Close Air Defense Vehicles

hello, I have a question...
Do you think that a close air defense vehicle (i.e. Gepard 1AC, 2C6M Tunguska, ZSU-23-4 Shilka, maybe a M126 Vulcan) could destroy a modern MBT? These vehicles fire only small rounds, 20-35mm, but at an extremely rapid rate and high velocity.

The Tunguska for instance fires solid BT rounds at a velocity of 880m/s, and Explosive rounds at a velocity of 960m/s, both at a rate of 5000rpm... Given that the A-10's 30mm GAU-8 cannon has only a slightly higer velocity of 1067m/s, do you think the Tunguska could penetrate a modern MBT? Or, if not, at least shred away at the armor until a few rounds do go in?

 

Wow, the GAU-8 has a higher velocity than the King Tiger's gun! It's true. Ask www.fprado.com. Go to the Tiger Tanks section and click Tiger II. Then read the article until you get to velocities. Ok, getting on topic now. A difference of 107m/s shouldn't make a gigantic difference, so I'll take a chance and an willing to say that the Tunguska can shread away at the armor until something goes in. Of course, I may be wrong. I don't know much about this stuff.
PS If the kind of Vulcan being talked about are the kind they mount on fighters, I think they can at least shread the armor away, bit by bit.
PSS 200 posts, yeah!

 

Theres no chance that thse guns could penetrate the front or side armour of a MBT

but saying the rounds are big and fast and would chew up the external fittings of a tank like optics, cameras, lights, sensers and no doubt button the crew faster than they could say Jesus H Christ. It could even hit crew members like a commander/driver who were caught out in the first open rounds.

At that point the tank would be in trouble if they were suffering the loss of sensers and viewing ports and still taking high velocity fire whilst buttoned up, but the tank would be safe

and as tanks opperate in troops the AA gun would then be killed by another vehicle.

FNG

 

what a pretty sight, to pour thousands of rounds into a tank :bang:

blast away the threads, and work on the engine!

 

theads? you mean tracks?

I doubt they would kill a track nor penetrate the engine compartment from the side.

Though they would trash the exhaust which would make the tank very noisy and fuel inneffiecent. This of course would render the tank unroadworthy once it's MOT was due.

FNG

 

yeah, i meant tracks. where did i get threads from?

and would it be possible to put a few holes in the barrel? i have absolutely no idea about how much fire they can take...

 

Unlikely by anything other than a million to one fluke.

 

Not really, I have seen pictures of lots of WW2 afv's with damaged barrels and gun mantlets.

 

yes but WW2 vehicles had 37mm, 57mm and 75 mm tubes, not like the 120mm beasts MBTs now carry

I assume that a 120 mm barrel would be fairly immune to such hits

FNG

 

possibly a typo for 'treads', which is sometimes used instead of 'tracks'?
Or possibly just a minor 'silly-brain' moment. Like my 'Pangefinder'

 

Immune to high velocity, 35 mm rounds? Take the thickness of the barrel and subtract 120 mm to get its armor thickness... I should think a 35 mm could penetrate that. The (IIR the name correctly) GAU-8 Avenger cannon installed on the Warthog kills tank with 30 mm ammo (DU, given). I think that the barrel would not be immune.

 

do they fire a lot of DU rounds at planes then?

Remember that the barrell is circular which is the strongest shape and that you are nearly always going to hit it at an angle thus increasing the chance of the round "slipping" off

FNG

 

No, they don't.

Since I cannot bring up any evidence, I am not going to continue debating a personal hunch. I feel that 35 mm rounds could do damage to a modern tank barrel, and do not have the evidence to prove that. If anyone can find out the exact strength of a barrel and the penetrating power of modern AA guns, then we can make a proper conclusion. The only "proof" I have seen are pictures of tanks with broken barrels...

 

Just to clarify my answer, it is almost certainly possible for the barrel to be hit by a round or two out of a burst of fire, it would be practically impossible, not to mention impractical, to aim for the barrel and stand any kind of chance of hitting it though, which is what I assumed was being asked.

 

just found this

http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/tankbusters.htm

So a WW2 AP AT 30mm round could penetrate upto 140 mm but at short ranges and at 90 degrees, so the fall off will be fairly rapid as the range and angle increases.

btw, a ZSU 23x4 is only 23mm and would be firing mainly HE rounds not AP. A Gepard is 35mm, a Tunguska 30mm.

FNG