Why Tanks Raise Their Gun After Firing

YouTube / ConeOfArc

Lining It Up

We’ve all probably seen countless footage of modern main battle tanks in action. But have you ever wondered why some of these tanks lift their main guns after firing?

The reason why is actually fairly simple. Since the interior of a tank is very cramped, loading heavy tank rounds can be a tiring process. However, elevating the gun barrel tends to lower the gun’s breach, making it easier, quicker, and less tiresome to reload.

On tanks with an autoloading system, the barrel is still raised or depressed to line up with the autoloader.

Once reloading is completed, the tank’s onboard computers will automatically reset the barrel to where it was aiming prior to moving. Isn’t that neat?