In the first article, we examined the effectiveness of fire support for tanks, BMPT "Terminator" in the context of the OODA cycle (OODA - observation, orientation, decision, action) by John Boyd. Based on the analysis of the solutions implemented in the design of the Terminator-1/2 tank support combat vehicle (BMPT), there is no reason to believe that with its help the task of providing fire support for tanks against tank-hazardous manpower will be effectively solved.
This is primarily due to the fact that the BMPT has reconnaissance and weapons guidance comparable to those used in modern main battle tanks (MBT), infantry fighting vehicles (BMP) and armored personnel carriers (APC), as a result of which the BMPT will not have advantages in the situational awareness of the crew compared to the MBT crew. Secondly, the speed of aiming BMPT weapons at enemy manpower is also comparable to the speed of aiming weapons of a tank or BMP, and significantly lower than the speed with which an infantryman can aim anti-tank weapons.
Is it possible to somehow increase the situational awareness of the crews of armored vehicles and the rate of use of weapons? To begin with, let's consider the speed of targeting and using weapons, that is, the "action" phase of the OODA cycle.
Ammunition speed
Ammo speed is limited. When firing from a tank or rapid-fire automatic cannon, the initial velocity of their projectile (750-1000 m / s) significantly exceeds the initial velocity of an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) or grenade launcher, since the latter takes time to accelerate. However, the greater the firing range, the more the projectile speed decreases, while the cruise speed of the ATGM (300-600 m / s) can remain unchanged throughout the flight range. An exception can be considered armor-piercing feathered sub-caliber projectiles, whose speed (1500-1750 m / s) is significantly higher than the speed of high-explosive (HE) shells, but in the context of the fight between armored vehicles and manpower, this does not matter.
In the mid-term, and possibly in the near future, hypersonic ATGMs will appear, sometimes it comes to hypersonic bullets, in the future electrothermochemical and electromagnetic (rail) guns may appear ("railgun" on armored vehicles is rather a distant future).
However, an increase in the speed of missiles and shells is unlikely to radically change the situation in the confrontation between armored vehicles and manpower. Armored vehicles will have electrothermochemical cannons with hypersonic projectiles, and hypersonic ATGMs will also appear for infantry. At present, in general, it can be considered that the average flight speed of projectiles and anti-tank missiles / grenade launchers is comparable, and the advantage of a particular type of weapon depends on the range of use of specific types of weapons, and most likely this situation will persist in the future.
However, in the “action” phase, not only the shot itself takes place, but also the process of aiming the weapon at the target preceding it.
Hover speed
The smooth aiming speed of the BMP-2 gun and turret in the "semiautomatic" mode does not exceed 0.1 deg / s, the maximum aiming speeds are 30 deg / s in the horizontal plane, and 35 deg / s in the vertical plane. The traverse speed of the BMD-3 turret is 28.6 deg / s, the turret of the T-90 tank is 40 deg / s. Analysis of video materials shows that the speed of the turret of the T-14 tank on the Armata platform is also about 40-45 deg / s.
Thus, based on the characteristics of guidance devices and the rate of turn of the weapons of combat vehicles, it can be assumed that the time of the phase of aiming weapons at a previously detected target (with a transfer by 180 degrees) will be about 4.5-6 seconds, while the flight speed of the projectile / ATGM / RPG shot at a range of up to 1 km will be about 1-3 seconds, that is, the speed of aiming and aiming weapons in the "action" phase play a greater role than the speed of flight of the ammunition (although the speed of the ammunition is important, and its value increases with the increase in the firing range) …
Is it possible to increase the speed of targeting weapons? Existing technologies are quite capable of doing this. For example, the speed of movement of the axes of a modern industrial robot can exceed 200 deg / s, ensuring the repeatability of movements of 0.02-0.1 mm. In this case, the length of the "arm" of an industrial robot can reach several meters, and the mass is hundreds of kilograms.
It is hardly possible to implement similar turret traverse and gun guidance rates of a 125-152 mm tank due to their significant mass and as a consequence of high moments of inertia, but an increase to 180 deg / s of the turn rate and weapon guidance of unmanned remote-controlled weapon modules (DUMV) with a 30 mm cannon can be quite real.
High-speed weapon modules with a 30-mm automatic cannon can be installed both on infantry fighting vehicles (BMP) or their heavy modifications (TBMP), and on armored personnel carriers (APCs). Due to the current trend towards a decrease in the size of DUMV with 30-mm automatic cannons, such complexes can be placed directly on the MBT turret instead of a 12.7 mm machine gun, radically increasing its ability to combat tank-hazardous manpower, especially in combination with shells with remote detonation on the trajectory.
The possibility of implementing DUMV with high-speed guidance drives based on 30-mm automatic cannons may become their advantage over larger caliber guns (for example, DUMV based on a 57-mm cannon), the achievement of high guidance speeds of which will be limited by an increase in weight and size characteristics. And of course, the implementation of high-speed guidance is possible only in unmanned combat modules, due to overloads arising during rotation.
Lasers against enemy manpower
Another highly effective means of engaging tank-hazardous manpower can be a laser weapon with a power of 5-15 kW. At the moment, lasers of this power already exist, but their dimensions are still quite large. It can be expected that in the near future, along with an increase in the power of combat lasers, the dimensions of less powerful models will decrease, which will allow them to be placed on armored vehicles, first as a separate weapon module, and then as part of the DUMV, in combination with an automatic cannon and / or machine gun …
To guarantee the destruction of manpower with a laser, it will be necessary to develop effective guidance algorithms. Modern body armor can be a serious obstacle to the laser beam, so it is necessary for the guidance system to automatically hit the target in the most vulnerable places - the face or neck, similar to how face recognition occurs in modern digital cameras.
Here it is necessary to make a reservation that laser blinding is contrary to the fourth protocol of the Geneva Convention on "inhuman" weapons, but one must understand that hitting a 5-15 kW laser beam into the unprotected surface of the face or neck will most likely cause death. It is very difficult to protect an infantryman from such a laser, if only to hide it in a closed suit with an exoskeleton and a helmet with optical isolation, that is, when the image is taken by cameras and displayed on the eye screen or projected into the pupil. Such technologies, even if implemented in the near future, will have a high cost, therefore they will be available to a limited number of military personnel of the leading armies of the world.
Thus, an increase in the effectiveness of combat armored vehicles with enemy manpower in the "action" phase can be achieved by installing high-speed weapons guidance drives, and in the future, using laser weapons as part of combat modules.
The ability of armored vehicles to direct their weapons at the highest speed inaccessible to humans will largely contribute to reducing the threat posed by the enemy's manpower. The "action" phase, that is, aiming weapons at the target and firing a shot is preceded by the "observation", "orientation" and "decision" phases, the effectiveness of which directly depends on the situational awareness of the armored vehicle crews.
