Tanks as the quintessence of ground combat vehicles have always been distinguished by their ability to withstand a blow. For this, the tanks are equipped with massive armor, which is maximally reinforced in the front of the hull. In turn, the developers of anti-tank weapons are making every effort to penetrate this armor.
But before striking a tank, it must be detected, and, having discovered, hit an actively maneuvering target, in connection with which the importance of camouflage systems and methods of increasing the maneuverability of tanks and other ground combat equipment increases.
Disguise
Detection of ground combat equipment is carried out in the acoustic, optical, visible, thermal and radar wavelength ranges. Recently, this list has been supplemented with sensors capable of operating in the ultraviolet range, capable of effectively detecting anti-tank missiles from engine exhaust.
The simplest and widely used method of reducing the visibility of ground combat equipment in the optical visible, thermal and radar wavelength ranges is the use of special covering materials. Products of the NII-Steel company with the symbolic name “Cape” are widely used in Russia.
Despite the simplicity and effectiveness of this method of camouflage, in the conditions of intensive development of reconnaissance means (sensors) and automation of intelligence processing, the use of camouflage capes alone may no longer be enough.
In this regard, in the industrially developed countries of the world, the development of embedded and suspended active camouflage systems capable of changing the optical and thermal signature of ground combat vehicles is underway
One of such developments is the Adaptiv active camouflage system of the British company BAE Systems. For the first time, the Adaptiv camouflage system was demonstrated at the DSEI 2011 exhibition as part of the Swedish CV-90 infantry fighting vehicle (BMP) (in the light tank version).
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The outer part of the Adaptiv active camouflage system is assembled from hexagonal tiles with a side size of 15 cm, capable of controlling surface temperature. The heat sensors installed on the vehicle receive a matrix of the background temperature from the side behind the camouflaged side. Based on the data obtained, the system changes the temperature of the tiles, "smearing" the signature of the armored vehicle over the background. The dimensions of the tiles are optimized for low visibility in the thermal range at a distance of about 500 meters and speeds up to 30 kilometers per hour.
The presence of a hot engine and chassis, which can be easily distinguished in the images from the thermal imager, given at the beginning of this article, can interfere with camouflage of armored vehicles against the background of the surrounding surface. It is not easy to hide a powerful heat source like a tank diesel or a gas turbine.
In this case, the Adaptiv system can be used to distort the signature of a ground combat vehicle in order to make it look like, for example, a civilian transport (let's leave aside the ethical side of such "disguise" for now) or ground vehicles of another class. For example, the enemy believes that he has found an armored personnel carrier or MRAP, and uses a small-caliber cannon to defeat it, unmasking his position, but in fact he attacks a tank to which the small-caliber cannon will not cause critical damage, and which will destroy the revealed enemy with return fire.
For camouflage in the visible wavelength range in the Adaptiv active camouflage system, electrochromic displays with a resolution of 100 pixels per tile must be used. This will allow reproducing the background image behind the armored vehicle with high fidelity.
The power consumption of the Adaptiv active camouflage system in terms of infrared signature control is up to 70 watts per square meter of the masked surface; to control the visual signature, another 7 watts per square meter is needed. The Adaptiv system weighs about 10-12 kilograms per square meter, which will allow it to be used on almost all types of ground combat vehicles.
In Russia, an active camouflage system is being developed by the companies Ruselectronics and TsNIITOCHMASH for use in the promising equipment of the Ratnik-3.
The domestic active camouflage system is based on the use of a special electrically controlled material - electrochrome, which can change color depending on incoming electrical signals to ensure compliance with the masked surface and its surrounding environment. The declared energy consumption is 30-40 watts per square meter.
The use of active camouflage systems will require their power supply, which can be provided by platforms with electric propulsion, the use of which we considered in the article: Electric tank: prospects for the use of electric propulsion in ground combat equipment.
In addition to providing power to active camouflage systems, ground combat vehicles with electric propulsion will have less noise, as well as the ability to temporarily turn off the diesel / gas turbine integrated with the electricity generator, ensuring the operation of the combat vehicle using buffer batteries, which will significantly simplify the operation of the active camouflage camouflage system in the thermal range.
Maneuverability
The continuous confrontation between the projectile and the armor has led to the fact that the mass of modern main battle tanks (MBT) is one and a half to two times the mass of MBT, which were in service half a century ago. It is not surprising that concepts periodically arise to abandon the increase in armor in favor of increasing the maneuverability of individual combat units and the mobility of subunits.
