Tank biathlon

Last updated

Four T-72B tanks of the participants, 2013 T-72B -TankBiathlon2013-01.jpg
Four T-72B tanks of the participants, 2013
Russian T-72B, 2013 T-72B - TankBiathlon2013-27.jpg
Russian T-72B, 2013
T-80U tanks waltzing at the show, 2013 T-80U - TankBiathlon2013-13.jpg
T-80U tanks waltzing at the show, 2013

The tank biathlon is a mechanized military sport event held by the Russian military as a part of the annual International Army Games. Inspired by the winter sport of biathlon, the sport emphasizes the complex training of tank crews including their rough terrain passing skills combined with the ability to provide accurate and rapid fire while performing maneuvers. [1]

Contents

Description

One of the shooting targets used in tank biathlon (dimensions in centimeters) Mishen' No. 12 <<Tank>>.svg
One of the shooting targets used in tank biathlon (dimensions in centimeters)

Participating tanks drive a three-lap route of 6–10 km (3.7–6.2 mi). During the first lap, crews fire at tank-size targets positioned at distances of 1,600 m (5,200 ft), 1,700 m (5,600 ft), and 1,800 m (5,900 ft) (crews aim by optics, without any modern fire-control system). In the second lap, different targets imitating an anti-tank mortar (RPG) squad and an infantry unit are fired upon. These targets are at a distance of 600–700 m (2,000–2,300 ft), and must be engaged with a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun. In the third lap, the tank crews fire at targets shaped like an anti-tank gun and ATGM unit using the turret-mounted heavy machine gun at a distance of 1,200 m (3,900 ft). One or more misses leads to an extra penalty lap 500 m (1,600 ft) long. On the final lap, tanks have to go through various terrain obstacles; an obstacle missed or improperly traversed adds 10 seconds to the crew's final timing.[ citation needed ]

Events

The United States received an official invitation in 2013 and an unofficial invitation in 2017. [2] In 2014, 41 countries received the invitation. [3]

International competition, 2013

The first international tank biathlon competition was held at the Alabino proving ground in the Moscow Oblast on 12–17 August 2013. Four teams took part in the competition: Russia, Armenia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.

ColourPlaceTeamRange 1Range 2Range 3Total time
HPHPHP
Red1Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 10002023:44
Blue2Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan 01101224:36
Yellow3Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus 00102125:25
Green4Flag of Armenia.svg  Armenia 01101229:48

1st Tank Biathlon World Championship, 2014

The 1st Tank Biathlon World Championship  [ ru ] took place at the Alabino proving ground on 4–16 August 2014. Out of 41 nations that received invitation to the tournament, 12 sent their representatives. Every competitor (except Teams China and Russia) received a T-72B tank in the biathlon color scheme. Team Russia piloted the newest modification, T-72B3, and Team China brought their own Type 96A.[ citation needed ]

Russian preliminaries for the event ran in several of military districts of Russia. Each district sent its top crews to compete for the Cup of Russia, and 3 finalists from that event formed the national Team Russia for the World Championship.[ citation needed ] Participating nations also held preliminaries on their own, sending 3 top crews and a reserve crew accompanied by maintenance and repair personnel to Russia.[ citation needed ]

Random selection placed teams under following colors:

ColorNo.Team
Red1Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
Red2Flag of Mongolia.svg  Mongolia
Red3Flag of Venezuela.svg  Venezuela
Blue4Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan
Blue5Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus
Blue6Flag of Armenia.svg  Armenia
Green7Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
Green8Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia
Green9Flag of Kyrgyzstan (2023).svg  Kyrgyzstan
Yellow10Flag of India.svg  India
Yellow11Flag of Angola.svg  Angola
Yellow12Flag of Kuwait.svg  Kuwait

First legs of the tournament consisted of:

Final

The final competition was a relay race, the top 4 teams fielded all their crews taking turns.

