It has always been and will always be so: if someone somewhere has something new, then others immediately strive to get the same. So our anti-aircraft missile system "Tunguska" did not leave anyone indifferent abroad, and it immediately became clear that our potential adversaries had nothing alike, and if so, they also needed a similar machine. Two people were the loudest about it: Lawrence D. Bacon, director of the small American military design firm WDH in Irvine, and the head of the engineering team, Asher N. Sharoni, a former colonel in the Israeli army. Again, why this is so is understandable. There are always people who run "in front of the locomotive" hoping to attract attention precisely because they are "ahead". While large firms are still there, we will be able to do something and attract attention and … money! The correct, of course, approach, the most that neither is venture, if only … If only to abstract from the difficulties of technical implementation.
This is the LAV-AD Blazer.
Be that as it may, in their publications at the end of the twentieth century, they stated that the American army in the twenty-first century will need a new all-weather combat vehicle with missile and artillery weapons, comparable in cross-country ability to the M1 tank, capable of fighting in conditions of electronic countermeasures, having reliable protection against weapons of mass destruction, with high speed and guaranteed defeat of any targets. That is, it should have been an umbrella vehicle capable of covering American tank units from air strikes in the most difficult conditions of hostilities. As the priority goals of this system, experts called tactical fighters, combat helicopters, remotely controlled combat weapons, as well as cruise missiles, anti-tank weapons such as ATGM, which are in service with enemy infantry and tanks. That is, everything is correct, isn't it? Absolutely correct forecast! And … the military heard them, and this system in the United States was called SHORAD ("close range air defense"). However, the Americans now also distinguish VSHORAD ("at a very close distance"), and here, in their opinion, there is simply no way to do without a hybrid vehicle armed not only with missiles, but also with guns.
Looking ahead, we will say that in the end they received such a system - the LAV-AD Blazer anti-aircraft missile and cannon system. One of the means of destruction in it is the 25-mm GAU-12 / U "Gatling" cannon with a rotating block of barrels and the FIM-92 "Stinger" anti-aircraft missiles with a firing range of up to 8 km. The gun has a rate of fire of 1800 rounds per minute and ensures the destruction of air targets at a distance of up to 2500 m, and can also be effectively used against helicopters in the jump mode, as well as targets with a low signature in the infrared range, and of course ground targets. The complex was developed by order of the command of the United States Marine Corps. Therefore, a modernized amphibious armored personnel carrier LAV-25 (8x8) manufactured by Diesel Division of the Canadian branch of General Motors, which is widespread in the Marine Corps, was chosen as the chassis. It was put into service in 1999 and since then no new products in this area have appeared in the United States.
In general, today the US Army has two air defense missile and artillery systems at once: the Avenger, armed with eight Stinger missiles and a 12, 7-mm machine gun on an all-terrain wheeled chassis, and the aforementioned Blazer with a turret and containers for eight missiles and a GAU12 cannon on the LAV-25 chassis. But both vehicles are considered too light and poorly armed to operate in conjunction with tanks. But … it is enough to compare their performance characteristics with the data of "Tunguska" to conclude that … they, of course, can fight, but this is "not quite that."
And this is our "Tunguska"!
That is why the new promising machine was supposed to have, according to the plan of specialists from WDH, the chassis of the M1 tank, solid armor protection for the crew and effective missile and artillery weapons, the main type of which was to be missiles created under the ADATS program. The length of such a missile is 2.08 m, the caliber is 152 mm, the weight is 51 kg, and the weight of the warhead is 12.5 kg. Guidance - using a laser system, speed - 3 M. The maximum range of interception of slow targets - 10 km, fast - 8 km. The maximum effective altitude is 7 km.
Secondary armament could be two 35 mm Bushmaster-Sh cannons, which are more effective than the M242 25-mm Bushmaster cannons. An important argument in favor of these particular weapons was the fact that the ammunition for them was standardized with the ammunition of the European NATO countries. The range of such a gun is 3 km, the rate of fire is 250 rounds per minute, the maximum speed of the projectile is 1400 m / s. Anti-aircraft shells have an electronic detonator that detonates them in close proximity to the target. In this case, 100-200 fragments are formed, which fan out in the direction of the target. One target consumes 13-17 ammunition, which allows for a prolonged battle without replenishing the ammunition of the installation.
