What does that mean? lol.
Hey, IEDs are really not a revolutionary phenomenon. Mines have been around since before WWI. The only difference is that cretin scum are now making them and not an opposing military, and their destructive power can be devastating, no question. But the tactics for countering them are still the same as if they were mines. VBIEDs are a different story I'll give you that, but there were many instances where similar things were done almost a century ago. And now with advancements in detection technology and developed tactics, you can even say that there are more ways to detect and prevent contact with IEDs other than trying to protect the belly of your armored vehicles and tanks with armor that won't really help in a significant way to make it worth it.
If you add a 3-inch (30-35mm) thick armored plate to the bottom of a tank, how much protection is that really going to give you from an IED like this?
You have to find other ways of preventing contact with IEDs than adding belly armor. The armor that the Egyptian M1A1 needs is better frontal and side armor. Ideally DU with additional graphite coating. There are other, simpler things they can also do.
For their time? This is still one of the best tanks in the world, even in its current version. How many armies do you think would love to have these in their armored divisions? Don't forget that Egypt needs to defend wide, expansive territories and not necessarily fight urban, guerrilla warfare in tight cities etc. APS and all that stuff is debatable whether it's really necessary on the scale that Egypt would be fighting wars, now or into the future.
Believe me, I'm certainly not against any type of upgrade. Nothing but good can come from upgrading current equipment.
Probably, but what's the US going to allow for an upgrade? There's also the issue of quantity. They have A LOT of tanks and with so many, you need a lot of trained crews to operate and field and maintain and repair etc. Between the 1100 Abrams and the 1700 M60A3s and 200 T-62s, that's 3000 tanks and now another 500 T-90s? That's a lot of tanks and that's not even counting all the other armored vehicles in the armed corps such as EIFVs and BMPs, M-113s and the YPR-765 (1000 of those with possibly another 600 coming lol.)
Considering Egypt is assembling all these Abrams locally, they should find indigenous ways to upgrade them. Or add to them from other sources etc.
I can't remember the last time I saw any soldier with a bayonet mounted on his rifle.
New pic of 11 EAF Rafales ready to go.