Russian (and Chinese) ERA is famous for having kinetic defense because of flyer plates, and is also difficult to detonate with heavy machine guns and autocannons. So the question is how does it provide more kinetic protection than its flyer plate thickness when you shoot at it with an auto cannon that doesn’t detonate it? Is this Gaijin spaghetti code or am i mistaken in how this works in game?
1 Like
ERA has always overperformed when it comes to kinetic defense. It’s just a WT thing at this point
6 Likes
I highly doubt that 54mm effective protection is “over-performing”.
The biggest problem with war thunder’s penetration modeling is that penetrators are estimated based on a formula, where armor is applied based on known documentation, this is biased towards armor systems quite significantly as the formula Gaijin has selected for APFSDS, like prior AP, APCR & APDS doesn’t take very much at all into account.
This is further magnified by ERA providing a flat protection value if hit which doesn’t capture anywhere near the complexity of an actual interaction.
Considering its only actually sheet steel, its not very doing much of anything if it doesn’t activate.
Kontakt-1 is all of a 2.3mm steel sheeting encapsulating 5.3mm of a HE compounds, (2 x 2.3mm + 5.4mm ) 1 cm per tile with two per brick (the internal angle between the plates is ~9 degrees), at whatever installation angle;
Using established formula ( see Gurney equation(s) ), the plate’s estimated exit velocity is ~1150m/s, and with an approximate mass of 0.545kg the kinetic energy of ejecta is approximately 364,200 joules (364.2 kj)
For Kontakt-5 the specifics are particular to the installation (both by area (Turret / Hull), and tank variant; T-80U pictured below) but is composed of a 15mm strike-face, a variable number of 4S22 tiles, and a 9mm backplate
Kontact-5 (4S22) was deliberately altered to not to react to autocannon / HMG fire to avoid “raking fire” being an effective counter-action, as was found with the originally formulated 4S20 tiles(revised modern formulations (e.g. 4S23 / -24 Tiles ) were produced that adjust this but it’s a trade-off for reduced safety, and increased handling risks), and this decision provides the opening though which the second generation of kinetic ERA bypass (first is a segmented sacrificial tip to function as a precursor similar to the way Tandem warheads work) techniques as it make use of this unassuming change, by reducing the penetrating tip’s radial velocity to below that of the explosive’s sensitivity, it can be safely “parted”, which prevents the tiles from activating, providing the bypass;
2 Likes
that’s not quite correct
western ERA like the Blazer ERA on some Centurians has always worked like IRL