Shooting range

[Erik Springelkamp]

I made a shooting range scenario, to discover the properties of ATGM weapons against various tanks.

Just over 1000 metres long flat open desert ground, with brush on on side to give the rocket operators some conceilment. I discovered a company of Syrian ATGM units (12 launchers) could stop - but not fully destroy - four Abrams tanks (there was always at least one stubborn disabled tank that survived dozens of rockets).

Anyway, with the NATO module I thought I would test the Dutch Gill ATGM missile.

One platoon (six launchers) against four T72M1V tanks.

Half of the time one or two tanks made it within the minimum range of the Gill systems (200 metre) after wich the Dutch were dead meat.

So I made the field longer: 2000 metres.

Surprisingly, of the first salvo of Gill missiles, 100% hit the ground at 1000 metres. Then the Dutch platoon was destroyed by long range gunnery.

But just before I started typing this post, I replayed the thing, and now the missiles were accurate at full range, and all tanks were disabled at long range without losses. Only some second wave rockets hit the ground early, when they were fired at immobilised survivors.

A strange mix of accuracy and failure.