Total timeTeam
75:14Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
80:03Flag of Armenia.svg  Armenia
90:56Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
94:11Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan

2nd Tank Biathlon World Championship, 2015

A Chinese Type 96A at the 2015 tank biathlon Type 96A - Tankbiathlon15finalp1-15.jpg
A Chinese Type 96A at the 2015 tank biathlon

The second event of the series took part on 1–15 August 2015 at the same venue in Alabino. This year the Tank Biathlon was held as a headliner of the 2015 International Army Games  [ ru ] that included similar competitions for all things military, from artillery (Masters of Fire) and air force (Aviadarts) to field kitchens.[ citation needed ] The athletic stage for the crews was removed from the schedule.[ citation needed ]

Veteran of both previous events, Team Belarus decided to participate in the Army Games "only in the disciplines where we are absolutely ready" and thus did not enter the Tank Biathlon (after finishing only 5th last year). Consequently, Belarus won 3 gold, 50 silver and 249 bronze awards and finished 3rd in the total medal score of the Army Games, being surpassed only by Russia and China.[ citation needed ] The Nicaragua and Tajikistan national teams joined the event for the first time.[ citation needed ]

All teams were piloting upgraded T-72B3 tanks, excluding Team China which continued to field its own Type 96A.

List of participants with color scheme:

ColorNo.Team
Red1Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
Red2Flag of Venezuela.svg  Venezuela
Red3Flag of Armenia.svg  Armenia
Red4Flag of Kyrgyzstan (2023).svg  Kyrgyzstan
Blue5Flag of Nicaragua.svg  Nicaragua
Blue6Flag of Angola.svg  Angola
Blue7Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
Green8Flag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan
Green9Flag of Mongolia.svg  Mongolia
Green10Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan
Yellow11Flag of India.svg  India
Yellow12Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia
Yellow13Flag of Kuwait.svg  Kuwait

Semifinal

Total timeTeam
73:30Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
77:32Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
78:18Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan
83:23Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia
94:12Flag of India.svg  India
97:06Flag of Kyrgyzstan (2023).svg  Kyrgyzstan
120:04Flag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan
DSQFlag of Armenia.svg  Armenia

Final

Total timeTeam
72:09Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
79:21Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
84:56Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia
86:16Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan

3rd Tank Biathlon World Championship, 2016

The third Tank Biathlon took place in Alabino as part of the 2nd International Army Games  [ ru ] from 30 July to 13 August. [4]

ColourPlaceTeam
Red1Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
Blue2Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
Green3Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan
Blue4Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus
Blue5Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia
Yellow6Flag of India.svg  India
Green7Flag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan
Green8Flag of Mongolia.svg  Mongolia
Red9Flag of Armenia.svg  Armenia
Red10Flag of Kyrgyzstan (2023).svg  Kyrgyzstan
Yellow11Flag of Angola.svg  Angola
Yellow12Flag of Iran.svg  Iran

4th Tank Biathlon World Championship, 2017

The fourth Tank Biathlon also took place in Alabino. The countries used the same type of tanks as in previous years (T-72B3 and Type-96B), with the exception of India fielding T-90 Bhishma. New Delhi Television reported that the Indian Army felt disadvantaged using T-72B3 tanks provided by Russia in 2016 and was keen to field its best tanks and best crews in 2017. However, as a result of both T-90 Bhishma tanks (the main one and the reserve one) malfunctioning, the Indian squad was unable to complete the race and were disqualified before the semifinal. [5] [6]

After seven days of contests, Team Russia won 11 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze awards and finished 1st in the overall ratings, and Team China achieved second place with 7 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze. [7]

PlaceTeam
1Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
2Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
3Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan
4Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus
5Flag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan
6Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia
7Flag of Iran.svg  Iran
8Flag of Mongolia.svg  Mongolia
9Flag of Venezuela.svg  Venezuela
10Flag of Armenia.svg  Armenia
11Flag of Kyrgyzstan (2023).svg  Kyrgyzstan
12Flag of India.svg  India

