American howitzers have learned to shoot down cruise missiles

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On September 3, the US Air Force conducted an exercise simulating a conflict with Russia at the White Sands training ground in New Mexico. During the training, the work of the improved ABMS combat system was demonstrated. According to Breaking Defense, the latter allowed the adapted M109 Paladin howitzer to successfully hit the BQM-167 Skeeter air target, which mimics a Russian cruise missile.

According to General Glen Van Herk, ongoing exercises have confirmed that AI-based software systems are capable of providing clear guidance on how to fight formidable adversaries such as Russia and China. US Air Force Purchasing Director Will Roper was also pleased with the new development. The functionary was especially delighted with the process of shooting down a potential enemy missile with a high-speed projectile capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 5.



It is worth noting that in addition to the 155-millimeter Paladin, the F-16 fighter and the MQ-9 Reaper strike drone participated in the exercises, which were also able to successfully hit the BQM-167 Skeeter target with AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles.

Recall that in 2018, the commander of the US Air Force in Europe Jeffrey Harrigan mentioned that the Pentagon is actively collecting data on the Russian military technology in Syria. A year later, he announced that the US military had a plan to break through the air defense of Kaliningrad.
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  1. +1
    7 September 2020 17: 34
    American howitzers have learned to shoot down cruise missiles

    - Ha .., this howitzer that ... - will stand and twist its barrel in anticipation that it is about to fly over (and fly almost directly at it a cruise missile) ??? - And then in a split second calculate all the parameters for hitting the target ??? - Yes, even a helicopter can be shot down from this howitzer; let alone .....................
  2. 0
    7 September 2020 23: 32
    In my opinion, he drank and begging for money for obvious nonsense.
  3. 0
    7 September 2020 23: 53
    - And near flying comets ?!
  4. +1
    8 September 2020 03: 02
    The howitzer round is similar to the FGM Javelin missile.
    A howitzer can simply throw a missile-projectile high, then the missile itself turns on.
    The target intercepts as well as the THAAD warheads.
    1. 0
      8 September 2020 10: 44
      The howitzer round is similar to the FGM Javelin missile.
      A howitzer can simply throw a missile-projectile high, then the missile itself turns on.
      The target intercepts as well as the THAAD warheads.

      - What??? Are you talking about the "smoothbore howitzer", or what ?? - Yes, such a "smooth-bore howitzer" a normal projectile will not throw more than 5-7 km ... - Who needs such a howitzer ... - it's easier (and cheaper) to use a mortar ...
      - Maybe one thing ... - or precisely cover targets with artillery fire at a great distance (this is a rifled gun) ... - or shoot missiles (this is a smoothbore) .. - And at the same time, and this does not work. .. -and it turns out ...- "not two and not one and a half" ...
      - Our tanks were equipped with smooth-bore artillery (this is some kind of sheer betrayal ... - And there is no need to refer to foreign tanks) ... - so they can't hit the target from their smooth-bore guns at a distance of even 1 km .. . - firing into the white light as a pretty penny ...
      - And the German tigers (T-VI) almost 80 years ago (during the Second World War); having neither thermal imagers nor sophisticated electronic sights; but having just excellent Zeiss optics and powerful rifled guns ... - they easily destroyed our tanks at a distance of 1 - 1,5 - 2 km (which is very, very regrettable) ...
      - I will repeat myself (I already wrote about this) ... - I personally do not understand at all ... - how could it happen that today all our tanks are equipped with smooth-bore guns ... - This is some kind of sheer sabotage ... - You can't think of anything else ...
      1. 0
        8 September 2020 11: 34
        Here is "twenty-five again"! The UR is launched with equal success from any barrel: "smooth" or "rifled". Regarding the "smooth-bore" equipment of tanks in our country and in the world, I have already given you explanations in the discussion of the news "Missing Russian tanks during the demonstration shooting surprised the Russians."

        And the German tigers (T-VI) almost 80 years ago (during the Second World War) ... easily destroyed our tanks at a distance of 1 - 1,5 - 2 km

        I will add: at the beginning of the war, our newest tanks were able to hit any Nazi tanks with the same success and at similar distances.
        1. 0
          8 September 2020 14: 02
          Here is "twenty-five again"! UR is launched with equal success from any barrel: "smooth" or "rifled"

          - What is "twenty five" ??? - If you are already mentioning the last century (30s); then it is appropriate to recall that then there was already an "idea" ... - to create a weapon for all occasions ... - for firing at planes, and at tanks, and for howitzer fire ... - all in one bottle ... - Well at least they gave up this idea ...
          - And firing guided missiles from a rifled barrel is so undesirable that practically it is not practiced ... the rifled barrel breaks down very quickly ... - It's like shooting from a rifled gun with shells of a different ("almost identical" caliber) ...

          I will add: at the beginning of the war, our newest tanks were able to hit any Nazi tanks with the same success and at similar distances.

          - We had the opportunity; but something little used this opportunity ... - but the Germans from their rather weak small-caliber tank guns inflicted very large damage ... to our armored vehicles ... -Only our KV could very well withstand German tanks ... at the beginning of the war ...
          1. +1
            8 September 2020 14: 50
            And firing guided missiles from a rifled barrel is so undesirable that practically it is not practiced ...

