Chapter 1566 New Problem

Compared to replacing a new main gun that cannot be expected at present, Malashenko knows very well that it is more effective to develop a new type of armor-piercing shell.

Even if there is a new main gun that can effectively break the frontal defense of the King Tiger at a conventional combat distance and can meet the actual combat needs, it can be replaced at any time for the tanks being assembled and produced on the production line.

But a very realistic problem is that the newly produced tanks have indeed improved their firepower and can fight the King Tiger, but what about the old tanks that have been equipped and put into use on the front line? Can these old tanks in use on the front line be pulled back to the rear factory for transformation, and then sent back to the front line after the transformation and replacement of the new main gun?

Don't joke, such a thing is ridiculous just to think about it, and it is even more impossible to modify and replace the main gun on the front line.

Let's not talk about anything else, just take our old comrade Ma's car: IS4 heavy tank prototype as an example.

The huge 122mm tank gun was not directly inserted into the cast turret with a gap during manufacturing.

Kokin designed a hatch cover that can be lifted up on the top of the IS4 heavy tank turret. This hatch cover is located in the front half of the IS4 heavy tank turret. Directly below the hatch cover is the huge 122mm main gun breech block.

The only function of this hatch cover is to close it again after the tank gun is hoisted into the turret, so that the breech block is protected and the turret is in a closed state with all-round armor protection.

That's right, the construction material used for the hatch cover above the breech block is also solid armor steel, which is the same as the homogeneous steel armor material of every part of the IS4 heavy tank, so don't expect this thing to be made of some lightweight metal and light in weight.

Kokin's design idea is fine. Such a solid armor hatch cover can indeed provide sufficient upward protection for the breech block.

But a problem that arises is that the weight of this armor hatch cover is really exaggerated.

Malashenko didn't know how much it weighed, but it must be at least 400 to 500 kilograms. It's unrealistic to expect people to lift it. If the IS4 heavy tank wants to replace the main gun, it must have professional heavy lifting equipment, and it's not something that can be done by a small crane converted from an ordinary GAZ truck.

It's so difficult to replace the main gun of the latest IS4 heavy tank, which is much more mature in design. It's even more troublesome to replace the main gun of the previous model, such as the IS6 heavy tank, because the whole main gun must be pulled out of the turret.

Including the time to prepare equipment and install the new main gun, it takes at least two hours to replace the main gun, and it must be Karamov's capable personnel to be efficient.

If Karamov and his men were to replace the main guns of all the more than 200 tanks under his command under field conditions, how long would it take for Karamov to work?

Malashenko didn't dare to think about this terrible problem, and he also thought it was unnecessary.

If Karamov heard this despairing news, Malashenko was sure that he would cry and curse.

Replacing the main gun is not feasible and fast. It is okay to replace the old tanks on the front line with new main gun tanks in a long-term and gradual manner, but it is better to forget about it if you want to quickly improve the combat effectiveness in a short period of time. Therefore, this is not Malashenko's first choice.

But if all the tanks on the front line are equipped with universal new armor-piercing shells without changing the main gun, then the feasibility is much higher. It can be said that it is easy to improve the combat effectiveness immediately after getting the new shells.

Besides, the pure "discarding sabot armor-piercing shell" without "tail stabilization" is not a particularly advanced thing. The British John Bulls living on the small island have already made this thing.

The gun equipped with this new armor-piercing shell is also very famous, which is the famous British 17-pounder gun. The tank equipped with this gun is even more famous. It is the Firefly medium tank, known as the "special medicine for Tiger phobia". It is the only Tiger-piercing tank that the Allies can face head-on in the early stage of the Western Front. A large number of Allied soldiers love the Firefly more than their own father.

If it weren't for the cheating that allowed the Red Army to have this advanced and powerful armor-piercing shell, John Bull would be the only army in World War II to use armor-piercing shells, at least in the existing history.

The British 17-pounder gun's shitty chamber volume can already face the Tiger head-on when using armor-piercing shells.

So what would the effect be if the Red Army's 122 gun with an extremely large chamber volume used armor-piercing shells?

Not to mention the front of the Tiger King's turret, Malashenko estimated that it might be possible to penetrate the Tiger King's head at a normal range of exchange of fire.

But the specific results are still difficult to predict. After all, although the chamber volume has a great impact on penetration, there are many real factors that affect penetration, not just this one. The barrel diameter ratio of the main gun and the manufacturing materials of the armor-piercing projectile are key factors. Malashenko can only be regarded as a good start for Kotin. The specific situation needs to be analyzed after the trial shells are made.

It must be said that the new armor-piercing projectile concept proposed by Malashenko did have a great impact on Kotin. Even after Comrade Lao Ma explained all the key details in detail, Kotin, holding the closed notebook in his hand, was still thinking about every detail of the conversation with his eyes slightly narrowed, trying to find inspiration and key points.

Seeing that Kotin had fallen into this state of near fascination, Malashenko could only smile helplessly and then took the initiative to speak again.

"After talking about firepower upgrades, let's talk about improvements in protection."

"Hmm? What did you say? Improvements in protection? Do you have such a demand on the front line? Are our new heavy tanks not armored enough?"

Faced with Kotin's opening, Malashenko asked questions like a string of cannonballs. He did not intend to hide anything and continued to speak truthfully.

"It's enough to deal with kinetic armor-piercing shells, but we are now facing new troubles. The Germans have begun to make chemical armor-piercing shells into an infantry weapon and put them into large-scale use. The name is Panzerfaust."

"This new type of infantry anti-tank weapon is very threatening. They are light and easy to carry, just like a mop stick with a mop bucket tied to the front. After our soldiers captured them, they can even carry two at a time without feeling burdened."

"But in stark contrast to its light weight is its huge power. Now it is only an early model, and it can already penetrate the frontal armor of all our medium tanks, including Morozov's new work: the T43 medium tank. If it is attacked from the side, our heavy tanks will not be able to withstand it either, and the armor will be penetrated 100%. "

"It is only the initial model that has been put into the battlefield and can achieve such a good effect. It can deal with most of our Red Army's active tanks. Moreover, this thing is easy to produce, light and easy to carry, and low in cost. It is a very cost-effective weapon."

"We have no reason not to believe that the Germans will produce newer and stronger upgraded models and accelerate production to fight us. By then, even the frontal protection of our heavy tanks may not be able to withstand it. The upgrade of protection against chemical energy armor-piercing shells must be put on the agenda now. Starting early can cope with the next variables. "