tank killing robot

[SlowMotion]

 

[Erwin]

This idea actually looks practical and good.  It's always an advantage to be able to build countermeasures cheaper than the enemy's main attack weapons system.  So, one counters tanks with small relatively expendable tank killing robots, expensive manned aircraft with drones and AT missiles etc.  (Altho' while the PR keeps on about tank killing missiles the robots didn't seem to carry any.)

One can see how the (perhaps not so distant) future battlefield could look like.

PS:  The troops' shoulder flags look Estonian.  Is this an Estonian defense company?

[SlowMotion]

I also believe that different kinds of robots and drones will become more common in the future.

Recon drones could be a cheap way to save lives by quickly showing situation from air without risking human lives, like shown in this hunting video:

https://youtu.be/t1FNQxi9Rwg?t=1m6s

 

Yes, Milrem should be an Estonian company.

 

[DerKommissar]

With the G3s and galils, I'm pretty sure it's Estonia. Kinda cool to see those legendary rifles still being issued.

As for tank fighting robots:

I found this concept to be very attractive. From videos in Syria, it seems that the only defense ATGM teams have is concealment. Any vehicle, especially one with thermals, could suppress them.

Put one of these things on a roof, and get the operators somewhere safe. While they may not safely reload, they could potentially set up multiples, at different angles.

Mount one of these things on an unmanned vehicle... I think this is the future of ATGMs.

[SlowMotion]

36 minutes ago, DerKommissar said:

 From videos in Syria, it seems that the only defense ATGM teams have is concealment. Any vehicle, especially one with thermals, could suppress them.

Put one of these things on a roof, and get the operators somewhere safe. While they may not safely reload, they could potentially set up multiples, at different angles.

Mount one of these things on an unmanned vehicle... I think this is the future of ATGMs.

Some missiles like Javelin and Spike have fire-and-forget ability. The team can launch the missile and hide or change position before the missile hits the target. 

Some missiles also have NLOS ability. One step further from the remote operator idea shown in your Shershen video. I believe in NLOS the launcher can be in a safe location without line of sight to target. Targeting can be done from another location entirely. In some cases like some versions of Spike the target can be decided while the missile is flying.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbMGg6dzwmw

 

[DerKommissar]

15 minutes ago, SlowMotion said:

Some missiles like Javelin and Spike have fire-and-forget ability. The team can launch the missile and hide or change position before the missile hits the target. 

Some missiles also have NLOS ability. One step further from the remote operator idea shown in your Shershen video. I believe in NLOS the launcher can be in a safe location without line of sight to target. Targeting can be done from another location entirely. In some cases like some versions of Spike the target can be decided while the missile is flying.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbMGg6dzwmw

 

It recently occurred to me that most ATGMs are often used against personnel, more often than not in COIN. No wonder all new ATGMs come with anti-personnel munitions. With NLOS ability, that would maybe even allow them to be used as field guns, when needed. 

IDK if I'd consider it "one step further" though. It's just another, pricey, feature. I'm sure a remote operator mount could be mated with an NLOS missile, theoretically speaking. I think fire and forget is already becoming a requirement for new-ish systems. 

[SlowMotion]

For anti personnel use they are quite expensive. I read that one Javelin shot would be 80 000$.

So in order to save money many countries have different weapons for that purpose. For shorter distance one option is weapons like RPG-xx and Carl Gustaf:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ABKZm9zwk4

where one shot is much cheaper. I read that it would be about 3000$.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jZij3gH3xA

[Erwin]

50 minutes ago, SlowMotion said:

I read that one Javelin shot would be 80 000$.

And yet have seen video where Brit troops used a Javelin vs an individual sniper etc.   

That's when I realized the war in Afgan. was hopeless.  One sheepherder with rifle is how rare and costs...?

[SlowMotion]

Yes, modern weapons can save lives of own side's soldiers, but using them is VERY expensive.

[Erwin]

Agreed.  The reality is that we cannot afford to win that kind of exchange without bankruptcy.  Fighting the "small" Boer War vs a bunch of Uncons in Saffa is generally regarded as what almost bankrupted the British empire and led to its implosion in the decades afterwards (even before WW1). 

The west's creditable and humane "high value of life" philosophy is unfortunately also our Achilles heel.  This is where the original concept for the French Foreign Legion would work.  A bunch of foreign (seeking citizenship or refuge) or criminal types to be used as expendable troops in foreign wars.  Hard to see how else one can fight an enemy who loves to die - unless one simply does a nuke or biochem attack and wipe out the region.  (Biochem would be better as it would not hard infrastructure or historic monuments, art etc.)  Not going to argue the moral aspects of that.  But, either we have to accept that our troops' lives are not valuable any more, or... what other options are there?  

 

[DerKommissar]

16 hours ago, Erwin said:

And yet have seen video where Brit troops used a Javelin vs an individual sniper etc.   

That's when I realized the war in Afgan. was hopeless.  One sheepherder with rifle is how rare and costs...?

Recently somebody was discussing Murphy's laws. Number 43 comes to mind, xD.

17 hours ago, SlowMotion said:

For anti personnel use they are quite expensive. I read that one Javelin shot would be 80 000$.

I've seen videos of TOWs or other older, heavier, ATGMs being used in anti-personnel.

I assume that fragmentation/thermobaric/HE is cheaper than a proper HEAT warhead.

[Sgt.Squarehead]

What a puny little robot! 

In not-Soviet Russia: