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Cannot kill tank (T-72) with GAU-8 Gun


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You're forgetting real the big killer - CBUs. CBU-97 really is an MBT-eating monster it is in DCS (in fact, I suspect it's even better IRL), and before that, Rockeyes and other types of antitank cluster bombs were in common use. In fact, even the artillery uses such munitions, this is the real reason they remain so deadly against armor, despite advances in mobility and protection.

 

It belongs to "other A-G ordinance". And they are effective, but again just to the point. As to get a mission kill for a MBT doesn't really demand much because all vulnerable parts outside the armor.

That is the reason why GAU-8 should be feared, not so that they kill crew or so, but if one destroy cannon, optics or engine, it is a mission kill.

 

But in DCS we do not have the realistic scenarios where A-10 is going against MBT's as it will be shot down faster than it gets to consider did a pilot hit an target. Maverick is not enough, CBU is not enough, the A-10 is just not to the task. Why Hornets.

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Well, in that case, you'd have to put "other A-G ordnance" in front of artillery. A CBU-97 strike can destroy an entire battalion in one pass. The A-10 was designed to be used against large Soviet tank formations, something they previously wanted to use nukes for. It's far more effective than trying to hit a fast-moving MBT formation with artillery.

 

GAU-8 is not a weapon suited for use against modern tanks, though. Yes, you can scratch some of its optics off, or a thread, but you'll be exposed to AA gunfire the whole time, by the time you get close enough to ensure good hits, they'd have shot your engines out. The tanks' HMGs might be a little too accurate in DCS, but ground fire is a serious threat IRL, too. Tanks, and anything that can shoot back, are meant to be dealt with by CBUs.

 

Mavs are another story entirely, and they're primarily good for standoff, when you need to clear out some air defenses before making your run with CBUs. They're solid anti-armor weapons, but their biggest selling point is the range advantage.

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Well, in that case, you'd have to put "other A-G ordnance" in front of artillery.

 

The artillery has done more tank kills than any other weapon type (or arm).

And it is not in the other order than artillery is still in the history the deadliest weapon of all.

 

The tanks' HMGs might be a little too accurate in DCS, but ground fire is a serious threat IRL, too.

 

The anti-air fire in the DCS is not even semi-realistic. What makes it so super easy to just out maneuver most of them as AI will try to hit you, instead try to get you to hit their shells.

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The artillery has done more tank kills than any other weapon type (or arm).

That's only because it's been around for a long time, and most wars in history didn't involve the A-10. For the ones that did involve it... well, in Gulf War, Iraqis lost about 3300 tanks. The A-10 is credited with over 900 tank kills during the conflict. Almost one third of them. Just one type of plane did all that, and it wasn't the only aircraft operating out there, the Hornets, Vipers, Mudhens, Apaches and all the rest all had their share, too. I'd expect the total to be well over 50%, and that's before you start counting US tanks and infantry with AT weapons. I'm not sure how reliable those numbers are (some people would call a BMP-1 a tank), but either way, that's a huge chunk. The F-111 accounted for further 1500 armored vehicles, though this number involves non-tank ones, too. 2400 "armored" kills between two airframes is a lot, and quite frankly, I don't think the Coalition arty can top that.

 

Air power is almost just like artillery, only with relaxed range limitations, much greater accuracy, and very short time from launch to impact. Vulnerability to air defense is a small price to pay, and there are ways of dealing with that (JSOWs, Mavs and HARMs). And the A-10 is one of the most heavily optimized anti-tank aircraft out there, with the ability to not only carry a lot of CBU-97s, but also enough maneuverability to deploy them right, and also a few Mavs to kill off any SHORAD that might be lurking nearby.

 

BTW, DCS AA fire is too good, not too bad. IRL, AA gunfire without radar guidance is very inaccurate, it's really hard to estimate the (constantly changing) range and speed of a fast-moving aircraft with just an optical sight. Your best bet is to spray around and hope for a hit, DCS AI seems to be able to guess the right amount of lead every time. The AI does lead you, and will kill you if you're careless, but the fact remains, at the distances they usually shoot at, if you see the tracers come at you, a small change in G is all it takes to dodge the whole burst. Even the radar-guided guns can be dealt with that way, they can track and actually aim at you without guesswork, but they don't have a crystal ball in there to tell them what you're about to do.


Edited by Dragon1-1
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