2 ms·
> A rocket, like s Javelin or an NLAW, apparently moves fast enough to hit s tank or an APC. You don't necessarily need much-much faster, but it's important to
by cm2187 4y ago
> A rocket, like s Javelin or an NLAW, apparently moves fast enough to hit s tank or an APC. You don't necessarily need much-much faster, but it's important to pack a punch.
that's also what I thought but it doesn't seem to work that way. For the NLAW at least, all the missile does it to position the explosive charge above the tank. The missile doesn't hit the tank from the side, so the kinetic energy isn't contributing to the destruction.
So from a logical point of view, I assume you could position the same warhead with a slow moving consumer drone and get the same result.
https://www.economist.com/media-assets/image/20220122_WOC909.png https://www.economist.com/media-assets/image/20220122_WOC909...
- meepmorp 4y agoTop attack is primarily a way to exploit the fact that most tanks are weakly armored on top. The speed (not KE, per se) trade off make sense because it makes a kill more likely by positioning the warhead for better penetration. That doesn't make sense for aircraft - even slow drones which are still a lot faster than tanks and move in 3 dimensions. Faster weapons means less time for the target to escape, which is always better even when guided missiles.
- nine_k 4y agoA slow-moving helicopter drone may be not fast enough because a tank can make 50 km/h, much like the drone. Even a standing tank is usually attacked froma distance of 500-700m, not much closer (except in an urban environment). While the drone is flying towards a tank, the tank may have enough time to detect it and shoot it down. You ideally need something an order of magnitude faster. Unlike a rocket, a drone can loiter, stay high enough above to be less detectable. The most successful anti-armor drone so far, the Bayraktar, is a large winged drone that shoots fast rockets downwards.