Posted on 02/28/2016 5:17:18 AM PST by huldah1776
New Russian tanks sent to Syria have been able to survive hits from US-made TOW missiles, although their anti-missile counter-measures have yet to be seen in combat.
In a report on new weapons in the Syrian conflict, Robert Fisk noted tank-based anti-missile systems, as well as night vision and reconnaissance systems.
Although new the tanks supplied to the Syrian army have the ability to deflect TOW-like missiles, their full implementation has yet to be seen. A video released by rebels showed the T-90 surviving a hit by a TOW missile, but an open hatch prevented the deployment of an aerosol screen used to deflect such missiles before they reach the tank.
The video appears to be the manufacturer's demonstration of the T-90's Shtora system, mounted on a BMP-3. Images on social media have also shown what appears to be Arena-E radars mounted on Syrian equipment, although the radar by itself cannot deflect missiles without an aerosol screen and infrared beams which confuse the missile's self-tracking.
The video has been criticized, however, as the flight time of the missile is over 22 seconds, which is the limit for TOW missile flight.
A more recent video showed the effect of a TOW-2A anti-tank guided missile on a T-90A tank, with the tandem warhead failing to penetrate the tank's reactive armor.
The video cuts off before the aftermath of the explosion is seen, other than the gunner running out of the tank, apparently as a result of a concussion due to an open hatch.
The video also shows that the tank does not utilize the Shtora-1 system, perhaps automatically disabled due to the open hatch, as its infrared beams apparently remain unused, compared to the beams seen in the demonstration video. Operating tanks with the hatch open is a sort of conventional wisdom for operators of older tanks, as an open hatch allows for a faster escape from the tank.
It has, however, shown the T-90A superior in guided missile protection, compared to the Abrams tank, one of which was destroyed by Yemen's Houthi militias using the outdated 9K111 Fagot ATGM.
Time for the CIA to get a couple of these tanks back to the US for testing. Money talks.
Ground based TOW might not work too well, that’s why we have Apaches and Cobras lurking in the clouds.
And Warthogs. I don't know how effective the A-10 is against T-90s, but they sure made Swiss cheese out of Saddam's T-72s.
I plan on posting to Trumps facebook that he needs to support bringing back the Warthog. It works.
“If one TOW didn’t work? just hit it with a couple more.”
That’s usually because ATM operators on a modern battlefield against modern tanks have a theoretical lifetime after missile launch in seconds ...
Against an export version built by Saudis - lacks many defenses. Most Saudis in Yemen practice the Iraqi army style fighting - drop and run.
Bailing is standard procedure on older T-72s and T-60s as a hit almost always results in fire and explosion killing crew. Poorly trained crew in any case.
Lived next to a tanker while in Jville, NC. Sweetest smile. I would tease him after their training about having to fix the cracks in the foundation and walls after the place shook all day. Never felt so safe living in an area saturated with the best.
Carl Gustav lol. That’s what all the boys in 2PPCLI used to tell the girls when they asked the boys their names.
Same here cept Squantos Doomavich ! See if auto correct kicks me again....:o)
Yes, being an Army guy, I should never forget the A-10, our best friend from the Air Force. I suspect the A-10 can deal effectively with a T-90. But having a few on hand to test would be the ticket.
I would think that if nothing else, the A-10s could detonate the tanks’ reactive armor, which would then allow a TOW or Hellfire missile to take it out. I know the nose cannon alone made hash out of Saddam’s pussies during Gulf II.
Nothing like a little depleted uranium to start the day....
AKA Charlie gut-ache, from carrying the 40-pound pig. But they were as accurate as a rifle, and if you got a clear shot at the side of a tank, you could pretty much count on a mobility kill, even if it didn't fire up.
Long live the Patricias!
Smack that turret ring! Heh
Just so, but there need to be a couple of TOW mods and variations. A dumb, unguided version [for things like the 101 Airborne's use against forted-up Usay and Qusay Hussein and other urban/woodland close-in fights, especially at night] would come in right handy and save on the longer-ranged guided units. A APERS Canister round could be real handy at times as well.
And a fire-and-forget model would certainly be nice, perhaps augmented by tracker mods and a subcaliber adapter to allow the use of Javelin fire-and-forget missiles from a TOW launcher.
And while we're at it: cutting down on the backblast would be nice. Possibly something like a German Armbrust handheld unguided launcher, essewntially a recoilless but instead of exhausting gasas out the rear instead throws out a counterweight shot of plastic confetti chaff. Might work well with that unguided *urban warfare* dumb round....
That works real well from the sides, less so head on. Nevertheless, on the T-64 in a frontal shot, our aiming point was the driver's face- if his head was outside his hatch- even though a T-62 driver is not centered like an M48/M60, but offset to the gunner's side, as on a Sherman [where the driver is offset on the loader's side]
One of the reasons some tank designers are thinking about a coaxial 25mm or 30mm gun alongside the main gun as a replacement for the usual .30/7,62mm mg or coax .50.
That can leave the possibility of still having a .50 mounted coaxially fixed atop the main gun barrel, as the Israeli Magach nounts do. But interestingly, during WWII, Patton thought a tank needed two coax guns, not just one.
22-23 seconds is terminal flight time, so that'd be a maximum range shot, about 3500-3750 meters, depending on air density, propellant temperature and head-or crosswinds.
FY 2015 unit cost of a TOW 2 missile was $58,908.
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