Globalsecurity.org

[Clocker]

A friend introduced me to this cool webiste.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/

I especially enjoyed reading about the various 120mm munitions and how they work:

XM1028 120mm Canister Tank Cartridge
The Tank Cartridge, 120mm, Canister, XM1028, is a tank round comprised of 1150 (est.) tungsten balls, which are expelled upon muzzle exit. There is no fuse on this round. While the dispersion pattern increases with range as the velocity of the balls decreases, the dense tungsten balls are used to minimize the velocity fall-off. This program responds to the USFK urgency of need signed by the CINC in Dec ‘99. RAPT Initiative Funding to be used for 6.0M in FY02 to accelerate development by one year earlier than previously planned.

This round meets urgent CINC, USFK requirements to provide effective rapid lethal reaction against massed assaulting infantry armed with hand held anti-tank and automatic weapons at close range (500 meters or less) thereby improving survivability. Additionally, this round will significantly increase the tank’s lethality and enhance the tank crew’s survivability. This additional capability will give the Abrams Tank the ability to survive RPG ambushes and to fully support friendly infantry assaults.

How would you like to run into a 120mm diameter shotgun with 1,150 tungsten balls coming at you at several thousand feet per second? Cool.

C

 

[blakerwry]

i wonder what kind of pattern they get on that...

 

[Cliptin]

I can imagine the use of this round in a "wall breaching" scenario. Similar to the way shotguns are used for door breaching.

It could be used to push down a wall when exploding it might be dangerous.

 

[adriel]

Additionally, this round will significantly increase the tank’s lethality and enhance the tank crew’s survivability. This additional capability will give the Abrams Tank the ability to survive RPG ambushes and to fully support friendly infantry assaults.

To me some of that appears to be bad logic. The key to improving crew survivability of a tank is full-up testing on it with honest shot placement and cross section percentages, keeping in mind what happens to the crew as the first priority, giving priority to what physically happens over predicted computer models. Assuming that this new weapons capability allows it to somehow survive RPG ambushes is too big of an assumption. Improved armor against the newer RPG rockets would more directly address this issue. And of course, training in situations where real-life RPG ambush tactics and firing strategies are employed is needed. Hopefully that's all being addressed. Really, how does a tank defend against various configurations of RPG teams? 2-3, 6-7 or 12 RPGs, utilizing a strategy where a rocket and a followup shot are fired at the same point on explosive-reactive armor. Assuming that a new weapons system will make all of them disappear instantaneously is not a real help: "...survive RPG ambushes".

 

[Mercutio]

Really, a tank defends against RPGs by adding more armor.

It's another arms race. Better armor will only lead to better AP or HE munitions. In the end, it's probably easier to build a thermonuclear hand grenade than it is to build a mobile box that can protect its occupants from a thermonuclear hand grenade.

In the end, I believe that heavy armor (tanks) will become as obsolete on a battlefield as fixed artilery. There will come a point where the energy cost to provide mobility to X tons of armor will outweigh the availability and low cost of man-portable antiarmor weaponry.

Of course, if a real-world "star wars"-type point-defense system could be made workable in a tank-size (70 tons?) chassis, suddenly the equation would shift again, and there would be a new arms race (better point defense vs. smaller or faster submunitions).

Anyway, if this sounds kooky, consider how weird smartbombs and stealth fighters would've sounded in the mid-70s.

 

[Cliptin]

To me some of that appears to be bad logic. The key to improving crew survivability of a tank is full-up testing on it with honest shot placement and cross section percentages, keeping in mind what happens to the crew as the first priority, giving priority to what physically happens over predicted computer models.

It says "survive ambush" not "survive strike". With an RPG ambush team it can be difficult to ID who the most deadly shooter is. However you can see infantry massing and load up the shotgun.

With the recent rumors (I did say rumors) of Iraq developing some Predator-type unmanned aircraft to be used to spray troops with chemical or nerve agent, I can see them attempting to use this shotgun-like round to try to bring them down.

 

[Dozer]

Has anybody looked at this?

An energy-directed weapon proposed for use in Iraq.

 

[timwhit]

Has anybody looked at this?

An energy-directed weapon proposed for use in Iraq.

Sounds just like the weapon used in 007 Goldeneye. Except this one doesn't use a nuclear blast from space.