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French Milan Missile may have Knocked Out U.S. Tank (my title)
SciScoop ^ | 10/31/03 | Sciscoop

Posted on 11/18/2003 2:35:56 PM PST by fourscore

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This weapon is, perhaps, a version of the French MILAN anti-tank missile. Col. David Hackworth gives an account of similar damage to Serbian tanks during the Balkan War in 1992 (see _Hazardous Duty_ pp. 108-111).

Quoting Hackworth (p.108):

(p.108)"When I examined the tanks, I found each had been killed by a missile that had burned a hole through the armor. The hole was about the size a pencil would make if you stabbed it through a sheet of paper."

(p.111)..."When I examined the tanks, I found more of the little holes. The missile had melted its way through the armor, changing the air pressure. That alone was enought to kill the crew inside. The metal from the hole is called spalling. It's melted, it's hot, but the minute it's forced into the tank it hardens again ans starts zinging around at a tremendous velocity, slicing through all those young, tender, fleshy bodies.


This was General Tus's secret weapon.

It had to be a modified French Milan missile. I had seen those same telltale holes in Iraqi tanks in the French sector during Desert Storm. But that still left the question of where General Tus was getting them.

The next day I was sitting with another Coration oficer in a cafe just behind the lines. I bought a bottle of the local rotgut and we killed it plus a couple more. When we were both hanging onto the edge of the table, I showed him my magic leter from General Tus [cooperate with him where possible etc.] and told him how much the tank killer program impressed me.

"It's the Milan," he said

The system cost $80,000; each missile cost $20,000. They were getting them from South Africa. The officer raised his glass.

"The South Africans hate the Serbs," he said. "And they love the profits."

1 posted on 11/18/2003 2:35:57 PM PST by fourscore
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To: archy
Archy, anything to this?
2 posted on 11/18/2003 2:40:39 PM PST by colorado tanker ("There are but two parties now, Traitors and Patriots")
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To: Cannoneer No. 4
ping
3 posted on 11/18/2003 2:41:25 PM PST by colorado tanker ("There are but two parties now, Traitors and Patriots")
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To: colorado tanker
Ping. Answers out there anyone?
4 posted on 11/18/2003 2:44:25 PM PST by fourscore (Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness)
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To: fourscore
Unlikely. The Milan has a 400-meter minimum range, and this event took place in a built-up area where a 400 meter shot is just about impossible.
5 posted on 11/18/2003 2:46:36 PM PST by Poohbah ("Would you mind not shooting at the thermonuclear weapons?" -- Major Vic Deakins, USAF)
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To: fourscore
"...the mystery projectile punched through the vehicle's skirt and drilled a pencil-sized hole through the hull..."

At first description, I thought this sounded like some kind of "Star Wars" weapon. Perhaps an extremely high-speed projectile a la Arnold's movie Eraser.

If the French have an Abrams-killer, I guess that's one more thing we can be thankful to them for. (Lafayette, nous sommes arrivee! ... Lafayette! ... Lafayette?)

6 posted on 11/18/2003 2:48:56 PM PST by NicknamedBob (I wouldn't be judgmental, if people weren't so STUPID!)
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To: colorado tanker
Here's some info if it helps.

MILAN MISSILE

7 posted on 11/18/2003 2:49:10 PM PST by UCANSEE2 ("Duty is ours, Results are God's" --John Quincy Adams)
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To: Poohbah
re: Hackworth "...all those young, tender, fleshy bodies"

Uh, is there something about Hackworth's description that makes your skin crawl?

8 posted on 11/18/2003 2:49:52 PM PST by BlueLancer (Der Elite Møøsenspåånkængrüppen ØberKømmååndø (EMØØK))
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To: BlueLancer
Uh, is there something about Hackworth's description that makes your skin crawl?

Don't ask...don't tell.

