Tank biathlon

Did You Know?

• The United States received an official invitation in 2013 and an unofficial invitation in 2017.
• In 2014, 41 countries received the invitation.

Description

Tank biathlon crews navigate a three-lap course spanning 6 to 10 kilometers. On the first lap, they engage tank-sized targets at 1600, 1700, and 1800 meters using only optical sights, without modern fire-control systems. The second lap involves firing a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun at targets representing an anti-tank mortar squad and infantry, positioned 600 to 700 meters away. During the third lap, crews use the turret-mounted heavy machine gun to hit anti-tank gun and ATGM unit targets at 1200 meters. Any miss forces a 500-meter penalty lap. In the final lap, tanks must traverse terrain obstacles; a missed or improperly completed obstacle adds 10 seconds to the final time.

Events

The first international tank biathlon competition was held at the Alabino proving ground on 12–17 August 2013, with four teams: Russia, Armenia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. The 2014 Tank Biathlon World Championship took place at the same venue on 4–16 August 2014. Of 41 invited nations, 12 sent representatives. Every competitor except China and Russia received a T-72B tank in biathlon color scheme; Russia piloted the T-72B3, and China brought its Type 96A. Russian preliminaries selected top crews for the Cup of Russia, with three finalists forming the national team. Participating nations held their own preliminaries, sending three top crews and a reserve crew with maintenance personnel. Random selection assigned teams colors. The tournament included individual race, sprint, pursuit, and athletic stage, with a final relay race among the top four teams. The second event on 1–15 August 2015 was the headliner of the 2015 International Army Games, which also included competitions for artillery, air force, and field kitchens; the athletic stage was removed. Belarus, a veteran of both previous events, chose not to enter the Tank Biathlon after finishing fifth the previous year, but won 3 gold, 50 silver and 249 bronze awards in the Army Games, finishing third overall. Nicaragua and Tajikistan joined for the first time. All teams used upgraded T-72B3 tanks except China, which continued with its Type 96A. The third Tank Biathlon took place from 30 July to 13 August 2016 as part of the 2016 International Army Games.