Image source: topwar.ru
Some modern models of anti-tank missiles have a so-called "top attack" mode: they are capable of hitting armored vehicles at the level of its tower, that is, in the most vulnerable place. With the proliferation of active protection complexes in the armies, it became necessary that ATGMs could counteract this countermeasure.
The Franco-German Research Institute in Saint-Louis (ISL) recently presented the TAP (Top Attack Projectile) project. As indicated on the ISL website, the work is aimed at giving the ammunition a dynamic flight path that will allow exploiting the vulnerabilities of modern armor. Simply put, the ammunition will enter the target vertically, which will make it possible to attack the upper hemisphere of the tank from any angle.
Image source: topwar.ru
- said one of the developers from ISL.
Image source: topwar.ru
Ammunition TAP
At the moment, this is only possible through the use of geolocation and satellite navigation (GNSS), which may be subject to interference from electronic warfare. Therefore, in the future it is planned to bypass GNSS by installing a camera and tracking algorithms directly on the guided munition.