6th Tank Biathlon World Championship, 2019

The competition had a slight change of rules, with two divisions (Division 1 and Division 2). Division 1 consisted of the 12 strongest participants in the 2018 edition, while Division 2 consists of all other participants.[ citation needed ] After two weeks of contests, Russia once again become the World Champion with the result of 1:33:20. In Division 2, Uzbekistan won the finals, and as they participate in the 2020 edition, they are promoted to Division 1.[ citation needed ]

Division 1 standings

PlaceTeamFinal round
1Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Champions
2Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus Final
3Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan Final
4Flag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan Final
5Flag of Mongolia.svg  Mongolia Semi-final
6Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China Semi-final
7Flag of Venezuela.svg  Venezuela Semi-final
8Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia Semi-final
9Flag of Syria.svg  Syria Eliminated in individual race
10Flag of Kyrgyzstan (2023).svg  Kyrgyzstan Eliminated in individual race
11Flag of Armenia.svg  Armenia Eliminated in individual race
12Flag of Iran.svg  Iran Eliminated in individual race

Division 2 standings

PlaceTeamFinal round
1Flag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan Champions
2Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam Final
3Flag of Cuba.svg  Cuba Final
4Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda Final
5Flag of Myanmar.svg  Myanmar Semi-final
6Flag of Kuwait.svg  Kuwait Semi-final
7Flag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan Semi-final
8Flag of Laos.svg  Laos Semi-final
9Flag of Angola.svg  Angola Eliminated in individual race
10Flag of Sudan.svg  Sudan Eliminated in individual race
11Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe

7th Tank Biathlon World Championship, 2020

Division 1 standings

PlaceTeamFinal round
1Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Champions
2Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China Final
3Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus Final
4Flag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan Final
5Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan Semi-final
6Flag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan Semi-final
7Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia Semi-final
8Flag of Kyrgyzstan (2023).svg  Kyrgyzstan Semi-final

Division 2 standings

PlaceTeamFinal round
1Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam Champions
2Flag of Laos.svg  Laos Final
3Flag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan Final
4Flag of Myanmar.svg  Myanmar Final
5Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg  Congo Semi-final
6Flag of the Republic of Abkhazia.svg  Abkhazia
7Flag of South Ossetia.svg  South Ossetia
8Flag of Qatar.svg  Qatar

8th Tank Biathlon World Championship, 2021

The 8th Tank Biathlon took place between 22 August and 4 September 2021 at the Alabino proving grounds.

Russia once again become the World Champion, followed by China, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

9th Tank Biathlon World Championship, 2022

The 2022 Tank Biathlon took place between 13 and 27 August 2022.

Medalist table

YearGoldSilverBronze
1st Division
2014Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of Armenia.svg  Armenia Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
2015Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia
2016Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan
2017 [7] Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
2018 [8] Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus
2019Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan
2020Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus
2021Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan
2022Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
YearGoldSilverBronze
2nd Division
2019Flag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam Flag of Cuba.svg  Cuba
2020Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam Flag of Laos.svg  Laos Flag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan
2021Flag of Kyrgyzstan (2023).svg  Kyrgyzstan Flag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan Flag of Myanmar.svg  Myanmar
2022Flag of Myanmar.svg  Myanmar Flag of Syria.svg  Syria Flag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan

Rating

The table shows the teams' places in each of the world championships. For 2nd division teams, the first number is the place within the division, and the second number is the absolute place. The teams are ranked according to their average (absolute) place.