9 posted on 11/18/2003 2:51:35 PM PST by Poohbah ("Would you mind not shooting at the thermonuclear weapons?" -- Major Vic Deakins, USAF)
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To: fourscore
The metal from the hole is called spalling

I thought I read in one of the earlier reports that there was little evident spalling. That's why the crew is alive and why there was some confusion as to the nature of the missle.
10 posted on 11/18/2003 2:51:47 PM PST by polemikos
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To: polemikos
Good point.
11 posted on 11/18/2003 2:55:22 PM PST by fourscore (Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness)
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To: fourscore
The M1A1 Abrams tank is widely acknowledged to be the best tank in the world

Not.

12 posted on 11/18/2003 2:56:04 PM PST by anotherGerman
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To: polemikos
I thought I read in one of the earlier reports that there was little evident spalling. That's why the crew is alive and why there was some confusion as to the nature of the missle.

Right, almost no spalling.

Boss alien: "Damnit, what happened out there? We've lost an entire starship and the Intergalactic Council wants to tear a strip off of my vignert!"

Assistant: "Uh...well...Zontar said he knew of a shortcut, and came out of hyperspace WAY too close to the third planet of this yellow dwarf."

Boss alien: "What's the planet's name?"

Assistant: "Earth. Um...looks like what was left of Zontar and his ship went straight through one of their armored fighting vehicles, and then the singularity field collapsed."

13 posted on 11/18/2003 2:58:52 PM PST by Poohbah ("Would you mind not shooting at the thermonuclear weapons?" -- Major Vic Deakins, USAF)
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To: anotherGerman
Which one's better?
14 posted on 11/18/2003 2:59:32 PM PST by Poohbah ("Would you mind not shooting at the thermonuclear weapons?" -- Major Vic Deakins, USAF)
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To: Poohbah
hehehehehe... very good!
15 posted on 11/18/2003 3:00:32 PM PST by Frank_Discussion (May the wings of Liberty never lose a feather!)
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To: colorado tanker
Archy, anything to this?

The Croats certainly had and used the Milan, and the Afrikaners certainly had them.

There are several generational differences between early and later model Milan missiles, and a late or developmental model Milan warhead is at least a possible suspect. And the use of a Milan launcher is consistant with with some of the reports of Abrams taking hits from weapons mounted in the back of light trucks during the sandstorms during the early days of clearing the Iraqi cities.

Metalurgical evaluation of the recovered penetrator slug will tell the tale. We'll see.

-archy-/-

16 posted on 11/18/2003 3:03:37 PM PST by archy (Angiloj! Mia kusenveturilo estas plena da angiloj!)
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To: colorado tanker
Archy, anything to this?

The Croats certainly had and used the Milan, and the Afrikaners certainly had them.

There are several generational differences between early and later model Milan missiles, and a late or developmental model Milan warhead is at least a possible suspect. And the use of a Milan launcher is consistant with with some of the reports of Abrams taking hits from weapons mounted in the back of light trucks during the sandstorms during the early days of clearing the Iraqi cities.

Metalurgical evaluation of the recovered penetrator slug will tell the tale. We'll see.

-archy-/-

17 posted on 11/18/2003 3:03:42 PM PST by archy (Angiloj! Mia kusenveturilo estas plena da angiloj!)
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To: fourscore
"...came to rest after boring a hole 1½ to 2 inches deep in the hull on the far side of the tank."

Saddam's electrical supply was notoriously unreliable. Any possibility that they were working on some kind of 'rail gun'? Perfect launch vehicle for such a weapon would be an ordinary bus. Revv up the generators, get close enough, and phht ... hardly even any noise.

18 posted on 11/18/2003 3:04:49 PM PST by NicknamedBob (I wouldn't be judgmental, if people weren't so STUPID!)
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To: polemikos
wow head scrater huh? anyone know anything about railguns?

I've put some really clean holes in some pretty thick steal with 12.7 x 99mm (nato) before but much still gonna be thicker than a pinky finger??
19 posted on 11/18/2003 3:05:02 PM PST by rightofthefairway
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To: colorado tanker; fourscore
Have y'all seen Mystery behind Aug. 28 incident puzzles Army officials (what felled an M1A1)?

I think it was an RPG-7V.

What can be seen can be hit, what can be hit can be destroyed.

20 posted on 11/18/2003 3:05:20 PM PST by Cannoneer No. 4 (God is not on the side with the biggest battalions. God is on the side with the best shots.)
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