Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnews!military From: yla@IDA.LiU.SE (Yngve Larsson) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: Merkava-chains etc Message-ID: <7641@cbnews.ATT.COM> Date: 21 Jun 89 02:46:35 GMT Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM Organization: CIS Dept, Univ of Linkoping, Sweden Lines: 78 Approved: military@att.att.com From: Yngve Larsson In article <7594@cbnews.ATT.COM> someone anonymous write: >>before, and no explanation was offered in the article, I think this must >>be to prevent thrown grenades, etc, from entering the area beneath >>the turret overhang. Clever... - Bill ] >According to armor experts the purpose of the chains is to disturb the >forming of the penetrator jet from a shapecharge warhead by forcing the >warhead to explode at a less-than-optimum standoff distance from the >armor. I wonder if this is such a great idea, since I have heard that the real problem with HEAT rounds is to get them to detonate at a great enough distance from the armor plate, in order for the jet (or more properly: metal slug) to attain maximum velocity. The chains would not prevent this, rather they would facilitate this. Comments? [mod.note: Shaped charges have an optimum standoff; an increase or decrease is detrimental to performance. As the shells themselves are designed to detonate at the optimum distance, any premature detonation is bad. This principle was used in WWII by the Germans (who applied side -skirts or "schurzen" to some tanks) and the Americans (who did the same with wood planks and sandbags). - Bill ] >2. Tankturrets&engineplacement: >An other MBT that got its engine in gront of the crew,gun&ammo assembly >is the swedish Strv-103 collocially known as "The S Tank". >(Im on REALLY thin ice with tis one, ive only driven one once, and that was >some years ago. But i THINK it got its engine in front, The chance that >i am correct is as high as 90%). Actually, I belive the S tank has TWO engines, one diesel for transport and one gas turbine for combat move. Both are located on front of the crew compartment. The crew number only 3, a driver, gunner and commander, since the tank have an efficient auto-loader (comparatively easy with a fixed gun). The gun is a rifled 105 mm (British L5?) firing (in the latest upgrade) HE, HEAT, AP and APFSDS. The suspension is capable of depressing the gun some 20-25 degrees, making it really fun watching one sneak up a hillside with the chassis horizontal. In a good firing position it will only expose some 30 cm of extremely sloped glacis. The tank is however plagued with tactical disadvantages (not a very good vehicle for a mobile assault) and technical problems with the complex suspension. This makes it likely to be retired in favour of the re-re-upgraded Centurions of the Swedish Army. Also, a new domestic tank design is now discussed, probably with a >=120mm gun and possibly in a remote turret. >There is an other interesting example of a swedish design so before iths >time that it couldnt be realized: In a book on the history of the Bofors40mm >FLAK gun, there is a picture of a swedish concept vehicle from the 50's or 60's. >The vehicle is a airdefence tank, It's got a normal hull & a BIG square turret. >The turrets got two 40mmL70 in a dual mounting in the center-front of the >turret, and to big radars on the back of the turret! Get the image? But this design have been sort of intuitive for Air defence vehicles since the German "Whirlwind" Flakpanzer of WWII, hasn't it? >Unfortunately this early attemt was as illfated as the late Sgt York (DIVAD) >and apparently for the same reason: The radar tecnology then was not suffici- >ent to make it work as planned. One other reason for the demise of Sgt York that I have heard was that the range of the 40mm Bofors gun was too short (4 km, I believe). In Sweden, on the other hand, I think this range is sufficient enough, since you will be hard pressed to find a Line-of-sight exceeding 2 km anywhere! Yngve Larsson -- Yngve Larsson UUCP: ...mcvax!enea!liuida!yla Dept of CIS Internet: yla@ida.liu.se Linkoping University, Sweden Phone: +46-13-281949