# What can a suicide bomber do to a tank? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 18, 2016, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-a-suicide-bomber-do-to-a-tank/768938 "2016-10-18T13:14:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-a-suicide-bomber-do-to-a-tank/768938/21 "2016-10-18T19:34:24Z")
My observations: 1. not a tank 2. the truck hit the target, then bounced away from it and detonated on the other side 3. survivable, but ugly 4. lousy target engagement by the Iraqis ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-a-suicide-bomber-do-to-a-tank/768938/22 "2016-10-18T19:50:33Z")
Yes they appear to hit the ground in front of the vehicle at least once, possibly twice. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-a-suicide-bomber-do-to-a-tank/768938/23 "2016-10-18T19:57:49Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > 1. survivable, but ugly The BMP has a very bad reputation for survivability and armor protection. I have no way of knowing for sure but I have a feeling that no one survived. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-a-suicide-bomber-do-to-a-tank/768938/24 "2016-10-18T21:46:39Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > There are no cites because the military will not release how equipment is destroyed. A quick open source check of videos from Iraq will show that maybe most of those casualties occurred when large buried IEDs went off rather than VBIEDs which exploded next to them. So to get back to the case here, you’re saying if it had been an M1 and the commander had been partly exposed in the hatch he would have been fine? Since my point is the rather obvious one that explosive overpressure can kill tank crew without defeating armor, most obviously if hatches are open and/or crewmen partly out of hatches. If the question is whether the actual mechanism for the majority of US tank deaths wasn’t that, I think we agree we don’t know for sure based on lack of data. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-a-suicide-bomber-do-to-a-tank/768938/25 "2016-10-18T21:49:13Z")
> [@Corry\_El](#): > > So to get back to the case here, you’re saying if it had been an M1 and the commander had been partly exposed in the hatch he would have been fine? Since my point is the rather obvious one that explosive overpressure can kill tank crew without defeating armor, most obviously if hatches are open and/or crewmen partly out of hatches. If the question is whether the actual mechanism for the majority of US tank deaths wasn’t that, I think we agree we don’t know for sure based on lack of data. I mentioned that in post #3. We are stating the same points not disagreeing. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-a-suicide-bomber-do-to-a-tank/768938/26 "2016-10-18T21:51:45Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > The BMP has a very bad reputation for survivability and armor protection. I have no way of knowing for sure but I have a feeling that no one survived. You are very probably right. The shock wave alone would likely pulp anyone inside. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-a-suicide-bomber-do-to-a-tank/768938.md?page=1)