Can't Kill a T-80 with the Gun

I know there have been discussions in the past about this topic...like this:

https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=183785&highlight=gau-8+damage+model

But, I can't seem to put a scratch on one of these guys with the gun. Any advice or is this a damage model thing?

I've attached the track and a TacView showing HUNDREDS of hits..WTF over? :-)

Thanks guys!

UnkillableTankA10.trk

Tacview-20180303-143517-DCS-A10TankBustRunwayGunPractice.zip

For what it's worth, I recently did some gun runs against T-55s. Of the three tanks there, I only got one of them with the gun before getting fed up and putting Mavericks into the other two :P TacView shows the vast majority of my rounds hit on the rear quarter using a dive angle of 30-35 degrees (that could do with being a touch steeper but it should get the job done)

Attack them from the rear, where they have the thinnest armor. Then you'll be able to kill one with a short burst.

Interesting read.

Summary: The GAU-8 is not enough to destroy modern battle tanks. M-47 tanks used simulating T-62. Some destroyed, some damaged, some not even perforated at all. Imaging modern tanks like a Merkava, T-80, T-90 or Abrams.

http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a522397.pdf

Interesting read.

 

Summary: The GAU-8 is not enough to destroy modern battle tanks. M-47 tanks used simulating T-62. Some destroyed, some damaged, some not even perforated at all. Imaging modern tanks like a Merkava, T-80, T-90 or Abrams.

 

http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a522397.pdf

This guy's give angle was super low, like 3-5°. And the BDAs show he was getting in the side.

If you hit tanks from the top at a high dive angle, the gun should be much more effective, even if only getting a mobility kill.

In that interview over teamspeak a few years ago will the a-10 pilot Ollie, he mentioned killing tanks with an average of two hits. Not sure how old those tanks we're, but it gives you an idea of just how powerful that gun is.

No doubt the gun is very very powerful. And is able to kill medium tanks with high angles and shooting from behind and on top the tanks.

But, modern main battle tanks in a modern scenario i dont think so.

How many tanks against a modern army protected with SAM´s ( IR-Manpads-Radar Short-Medium ) can an A-10C would kill with the gun only?

This is why the modern PGM suits are for, GBU-GBU-MAVS outside short SAM envelope,to destroy MBT.

Even without that SAM protection i seriously doubt the GAU-8 can destroy a modern tank like Merkava, Abrams-T-90. Maybe only top shots or rear shots from very high dive angle.

Thanks for the replies. I've been coming in from a fairly steep angle behind the tank. In subsequent tests after the posted track, it's the same thing. I took unlimited ammo and really tried to be super accurate and then just let 'em have it...it took about 1590 hits to kill a T-80 from the rear.

On the other hand, one 2 second burst kills a BTR-80 (131 hits).

It's making me feel inadequate!

It depends on what you call "destroy" the GAU - 8 will quite easily disable any modern tank. Well Anything you put in front of it.:cry:

This comes down to implementing a better damage model for the units in DCS, which I do hope for down the track, perhaps after it's sorted out and implemented for the ww2 birds.:)

Can an A-10 Warthog airplane take down an advanced Russian tank, like a T-90, with its Gatling gun alone? Answer from A-10 Pilot

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Thats one good point.

Disable a tank is as much valuable as destroying it so, yes, the GAU-8 is still powerful BUT... in a modern enviroment, very dangerous, taking in count other stand off weapons you can use to kill that targets.

For Afghanistan insurgent combat, its perfect.

Thats one good point.

 

Disable a tank is as much valuable as destroying it so, yes, the GAU-8 is still powerful BUT... in a modern enviroment, very dangerous, taking in count other stand off weapons you can use to kill that targets.

 

For Afghanistan insurgent combat, its perfect.

Absolutely the best weapon on the battlefield for close air support, with it's ammo count and accuracy, there mad to retire this weapon when you have boots on the ground.

Don't get this close tho.:cry:

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Just killed T80U with Avenger, yes it can be done but takes 2 passes with long accurate bursts.:joystick:

So, I've been practicing this a bit since I started the thread, and YES, you can kill a T-80. I found the best way to do it is a STEEP dive to punch holes in the top and to get VERY close before you fire. I was able to kill 2 tanks with a full load of ammo which is way better than yesterday.

I will say that trying to kill tanks with the gun makes the APC look like a piece of cake one short burst and buh buy!

Thanks for posting the video, pretty scary.

It's a weapon that uses Uranium, depleted or not, they should ban such ammunition.

Testicle cancer among young service men servicing the aircraft.... can't say more.

For DCS, yes, its a simulation. In RL, no as we are not the last generation that wants to live here.

It's a weapon that uses Uranium, depleted or not, they should ban such ammunition.

Testicle cancer among young service men servicing the aircraft.... can't say more...

I would suggest some further reading. Depleted uranium (DU) is less than half the Ur-235 (the actual radioactive component) levels of naturally occurring uranium ore. It is in fact commercially used as a radiation shield in commercial applications (most commonly in iridium imaging practices).

No study to date has shown any associated increased rate of cancer is service persons handling DU. There is some scant evidence it may be associated with birth defects. More research is needed to understand the extent of this fully, but it appears to be an extremely small increase if present.

The only research suggesting cancer potential is laboratory (test tube/petri dish) studies in bone marrow precursor cells show a possible (not clear and certain) propensity towards leukemic transformation. Remember, test tube and petri dish studies are the are the same ones where diet soda causes pancreatic cancer, cell phones and radio transmission give you brain cancer, microwaves are cancer ovens, and steroid injections give you knee arthritis. None of these actually bear out to be true once put in to a whole person context.

Also remember that the primary concern is with aerosolized particles, which are associated with the weaponized employement is DU munitions. This is a bigger concern for the infantryman on the ground in the AO than the munitions loader.

This is not to say that DU munitions are completely safe. However, research has been done and these are not clearly a horrific health risk. Continued research to better understand them is of course needed. But one should not succumb to buzzword hysteria. Despite the name uranium, these are the furthest thing from nuclear/radioactive weapons and are in fact less radioactive than the naturally occurring form (which needs extensive refinement to be used in nuclear weapons)

IRL DU isn't used anymore only Tungsten from what I know.