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Shaped Charges – Sheet of copper going through 1ft of solid steel (2010) [video]

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Re: Shaped Charges – Sheet of copper going through 1ft of solid steel (2010) [video]

#231
post #228

If you look just at how small the shaped charge inside the NLAW is, and how the weapon works, I wonder why you wouldn't just put that shaped charge inside a $50 drone and fly it directly above the tank.

They are already doing that. There are many videos of Ukraine using modified anti tank grenades. They remove the little parachute, and attach a 3-d printed tail. This is then fitted to a commercial drone.

Examples (NSFW-ish, Thermal imagery of tank cook-offs):

1. https://www.reddit.com/r/CombatFootage/comments/ug39y1/drone...

2. https://www.reddit.com/r/CombatFootage/comments/u29rdx/ukrai...

There are also a lot showing anti-personnel grenades, and even RPG rounds being dropped on people, and regular cars etc. too.

Re: Shaped Charges – Sheet of copper going through 1ft of solid steel (2010) [video]

#232
post #228

If you look just at how small the shaped charge inside the NLAW is, and how the weapon works, I wonder why you wouldn't just put that shaped charge inside a $50 drone and fly it directly above the tank.

They do actually equip largish hobby class quadcopters with anti tank grenades. You'll find plenty videos of them on YouTube.

Re: Shaped Charges – Sheet of copper going through 1ft of solid steel (2010) [video]

#233
post #16

I'm not sure I fully understood the explanation. So the copper cone is turned inside out and turns into a pointed wire that drives into the target? How is it that this wire can continue through the 1ft of steel? Is the force of the explosion flowing through this wire/tube, like liquid in a straw? And somehow it can sustain this through 1ft of steel?

It functions more like a jet of water. The speed that the solid copper moves at pushes the steel aside as if the were both liquids

Re: Shaped Charges – Sheet of copper going through 1ft of solid steel (2010) [video]

#234
post #230
post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand where you're coming from. But as an Iraqi who have lived through the "war" and having several family members and close friends who were killed in the war (all civilians), I can't help but consider the objectivity in naming here as insensitive to the half-million Iraqis who were killed in the war. Not to mention destabilizing the middle east forever.

What do you think about Saddam? If he was allowed to continue, would that not have destabilized the middle east? I'm not making an argument here, just honestly curious what you think about it.

Saddam is a ruthless dictator, no question about it. The middle east has been already in chaos since Sykes–Picot and repeated international interventions were only making things worse. It's difficult to predict what would have happened had he stayed in power in particular with the Arab spring in 2011, but I don't think it would be this bad.

Re: Shaped Charges – Sheet of copper going through 1ft of solid steel (2010) [video]

#235

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The odds there are surprisingly high, but not better than even. 44.75%

But the important odds in this situation is not the individual, but the group - if you start with a group of 100 (or whatever) people extraordinarily bad at their job, what is the probability at least 1 makes it 40 years. Survivorship bias is a bias because the sample is biased - Its when you pick a group of people who have already won and then are surprised that they beat the odds and won because you confuse the pro…

Actually, the important odds are: given that you've met a 75-year old explosives professional, how likely is it that he was skilful instead of lucky?

To get a good estimate of this you need to come up with some priors about how many skilful and unskillful equivalents there were at the age of 30 and how much worse the unskillful ones are at staying alive.

Re: Shaped Charges – Sheet of copper going through 1ft of solid steel (2010) [video]

#236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The politics are important to understand, but it’s insensitive to bring this up in the context of an individual soldier’s account of this situation. Like, great work with the virtue signalling, you’re very clever and informed. Maybe try reading the room a bit and being a bit more compassionate toward people who have no influence in these politics?

I'm sorry, but when somebody tells you "we will ship you 7000 miles away to fight in a different continent" and you accept, you share at least some part of the responsibility. There would be no wars without greedy politicians, but there would be no wars without soldiers too.

I understand 'I'm sorry...' is a turn of phrase but it's absolutely not necessary here.

Re: Shaped Charges – Sheet of copper going through 1ft of solid steel (2010) [video]

#237
post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The politics are important to understand, but it’s insensitive to bring this up in the context of an individual soldier’s account of this situation. Like, great work with the virtue signalling, you’re very clever and informed. Maybe try reading the room a bit and being a bit more compassionate toward people who have no influence in these politics?

I understand where you're coming from. But as an Iraqi who have lived through the "war" and having several family members and close friends who were killed in the war (all civilians), I can't help but consider the objectivity in naming here as insensitive to the half-million Iraqis who were killed in the war. Not to mention destabilizing the middle east forever.

(Not replying to you but in general to the others)

> as an Iraqi who have lived through the "war"

This is why it's never a great idea to assume anything and interested better to try to keep things neutral and reasonable.

Re: Shaped Charges – Sheet of copper going through 1ft of solid steel (2010) [video]

#238

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> (obviously they aren't going to give us step by step instructions). nitrocellulose is very simple to make and detonate... and is also very stable.... I don't see why we need secrets... I played with that stuff when I was a teenager

When I was in college in Toronto in 1961 there was a surplus store. All manner of WW2 radios etc. I looked at one pile and it was about 15 rolls of primacord. This was a long 5/16 hollow tube of vinyl filled with pure TNT. It resembled rope = rope pile/ $3/roll of 100 feet. 2/$5. I knew what it was, so bought it all. it being worth $25-30/roll/ I was an Engineering stoont and Russia had just set of their Czar bomba.…

Active surplus?

Re: Shaped Charges – Sheet of copper going through 1ft of solid steel (2010) [video]

#239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The Iraq War was a protracted armed conflict in Iraq from 2003 to 2011 that began with the *invasion of Iraq by the United States–led coalition*... Whilst I agree that the preceding comments are off topic with their own inflammatory agenda's I do think it's important in generally acknowledging the war was caused by a US led invasion based on lies. Disclaimer: I fought there and lost people there, and after, but tha…

Makes me wonder, back at the time, when you went there -- how much did you believe in what the politicians and military commanders said about weapons of mass destruction etc, if I may ask? Sorry for the ones who died

>Sorry for the ones who died

Combatants on both sides, obviously. Oh, and the civilians, too.

Re: Shaped Charges – Sheet of copper going through 1ft of solid steel (2010) [video]

#240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also I heard on a History podcast, but can’t yet find any supporting evidence, that the Soviet Union funded the anti-nuclear power movement in West Germany leading to a dependence on Russian Gas. Like I said if this is credible there should be some evidence, but I’d conjecture that perhaps Putin could have been part of that too I’d have thought people would be crowing about that if it was the case.

Even now, talking about it would lead to a quicker swing back to nuclear power hurting russia's interests.

Germany is already well on its way to try out renewables in earnest, so the anti-nuclear camp's arguments seem to have convinced a majority of the voters and environmentalists, socialists, conservatives all pushed this when in power. The arguments backing this wouldn't change, so I don't think such a revelation would have a big impact on German energy policy. Besides, the pro-nuclear camp has always had very deep pockets, so I guess whatever funds the Soviet Union/Russia might have provided would have at best/worst only leveled the playing field somewhat. Disclosing this might end some careers, though.
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