Frag Out! Magazine

Frag Out! Magazine #33

Frag Out! Magazine

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has been implemented in the case of commander's and gunner's sights. Significant changes also happened in the area of ammunition. Not only was the new 120 mm M329 Kalanit round introduced (a very effective one), as Merkavas also became capable of launching an ATGM designed for MBTs. The Israeli GLATGM dates back to the mid-1980s. The project began due to the specific terrain conditions in Israel, allowing the MBT crews to engage targets at distances exceeding 6 kilometers. LAHAT was born, however, due to the evolution of threats that was happening in the late 1980s. One of the signs was the fact that the neighboring nations started to procure modern MBTs for their own armed forces. The countermeasures were multidimen- sional. Development of new effectors - LAHAT included - was one of the re- sponses here. The weapon differed from its Soviet counterparts significantly. First, the new weaponry was to be universal. Integration across a myriad of platforms was expected, including the air-domain platforms. Secondly, a decision was made to develop a system that could act against the emerging threats using an external targeting feed, meaning that no line of sight was required to be established between the carrier platform, and the target. This greatly expanded the combat capabilities of the weapon. The above partial- ly conditioned the selection of the targeting system - the missile was a la- ser-guided one. This guidance solution has been commonly used in the west - for instance in the case of the Hellfire ATGM. Theoretically, this solution is simpler than the one applied in the case of the beam riders. Furthermore, the target designator may be placed elsewhere, it does not have to accom- pany the launcher. Unfortunately, no solution is perfect. Guidance system as such entails some relevant disadvantages too. First, the target needs to be designated for at least 6 to 10 seconds, which would be enough time for the seeker to find the laser reflection towards which the missile needs to be guided. If the MBT is fitted with a soft-kill active protection system, featuring laser warning receivers and multispectral smoke grenades, the vehicle may be protected. For the Russian Shtora system, the probability ranges from P ~0,58 to P~0,8, depending on conditions. Furthermore, systems as such, in their infancy, were vulnerable to natural disruption caused by fog, dust, or sand. This applies to the early iterations of the US Hellfire missiles. Only 65% of these have hit their targets during Operation Desert Storm. Regard- less of the problems, the potential advantages seemed to outweigh them. This is why LHAT uses this kind of guidance. The new missile had its caliber defined as 104.5 mm. This allowed the missile to be launched through the barrel of a 105 mm MBT gun. This also made it possible to launch the new missile with the use of 120 mm guns. LAHAT is 975 mm long, it weighs 13.5 kilograms when in flight, and it flies at a velocity of 280 meters per second. The seeker has an FOV of 25 degrees with 85 degrees freedom of movement. Realistically, the missile has a range of up to 6 kilometers. Two engagement www.fragoutmag.com

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