About the future company anti-aircraft fire.
In the recent discussion of the synthesis camp, one of the most concentrated points expressed by everyone is:With the development of UAVs, in addition to strengthening the UAV force, the synthetic battalion should also strengthen its own air defense firepower. After all, you must have both a spear and a shield, and you must be able to defend against it if you fight hard.
1. On the configuration of anti-aircraft firepower of composite brigades
In this way, the allocation of anti-aircraft fire is a big question. In particular, the most realistic point is: in addition to the high cost and small number of anti-aircraft missiles, and the directional energy that can only be tested in a small number at present, what kind of anti-aircraft artillery is equipped in the synthetic battalion to block the massive UAV swarm in the future?
In the previous configuration of our army, field air defense mainly relied on anti-aircraft missiles such as Hongqi-7 and Hongqi-17. After the threat of UAVs has increased significantly in recent years, it has been equipped with CS SA5, FK-2000 3000 and other ** systems. In addition, the FM3000, which originally failed to compete with Hongqi 17, staged a classic counterattack case of "export to domestic sales". In the Hongqi-11** system combined with projectiles and artillery, the missile used is the FM-3000 self-use version, coupled with the powerful 1130 close-in defense gun, which firmly occupies the top spot in the short-range air defense of the Air Force. In addition, there is also a "one pit and four bombs" FM-3000 ship version, which can be said to be diverse and has a sound system.
And compared with the anti-aircraft missiles that are blooming in a hundred flowers, the variety of anti-aircraft artillery is relatively small. In the field of army field air defense, brigade air defense battalions are generally equipped with 35-mm anti-aircraft guns, or 25-mm four-barreled artillery combined with air defense systems. Although large and medium-caliber anti-aircraft guns have been tested with 76-mm anti-aircraft guns, they have not been actually equipped. And after realizing the lack of firepower against UAVs, we developed the 625 rotary tube gun.
In this way, a situation has been formed in which the self-developed 25 mm of the antiaircraft artillery series, the Western-style 35 mm, and the Russian-style 30 mm coexist -- the long 30 and Russian 30 of the navy, and the 23 and short 30 of the air force are not counted. Of course, this is not as convenient as the unified use of 30*165 within the Maozi Army, and it is very likely to be simplified. At present, it seems that there is no new model of 35 mm for the time being, and the current focus of development is obviously on the 25 caliber.
So now the question arises: since the brigade air defense battalion is armed with 25 35 anti-aircraft guns, it is even likely that in the future it will be simplified to a 25-mm gun. So at the lower synthetic battalion level or even the company level, what caliber of air defense ** should be equipped?
2. Technical requirements for anti-aircraft artillery of the synthetic battalion:
From the current point of view, this kind of ** needs to meet at least the following requirements:
1.First of all, we need to clarify the upper and lower limits of the caliber.
Since the brigade air defense battalion is 25 guns, then the battalion company anti-aircraft guns will naturally not exceed this upper limit. And due to the 12 of our armyThe 7 machine gun is heavily equipped and can also be used as an anti-aircraft ** if necessary. Therefore, the caliber of this battalion company belongs to the air defense **, which should be in 12Between 7 mm and 25 mm.
2.Then we have to make it clear that rate of fire is king.
In the future, if you want to deal with a large number of UAV swarms, then the battalion and company-level air defense ** should emphasize the rate of fire and be able to project a large amount of ammunition in a short time. Then the conclusion is very simple, so it must be a multi-barreled cannon. Even if you don't engage in a 6-barreled Gatling like the 25 gun, at least a three-barreled rifle gun or a four-barreled parallel gun is a must.
3.The third is that the range should be sufficient.
There are at least two main types of UAV swarms in the future, one is the reconnaissance and calibration UAV, at most there is a function of air-dropping mortar shells. The other is a drone capable of launching various anti-tank missiles and even air-to-surface missiles. It is clear that anti-aircraft guns are mainly against the former, and the latter should be an opponent of anti-aircraft missiles, and far from being able to deal with anti-aircraft guns.
4.The next step is to have as much ammunition as possible
And since it must have an ultra-high rate of fire and deal with a large number of enemy targets, it must also have a large number of ammunition in reserve, and its continuous firing ability must be very strong, so as to build a solid wall of fire for the troops under the advance of the drone swarm.
5.Then there's the relatively low cost and relatively easy maintenance.
