Combat damage assessment team A-10/GAU-8 low angle firings versus individual Soviet tanks (February-March 1978)
By: R. H. S. Stolfi, J. E. Clemens, R. R. McEachin
Contributors: Clemens, J.E.; McEachin, R.R.; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Publisher: Naval Postgraduate School
Published: 1979
Place of publication: Monterey, California
Language: eng
Subjects: Aerial Projectiles; Antitank guns; Air warfare; Tanks (Military science)
Description: This report describes firings of the A-10/GAU-8 weapon system against individual combat loaded Soviet main battle tanks. The pilots making the firing passes attacked at low altitude and corresponding low dive angles simulating movement through a hostile air defense system. Ammunition used in the attacks comprised 30mm armor piercing incendiary rounds, which proved to be effective damage agents against substantial areas of the Soviet T-62 tanks used as targets. The pilots in six successful firing passes (one additional pass resulted in a miss) scored 95 impacts on target, which included 17 perforations through the armored envelope. The six tanks which were impacted received damage physically assessed as ranging from catastrophic in the case of two combat vehicles to negligible in the case of one tank attacked directly from the front. (Author)
Notes: Title from cover.

"Prepared for: A-10 System Program Office, Wright Patterson Air Force Base"--Cover.

"August 1979"--Cover.

"NPS-56-79-005"--Cover.

"Special report for period February - March 1978."

DTIC Identifiers: A-10 aircraft, T-62 tanks.

Author(s) key words: Automatic cannon ammunition, GAU-8 cannon, A-10 aircraft, main battle tank (MBT), empirical testing, combat stowed targets, gun ammunition lethality, MBT vulnerability and survivability.

"Approved for public release; distribution unlimited"--Cover.

Technical report; January 1979.

kmc/kmc 9/30/09.