            Have you heard about active rockets? For example, Hitler's "Sturmtiger" rocket-propelled guns fired large-caliber missiles (380 mm) from rifled barrels. The same can be said about the German six-barreled multiple launch rocket mortars. If such shooting was used in WWII, then today examples can also be found. Let's search together?

            the Germans from their rather weak small-caliber tank guns inflicted very heavy damage ... on our armored vehicles ...

            For example, with the KV and T-34 only with the help of "small caliber" 88 mm anti-aircraft guns. That's why I wrote "could" because real combat operations are carried out by various forces and means. Most of our armored vehicles at the beginning of the war were lost due to the impact of enemy aircraft, they were simply abandoned due to malfunctions and confusion in our leadership, criminal orders "not to succumb to provocations," stupid raids and counterstrikes to "nowhere" without proper fuel supply, and so on ... And in the second half of the war, the Nazis were not helped by either the "Tigers" or "Panthers" - similarly.
            1. 0
              8 September 2020 16: 09
              Let's search together?

              The find concerns domestic howitzer weapons (Msta-S) in the case of firing Krasnopol guided projectiles, which are corrected in the final flight segment to the target using aerodynamic rudders. The description, in particular, says:

              Friction bearings on the leading belts provide a low speed of rotation of the projectile when firing from a standard rifled barrel.

              The main difference between the Krasnopol missile and the guided missile is that there is no engine. And the necessary power of the shot is provided as follows:

              To increase the charge, the shell of the ammunition is made thin-walled. The preservation of the geometry of the body during overloads at the time of the shot is ensured by the redistribution of the boost pressure of the powder gases.
          2. 0
            8 September 2020 15: 27
            It's like shooting from a rifled gun with shells of a different ("almost the same" caliber) ...

            Shooting a rocket through the barrel differs from shooting a classic projectile in that in the first case, high energy of the shot is not required. A small charge is used, sufficient to "spit out" the rocket in a given direction, then the main engine is turned on, which accelerates the projectile to the required speed. At the same time, there is no difference whether the barrel is "rifled" or "smooth", because "rocket fired power" is not required. Noticeable losses of gas energy in the rocket acceleration in the rifled barrel are insignificant. Of course, the caliber of a rocket for a shot from a rifled barrel must correspond to the "caliber before cutting", otherwise it can jam, damage the rudders, the shell of the rocket body, etc.
      2. 0
        8 September 2020 15: 43
        Are you talking about the "smoothbore howitzer", or what ???

        Where does this come from? For example, I have not seen anywhere an indication of the "smooth bore" of the howitzer. Maybe so, but what about shooting accuracy? It is a tactical weapon and accuracy is more important than range. By the way, the firing range of this ACS is 14.5 km, and with active rockets - up to 20.
      3. 0
        11 September 2020 10: 33
        High and not necessary, for cruise missiles 1-3 km will be enough, then the rocket engine will be connected.
        And that's it, I got a homing warhead. And you don't need any launchers.
      4. 0
        22 September 2020 11: 50
        direct shot of the Tiger - 2000 meters., hit targets and for 2500 meters or more
    2. +1
      8 September 2020 15: 01
      Maybe he throws a rocket - here in the news it is not mentioned. Or maybe an ordinary projectile with a radio fuse, as is done in the Navy in artillery over 100 mm. Universal ship gun mounts have long been able to effectively hit air targets.
    3. +1
      8 September 2020 20: 11
      The AIM 9 Sidewinder SAM copes with cruise missiles, but one missile costs from 430 thousand dollars to 600 thousand dollars, depending on the modification, and this projectile costs 80 thousand dollars. If you bring it to mind and adopt it, then the savings are significant. In principle, nothing outstanding, in YouTube you can find videos from five years ago, such as "Pantsir-S" shot down a cruise missile.
  5. 0
    8 September 2020 16: 17
    Where does this come from? For example, I have not seen anywhere an indication of the "smooth-bore" howitzer. Maybe so, but how then with the accuracy of shooting

    -Yes .., well, you ... in general ... - I wrote it figuratively about the "smoothbore howitzer" ... - as a ridiculous and worthless "adventure" ...
    - In short ... - this pilaf can be prepared ... - from pork, from lamb, from beef, from horse meat, from duck, from goose, from nutria, from chicken, from turkey, etc. etc.; and tobacco-chickens are prepared only from chicken ... - You can, of course, try to cook tobacco-chicken from eggplant, but it will already be "not a grandmother, but a grandfather" ... - Hahah ...
    - A howitzer is needed to shoot very far and accurately; but you can ... of course, shoot from it and at the sparrows ... - the result "here and there" ... - predictable ...
    1. +1
      8 September 2020 16: 34
      Weapons are not just created. There is always a so-called. TTX, which correspond to the upcoming conditions of use. There are times when weapons designers offer the military something that does not correspond to the ideas of the time. Then it becomes a kind of "development baggage", postponed for a while or forgotten as a misunderstanding. Performance characteristics also exist for howitzers.