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Laser Warning System/Receiver


desertowl

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Hi all,

I've been wondering about LWS/LWR in the game - I know some of the AFV's in steelbeasts are equipped with LWS or at least there is a version of them equipped with it.

all the tanks in Israel's arsenal, going years back, were equipped with such systems, so it looks kinda odd this element is neglected in other armies - is it modeled in the game? which AFV's actually has them in real life?

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What it'd like to know if these systems react to laser range finders or just to illumination lasers that indicate an incoming missile. I'm not sure if a threat warning for ranging lasers is terribly useful. If the opposing tank crew is marginally competent they have lined you up and your remaining time is too short for a coordinated crew response.

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well, if you're in a defilade, you'll have on average about 2 seconds to react before a sabot comes slamming into your turret. the LWR traverse button could potentially save lives, if the tank firing is far away enough, but against threats at 1.2km, you're pretty much toast whatever you do.

russian tank turrets has been designed to counter threats from around 27 degrees to the left and right of the tank, so it doesnt matter too much if the turret hasn't been fully traversed towards the threat before the sabot impacts(unless you're unlucky enough to get hit by something like the m829A3)

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most LWS identifies LRF's, beam riding missile radiation (a complex issue though, modern LOSBR missiles based on laser technology are hard to track) and IR radiation (not too useful these days).

newer versions can detect a broader spectrum of threats, and the turret and smoke grenades can be slaved to them for automatic reaction as part of a soft kill/hard kill system.

LRF's are used by ATGM teams to measure effective range, which not only gives warning to the tank crew, but a direction of the threat as well (the more sophisticated the system, the more accurate the azimuth).

tanks often lase as well and not necessarily engage immediately, giving the threatened tank time to react.

LWS can detect laser radiation aimed at a nearby tank if there is enough spillage of the beam.

all in all - a useful thing to have and I think it is an important system in a modern tank, and if it does exist in real life AFV's that are represented in the game, it is worth modeling (if possible), both for immersion and realism.

I actually wrote a few good unclassified summaries regarding ATGM technology and APS - but all of them are in Hebrew, I'm afraid...

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all in all - a useful thing to have and I think it is an important system in a modern tank, and if it does exist in real life AFV's that are represented in the game, it is worth modeling (if possible), both for immersion and realism.

However flooding the area that one would be attacking with hand held lasers could send the enemy in a turret free for all. If it turned in the direction of each beam directed to wards it, the crew might get a bit seasick rather quickly. Or the crews might not like the moving turret and disregard the device.:confused:

No I think that the good points are outweighed by the fielding of cheap hand held lasers out there, that if fighting a enemy with detectors would be a first assault prior to the real attack. I personal would have them, however not have the turret slaved to the receiver.

Hey thats just me, living on the edge..............................again:biggrin:

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well - one could use this MO as EW in order to "jam" the LWS, but it will require lots of resources and it will expose the troops that are lasing, modern LWS gives you a very narrow arc of the threat azimuth.

if you can put infantry in LOS with the tank and have the money to equip him with an LRF, you'd better give him an AT-13 launcher...

you can always choose the mode of operation - auto,semi,manual or off, depends on the situation.

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depends on distance, equipment used and weather, and ofcourse the LWS itself.

being a rather basic protection layer, I was surprised to learn that the leopard 2A5 is not equipped with LWS in all european armies as a default.

more advanced systems tend to rely on MMW radars in order to identify, classify, track and engage threats - be it soft kill or hard kill systems. these systems also give vital information to the TC regarding the nature of the threat and its source (what kind of missile and possibly launched coordinates).

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However flooding the area that one would be attacking with hand held lasers could send the enemy in a turret free for all. If it turned in the direction of each beam directed to wards it, the crew might get a bit seasick rather quickly. Or the crews might not like the moving turret and disregard the device.:confused:

No I think that the good points are outweighed by the fielding of cheap hand held lasers out there, that if fighting a enemy with detectors would be a first assault prior to the real attack. I personal would have them, however not have the turret slaved to the receiver.

Hey thats just me, living on the edge..............................again:biggrin:

the turret isn't slaved to the receiver. when the tank is lased, a warning alarm is sounded, and the TC then pushes a switch to traverse the turret towards the threat. if additional lases are received, the warning alarm will continue to sound. i'm not sure if each additional threat is stored, and then processed when the button is pushed again.

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