Tajik tank crews have reportedly become winners of the “Individual race” in the second division of the Tank Biathlon World Championship 2020

Four Tajik top tank crews are participating in the Tank Biathlon World Championship 2020 that is take place at the Alyabino Firing Range in Moscow oblast from August 23 to September 5.  

Tajik delegation is led by Colonel Mahmadali Ashourov, Deputy Commander of Ground Forces of Tajikistan.

The third Tajik tank crew has finished first in the ‘individual race’ contest in the second division of the Tank Biathlon World Championship 2020.

Tank crews from Tajikistan, Laos and Congo participated in the “individual race” contest in the second division.

The third Tajik tank crew has passed the distance in 28 minutes and 13 seconds.

The second tank crew from Tajikistan was the second (29 minutes and 22 seconds).

Tank crew of Laos was the third (32 minutes and 22 seconds).  The tank crew from Congo has finished the distance in 1 hour and 25 minutes. 

According to the press center of the Defense Ministry of Russia, Tajik tank crews have become winners of the first round of the Tank Biathlon taking the first and second places.

The tank crews from South Ossetia have taken the third place. 

In the first division, tank crews from Russia have taken the first two places in the first round.  China’s tank crews have reportedly taken the third place in the first division.

Tank crews from Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Serbia and Russia have competed in the first division of the Tank Biathlon World Championship 2020.     

The tank biathlon is a mechanized military sport event promoted by the Russian military with some similarities to the winter sport of biathlon.  It utilizes 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.

Participating tanks drive a three-lap route of 6–10 kilometers.  During the first lap, crews fire at targets positioned at distances of 1,800, 1,700 and 1,500 m.  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, 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.  One or more misses leads to an extra penalty lap 500 m 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.

The international tank biathlon competition has been held since 2014.