Cheetah anti-aircraft combat vehicle modified from the chassis of the Leopard 2 tank, it is the most advanced mobile air defense platform in the world!
It can deal with all kinds of low-flying targets, do you know how many drones and patrol missiles it can intercept?
This is a German-made mobile air defense platform that can effectively intercept and strike air targets on land, how is it performing? Let's take a look together!
First of all, let's understand what the Leopard 2 tank is.
The Leopard 2 tank is the third generation of main battle tanks developed by Germany in the 70s of the last century, it is another classic after the Leopard 1 tank, it has excellent firepower, protection and mobility, and is considered one of the most advanced tanks in the world.
The chassis of the Leopard 2 tank uses a torsion bar suspension system, equipped with 7 pairs of load wheels and 4 pairs of track wheels, with a track width of 635 mm, a track length of 8.6 meters, a track grounding length of 5.4 meters, and a track grounding pressure of 0.9 kg / cm².
Such a chassis design allows the Leopard 2 tank to have good cross-country ability and stability, and can adapt to a variety of complex terrain and environments.
So what are the benefits of converting the chassis of the Leopard 2 tank into a Cheetah anti-aircraft combat vehicle?
First of all, this saves R&D costs and time, because the chassis is already mature and reliable, and does not need to be redesigned and tested.
Secondly, this can improve the mobility and survivability of the Cheetah air defense combat vehicle, because it can use the high speed, powerful power, excellent suspension and heavy armor of the Leopard 2 tank to quickly deploy, change positions and dodge enemy fire.
Finally, this can increase the versatility and synergy of the Cheetah air defense fighting vehicle, because it can share parts, maintenance equipment and logistics with the Leopard 2 tank, and can also form a joint combat group with the Leopard 2 tank to support and protect each other.
Well, what does the upper body of the Cheetah air defense combat vehicle look like?
It mainly consists of an anti-aircraft turret, a tracking radar, a search radar and a fire control system. Let's first look at the anti-aircraft turret.
This turret is equipped with two Oerlikon KDA 35mm cannons, a high-rate, high-precision, high-lethal double-barreled cannon that can fire two different types of ammunition: a self-detonating anti-aircraft shell (AHEAD) and an armor-piercing multisonic target shell (APDS).
Self-detonating anti-aircraft shells are ammunition specially used to deal with low-flying targets, which will automatically detonate at a certain distance from the target, releasing a large number of high-speed fragments, forming a dense killing zone, which can effectively destroy the structure and electronic equipment of the target.
The armor-piercing multisonic target projectile is a munition specifically designed to deal with armored targets, and it uses a tail-stabilized shell-piercing projectile design that can penetrate the target's armor at a speed faster than the speed of sound, causing serious internal damage.
Both ammunition can be loaded alternately on the same chain, switching according to different target types.
The anti-aircraft turret can have a rate of fire of 1100 rounds per minute, a firing range of 6 km, a firing height of 4 km, an angle of fire from -10 degrees to +85 degrees, and a rotation angle of 360 degrees.
The anti-aircraft turret is also equipped with an automatic reloading system, which can complete a reload operation in less than 10 seconds, ensuring continuous firepower.
Next, let's look at the tracking radar.
This radar is installed in front of the anti-aircraft turret, it is an X-band pulsed Doppler radar, which can automatically track and guide air targets at a range of 180 degrees.
It has a maximum detection range of 15 km, a maximum detection height of 8 km and a maximum number of tracked targets of 20.
The tracking radar can also be linked with the anti-aircraft turret to adjust the pointing and elevation angle of the muzzle according to the movement parameters of the target to achieve accurate firing.
Tracking radars can also exchange data with other radars or command systems, receive or send target information, and improve combat efficiency.
Let's look at the search radar.
This radar is mounted on top of the anti-aircraft turret, it is an S-band phased array radar, which can search and alert air targets at a range of 360 degrees.