From some of the above requirements, it can be seen that the demand for this kind of air defense in the future is massive, and considering the reality of equipment, it is likely to be equipped at the battalion level, and may even be directly delegated to the combat company. In this way, this kind of ** must not be too expensive. Moreover, considering the maintenance capacity of the grassroots company, it needs to be as simple as possible. If you take these factors into account, it is better to have a mature caliber that you already have.
6.Finally, it is necessary to be multi-skilled.
And a kind of ** that is delegated to grassroots companies naturally cannot be single-functional, and in addition to air defense, it also needs to be able to participate in land warfare. And it is better to be able to get out of the car and fight when necessary, in addition to the normal function of anti-aircraft artillery flat fire, and even hide ambushes at key points to ambush the enemy's passing UAVs and even ground forces.
So if you consider these requirements comprehensively, the choice of ** is very difficult. To put it simply, we want to recruit a group of suitable handymen with strong ability, infinite strength, long output, both able to embroider in the sky and hunting on the ground, and durable and low salary requirements. From the point of view of the capitalist bosses, it is simply to write "insatiable" on the face. With such a capable worker, who will serve you?
3. Who is the most suitable?
Okay, okay, no kidding, let's get serious. Since the boss's request has been put forward, we have to do our best in human resources, and we have to find people and recruit them to use them well. So what do you need to pay attention to in the recruitment process?
The first is the choice of caliber. If it is necessary to be between 25 mm and 12.If you choose between 7 mm, then you first need to choose one of two routes: that is, are we developing a new caliber? Or do you stick with the old equipment? Depending on the route chosen, the cost, process and result are naturally completely different.
If we want to develop a new caliber, let's take 12The middle of 7 and 25, i.e. 127+25=37.7/2=18.85 mm. At present, it seems that none of the ** teams have this caliber. The most similar shells such as *102 are not mass-produced by us. If we want to start from scratch and recreate a new caliber system, it will obviously not be able to meet the basic requirements of low cost, low cost, large quantity, and full management.
Therefore, judging from the current reality and the scale of air defense equipment at the battalion and company level, it is an inevitable choice to use the ready-made caliber that our army already has. And in this 12Between 7-25, we already have 23mm and 145 mm two calibers. So if you think about it all things in the future, the future battalion and company-level air defense ** caliber, it should be one of these two. But this question is easy on the surface, but in reality it is not something that can be explained in a few words.
First of all, the 23 mm caliber alone can actually be divided into 23*152, old 23*115, new 23*115 and other different varieties according to the length of the cartridge. And 23*152 is heavier, which obviously does not meet our needs, so it should be eliminated as the first one. And the old 23*115 is obviously backward and should not be taken into account. Then what we have to consider now is the new 23 * 115 artillery shell - this kind of artillery shell also has the advantage that it can be used with the armed *** artillery shell of the army aviation, which greatly facilitates logistics.
And very coincidentally, this 23-mm anti-aircraft gun and 14.5 Anti-aircraft machine guns, although of different types and calibers, are actually twins of the same mother. In fact, the two were made with the same cartridge and a different warhead. In this way, both shells are 115 and 114 mm in height, the maximum diameter is the same 27 mm, and the shell capacity is the same 4253 cubic centimeters, likewise capable of holding up to 31 grams of propellant.
From the point of view of performance, this so-called 23*115 new bullet reduces the weight of the warhead from 200 grams of the old bullet to about 175 grams, the muzzle velocity is 720 kilometers per second, the muzzle kinetic energy is 45 kilojoules, and the weight of the full bullet is about 315 grams (different types of bullets). As for this 14The 5mm anti-aircraft machine gun bullet fires a warhead of about 64 grams, because the weight of the bullet is reduced, the muzzle velocity is correspondingly increased to more than 976 meters per second, and the muzzle kinetic energy is also 30At the level of 7-35 kJ, the weight of the full bullet is reduced to about 200 grams.
As can be seen from these technical indicators, the 23-mm anti-aircraft gun and 14.The route of the 5-mm anti-aircraft machine gun, in fact, was the same as that of the American 762*51 changed to 6The 8*51 bullet is the same as the result of directly replacing the lighter warhead on the basis of the same cartridge. This allows for a lower weight in exchange for better invasiveness.
If we take into account that drones tend to have low protection, then 14The 5mm machine gun bullet reduces the weight by a third, which is undoubtedly more powerful. These 100 rounds of 23-mm shells occupy a transport force that can transport at least 160 rounds of 145 mm cartridges. And at the time of anti-aircraft firing, 30 rounds of accurate fire 145 bullets, then the effectiveness of 12 rounds of 23 shells is about the same, and the damage distance is not much different.
