Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1064315
m u m ΔT for Spike's thermal vision camera is below 0.5°C. The cooling time of FMG-148's thermal vision camera is 2.5 minute, and in the case of the Spike - it's below 12 minutes, but we need to remember that the IR camera of the latter can be cooled earlier and kept operationally ready for over 3.5 h. The time to op- erate the CLU from the moment of the decision to open fire until launching the missile in the F&F mode was 40 s for older versions of the Javelin, and ca 20 s for the newer Block I. Spike's op- erator is able to launch the missile in an identical attack mode within less than 15 s. In the case of manual trajectory correction or locking the target after the launch, Spike's operator is able to launch the missile within 7-10 s. It's not true that Javelin's CLU is easier to operate than Spike's CLU – it is actually the other way round, which is proven by sol- diers who've had a chance to use both of these systems. A highly inter- esting matter is that of the degradation of IR cameras' ranges depending on weather conditions and the related issue of the risk of "friendly fire". Contrary to common beliefs and the outcomes of marketing activities (sometimes including making a fire inside a target-tank or exposing such a tank to burning sunlight for six hours), the thermal vision camera is not a Wunderwaffe that will always help us spot the enemy within the full range of "manufacturer-declared" distances. As for targets with tempera- ture contrasts, i.e. ΔT of over 20°C, the detection range is from 5 km to... 1 km, depending on the weather. The ability to identify the same target will be within the rage of 4.5 km to... 500 m. The situation is much worse when it comes to CLU IR camera's ability to detect low-contrast targets with ΔT below 10°C. Here, the detection range is within 4 km to 300 m, and the identification range is from 4.5 km to 200 m. This means that the atmospheric conditions, especially fog, haze, drizzle, and rain can bring the declared performance of IR cameras by even 80%. In consequence, a typical fall weather can make the range of detection work up to about 800 m even though the manufacturer may claim almost 4 km. So even if the operator is able to detect a thermal spot of an operating drive system and a plume of fumes, it will be impossible to identify the target at such a distance. At the same time, there is another revolution already happening in the military sector, which is about shifting from linear defense towards spatial defense. It is about having no separate first echelon (in the con- ventional sense) or forces to defend positions. In addi- tion, it will involve temporary retreating from the occupied positions and forcing e n e m y forces to break through or pass by the pockets of resistance with a simul- taneous continuous fending off the striking reserves and overcoming the effects of fire-electronic attacks. To intensify the effect of such attacks, it may be necessary to even let the enemy enter deep into the line of our own defense formation. Defense will be there- fore active and the enemy will be attacked not only across the whole depth of their formation but also across the whole depth of our own defense line (which the enemy will enter upon our "invitation") – in many places and from many directions at once. This will result in own and enemy forces moving, with communication and identification being the key elements. And this is where it seems reasonable to wish good luck to anybody trying to differentiate the Russian T-72B3 from the Polish T-72M1 or PT-91 and the BMP-2 from the BMP-1 in the CLU. It will be actually impossible even at a distance of about 0.8-1 km in ear- ly winter and spring when the weather is highly changeable, or during www.fragoutmag.com