Sinclair_76 Posted January 30, 2023 Posted January 30, 2023 (edited) The BLU-97 submunition, present in the CBU-87, CBU-103 and AGM-154A, underperforms in DCS. The BLU-97 is supposed to be a combined effects munition which is able to have effect on air defense radars, armor, artillery, and personnel. Basically it has 3 effects. (https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/blu-97.htm) Anti-armor effect, due to shaped charge able to defeat the top armor of any known tank (edit 1993 document ) (https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA264233.pdf) or 7"/200mm in other pubs linked below. Fragmentation effect, 300 pieces of shrapnel able to penetrate 6 mm steel at 20meters (https://www.clusterconvention.org/files/publications/A-Guide-to-Cluster-Munitions.pdf) Incendiary effect, due to the zirconium ring. As it stands the 4x CBU-87 (808x BLU-97) are not able to defeat a single T-72 in a small cluster, as the included trackfile demonstrates. Further reading: http://googlebordello.crushhumanity.org/projectdoomsday/blu97.html https://bulletpicker.com/bomb_-heat_-blu-97_b_-blu-97a_.html https://tinyurl.com/3h4k2mtu Test-BLU-97-T72.trk Edited January 31, 2023 by Sinclair_76 Clarification 4 4
Sinclair_76 Posted January 31, 2023 Author Posted January 31, 2023 (edited) To further develop the statement Early WW2 shaped charges where able to penetrate 150%-250% of the shaped charge diameter and modern ones up to 700%. (https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/history/show/75257). The BLU-97 shaped charge diame ter is approximately 63.5mm/2.5" (https://www.wikiwand.com/en/BLU-97/B_Combined_Effects_Bomb). So a 200mm RHA penetration would not seem out of the ordinary. (https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA264233.pdf) A T-72 has composite armor and translating RHA to composite is beyond what I am trying to prove. A T-55 however has 30mm armor on top of the turret (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-54/T-55) and the armor is of a cast type turret (http://www.military-today.com/tanks/t55.htm) so a direct translation of RHA would be more reasonable. By all metrics a BLU-97, with a 200mm RHA penetration effect should be able to penetrate the top of a T-55 hull consisting of 30mm cast steel. But in DCS, 1616x BLU-97 are unable to destroy a single T-55 in a small cluster of 9. QED that in DCS the BLU-97 is underperforming. Test-BLU-97-T55.trk Edited January 31, 2023 by Sinclair_76 7
Sinclair_76 Posted May 8, 2023 Author Posted May 8, 2023 In the latest BETA and Open versions the penetration of the BLU-97/B was updated. https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/news/changelog/stable/2.8.4.39731/ https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/news/changelog/openbeta/2.8.4.39731/ Weapon. BLU-97/B penetration warhead and damage effect has increased.
Hobel Posted May 8, 2023 Posted May 8, 2023 It is about Direct Hits That means to be precise: T80U before the patch took 8% damage from a Blu97. Now 10% BMP-2 before 57% now 71% 1
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