do blame him because he could refuse! One more spineless toady thinking of himself.
Maybe this is what he has in mind. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goliath_tracked_mine
I’m glad my old father isn’t around any more. A Royal Tank Regiment officer, he was inter alia GSO1 of the 10th Armoured Division at Alam Halfa and Alamein, earning his DSO in Italy and after retiring as a major general was Representative Colonel of his regiment.
When in the Mod he was Deputy Master General of the Ordnance responsibie for future tank design. I don’t think battery power crossed his mind. Rather more interest in a 120 millimetre smooth bore high velocity gun – terriblah unfashionable dontcher know.
Your father was a man to be proud of. I salute him and all the other brave service, men and women, who gave us our freedom
Seems to me that fighting imaginary global warming is more important than fighting the enemy and defending the country.
Thank goodness there will be no soldiers aboard if the batteries run out after a few miles when Putin’s boys are shooting at them
You really couldn’t make it up. It’s Yes Minister/Prime Minister meets Dad’s Army. Sadly, we don’t seem to have comedy script writers good enough to make a TV series of it, so we all have to suffer it for real!
I wonder if they’ve thought of providing bikes with stands and dynamos, so the soldiers can recharge the batteries by pedalling…. “Come on Smithers, pedal faster – the Russians are coming over the horizon”
When the commander orders, “Charge!,” what do they do?
Can someone rewrite Tennyson’s “Charge of the Light Brigade?”
There is a famous old Punch cartoon showing a WW1 cavalry officer standing next to an early tank with the caption “I leave the mechanical matters to my Sergeant chappie”. Sounds like it might be better if they still did so!