Rearmament in China - Like Thor's hammer: Innovative projectile to destroy tanks without breaking through the armor
Projectiles designed to take out armored vehicles always try to penetrate the armor. Therefore, there is an eternal battle between optimizing the armour and upgrading the projectiles. A modern battle tank is by no means protected by steel alone; its hull consists of composite materials that achieve a high level of resistance.
The projectiles attempt to penetrate the material either with a welding beam or with an extremely hard needle. Since the introduction of composite materials, protection has gained an edge over the needle projectiles fired by main battle tanks, forcing the use of guns with ever larger calibers.
A blow to the armor
Chinese researchers want to solve the dilemma. They are working on a projectile that only has to hit, but does not have to break through the armor. A look back to the Middle Ages helps to illustrate this: back then, you could try to break through armor with a sword or spear and inflict a wound on the wearer. But you could also rely on the naked force of a hammer or axe, the impact of which would knock your opponent to the ground.
In a Chinese study, the effect of a projectile was simulated, which could take out a US tank with its manageable weight of 20 kilograms and its kinetic energy alone, according to the scientists. To do this, it only needs four times the speed of sound. That is 4800 km/h - for comparison: the muzzle velocity of the main weapon of the Leopard 2 is 1640 meters per second, which corresponds to almost 5900 km/h.
Relatively little energy is enough
In fact, the result is surprising, as the kinetic energy is only 25 megajoules or the equivalent of 7 kilowatt hours. The energy that a fan heater burns within a few hours should be enough to knock out a 60-ton tank? The difference with a fan heater is that the energy is released within fractions of a second. The second point is that the tank is an extremely rigid construction, the material is not designed to give way. The whole effect is based on the fact that the impact shakes the armor briefly but violently.
Huang Jie from the Hypervelocity Aerodynamic Institute of the China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center claims that the tank remains undamaged on the outside afterwards, but its inner workings are irreparably damaged. Among other things, the screws that connect the equipment inside with the crew's shelter would break. The impact would exceed the US military's safety limits. "Components at these sites have a high probability of failing due to overload damage," the South China Morning Post quoted him as saying. The shock wave propagates through the vehicle in a complex way, causing severe stresses that lead to deformation or breakage. "The handle of the gun's stabilizer can be shaken off, the console wiring can be completely pulled out, all connections between the fire control computer and the turret can be broken, resulting in a significant loss of firepower," the article continues.
Hypersonic weapons are getting smaller
The research institute is part of a center for the development of hypersonic weapons. To date, hypersonic weapons have been developed to build larger missiles, which are mostly used against high-value military targets. Now it seems possible to use this technology for simple and much cheaper weapons. The classic cannon can be further optimized, but has its limits because the muzzle velocity of the projectile depends on the propagation speed of the gas in the propellant charge. An electromagnetic railgun is not subject to these limitations and can reach very high velocities. A railgun could also be used to fire a needle projectile, which would be particularly effective due to its high velocity. The advantage of railguns is that they are also effective with a grazing shot.
Conclusion
The study is interesting, but numerous problems would arise in practice. Damping materials could noticeably cushion the impact. The turret of main battle tanks in particular is nowadays plastered with modules that lie outside the actual armor. Here, the impact would shred the "add-on box", but then it would no longer have enough energy to shake the safety cell. In Ukraine, main battle tanks are usually knocked out by artillery or low-cost drones. The potential of both is far greater than that of an elaborate railgun, which, like a combat vehicle cannon, is always dependent on a direct line of sight to the target.
Source: SCMP
Read also:
- Telefónica targets market launch for hologram telephony
- vzbv: Internet companies continue to cheat despite ban
- Telefónica targets market launch for hologram telephony in 2026
- Worldcoin project docks onto Telegram and Reddit
Despite the tank's advanced composite materials and high-resistance hull, Chinese researchers propose an innovative solution. They are developing a projectile that only needs to hit the armor, not penetrate it, to cause significant internal damage. This projectile, weighing just 20 kilograms and reaching 4800 km/h, relies on its kinetic energy to knock out an American main battle tank through a violent impact, damaging vital components and exceeding safety limits. This concept could revolutionize tank warfare, as more energy is needed for destructive effects in modern composite materials than in the past.
Source: www.stern.de
