The Norinco wheeled ST-1 Tank Destroyers and SH105 wheeled artillery played an important part when Nigerian troops thwarted an attempted Boko Haram incursion into Damasak yesterday. The ST-I in particular gave new meaning to the term "standoff capability"

For Boko Haram an effective way to attack Nigerian army formations has always been to avoid its usual dominance in the air and use an asymmetrical approach, attacking bases with overwelming numbers of forces and quickly overrurning the base.

By the time aircafts arrive...(if they arrive) they are in such close proximity.....u get the picture. Sometimes the insurgents arrive in such overwelming numbers they rarely bother hiding their advance. Nigerian troops in Toyota 4x4s can do little until they get within range

can engage the enemy. Ironically the dominant strategy employed by insurgents is to use standoff weapons. You have 400 to 500 Boko Haram insurgents converging on a formation of 200 Nigeria soldiers. They withhold fire and employ flanking manoeuvres, and when within range

..let loose salvos of rockets in a pincer attack. What do you do when you have 300 incoming RPG rounds from the three different directions all at once...behind them mortar rounds are firing. It's pandemonium and this is when the primodial flight or fight response kicks in.

Roughly, 75 percent of all attacks on Nigerian bases have been through the mass use of rockets or mortar fire from outside the base's perimeter defenses. How do you defend against penetrating ground attacks when outnumbered 5 to 1?

The Army Aviation Corp designed to be the army's standoff platform, able to pick apart hundreds of incoming insurgents fighters is months or years away. The NAF is deployed in all geopolitical zones, assets available are very limited. Leading to friction between both services

Historically, robust main operating bases, with passive defensive measures such as placing Palmaria 155s at bases and redundant systems, have been able to withstand standoff attacks. But they are easy to get around. The enemy is still able to mass rocket attacks when in range.

Most Nigerians cannot reconcile in their mind the volume of weapons Boko Haram insurgents bring to the battlefield. They have thousands of RPGs and they are able to bring it to bear on a single target.

But times have changed. The army decided to reshape and adapt to the changing battlefield environment ...and for this, credit must be given to the former Army Chief Tukur Buratai. One of the symbolic name of this process is the eight wheeled ST-I armed reconnaisance vehicle.

The STI is one of the most permanent indicators of the changing tactical nature of the Nigerian army. The transformation is imperative to keep up with the times. Before now the army used the bulky heavy and light tansas an infantry support vehicle.

That might be archaic but its hard to be innovative in the absence od a significant opponent. Their performance in peacekeeping operations was relatively sufficient.

After facing a large asymmetric opponent with tons of anti-tank guns and RPGs, the army realized that it's battlefield doctrine was obsolete. In the face of an asymmetric enemy the Nigerian army was reactionary and not offensive in nature. They simply waited for attacks.

So instead of tanks in infantry support roles, the Nigeria took the option of using a cheaper more economical system under consideration. In 2017 the army began to study South Africa's Ratel wheeled armed reconnaisance and fire support vehicle. Nigeria also evaluated

..the existing French made AML and ERC-90. However none of these systems met the criteria of size, weight and compatibility, the army decided to aquire a new class of fire-support vehicle that met the modern requirement of the army. A year later China's Norinco ST-I,

one of the most sophisticated fire support vehicle in the world was chosen. In April 2020 Nigeria took delivery of the first batch of ST-I tank destroyers, taking Nigerians and international defence experts off guard.

The four person crew of the STI consist of the commander,

..driver and gunner. It features an automated loading system. It has a road speed of 120km/hr and a range of 400km. It can negotiate 0.6 metres vertical steps, 2 metres trenches. It has a 105mm main gun as well as 1.7.62mm machine gun. One major advantage is mobility.

Battle Tanks use tracks, and because they can damage roads, transporting a tank from one location to another requires a tank carrier truck. Making deployment of these tanks a major undertaking. An ST-1 can drive all the way from Borno to Maidugiri or Yola like a normal SUV.

Tanks also have higher fuel consumption than the wheeled vehicles. The maintenance requirement of the STI is so much easier than a tank. This factor gives the STI a high combat readiness rate.

The Boko Haram insurgency is largely in an urban environment most tanks are too big

..to be optimally effective in such an environment. The wheeled STI is perfect for on or off road performance and can easily negotiate tight corners. Hence, thanks to its weight and size the STI has an easy tactical deployment advantage.

And now to the main reason, the event that led to the creation of this thread. The STIs set up ambushes and use hit and run tactics. Upon reports of enemy advance towards Damasak, two STIs deployed. As one raced towards the convoy at full speed. The other took up firing position

..the lead vehicle exploded. Hit by a projectile fired from standoff distances far beyond line of sight. The others were engaged at close range with turret machine guns by the second tank destroyer that raced towards them.

The STI is resistant against anti-tank weapons. There are laser warning receivers on the left and right of the turret with a detection range of 180 degrees. Thanks to the commanders panoramic periscope the vehicle has a high tecular

engagement capability. The STI can fire accurately while in the move. With the arrival of fire support vehicles like the Norinco ST-I, the Nigerian army now finds itself operating in an expeditionary mode. In the case of a surprise attack by a near peer or powerful adversary

.. the Nigerian army can easily dispatch its tank destroyers to the required area with the aim of gaining time and stoping or delaying the enemy. During this time the army will send it's fleet o Main Battle Tanks to the area for larger scale engagement.