I did say that that 1000mm effective armor really only applies to HEAT, due to the nature of composite armor it is particularly effective against those kind of projectiles. I just can't see the 99A in that kind of weight class to have that much effective armor against kinetic projectiles.
It's a mantel cover. It keeps debris out of the turret allowing for the tanks gun to traverse with out debris. Some western tanks like the M60 also used fabric covers.Can someone explain why the Chinese still use rubber/cloth to cover the gun root? Can't they produce something fixed like western tanks?
Nevertheless I think [1000+ VS AP] is something extraordinary thoughThe statement the tank commander makes is vague, but example 1050mm Vs AP and 1800mm vs HEAT is still valid as both AP and HEAT protection is in excess of 1000mm.
It's a mantel cover. It keeps debris out of the turret allowing for the tanks gun to traverse with out debris. Some western tanks like the M60 also used fabric covers.
The mantel is attached to the gun directly. Back in world war 2 and post war tanks it was the thickest armor on in the tank but as gun stabilizers and fire control systems moved more and more the norm that weight became a problem. So they reduced the weight and size of the opening shrinking the mantel. Now for an Abrams a armored mantel is not an issue as the turret is very large and sits with a lot of space to elevate and depress. On Russian tanks and Chinese tanks they sacrifice size and range of elevation. So a large fixed mentlet gets in the way.
Besides it's a relivtivly small target.