Is this an AT-4?

[ironbar]

Interesting video, wondered if this is an AT-4?

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/104077/missile_test/

[stoat]

Javelin?

[Imperial Grunt]

That is a Javelin.

[John Kettler]

And that is most assuredly a K-Kill!

Regards,

John Kettler

[rai kitsune]

mmmm added explosives

[juan_gigante]

What tank was that they blew up? My modern armor identification skillz are weak.

[juan_gigante]

Also - pause it at second 26. Is that purple sphere the beginning of the explosion, or what? Does anybody know what that might be?

[oren_m]

I am sorry kill the party, but tanks just does'nt explode that way!

Either it's just an outer skeleton of a tank, or they added lots and lots of C4 in there.

The tank is a T-72 with extra fuel drums on the rear.

Oren_m.

[SgtMuhammed]

I've seen them explode like that when hit by a Hellfire or Maverick but not by something as small as the Javelin.

[Peter Cairns]

On the first shot you can't see what they are firing at, and on the last two you can't see the missile clearly, so even if there isn't C$ in the tank, there is no way to tell if the Tank you see explode is the tank that they fire at ( if the target is a tank at all.

Also on the same sight there is film of an F-15 taking off from underwater, which is clearly film of a SLBM with an F-15 imposed over the missile.

having said that the Film posted as an F-14, but actually of an F-18 bomb hitting an A-4 chase plane looks genuine. The commetary doesn't pick it up but it looks like instead of the bomb releasing from it's pylon, the Pylon comes away with the bomb.....

Bomb accident

Peter.

[rai kitsune]

Its quite an old and notorious film and i though people here would know it! its when they packed a T72 or 4 my memories not entirely clear on that with C4 to "simulate" the ammount of muntions carried in aforementioned tank which they detonated when the missile hit unfortunately they "forgot" that much of the ammunition would not just explode it would cook off. anyway long story short its not what actually happens

[Sergei]

IIRC Steve of BFC was there when that test was done. You might find his comments somewhere here or the GF.

[John Kettler]

Was under the impression that the tank was combat loaded with live ammo and real fuel, as contrasted with sand filled ammo cases and water filled fuel tanks on some of the early Bradley live fire tests. You might also want to factor in that combat experience showed the T-72 carousel autoloader, being relatively high in the tank and thus with vulnerable ammo exposed, was prone to explode high order when hit.

That said, my former boss at Hughes, who once worked at the Naval Weapon Center, China Lake, told me of a firepower demonstration in which the Navy backstopped the airstrike with command-detonated explosives in the target vehicles. This was spectacularly shown when after the planes rolled in, but before they dropped their bombs, the target array exploded!

Regards,

John Kettler

[flamingknives]

I have difficulty believing that a T-72 with war load would explode with sufficient force to disintegrate the hull, especially instantaneously with the missile detonation*.

After all, there's been plenty of footage of loaded T-72s being destroyed by Hellfire, TOW and 120mm DU, and usually it 'just' pops the turret.

*Although, we are talking about detonation velocities here. In one frame (assuming 25 fps) the tip of a shaped charge jet would travel 200m or more, neglecting such things as air- and tank- resistance

[Moronic Max]

having said that the Film posted as an F-14, but actually of an F-18 bomb hitting an A-4 chase plane looks genuine. The commetary doesn't pick it up but it looks like instead of the bomb releasing from it's pylon, the Pylon comes away with the bomb.....

At least the pilot managed to get out.

[Peter Cairns]

Moronic Max,

Yeah but I bet they both had to change their underwear......

Peter.

[Lt. Beavis]

A little off topic, but the video got me thinking...

How would the newest gen Bradley hold up to a hit over the frontal arc from an AT-4? Is that a death sentence for the guys inside? Or can the standard armor package handle something like that? I imagine that RPG hits probably wouldn't disable it from the front, at least without some effort... but the AT-4 is rather more powerful.

Do the Abrams and Bradleys have any active or passive defense systems for top attack weapons like the Javelin?

[Peter Cairns]

Lt. Beavis,

I am no expert but I'd say the angle of attack would be a factor.

If the Javelin hit the front third comming in at say 60", then i'd say the driver is toast, but most of the blast and damage would be directed downwards, so the guys in the rear especially near the back doors might be Ok, though i am not sure about the turret crew.

If on the other hand it hit dead centre on say the turret then I'd suspect that anyone who survived isbn't going to be much use for anything.

Peter.

[Sergei]

Here's the earlier comment by Steve:

Sergei is correct, that T-72 was fully outfitted with fuel and live ammo. Charles and I saw a test shot just after that one (I think it was the one that immediately followed it) and it only had simulated ammo. It did have fuel and was running. I know that because we sat in it just before they blew it up. And if you think I didn't ask if I could drive it around a bit first you don't have your thinking cap on

The shot actually missed the top of the tank and hit the suspension on the left side. Apparently the accuracy was reduced because there was an area of hardpacked, very warm, dirt directly around the vehicle. Still, the geeks with the glasses spent a week or so examining all the details and declared it a complete kill. Not only did it destroy the tank's mobility, but it did penetrate the side armor and apparently did some nasty things to the inside of the crew compartment. I don't remember if the simulated ammo was OK or not (the simulated rounds are tubes of metal stowed in the ammo slots. They look for damage after the hit).

The T-72 in question was outfitted with Kontakt reactive armor, same as the one in the video.

[undead reindeer cavalry]

Sergei,

what's the source of your lovely tagline? <3