Mohmar Deathstrike
Banned
Is it normal for RPG rounds to bounce off a Merkava tank's armor rather than explode or is that just what happens to duds?
Now we know: the top ten greatest ever tanks of all time
zander_0633
Milforum Gnat
Well, I think the RPG will hit the tank and the armour will absorb the impact and later drop off!
Kozzy Mozzy
Active member
Mohmar Deathstrike said:
If you are referring the to first hit it wasnt an RPG it was either an AT-3 or AT-4. I dont think it was a dud, I think the part bouncing away if the rocket motor.
Damien435
Active member
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Shortly before dawn on Aug. 28, an M1A1 Abrams tank on routine patrol in Baghdad “was hit by something” that crippled the 69-ton behemoth.[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Army officials still are puzzling over what that “something” was.[/FONT]LeEnfield 2 said:
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]According to an unclassified Army report, the mystery projectile punched through the vehicle’s skirt and drilled a pencil-sized hole through the hull. The hole was so small that “my little finger will not go into it,” the report’s author noted.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]The “something” continued into the crew compartment, where it passed through the gunner’s seatback, grazed the kidney area of the gunner’s flak jacket and finally came to rest after boring a hole 1½ to 2 inches deep in the hull on the far side of the tank. [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]As it passed through the interior, it hit enough critical components to knock the tank out of action. That made the tank one of only two Abrams disabled by enemy fire during the Iraq war and one of only a handful of “mobility kills” since they first rumbled onto the scene 20 years ago. The other Abrams knocked out this year in Iraq was hit by an RPG-7, a rocket-propelled grenade.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Experts believe whatever it is that knocked out the tank in August was not an RPG-7 but most likely something new — and that worries tank drivers.
[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]
Source
[/FONT] The U.S. Army has been at a loss to identify a mystery projectile that penetrated an M1A1 Abrams tank late last year. The round created a pencil-thin entry hole, injured some of the crew inside with limited spalling, and came to a rest in the far side of the hull, after boring a 1.5-2"-deep hole through it.
As it passed through the interior of the tank, the projectile, along with its spalling effect, took out enough critical components to disable the M1A1 Abrams tank. Since the start of the war, only two M1A1 Abrams tanks have been taken out of commission by enemy fire, and this was one of them.
So, what caused the damage? Prevailing theory is that it was either a...
PG-7VR round fired from an RPG-7V launcher, or one of a number of RPG-22 rounds. The RPG-22 is a newer, disposable launcher, developed by the Russians. According to John Roos', who wrote a story about the incident in "Army Times", the experts studying the incident apparently think that the most likely culprit was some kind of improved RPG-22 round, made in either Switzerland or Russia.
Source
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zander_0633
Milforum Gnat
Well, this proves that the formidable M1A1 Abrams can be disabled!
Mohmar Deathstrike
Banned
The RPG-22 is a copy of the M-72 LAW, correct? Why do you think it may have been made in Switzerland?
FO Seaman
Active member
zander_0633 said:
No one said it couldn't been disabled. If you read the report posted www.fprado.com/armorsite/US-Field-Manuals/abrams-oif.pdf
The M1 was hit in a non-ballistic track skirt under the turret ring where the round penetrated into the Hydraulic Reservoir.
No tank is unstoppable, eventhe CHally 2 has a weakness, just give it time. The M1 has served in three serprate wars.
http://www.armytimes.com/content/editorial/editart/102303tank02.jpg
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CanadianCombat
Active member
I bet it was just an extremly highpowered rifle that put that hole in there.
FO Seaman
Active member
CanadianCombat said:
Seriosuly doubt that, even the IWS 2000 with it's APFSDS rounds can only get 40mm's of penetration. Besides, you need to see all the pics that round did a number on that M1.
http://www.armytimes.com/content/editorial/editart/102303tank01.jpg
http://www.armytimes.com/content/editorial/editart/102303tank02.jpg
http://www.armytimes.com/content/editorial/editart/102303tank03.jpg
http://www.armytimes.com/content/editorial/editart/102303tank04.jpg
http://www.armytimes.com/content/editorial/editart/102303tank05.jpg
http://www.armytimes.com/content/editorial/editart/102303tank06.jpg
http://www.armytimes.com/content/editorial/editart/102303tank07.jpg
http://www.armytimes.com/content/editorial/editart/102303tank08.jpg
http://www.armytimes.com/content/editorial/editart/102303tank09.jpg
http://www.armytimes.com/content/editorial/editart/102303tank10.jpg
http://www.armytimes.com/content/editorial/editart/102303tank11.jpg
http://www.armytimes.com/content/editorial/editart/102303tank12.jpg
Kozzy Mozzy
Active member
As I said in the other thread. This incident happened AFTER the report was published. The side hull of the Abrams has about 600mm of CE protection. The weapon was most likely an RPG-22 or 29, which can get 600-800mm of penetration like the articles said.Cadet Seaman said:
Well no shit. Every tank can be destroyed.
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CanadianCombat
Active member
Well Cadet Seaman, I don't see it being an RPG round or anything like that. You never know whats out there. You can't find everything on the internet or in books.
zander_0633
Milforum Gnat
YEs, Not everything!
Damien435
Active member
My first thought were that it must have been a high caliber AP round from some sort of anti-armor rifle that would have a recoil like no other. But, a .50 AP round can penetrate two inches of steel and still kill who/what is on the other side, if memory serves me correct 2.54cm = 1 inch, so 40mm = 1.57inches. I think it is possible, if not probably, that this is what happens.
Kind of far reaching example but parts from the plane that hit the Pentagon on 9/11 drilled a hole 36 inches wide through the fourth or third ring of the Pentagon yet no trace of those parts were found because they disinegrated. Weird stuff happens when you get that much force behind an object. It can do some major damage. Also keep in mind that a tornado contains so much force that it can send a piece of hay through the trunk of a tree and 2 X 4's through several inches of concrete. Physics is very hard to understand at times.
Kind of far reaching example but parts from the plane that hit the Pentagon on 9/11 drilled a hole 36 inches wide through the fourth or third ring of the Pentagon yet no trace of those parts were found because they disinegrated. Weird stuff happens when you get that much force behind an object. It can do some major damage. Also keep in mind that a tornado contains so much force that it can send a piece of hay through the trunk of a tree and 2 X 4's through several inches of concrete. Physics is very hard to understand at times.
Kozzy Mozzy
Active member
It wasnt a anti-tank rifle...
It was a RPG, they found copper everywhere.
It was a RPG, they found copper everywhere.
Kozzy Mozzy
Active member
Cadet Seaman said:
Yeah, that was the first incident
IN A DIFFERENT INCIDENT, something penetrated the crew compartment, injuring the TC and gunner. two different times