Vertical gun

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The Vertical Bordwaffe (VBW) was a weapon developed by MBB or Dornier for the Air Force of the Federal Republic of Germany, intended to fight the armored forces of the Warsaw Pact in the event of a defense . A production or further development did not take place.

Appearance and carrier aircraft

Similar in appearance to the box-shaped MW-1 , but much lighter, the VBW would have been used by Tornado , Alpha Jet or Phantom . The first test with a live shot was carried out with an F-4 Phantom II. Each aircraft would have carried at least two weapon containers , one under or in front of each wing.

The weapon containers each contain 18 discharge tubes in an inclined arrangement in front of the actual wing, behind an aerodynamic cladding. The actual weapon control is located behind or under the suspension on the wing.

Use and mode of action

After the target is located by the carrier aircraft, the actual weapon is automatically triggered during a direct, low overflight. An active charge ( hollow charge ) is ejected from the weapon container in a targeted manner towards the bottom and at the same time a reaction mass is ejected towards the top and front. The weapon is therefore recoil-free and enables vertical combat of the target (tank) in contrast to the largely horizontal mode of action of conventional anti-tank armaments ( MILAN , on- board cannon ). The weapon does not aim at the well-armored front or side part of the armored vehicle, but hits the weakly armored roof of the vehicle.

comparison

As a comparatively light weapon with the possibility of multiple use through numerous submunitions (36 pieces in two containers or more), the weapon would have represented an effective means of combating the most likely enemy. In view of the known strong anti-aircraft potential ( ZSU-23-4 , Strela etc.), the necessary direct overflight would be considered disadvantageous . Combatting targets at low (flight) altitude would have reduced the risk somewhat.

Apart from the outward resemblance to the MW-1 weapon container, the weapon has a number of historical predecessors:

  • SG 113 , a German development from the Second World War with automatic triggering of downward-firing recoilless guns by an electromagnetic or electrostatic fuse
  • Another weapon intended for fighting tanks in overflight was the PTAB used by the Soviet Ilyushin Il-2 , max. 4 × 48 bomblets per aircraft, with which German tanks were successfully fought off Kursk .
  • The Allied retro rocket depth charges of the Second World War intended for fighting submarines , which were deployed in overflight in the direction of flight to the rear (compensating for the aircraft movement) so that they fell almost vertically into the sea at the point of ignition.

Vertical combat against tanks is now an option for other weapons, such as the Swedish anti-tank missile BILL , a variant of the American TOW , cluster bombs , artillery submunitions and, in some cases , anti- tank mines. The latest battle tanks therefore usually have reinforced roof protection.

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