TOW the most feared low altitude air defense?

[GGTharos]

Personally I think the TOW tracks a little too slow in the game - as do most other wire guided /whatever other CLOS guidance/ missiles ... it's too easy to slowly side-step them.

 

That's just me though.

[Ulrich]

I think the strangest thing that has me most terrified out there is the T-72 MBT's 122mm gun. I've never read of a tank actually using its main gun to shoot at/down helicopters, but i'll be dog goned if they didn't do that to me on multiple occasions. Lets just say I employ the hell out of some standoff. If i'm closer than 7-ish km from any enemy, i'm not a happy camper.

 

Brad

 

Tank shooting at helicopter is a standart training procedure. Helicopter is the main enemy of a tank at the battle field and it will be surely count as a high-priority target.

[Mxyzpylk]

Some good tips here. And, thanks to those with real world experience for sharing some of it with us.

[fox_111]

I think tank canister rounds are mainly for helicopters... I saw them devastating a firing range and dropping a wide path of targets, it would be devastating on a chopper.

 

As for the TOWs and other anti-tank or general purpos guided missils, I try to give them an intermitent target at worst, no LOS at best. I generally don't have problem with them unless I screwed something.

 

When there is no blue airforce (ennemy) or SAM threads, I keep my altitude high so tanks and other ground weapons are less of a threat. And flares are only effective when you have some manuvering room to drop them to defeat IR missils.

[Fishu]

I think tank canister rounds are mainly for helicopters... I saw them devastating a firing range and dropping a wide path of targets, it would be devastating on a chopper.

 

Canister rounds have a limited range and armor piercing capability. It's basically a shotgun with 120mm barrel - highly effective against uncovered soft skinned targets at closer range. Though, choppers will be flying too far and the ones begging to be shot at usually have armour to withstand the pellets at any realistic engagement range.

[Flanker15]

Regarding the TOW, the Bradley has only two ready rounds, after that it would require a lengthy manual reload. Also I believe that the TOW can only be fired and guided from a standstill vehicle (one of the SBP players please confirm this). I guess stuff like this will be improved over time.

 

Yes that's correct, 2 shots then you have to reload by turning the turret off at an odd angle so the launcher is over the rear compartment roof hatch. Then someone has to manually load another 2 shots.

You also do have to fire from a stationary deployed posistion, which requires some time to extend the launcher and driving around with the launcher deployed is big no-no too!

You also can't fire them over water or around trees and as you increase the elevation you're aiming over 0o the max range sharply drops.

 

Alternativly you have the wireless laser controlled AT-11 fired from T-72/T-90s which has none of these restrictions and travels at a higher velocity.

 

Also you can jam TOW missiles like all IR controlled SACLOS missiles, the Russians have IR jammers on their tanks sometimes and the USMC sticks them on their M1A1s (little box mounted on the front left of the turret roof, the Russian jammer is the very obvious "eyes" on the T-90). They just send out a IR strobe which messes with the guidence computer in the launcher (it can't determine the missiles location in relation to the crosshair), sending the missile off in some random direction. Ofcourse they don't work on laser controlled missiles.

(Important to note these jammers are different than IR seeker missle jammers, which blind the IR seeker head on the missile.)

 

With cannister rounds, they are pretty ineffective against helicopters. In SB you need to be very (too) close to hit a chopper with one and then the little balls will generally bounce off. Don't know about larger fletchet shells, but I would definatly choose a MPAT or another airburst shell over one (SABOT works well too!).

Edited December 25, 2008 by Flanker15

[AlphaOneSix]

Also you can jam TOW missiles like all IR controlled SACLOS missiles

 

???

 

TOW is wire guided.

[MiG-77]

???

 

TOW is wire guided.

 

Yes, but if you read carefully Flankers post, you see that jammer jams launcher itself. Launcher cant guide missile well if it dont "see" missile that it is trying to guide. Only quidance commands are sent in wire.

[AlphaOneSix]

Gotcha, need to work on my reading comprehension...thanks for the clarification.