It has a maximum detection range of 30 km, a maximum detection height of 10 km, and a maximum number of search targets of 40.
The search radar can quickly switch between standby and combat status, and when a potential threat is detected, it transmits target information to the fire control system and tracking radar, initiating interception procedures.
Search radar can also conduct networked and coordinated operations with other platforms or command systems, sharing intelligence and resources, and improving response speed and strike effectiveness.
Finally, let's look at the fire control system.
This system is the brain of the Cheetah air defense combat vehicle, which is responsible for processing various data and signals to achieve automated and intelligent combat command.
The fire control system consists of an on-board computer, a display, a joystick, a communication device and a commander watcher.
The fire control system can receive target information from search radars, tracking radars, other platforms or command systems, and perform operations such as friend or foe identification, threat assessment, prioritization, and weapon allocation.
The fire control system can also calculate parameters such as the optimal firing time, firing angle, type of ammunition, etc., depending on the moving characteristics of the target and environmental factors, and control the anti-aircraft turret for automatic firing.
The fire control system can also adjust the firing mode according to the actual situation, choosing single, burst or salvo to adapt to different target numbers and densities.
The fire control system can also make real-time corrections based on the flight data of the shell and the feedback data of the target, improving the hit rate and lethality. The fire control system can also be linked with the commander's watcher, allowing the commander to monitor the battlefield situation at any time and carry out manual intervention or command.
The fire control system can also be linked with communication equipment, maintain contact with other platforms or command systems, and receive or send combat orders or status reports.
Through the above introduction, we can see that the Cheetah air defense combat vehicle is an efficient, accurate and flexible mobile air defense platform integrating search, tracking, guidance, shooting and correction, which can deal with various low-flying targets, including UAVs, cruise missiles, helicopters, fighters, etc.
So, how many drones and patrol missiles can it intercept?
There is no one definitive answer to this question, since it depends on many factors, such as the number, type, speed, altitude, course, maneuverability, stealth, etc. of targets, as well as the location, status, equipment, coordination, etc. of the Cheetah air defense combat vehicle.
However, we can make a simple estimate based on some assumptions.
It is assumed that the Cheetah air defense combat vehicle is located on an open plain without any shelter or sources of interference, capable of fully exploiting its radar and artillery.
Let's say the Cheetah air defense combat vehicle carries 320 self-detonating anti-aircraft shells and 20 armor-piercing multisonic target shells, which are used against UAVs and cruise missiles, respectively.
Suppose both UAVs and cruise missiles approach the Cheetah air defense combat vehicle from different directions at a speed of 500 kilometers per hour, without any evasion or interference measures.
Let's say the Cheetah air defense combat vehicle fires in burst mode, firing two rounds of ammunition at a time, and hitting the target each time.
Well, in such conditions, how many UAVs and patrol missiles can the Cheetah air defense combat vehicle intercept?
We can calculate it with a simple formula:
Number of interceptions = number of ammunition / consumption rate
Among them, the consumption rate refers to the number of ammunition required for each interception. For UAVs, the rate of consumption is 2, since it is necessary to fire two self-detonating anti-aircraft shells at a time.
For cruise missiles, the consumption rate is 1, since only one armor-piercing multisonic target shell needs to be fired at a time.
Well, we can get:
Number of interceptor drones = 320 / 2 = 160
Number of intercepted cruise missiles = 20 / 1 = 20
Therefore, the Cheetah air defense combat vehicle in this ideal situation can intercept up to 160 UAVs and 20 cruise missiles, which is already a very amazing achievement.
Of course, the actual battlefield situation will be much more complicated than this, and the Cheetah air defense combat vehicle will also face various challenges and threats, and its actual performance may vary.
However, we can be sure that the Cheetah air defense combat vehicle is a very powerful and advanced mobile air defense platform, which is capable of providing effective air defense and fire support to the army, it is a nightmare for drones and cruise missiles.
Well, that's it for today, I hope you enjoyed and learned some interesting knowledge.
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