One of the largest projects of this type is the American Future Combat Systems (FCS) program. As part of the program, it was planned to create a series of unified vehicles based on a single chassis. In principle, the idea is not new, given that in Russia something similar is planned to be done on the Armata platform. The difference in the FCS program can be considered the requirement to limit the maximum mass of combat vehicles at the level of 20 tons. This would provide units equipped with vehicles developed under the FCS program the highest mobility, due to the ability to quickly transfer Lockheed C-130 transport aircraft closer to the front line, and not only the heavy Boeing C-17 and Lockheed C-5, which can be used not from every airfield.
In addition to ground combat vehicles, implemented on a single platform, the FCS program was to create unmanned aerial and ground systems, sensors and weapons capable of functioning within the "system of systems" of a single network-centric battlefield.
The main striking force was to be a light tank with a 120 mm Mounted Combat System (MCS) XM1202 cannon. Moreover, its mass was also supposed to be about 20 tons, which is three times less than the mass of the existing MBT M1A2 "Abrams" of the latest modifications.
Of course, even taking into account the use of the latest composite materials, it was impossible to create armor for a light tank equivalent to that installed on the M1A2 Abrams MBT, so the developers considered other ways to increase the survival rate of the XM1202. In particular, it was supposed to reduce the likelihood of hitting a tank due to multilevel protection, including the following levels:
- avoid encounter - avoiding collisions with superior enemy forces;
- avoid detection - to avoid detection by reducing the visibility in the optical thermal, visible, radar and acoustic spectra;
- avoid acquisition - to avoid capture by escorting by counteracting enemy guidance systems;
- avoid hit - to avoid hit with the help of active defense complexes;
- avoid penetration - to avoid penetration using promising composite armor, as well as promising electrical armor, the principle of which is based on the effect of a powerful electric charge upon penetration of spaced contact plates;
- avoid kill - avoid the death of a combat vehicle in case of defeat by increasing survivability by optimizing the layout of compartments and equipment.
In theory, all of the above can work, but in practice, almost all of the listed items can be implemented on any modern MBT, including in the process of modernization. At the same time, the promising XM1202 would still be inferior even to the existing MBT in terms of the avoid penetration point, approaching in this parameter more likely to infantry fighting vehicles (BMP) or light tanks.
Ultimately, the high cost, complexity of implementation of individual components, and the inevitability of compromise solutions led to the closure of the FCS program in May 2009.
Is it possible at all to implement an essentially light tank capable of competing on an equal footing with MBT with full body armor? After all, a decrease in weight, for example, to 20 tons, while maintaining engine power at the level of 1500-2000 horsepower, will allow a light tank to have a specific power of 75-100 horsepower per ton and, as a result, outstanding dynamic characteristics
The answer is rather negative. Maneuverability and high dynamic characteristics alone will not provide ground combat equipment with sufficient protection, otherwise everyone would have fought on the Buggy.
At the same time, as an addition to armor protection, high dynamic characteristics and the ability to intensively maneuver can help increase the survivability of armored vehicles on the battlefield. This can be especially effective when introducing advanced automatic motion control systems (autopilots) in combination with the electric propulsion of ground combat equipment.
The autopilot of a promising combat vehicle must carry out continuous orientation in the terrain, taking into account the analysis of terrain heights, data on surrounding artificial objects and natural obstacles obtained from a high-precision map of the terrain, as well as from on-board sensors - radars, lidars, thermal imagers and video cameras.
Based on the data received, the autopilot can form several routes on the overview screen that are most protected from enemy attacks from threatened directions, similar to what is now done by navigation programs for cars, when driving around the city, along routes built taking into account traffic jams.
In addition, if a missile / grenade launch is detected, the automation must, based on data on the surrounding terrain, determine possible positions that provide shelter from a missile / grenade hit. Further, depending on the activated mode, the combat vehicle either automatically makes a short energetic throw to evade a rocket / grenade, or issues an alarm signal with the display of protected positions on the overview screen, after which the operator-driver just has to poke at the selected position on the touch screen, after which the car will make a defensive maneuver automatically.
Of course, the operation of such systems should take into account the location of the allied combat vehicles and dismounted soldiers located nearby.
When firing from hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers (RPGs) and anti-tank missile systems (ATGMs) from a distance of 500-5000 meters, depending on the distance and type of rocket / grenade, about 3-15 seconds will pass between the shot and the moment it hits the combat vehicle, which can be quite sufficient for the implementation of an energetic defensive maneuver in both automatic and semi-automatic modes.
Output
Advanced concealment systems and increased maneuverability will not replace armor and active defense systems, but can complement them, significantly increasing the survivability of promising ground combat vehicles on the battlefield.
The introduction of electric propulsion systems will help ensure the effective operation of advanced active camouflage systems and increased maneuverability of promising ground combat vehicles.
