IFV cannon launched guided missile. Capable of taking down airborne targets
Chinese infantry fighting vehicles
- Thread starter Broccoli
- Start date
Guys, what do you think about the ZBD-04A's guns? Do you think the 30mm autocannon + 100mm low-pressure gun combination is a good idea? How does it compare with say, 40-50mm autocannon + externally mounted ATGMs? I'm concerned that the 30mm wouldn't be sufficient to handle the trend of heavier armored IFVs which can handle 30mm autocannons as standard. The gun-launched ATGM can obviously handle those, but externally mounted ATGMs can be both bigger and more powerful, threatening modern MBTs. Also, why waste an ATGM when your autocannon can handle the enemy IFV? On the flip side, I expect the 100mm HE to be much more powerful, but at the expense of the ammunition capacity.
Also, if you think the current combination is good, does it have airburst 100mm round? I expect that would be useful but costly, so I'm not sure if PLA had asked for anything like that to be developed, considering they're the penny-pinching branch RN.
Also, if you think the current combination is good, does it have airburst 100mm round? I expect that would be useful but costly, so I'm not sure if PLA had asked for anything like that to be developed, considering they're the penny-pinching branch RN.
Both yes and no. APS will render the ATGMs useless, as long as they remain operational. How to disable it? I expect a quick burst of autocannon fire to be able to disable any APS on the current market, especially their vulnerable radars used for target/threat acquisition. That same burst might also disable most/all of the target's optics, which will mission kill it. Then ATGM comes into play if the autocannon hasn't solved the problem already.
The most important bit will be to see first and fire first.
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I'm fairly certain that 30mm APDS rounds can shred IFVs by themselves. Below is a 30x170mm round of the Rarden IFV for size comparison, versus a 556. That's almost the same size round that the A-10's Avenger cannon uses (which is slightly longer.)
The whole point of ATGMs is the range they provide. Otherwise, ATGMs are slow as hell and susceptible to countermeasures. There's no reason to use them if you're within 30mm range... Well, unless you're dealing with a modern tank... but in that case you'd probably be dead anyway.
TerraN_EmpirE
Tyrant King
That would depend on the build of the vehicle. Most Modern IFV have modular armor across the frontal arch that is rated to stop 30mm rounds. Heavy IFV have also begun appearing on the scene. These are built on Tank hulls and offer protection against medium caliber threats.
On APS vs ATGM, it depends. On both sides of the coin here. Not all APC are crated equal and not all ATGM are to. Like all it’s the never ending battle of the Better Defense vs the better offense. So a top of the line modern APS will be more effective vs previous generation ATGM. However top of the line ATGM of a newer generation will likely have a better chance of getting through.
On APS vs ATGM, it depends. On both sides of the coin here. Not all APC are crated equal and not all ATGM are to. Like all it’s the never ending battle of the Better Defense vs the better offense. So a top of the line modern APS will be more effective vs previous generation ATGM. However top of the line ATGM of a newer generation will likely have a better chance of getting through.
Are both IFVs in the picture prototypes or just the green one? The sand colored one looks like a mix between ZBD-04A-ish hull and ZBD-03 turret, so maybe its an updated airborne IFV prototype? For the green one it looks like a ZBD-04A that has ditched the BMP-3 turret for something more like Singapore's new Hunter IFV turret with probably 35-50mm autocannon. Maybe PLAGF starts experimenting with heavier unmanned turret from just RWS?
Just the dark green one. The one with the desert camo is in a ZBD-03 I think.