TeamAvg20132014201520162017201820192020202120222023
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 1.001111111111
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 2.78322326223
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan 3.502443243535
Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus 3.56354432362
Flag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan 5.007554446
Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia 7.00835611878
Flag of India.svg  India 7.00656126
Flag of Armenia.svg  Armenia 9.25428910101110 20
Flag of Mongolia.svg  Mongolia 7.63910887577
Flag of Kyrgyzstan (2023).svg  Kyrgyzstan 9.44761011121081 129
Flag of Iran.svg  Iran 10.801279124 14
Flag of Venezuela.svg  Venezuela 10.001011159871010
Flag of Syria.svg  Syria 11.25139112 12
Flag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan 7.001 13654
Flag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan 13.0071413147 193 112 133 13
Flag of Kuwait.svg  Kuwait 13.671291315156 18
Flag of Angola.svg  Angola 14.6711121114199 21
Flag of Cuba.svg  Cuba 15.003 15
Flag of Nicaragua.svg  Nicaragua 15.00131616
Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam 11.40172 141 998
Flag of Myanmar.svg  Myanmar 14.00165 174 123 141 11
Flag of Laos.svg  Laos 16.1717188 202 105 166 16
Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda 19.0019224 16
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe 19.2017182011 238 18
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 21.0021
Flag of Sudan.svg  Sudan 20.5010 229 19
Flag of Qatar.svg  Qatar 17.008 167 18
Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg  Congo 13.005 13
Flag of the Republic of Abkhazia.svg  Abkhazia 16.006 146 177 17
Flag of South Ossetia.svg  South Ossetia 15.007 154 155 15
Flag of Mali.svg  Mali 20.008 1911 21

Legend:

Videogame

The official videogame version of Tank Biathlon was released on 23 August 2020 [9] as a time-limited event in the War Thunder military simulation game that coincides with the real world competitions.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biathlon</span> Winter sport of skiing and rifle shooting

The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not timed per se, but depending on the competition, missed shots result in extra distance or time being added to the contestant's total.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ole Einar Bjørndalen</span> Norwegian biathlete (born 1974)

Ole Einar Bjørndalen is a retired Norwegian professional biathlete and coach, often referred to by the nickname, the "King of Biathlon". With 13 Winter Olympic Games medals, he is second on the list of multiple medalists behind Marit Bjørgen who has won 15 medals. He is also the most successful biathlete of all time at the Biathlon World Championships, having won 45 medals. With 95 World Cup wins, Bjørndalen is ranked first all-time for career victories on the Biathlon World Cup tour. He has won the Overall World Cup title six times, in 1997–98, in 2002–03, in 2004–05, in 2005–06, in 2007–08 and in 2008–09.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T-72</span> Soviet/Russian main battle tank

The T-72 is a family of Soviet main battle tanks that entered production in 1969. The T-72 was a development based on the T-64 using thought and design of the previous Object 167M. About 25,000 T-72 tanks have been built, and refurbishment has enabled many to remain in service for decades. It has been widely exported and has seen service in 40 countries and in numerous conflicts. The Russian T-90 introduced in 1992 and the Chinese Type 99 are further developments of the T-72. Production and development of various modernized T-72 models continues today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Type 96 tank</span> Chinese main battle tank

The Type 96 or ZTZ96 is a Chinese second generation main battle tank (MBT). The final evolution of the Type 88 design, the Type 96 entered service with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 1997. The later variants of the Type 96 are currently in PLA service together with China's third generation MBT, the Type 99.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricco Groß</span> German biathlete (born 1970)

Ricco Groß is a former German biathlete. He is one of the most successful biathletes of all time at the Winter Olympics and the World Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olga Zaitseva</span> Russian biathlete (born 1978)

Olga Alekseyevna Zaitseva is a former Russian biathlete. She began her career in 1994. After not competing in the 2014–15 season, Zaitseva announced her retirement on 24 January 2015. Shortly afterwards she announced that she had been appointed as caretaker head coach of the Russian biathlon team.

The 43rd Biathlon World Championships were held in Pyeongchang, South Korea from February 13 to February 22, 2009. It was the first time that the Biathlon World Championships were held in Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Björn Ferry</span> Swedish biathlete

Björn Ferry is a former Swedish biathlete and medal winning Olympian. He began competing internationally in World Cup competitions in 2001, but did not win his first international race until the 2007–2008 season. In 2007, he won gold in the mixed relay event at the Biathlon World Championships. The next year, at his third Winter Olympics appearance, he won the gold medal in the pursuit event. He started the event in 8th place as determined by the previous sprint event, but managed to overtake the race leader on the final lap.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darya Domracheva</span> Belarusian biathlete and coach

