Combat damage assessment team A-10/GAU-8 Low angle firings versus simulated Soviet tank company (Array 20) : (aerojet lot number AJD 79A181-001) (19 September 1979)

摘要

This report describes firings of the A-10/GAU-8 weapon system on 19 September 1979 against a Soviet tank company simulated by 10 combat loaded M-47 tanks. The pilots making the firing passes attacked at low altitude and used correspondingly low dive angles in order to simulate movement through a hostile air defense system. Ammunition used in the attacks comprised Aerojet Lot Number AJD 79A181-001 30mm armor piercing incendiary (API) rounds, which proved to be effective damage agents against substantial areas of the U.S M-47 tanks used as targets. The pilots in ten successful firing passes expended a total of 1349 rounds of which 243 impacted the targets. Of the projectiles impacting on target, 42 achieved perforations of the armored envelope. The simulated soviet tank company was destroyed as a combat formation with seven tanks being totally immobilized immediately. One additional tank would have been immobilized immediately. One additional tank would have been immobilized after approximately 500 meters of further movement. Among those eight tanks noted above as immobilized, three suffered catastrophic damage from perforating projectile which penetrated into the fuel tanks and ignited diesel fuel. (Author)