That is, under all equal conditions, 14The 5 machine gun is not only lighter in weight, has more ammunition, has stronger sustained combat capability, and does not lag behind in basic performance, which is undoubtedly very suitable for equipping at the battalion and company level.
Fourth, the future battalion company is accompanied by the idea of air defense
So at the moment, it seems that it is necessary for our army to be equipped with a new type of 14The 5 turn-tube machine gun, installed on the roof of the armored transport vehicle at the battalion headquarters and company headquarters of the composite battalion, is used as the last field accompanying air defense force at the battalion and company level in conjunction with the individual anti-aircraft missiles of the lower battalion.
And in addition to that, these 145 machine guns can also be equipped with special new armor-piercing bullets, using the advantages of the charge of large cartridges, after the use of new tungsten carbide bullet cores, it can play a better armor-piercing effect and be used to combat ground armored vehicles。It is important to know that most of the current light and medium armored vehicles have no more than a defensive 12 of their frontal armor bulletproofThe grade of the 7mm machine gun is easy to be 145 machine guns pierced as soon as they were stabbed.
And even if the main equipment of the medium-sized brigade of the US army is the "Stryker" armored car, its armor protection is only 7 meters within 100 meters of all-direction defense62mm full-power rifle cartridge with 12 key parts to protect against 12Shooting of 7 mm machine gun shells only. Even after being strengthened with armor, "Stryker" was able to defend in all directions12With 7 mm bullets, the key points can be protected against the fire of guns of caliber up to 23 mm - and if widely equipped with 14With 5 machine guns and new armor-piercing shells, these armored vehicles were also dangerous under a dense high rate of fire. Judging from the example of the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield, even the excellent protection ability of the main battle tank may be detonated by a large number of machine shells, damage the observation and sighting equipment, and eventually become deaf and blind.
So at the moment, it seems that if you can equip 145 turn-tube machine guns, then it will be able to fight not only light and medium UAVs, intercept cruise missiles, but also light and even heavy armored vehicles, and penetrate the usual field bunkers. The weight of 200 grams per shot can also be greatly reduced to 150 grams after the use of plastic shells. As a result, the bomb load will be significantly increased and will be sufficient to meet the requirements for countering saturation strikes.
And since 145 This caliber has been around for a long time, its production lines are ready-made, and the production process is more mature, so its production cost will be very cheap. If it is installed on the new unmanned turret, under the guidance of the new precision fire control, its lethal effect will be very amazing, and its use cost is much lower than that of the 625 gun.
The most critical is something like 145 machine guns, in fact, there are already finished products. The three-barreled CS LM16 type 14The theoretical maximum rate of fire of the 5-mm Gatling machine gun is 1,800 rounds, of which the rate of fire of a single barrel is 600 rounds, the cartridge box capacity is 200 rounds, and the maximum firing distance can reach 2,500 meters. In the future, if you can equip a large number of them, you can even replace the 12 that cannot be touched by mines on the tank with it7. If the aircraft is high, the threat of drones on the battlefield in the future will undoubtedly be much smaller.
Now the only problem, in addition to penetrating the vast majority of armored vehicles, 145 can do 12The 7 machine gun can also be done, and its bullet of about 131 grams is lighter, less costly, and more equipped. Especially after the adoption of plastic shells, 127 bullets can be reduced to 100 gramsIf equipped 127 Rotary machine guns such as the CS LM5 will weigh 240 kg, the rate of fire can reach 2000 rounds per minute, the range is 1500 meters, and the cartridge capacity is 400 rounds. In addition to being slightly inferior in range and power, the overall performance is also acceptable.
And from the point of view of obsessive-compulsive disorder, from about 13 grams to 58 bullets、To 12 of around 100 grams7 bullets, and then 690 shells of about 25 grams, the difference in each level is about 7 times, which is undoubtedly very in line with the balanced aesthetics. Therefore, from the consideration of the whole system, it seems that there is no need to make extraneous branches at present, and then make a 200 grams (plastic shell is likely to be around 150 grams) about 145 caliber.
Of course, there are different opinions on this matter, and you think that you will re-equip 145 turn-tube machine guns are better, or directly use the existing ultralight 127 machine guns, and a large number of armaments 127 Rotary tube machine gun is more reasonable?