And "Pantsir" is even more impressive!
In addition, the developers of the installation decided it was necessary to equip it with a new power supply system for large-capacity guns, consisting of two magazines for each barrel, containing 500 anti-aircraft shells, and the ammunition was located perpendicular to the guns and in the process of feeding had to be turned by a special mechanism by 180 °. This arrangement significantly reduces the dimensions of the tower, so that in its size it approaches the tower of the M1 tank, and this, in turn, increases the survivability of the installation on the battlefield, since it will be difficult for the enemy to determine where the ZRU is and where the tank is. Two more magazines of 40-50 shells each contain armor-piercing shells and are located directly above the guns so that the transition of ammunition from one type to another takes minimal time. The auxiliary armament of the complex is a remotely controlled machine gun on a stabilized carriage in an armored body, similar to the aft machine gun of the German BMP "Marder". Machine gun ammunition must be 100 rounds in one magazine.
M1 / FGU turret: 1 - Bushmaster-lll cannon (caliber 35 mm, declination angle - minus 15 degrees, ascent angle - plus 90 degrees); 2 - radar; 3 - ammunition supply mechanism; 4 - throat for charging magazines; 5 - rotary ammunition supply unit; 6 - auxiliary power unit; 7 -machine gun in an armored casing with remote control (7, 62-mm, declination angle - minus 5 degrees, ascent angle - plus 60 degrees); 8- shooter; 9 - commander; 10 - a package of missiles in the launch position; 11- retractable block of sights of the ADATS complex; 12 - rotating radar; 13 - block of electronic equipment; 14 - reflector of a gas stream; 15 - a package of ADATS missiles in a folded position; 16 - replaceable barrels for guns; 17 - 35 mm ammunition store (500 rounds); 18 - lifting mechanism of the ADATS missile unit; 19 - tower floor; 20 - optical sight; 21 - telescopic sight sight.
The new promising combat vehicle received the designation AGDS / M1 precisely because it should be used in the interests of the air and anti-tank defense of the M1 tanks and use the chassis of this tank. In fact, it was planned to install a new turret on the chassis of the tank, and all its other elements should remain unchanged. Such an approach, of course, was supposed to facilitate the maintenance of the installation, and in addition, increase its maneuverability and maneuverability, since its weight with the same engine power should be less than a heavily armored tank.
WDH specialists have repeatedly stated that the US government should allocate funds for the development of this project, so as not to be left without a similar machine at the beginning of the XXI century. However … the US Army has no analogue of "Tunguska" even now. That is, the money was not given to this company!
Above: М1 / FGU - project; below - M1 / FGU Metal Storm.
At the same time, on the other side of the world, namely in Australia, the designer O'Duaire, known for his development of super-rapid-fire pistols and machine guns, proposed his own version of such a machine. The scheme is simple: a tower with an electronic filling, on the sides of which containers are installed with blocks of disposable barrels with electronic ignition of charges of 5 rounds in each barrel. Thus, if there are 30 barrels in the block, then this will give a total of 150 shots. And eight containers are 240 barrels. - 1100. That is, the ammunition load of both vehicles is equal. One burst from all the barrels of all containers will give 240 shells (or 120), but only fired not one after another, but almost instantly by a real cloud, that is, a whole swarm of deadly shells will fly towards the enemy's aircraft. The fuse is not located in the head or in the bottom of the projectile, but inside and is programmed at the time of the shot. With a caliber of 40 mm, one hit will be enough to seriously damage any modern aircraft, and two or three will completely destroy it! That is, it seems that the consumption of ammunition is higher, but, firstly, it is not at all necessary to hit the target with a volley. You can also shoot 15-17 shells, and secondly, the zone of destruction during salvo firing is so large that it leaves the enemy no chance of salvation! And it seems that the idea is not bad, but no one has given money for it either! That is, both ideas are more than 20 years old today, but … neither one nor the other even came close to being embodied in metal. Interesting, isn't it ?!
Rice. A. Shepsa
