Could a tornado lift up a 68 ton tank, 10 ft in air, and flip?

Don’t all tanks drive on conveyor belts?

Not my hot water tank.

This is where @Houngan’s tank aerodynamics come into play.

My question is why bother when you can simply just shoot the damn tornado with a high explosive round, come on gents think out side the box

It’s highly unlikely because of the weight and size is much more condensed, my real concern is the hulls bottom. Its extremely flat at the bottom with a few feet of ground clearance which thus could allow air to get up and under the tank. EF5 have been recorded of speed of up to 300 mph, pretty sure the tank could get flipped if in the correct position. If the tank was dropped in the mud and lost that bottom clearance then no for sure. I would agree with your statement.

In 1948, an estimated F3 tornado did this to B-29s parked at Tinker AFB in Oklahoma. B-29s weighed about 37.25 tons empty and, of course, the weight was not as concentrated as a tank. The planes were essentially moved around, but not flipped. Of course, the tornado was not as strong as an EF5.

Tinker_AFB_tornado_damage_2

No.

The math is pretty simple,

If you convert wind speed to PSI

250 mph (F5 speeds) when converted to pressure is .425 psi

M1A1 Weight: 63 short tons (126000 lbs) (which is nearly twice as heavy as those planes, which are covered in wings to increase air-coverage to pick up wind for lift, which probably helped move them)

The M1A1 is built for a low profile, with angles designed to deflect incoming explosives fire away from the cabin, creating a dome, which would be a good design to withstand heavy wind speeds.

Wikipedia says an M1A1 is 8ft x 12ft = 96sq ft = 13824 sq inches

13824 sq inches x 0.425 psi = 5875.2 lbs of force

But, that is assuming that the m1a1 is a flat block, and the wind is hitting one side, and not accounting for the air that would get under the treads/turret.

But, the sticking point here is 62 tons of metal in an 8x12ft profile is going to be pretty hard to move with wind alone.

Heck, the M1A2 weighs even more, and I don’t even know if that Wiki article is included a fully loaded and armed tank.

Also, googling this discussion was a lot of fun, and I learned that the average american home weighs around 80 tons. So that puts into perspective how especially hefty that tank is.

How about a fully loaded hauler truck on it’s way from the quarry to a dumping ground?

They weigh in excess of 200 Tom’s (ha ha good autocorrect) empty and almost 600 tons fully loaded. However, they have enormous, flat sides perfect for catching wind. Could those monsters be blown over/lifted up?

Unlike tanks, airplanes are designed to be lifted by strong wind, though. There’s actually a video of a stationary 747 (albeit stripped of its engines), being partially lifted by winds around EF0/1 levels.

Good point. Its probably calculable right? Take the biggest ever recorded tornado force then apply it to the mass of the tank? I guess as well there is some way to add in the lift force of wind under the tank as well?

Was the tank nudged into the tornado by a war rig driven by Charlize Theron?

-Tom

In that case 99% F5s would not. But get one that is significantly stronger than the Reno F5 and all bets are off. F3s have been known to lift 80 ton boxcars. Your tank is short of 70 tons.

Interesting. Nice first post!

Yep. Welcome to Qt3.

These tornado trivia bots are out of control.

I was wondering tonight if a tornado can cross a river as wide as the Mississippi right at the confluence with the Missouri? It’s a mile wide there.

Seems like the tornado would pick up a lot of water trying to cross and it might slow the winds? I have no idea. Just wondering about that earlier today.

Waterspouts can last for quite some time, so I’d imagine it wouldn’t have an issue. The tank likely wouldn’t make it over the river, however.

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen European tank?

Hey @SOUL-DRIFTER, ain’t that Mister Mister on the radio?

No, not me.