[GZG] PD systems, was Re: Monster ships

Zoe Brain wrote:

>>In a land-vehicle context, if it takes you 0.5s to slew and fire 
>>you'll rarely be able to stop even an average LAW/RPG/CG round, and 
>>they're strictly subsonic! <g> The latest tank-mounted PD systems 
>>are able to intercept APFSDS darts coming in at 1500+ m/s (ie., 
>>even faster than a Moskit) - though whether or not they can also 
>>disrupt the darts enough to save the target vehicle is another 
>>question entirely, of course ;-)
>
>I was thinking of this -
>http://40yrs.blogspot.com/2007/12/swedish-company-tests-hyper-velocity.
html

<g> Care to guess which Swedish defence company that was? ;)

>And this -
>http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/hatm.htm
>
>Both on the order of 1500 m/s
>
>And even this rather slower one -
>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCmSs6hXWoU

The HATM in your first link was a tech demonstrator for, and the 
LOSAT in the second cancelled in favour of, this one:

<http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/ckem.htm>

:)

>Detection in fine. clear conditions, no ECM or decoys, no fog or 
>smoke is one thing: in combat conditions, under enemy artillery 
>fire, high MOP level, another.
>In tests, you may have 4 secs. In actuality, 0.4 secs.

Those PD systems I was thinking of have reaction times from detection 
to interception of less than 0.1 secs - primarily because it is 
needed to stop a LAW/RPG/etc. round fired from minimum arming range 
in MOUT, but it is useful against other threats as well. At least one 
of those systems was tested under, er, let's call it "less than ideal 
conditions". Tank rounds are a bit harder to detect than HVMs, too - 
they don't drag the muzzle blast along with them, for one thing :-/

>As you said, hitting is one thing, adequate disruption another.

Yep. That's the other big thing the HVMs have going for them, really 
(aside from not needing a multi-ton gun to launch them, that is) - 
they're so massive that they can absorb the current disrupting 
defences like traditional reactive armours and still have enough 
oomph left to kill the target. Disrupting a tank round is a lot 
easier, since it is so much smaller.

Later,

Oerjan 

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