Anti-tank missile video

[phavoc]

Here's a video of a TOW 2B (or that's what someone claims the missile is) utterly destroying a T-72 tank at a missile range: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daAntoKDvSg&feature=g-logo&context=G27f85c6FOAAAAAAACAA

Ignore some of the silly comments... But it's a reminder that an infantryman or squad can kill a tank if given the chance. It should almost be a rule-of-thumb that if you get a hit with a anti-tank missile of the same or greater TL, roll for your kill shot.

 

[Rick]

Unfortunately a TOW2B is NOT an infantry squad weapon - it is a heavy 2nd or 3rd generation ATGW mounted on specialist AT units or used by specialist infantry AT sections. A squad-level ATGW is generally lighter (smaller warhead) and easier to carry - which means that although a squad can carry it and reloads as part of their kit, it would be more difficult to defeat MBT armour with it.

 

[Beastttt]

Javelin would be the weapon of choice in this case and it can kill an M-1(any variant) with a top shot

 

[Rick]

Javelin would be the weapon of choice in this case and it can kill an M-1(any variant) with a top shot

Agreed - Javelin is a very good ATGM, but still has a few faults - It's 'fire and forget' system is a good idea, but without any mid-course correction from the user could be distracted by flares (possibly VIRSS smoke) or ground hot-spots (it uses thermal sights only to track a target). Plus it's a heavy system and needs anywhere from 30s to a minute from set-up and switch on to acquiring a target - not a reactive weapon, it's an ambush weapon.

 

[phavoc]

Unfortunately a TOW2B is NOT an infantry squad weapon - it is a heavy 2nd or 3rd generation ATGW mounted on specialist AT units or used by specialist infantry AT sections. A squad-level ATGW is generally lighter (smaller warhead) and easier to carry - which means that although a squad can carry it and reloads as part of their kit, it would be more difficult to defeat MBT armour with it.

True. Lugging around a 22kg missile, 4ft long missile would suck. Not to mention the rest of the launch equipment (tripod, launch tube, etc). I suppose one could lug one around in a five-man squad, but it wouldn't be practical.

 

[Beastttt]

Infantry vs armor almost always is an ambush situation if it is to succeed
and if a tank knows where the AT team is it is going to get priority vs infantry with rifles and grenades on who it engages
Infantry's goal vs a tank is to have the tank looking the wrong way so it can whack it with the big hammer
this is why infantry goes with armor into battles
when you have a long range battle where TOWs and Javelins can shine it is because infantry has a much easier time hiding compared to vehicles and attacking

Javelin would be the weapon of choice in this case and it can kill an M-1(any variant) with a top shot

Agreed - Javelin is a very good ATGM, but still has a few faults - It's 'fire and forget' system is a good idea, but without any mid-course correction from the user could be distracted by flares (possibly VIRSS smoke) or ground hot-spots (it uses thermal sights only to track a target). Plus it's a heavy system and needs anywhere from 30s to a minute from set-up and switch on to acquiring a target - not a reactive weapon, it's an ambush weapon.

 

[Rick]

Beastttt - forgive me for this but I'm going to be completely pedantic on one line:

this is why infantry goes with armor into battles

Infantry go with tanks into battle to protect the tanks from enemy infantry - same relationship greek psiloi had with the phalanx centuries ago. On the other hand, as far as US Mechanised Infantry are concerned, they are riding specialist ATGW vehicles (Bradleys) - soon as they get near trouble, the infantry get kicked out to do their thing and the Bradleys go looking for tanks to kill! Because the TOW is almost exclusively used on vehicles, it's almost as hard to hide as a tank - personally if you have a battle where your TOW's, javelins and tanks shine it's where your weapons simply outrange the opposition - which (after a long and rambling path) is the whole idea of a heavy ATGW - it outranges a tank gun and can defeat tank armour.

 

[Beastttt]

that line was in refernce to the sentence above it

Beastttt - forgive me for this but I'm going to be completely pedantic on one line:

this is why infantry goes with armor into battles

Infantry go with tanks into battle to protect the tanks from enemy infantry - same relationship greek psiloi had with the phalanx centuries ago. On the other hand, as far as US Mechanised Infantry are concerned, they are riding specialist ATGW vehicles (Bradleys) - soon as they get near trouble, the infantry get kicked out to do their thing and the Bradleys go looking for tanks to kill! Because the TOW is almost exclusively used on vehicles, it's almost as hard to hide as a tank - personally if you have a battle where your TOW's, javelins and tanks shine it's where your weapons simply outrange the opposition - which (after a long and rambling path) is the whole idea of a heavy ATGW - it outranges a tank gun and can defeat tank armour.

 

[locarno24]

Concur. The infanty "Rocket Launcher" is not much beyond the contemporary RPG - certainly something you don't want to get hit with but equally certainly not something to rely on when facing an MBT.

Hell, it's not even something to rely on when facing a guy in Battle Dress.


The equivalent of the TOW missile is something more like the vehicle manual TAC missiles.