Darya Uladzimirauna Domracheva is a retired Belarusian biathlete and coach who competed in the Biathlon World Cup from 2006 to 2018. She won a gold medal in the 4×6 km relay and a silver medal in the mass start competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics, three gold medals in the pursuit, individual, and mass start competitions at the 2014 Winter Olympics, and a bronze medal in the individual competition at the 2010 Winter Olympics. She was a Biathlon World Cup overall winner for the 2014–15 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evgeny Ustyugov</span> Russian biathlete (born 1985)

Evgeny Romanovich Ustyugov is a Russian former biathlete. Born to cross-country skiers, Ustyugov was introduced to biathlon at the age of three. He started his career in junior tournaments in 2005, before going professional three years later in the European Championships. He is an Olympic champion in the men's 15 km mass start event at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Prior to the 2010 Olympic Games, his best World Championship finish in an individual event was 20th place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anton Shipulin</span> Russian biathlete and politician

Anton Vladimirovich Shipulin is a retired Russian biathlete and politician serving as the member of the State Duma since 2019.

The 2014–15 Biathlon World Cup – Relay Men started on Saturday December 13, 2014 in Hochfilzen and finished on Saturday March 14, 2015 at the World Championships in Kontiolahti. The defending titlist Germany finished on the 3nd place. The title was won by Russia.

The 2016–17 Biathlon World Cup – Relay Men started on Sunday 11 December 2016 in Pokljuka and finished on Sunday 5 March 2017 in Pyeongchang. The defending team was Norway.

The 2016–17 Biathlon World Cup – Relay Women started on Sunday 11 December 2016 in Pokljuka and finished on Sunday 5 March 2017 in Pyeongchang. The defending team was Germany.

The 2017–18 Biathlon World Cup – Relay Men started on Sunday 10 December 2017 in Hochfilzen and will finish on Sunday 18 March 2018 in Oslo Holmenkollen. The defending team is Russia.

The 2017–18 Biathlon World Cup – Relay Women started on Sunday 10 December 2017 in Hochfilzen and will finish on Saturday 17 March 2018 in Oslo Holmenkollen. The defending team is Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Army Games</span> Russian organized international military event

The International Army Games is an annual international military sports event organized by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Russia. The event, which was first staged in August 2015, involves close to 30 countries taking part in dozens of competitions over two weeks to prove which is the most skilled. The games have been referred to as the War Olympics. In addition to the competition, the International Army Games includes a military theme park, a recruitment station, and souvenir shops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alabino</span> Village in Moscow Oblast, Russia

Alabino is a rural locality in the Moscow Oblast of Russia. With a population of over 600 people, it is part of the urban settlement of Selyatino. Until 2006, Alabino was part of the Petrovsky Rural District.

The 2020–21 Biathlon World Cup – Relay Men started on 6 December 2020 in Kontiolahti and will finished on 5 March 2021 in Nové Město

The 2020–21 Biathlon World Cup – Relay Women started on 5 December 2020 in Kontiolahti and will finish on 4 March 2021 in Nové Město

References

  1. Сергей Шойгу сделает танковый биатлон новым видом спорта. Vesti.Ru (in Russian). 10 August 2013. Archived from the original on 13 August 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  2. Rogoway, Tyler (7 June 2017). "Russia Challenges U.S. Tankers To Compete In Its Annual 'Tank Biathlon'". TheDrive.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  3. Kramnik, Ilya (19 May 2016). Гонка танковых чемпионатов. Defence.Ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 13 August 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  4. Ptichkin, Sergey (13 August 2016). Международные армейские игры завершились победой России. Rossiyskaya Gazeta (in Russian). Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  5. "After Both Tanks Break Down, India Knocked Out Of International Drill". NDTV. Archived from the original on 9 January 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  6. "India knocked out of tank contest in Russia after T-90s develop snags". Hindustan Times. 13 August 2017. Archived from the original on 22 November 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  7. 1 2 "Result of contests 2017". International Army Games. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  8. "Russian team wins final Tank Biathlon race". TASS. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  9. "Video game mirrors war games: Russia rolls out cyber tank biathlon tournament". TASS. Archived from the original on 21 August 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.