Skip to comments.
‘Something’ felled an M1A1 Abrams tank in Iraq – but what?
Army Times ^
| 11/3/04
| John Roos
Posted on 11/03/2003 5:35:56 PM PST by Fighting Irish
Shortly before dawn on Aug. 28, an M1A1 Abrams tank on routine patrol in Baghdad was hit by something that crippled the 69-ton behemoth.
Army officials still are puzzling over what that something was.
According to an unclassified Army report, the mystery projectile punched through the vehicles skirt and drilled a pencil-sized hole through the hull. The hole was so small that my little finger will not go into it, the reports author noted.
The something continued into the crew compartment, where it passed through the gunners seatback, grazed the kidney area of the gunners flak jacket and finally came to rest after boring a hole 1½ to 2 inches deep in the hull on the far side of the tank.
As it passed through the interior, it hit enough critical components to knock the tank out of action. That made the tank one of only two Abrams disabled by enemy fire during the Iraq war and one of only a handful of mobility kills since they first rumbled onto the scene 20 years ago. The other Abrams knocked out this year in Iraq was hit by an RPG-7, a rocket-propelled grenade.
Experts believe whatever it is that knocked out the tank in August was not an RPG-7 but most likely something new and that worries tank drivers.
(Excerpt) Read more at armytimes.com ...
TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: abrams; army; mysteryweapon; tank; weapon
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-20, 21-39 next last
To: Fighting Irish
bump
2
posted on
11/03/2003 5:38:59 PM PST
by
KC_Conspirator
(This space for rent)
To: Fighting Irish
3
posted on
11/03/2003 5:41:20 PM PST
by
dighton
(Neo-Conservative Power Vortex™)
To: Fighting Irish
Very interesting, thanks for posting...
4
posted on
11/03/2003 5:42:39 PM PST
by
Akira
(Blessed are the cheesemakers.)
To: dighton
Woooooops! Thanks...didn't know this was a re-post.sorry
Moderator....do your thing!
To: Fighting Irish
Thank goodness the crew wasn't hurt by whatever it was. I can see why the tank crews would be worried. On the plus side, it sounds like whatever this thing is has been designed to disable the mechanicals of the tank rather than kill the crew.
6
posted on
11/03/2003 5:43:10 PM PST
by
Yardstick
To: Fighting Irish
I have viewed pictures of the incident and am totally snowed. I can think of two basic questions in regards to the situation. The first, what weapon has the velocity to do what happened to the tank? The second, is what alloy allowed such penetration without total self-destruction.
On a totally wild stab as to answers, I would guess the launcher would be of the electro magnetic type, capable of over 6000 FPS. I know the US is testing such. The projectile ??? I haven't a clue.
Regardless, I think crews or armored vehicles will not sleep as well, henceforth.
7
posted on
11/03/2003 5:49:09 PM PST
by
Joee
To: Fighting Irish
ping for later review!
8
posted on
11/03/2003 5:52:26 PM PST
by
Kay Soze
('Tis safer in Sunni triangle than in the liberally controlled area known as Los Angeles.)
To: colorado tanker; archy
Seen this??
9
posted on
11/03/2003 5:54:50 PM PST
by
cavtrooper21
(Tree huggers be damned! I am not cat chow!!!)
To: Fighting Irish
I wonder if our old adversaries in Russia are behind this new technology??
10
posted on
11/03/2003 5:54:58 PM PST
by
Justice
To: Fighting Irish
laser?
11
posted on
11/03/2003 5:56:57 PM PST
by
Sabatier
To: cavtrooper21
12
posted on
11/03/2003 5:59:58 PM PST
by
archy
(Angiloj! Mia kusenveturilo estas plena da angiloj!)
To: Sabatier
"Laser!" No, I don't think so, as a projectile was involved.
13
posted on
11/03/2003 6:00:06 PM PST
by
Joee
To: archy
ok.
sorry.
14
posted on
11/03/2003 6:01:13 PM PST
by
cavtrooper21
(Tree huggers be damned! I am not cat chow!!!)
To: Joee
But think of the electrical energy that would be needed, if you're talking railgun or the like.
15
posted on
11/03/2003 6:12:27 PM PST
by
MindBender26
(For more news as it happens, stay tuned to your local FReeper Network station)
To: Fighting Irish
So the only question here, is this one of the weapons Russia was selling Hussein under the table, or one of the weapons France was selling Hussein under the table?
To: MindBender26
It was a shaped charge of some sort, not any type of rail gun.
17
posted on
11/03/2003 7:04:47 PM PST
by
Husker24
To: Husker24
Agreed, this was not a railgun, this was a sophisticated RPG, and it happened accidentally or on purposely hit one of the weakest parts of the tank.
I don't know if any of you have seen pictures, but the projectile went through near a hinge in the skirt and just above one of the wheel assemblies, there are weak spots, not many, but some.
This was nothing more then a sophisticated RPG that either got lucky, or the guy was a really good shot.
18
posted on
11/03/2003 7:08:45 PM PST
by
Ogmios
(Since when is 66 senate votes for judicial confirmations constitutional?)
To: Husker24
Agree. Was posting to #15 who thought it might be. Also, agree it was lucky shot. RPG very inaccurate.
19
posted on
11/03/2003 8:09:25 PM PST
by
MindBender26
(For more news as it happens, stay tuned to your local FReeper Network station)
To: Husker24
Agree. Was posting to #15 who thought it might be ELECTRIC. Also, agree it was lucky shot. RPG very inaccurate.
20
posted on
11/03/2003 8:09:50 PM PST
by
MindBender26
(For more news as it happens, stay tuned to your local FReeper Network station)
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-20, 21-39 next last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson