Обучение чтению литературы на английском языке по специальности «Ракетная и импульсная техника» (120

impact – удар delay – задержка

relevant – относящийся к делу partially – частично

Text 3B

Light Anti*tank Weapon (LAW), United Kingdom

The UK Army next9generation Light Anti9tank Weapon (LAW) is a portable, short9range, “fire9and9forget” system which will enter service in 2007.

Weapon

The soldiers can bring the missile from the carry position to the firing position and make it ready to fire under five seconds. The soldier discards the launcher after firing and can retain the night sight if needed.

The 115/150 mm caliber launcher is of composite material construction. The launcher is fitted with the gunner’s optical sight, a foldaway launch device, handles and firing mechanism, battery package, carrying straps and a firing support. A mounting rail attached to the launcher is for attaching any night sight.

Operation

The gunner can break off and start up a combat sequence any number of times. The missile can be deployed at targets at ranges down to 20 m and to over 600 m. The missile can also be launched immediately without tracking when an unexpected target appears.

The LAW has a soft launch and can be fired from confined spaces such as from inside buildings and vehicle hatches, and from all positions and angles up to ±45°. The flight time to a 400 m range is less than two seconds. The initial muzzle velocity is 40 m/s. The maximum missile velocity is below the speed of sound.

Guidance system

In the Predicted Line of Sight (PLOS) mode, the gunner tracks the target for three seconds and the missile’s guidance electronics makes a record

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of the gunner’s movement as he aims and computes the flight path to the predicted position of the target.

It is unnecessary for the gunner to consider the range or angular speed of the target. After launch the missile flies autonomously to the target. The missile’s position in its trajectory always coincides with the target irrespective of range.

Modes of operation

The soldier selects top attack mode to engage tanks and armored vehicles in order to strike the least armored area on the vehicle’s roof. In the Overfly Top Attack (OTA) mode, the missile flies at about 1m above the line of sight. The missile’s sensor initiates the warhead above the roof of the target.

The soldier can select the Direct Attack (DA) mode to engage light vehicles, buildings and bunkers. In the Direct Attack (DA) mode the missile flies directly along the line of sight towards the target. The missile fuse system is disconnected and the warhead detonates upon impact, after a short delay.

Warhead characteristics

The missile has an active magnetic and optical sensor activated proximity fuse. The sensor data is analyzed to match the known relevant target criteria before warhead initiation. The missile warhead is activated even against aluminum targets and partially concealed targets.

In conventional overflight missiles a keyhole effect resulting in reduced penetration into the target is caused by a shaped charge jet which develops during the missile flight. The LAW warhead incorporates a dynamically compensated shaped and copper lined charge to retain the penetration characteristics. The charge is 102 mm in diameter.

10B. Memorize the following key terms:

“fire9and9forget” – “выстрелил и забыл” foldaway – откидной

carrying straps – ружейный ремень mounting rail – (зд.) поручень hatch – люк

line of sight – линия визирования, прицеливания angular speed – угловая скорость

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to initiate – воспламенять sensor – датчик

proximity fuse – неконтактный взрыватель key hole – попадание снаряда плашмя

penetration characteristic – пробивная способность, бронепроби9 ваемость

11A. Read and translate Text 3C. Words to help you:

to propel – продвигать вперед, приводить в движение hollow – пустотелый, пустой

to ignite – зажигать, воспламенять to insert – вставлять

to impart – придавать, сообщать environment – условие, окружающая среда to involve – вовлекать, заключать в себя thus – таким образом

behavior – режим работы, поведение concern – забота, интерес

inevitably – неизбежно, неминуемо current – текущий

to carve – пробивать себе дорогу predominant – доминирующий

to take over – принять на себя, вступать в силу constraint – ограничение

arrangement – устройство, приспособление, мера lethal – смертоносный, смертельный

Text 3C

High Explosive Projectiles

History

Early projectiles consisted merely of a solid iron ball propelled by a gunpowder charge. Many experiments were carried out in an effort to improve the destructive power of the projective with little success until hollow projectiles were produced filled with explosive and initiated by a fuse. Early designs utilized an iron ball filled with gunpowder which was ignited on firing using a piece of slow burning match inserted in its side. This was a hazardous affair and gave very inconsistent results. With rifled barrels projectiles became cylindrical with rounded ogival heads but there were

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certain problems to be overcome. One of these was severe wear in barrels due to gas wash past the projectiles.

Several designs of gas check were tried without success until a fixed gas check fitted to the base of the projectile and equipped with ribs or projections to fit the grooves in the barrel was introduced. This reduced wear and resulted in greater weapon accuracy. It was discovered that the gas check imparted spin to the projectile and this led to the driving band as we know it today.

Requirement of a projectile

A high explosive (HE) projectile must be cheap, easy and safe to manufacture, it must be strong enough to withstand firing stresses, stable and accurate in flight and function efficiently at the target. Undoubtedly this raises a conflict for the designer.

At the Gun

When the gun is fired the projectile is accelerated along a relatively short barrel from zero to a few hundred meters per second in quick time and this results in a considerable set back force on the projectile. This dictates the thickness of the shell wall and base. The projectile is also spun in the same environment from zero to several thousand revolutions per minute and this involves pressure from the driving band on to the shell wall near the base plus rotational acceleration. With long projectiles, when fired in worn guns, there is a tendency to “buffeting” in the barrel which produces side9slap (боковой удар) on the projectile. All these forces and others influenced the design of HE projectiles.

During Flight

Although it is mainly the problem of the ballistician, the behavior a projectile produces during flight is also the concern of the user from the accuracy aspect and does affect the quantity of HE carried and thus terminal effects. The main factors are stability, shape and carrying power. Stability of a projectile is achieved by spinning and provides accuracy with predictable range. Because the strength requirements at the gun inevitably give the projectile a base heavy effect it must be spun to ensure that the nose travels first. Stability ensures that the projectile will always point along the trajectory but there is a limit beyond which stability is not possible with

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current spin rates, if the shell is too long. Current spun projectiles are therefore restricted to about seven times the caliber length. Shape also plays a part in that a pointed nose carves more easily through the air than a blunt nose and a streamlined base has less drag than a cylindrical base. Where projectiles are fired with both sub9 and supersonic velocities they are streamlined at nose and base. For subsonic velocities base shape is predominant but at supersonic values nose shape takes over.

Carrying power is the ability of the projectile to reach the target and this depends quite naturally on its mass, shape and diameter.

At the Target

Having reached the target despite all the above constraints, the projectile must produce the required terminal effects as efficiently as possible. This involves good fuzing and initiating arrangements and an adequate filling of HE. There must be sufficient HE to break up the steel projectile into lethal fragments and project them consistently over a defined area.

Ammunition

The driving band is usually made of copper and positioned towards the rear of the projectile in such a way that it adds as little as possible to base drag and ideally should not project the surface of the projectile body on leaving the gun.

This ideal can only be met by discard at the muzzle and is only utilized in special projectiles. The driving band has several functions such as: to centre the projectile in the bore and rotate it; to prevent the forward escape of gases from the propellant charge and to prevent slip back of the projectile when loaded at high elevations. The driving band also, through initial frictions with the rifling, allows gas pressure to build up before rotating the shell.

11B. Memorize the following key terms: gunpowder – черный (дымный) порох match – фитиль, огнепровод, запал rib – поле нареза, ребро

ogival head – оживальная головка wear – износ

gas check – обтюратор

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driving band – ведущий поясок set back – задержка

base – база, основание, орудийная платформа buffeting – наносить удары, ударяться streamlined – обтекаемой формы

drag – (лобовое) сопротивление

elevation – вертикальная наводка, угол прицеливания friction – трение

filling – снаряжение снаряда (процесс)

11C. Describe.

1. The forces influencing the design of HE projectile. 2. The main factors acting on the behavior of a projectile during its flight.

SUPPLEMENTARY TEXTS

Text 1

Tow 2 Heavy Anti*Tank Missile, USA

The BGM971 TOW wire9guided heavy anti9tank missile is produced by Raytheon Systems Company. The weapon is used in anti9armour, anti9 bunker, anti9fortification and anti9amphibious landing roles. TOW is in service with over 45 armed forces and is integrated on over 15,000 ground, vehicle and helicopter platforms worldwide.

The missiles can be fired from the ground using a tripod9mounted launch tube or installed on vehicles. The TOW missile system can be fitted as a single9tube pedestal mount (тумбовая установка) on military vehicles or as 29tube or 49tube under9armour systems.

Tow missile

The missile has command to line9of9sight guidance (наведение ме9 тодом совмещения трех точек). The weapons operator uses a telescopic sight to view a point on the target and then fires the missile. The missile has a two9stage solid propellant rocket motor. The operator continues to view and track the target through the sight. Guidance signals from the guidance computer are transmitted along two wires, which spool from the back of the missile to the control system on the missile. The control system uses differential piston type actuators (поршневой силовой привод).

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The missile is fitted with a high intensity thermal beacon, which provides a long9wave infrared tracking (сопровождение) source and a xenon beacon for short9wave tracking. This dual9tracking system provides increased resistance to electro9optical and infrared countermeasures.

Tow 2a anti tank missile

For penetration of tanks protected with explosive reactive armour (ERA), TOW 2A is equipped with a tandem warhead. A small disrupter charge detonates the reactive armour and allows the main shaped charge to penetrate the main armour.

Tow 2a bunker buster

A “bunker buster” variant of the TOW 2A, to defeat field fortifications, bunkers and urban structures has a range of 3,750 m.

Tow 2b anti tank missile

TOW 2B, operates in a “flyover shoot down” top attack mode, unlike other versions which are direct attack. It features a dual9mode target sensor, which includes laser profilometer and magnetic sensor, and new warhead section. It resembles the TOW 2A but without the extendible probe, and is armed with two explosively formed tantalum penetrator (EFP) warheads. The EFP warheads detonate simultaneously, one pointing downwards, the other slightly offset to give an increased hit probability. The warhead material is designed to generate pyrophoric effects within the damaged target.

Text 2

Soldato Futuro – Future Soldier System, Italy

An industrial team is developing the Italian Soldato Futuro, future soldier system. A prototype development of the Soldato Futuro System has been completed and the first is scheduled to enter service by the end of 2007.

Clothing and protection

The combined combat vest and universal support module includes cables for the integration of the electrical components worn and carried by

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the Soldato Futuro. “The Soldato Futuro body armour provides stab protection and protection against 9 mm rounds”. The use of wire links reduces the volume of electromagnetic radiation, making the soldier less vulnerable to detection and surveillance and also the systems less vulnerable to electronic countermeasures such as jamming. A new disruptive pattern material has been designed for temperate and desert environment versions of the combat uniform. The soldier will also have a camouflage version of the nuclear, biological and chemical protection suit. The body armour provides stab protection and protection against 9 mm rounds. Boron carbide plates can be fitted to the body armour to provide protection against the penetration of 7.62 mm armour9piercing rounds.

Helmet

The helmet has two visors, a splinter9proof visor and a bullet9proof visor, and a laser protection goggles. Various configurations are being considered to integrate the nuclear, biological and chemical warfare protection face mask.

Command and control system

The soldier wears a touch screen for sending and receiving orders and information in the form of both text messages and graphic / image messages and displaying tactical situations, navigation data, global positioning system data over digital maps. The touch screen is wire linked to a pocket9sized computer.

The earphone and microphone include a physiological sensor which will allow the commander of the infantry section to monitor each soldier’s health conditions through its command and control system.

Communications

A new Individual Pocket Radio (IPR) capable of transmitting voice and data simultaneously is being developed. The IPR of the members of an infantry section has a range of 1.3 km, which is considered a nominal maximum spread of an infantry section. Modulation techniques also assure low probability of detection and low probability of interception, improving the soldier and infantry section security. Moreover the soldier will be enabled to operate the IPR hands free. In addition to the IPR, the

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commander of the infantry section has a higher level radio with longer range for voice and data communication with the section’s platoon command post. The commander can use both radios while sharing the same earphone and microphone.

Target acquisition

The commander and second in command in an infantry section have a binocular target acquisition unit, (UAB), with a day channel and night9 time thermal channel laser rangefinder and built9in compass. The soldiers are issued with an individual night9vision unit based on a TV camera, on which most significant command and control can also be displayed for prompt alert.

Weapons

The length of a new ergonomically designed, lightweight rifle with the butt fully extended is 840 mm, which is 158 mm shorter than the Beretta AR 70/90.The Telescopic butt can be adjusted to four different positions to suit the individual soldier’s build and situation. “The Soldato Futuro system includes a touch screen for sending and receiving orders and information”. The rifle is fitted with a rail and an individual combat weapon sight, developed by Galileo Avionica. The sight will allow the soldier to identify and visually track a person9sized target at a range of 600 m and a tank9 sized target at 1500 m. The sight has x3 magnification, optical sight, monochrome day television channel, infrared night channel, visible laser pointer, infrared laser pointer and red dot sight. The visible laser pointer corresponds to the bullet impact point and is particularly useful for close range combat in daylight conditions. An infrared laser pointer produces a near infrared spot which is visible through infrared or night vision goggles and is deployed in night9time close combat. The red dot sight places a red dot on the image of the target inside the sight. The red dot is not projected onto the real target, which would provide a visual warning to that target. The view through a soldier’s sight can be distributed to other members of the infantry section via the radio link. The rifle can be fitted with an under9 barrel grenade launcher. One or two grenade launchers will be deployed in each infantry unit. The grenade launcher fire control system includes a computer and a Class 1 laser rangefinder.

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