Chapter 2526: More Fierce Than Any Shrew

The TOS-1 rocket assault tank is a veritable heavy armored front-line combat vehicle. It has been upgraded from the original IS2 chassis to the IS6 chassis, which has further enhanced the protection capability of its chassis.

However, contrary to its own concept of "heavy armor", the TOS-1 is also a weapon that is very afraid of enemy anti-armor firepower strikes. Without contradicting the concept of "heavy armor", you can indeed say that it is very fragile.

The key to this contradiction is, of course, not the heavily armored chassis of the TOS-1, but its huge and fragile combat module: the rocket launch box.

Its volume is far larger than that of a tank turret, which means that even if it is equipped with armor protection, it is impossible to achieve an armor coverage area with sufficient protection performance like a tank turret.

For this dense and huge conspicuous external ammunition rack, it is obviously not advisable to use a key protection solution like a battleship to lay armor. The feasible way is to increase the armor coverage area as much as possible.

But this has caused another problem: the protective armor of the launch box, which covers a much higher area than the tank turret armor, is destined to be unable to achieve sufficient strength and thickness, such as the protective performance of the original IS6 turret.

It can block ordinary light weapons bullets or even small-caliber anti-tank weapons, such as anti-tank rifles and 20mm armor-piercing shells with incorrect incidence angles.

But if you encounter a slightly stronger anti-tank weapon, such as the Iron Fist or the Tank Killer, or the 37mm stepping stone for tungsten core armor-piercing shells.

Sorry, the protective armor of the TOS-1 launch box really can't withstand this high-penetration anti-armor attack.

At the least, it will be hit on the spot and the rocket will be burned. At the worst, it will be hit on the spot and the ammunition will explode. It is entirely possible that all 16 310mm rockets will explode instantly.

This is also why Malashenko is very reluctant to send TOS-1 to the front line of the battlefield very close to the enemy, and he will not let TOS-1 charge into battle if he can avoid it.

If the ammunition of this thing explodes, its power is too great.

16 310mm rockets exploded at the same time, the power would be so great that not only infantry, but also heavy tanks within 100 meters could be smashed into pieces and restored to factory settings.

Although this thing is extremely harmful to the Nazis, it is also the same for the enemy. The closer it is used to the front line, the greater the risk.

Regarding this situation, Kotin, who has never stopped contacting and exchanging letters with Malashenko, certainly knows that Malashenko has always hoped that TOS-1 can truly live up to the name of "rocket assault tank" and improve its protection performance to an acceptable level so that it can be put into front-line combat.

Especially in the next stage of the Berlin siege, this ultimate invincible weapon with huge power and whoever it sees can cooperate with the siege troops and fight in the front-line siege team, instead of waiting for the siege team to encounter a strong enemy, the attack is blocked, and it has suffered certain or even considerable casualties and still cannot take down the target, and then call TOS-1 in the rear to come and fire from a safe distance.

After all, accompanying heavy firepower support also pays attention to timeliness. Generally speaking, the more timely the support, the better. Otherwise, many problems will arise.

To solve this problem, protection must be solved first. This is the core problem that Kotin has been constantly developing, exploring, and trying to solve in the process of moving towards the "finalized mass production version" after delivering the TOS-1 "experience version" to Malashenko.

"The question of how to improve protection is indeed a headache. Limited by the huge armor laying area, any increase in armor thickness by one millimeter will bring a significant increase in the weight of the launch box, just like eating a lot of Salo without working for a whole winter to gain weight."

"But, I have to say that it is thanks to your design proposal that I was inspired and inspired when I accidentally inspected the new IS7 mass production line."

"At that time, I saw the IS7 hull front armor being welded. Two pieces of cut homogeneous steel armor were being welded together little by little, until I accidentally saw the layers of protection structure and those interlayers. That was the composite armor interlayer you proposed!"

"In just a moment, inspiration flashed through my mind like lightning, and I understood everything at once."

"In close combat and street fighting, what is the most common anti-tank weapon threat we encounter? The answer is very obvious, it is The Nazi infantry anti-tank firepower, and with the evolution of the times, it is no longer those anti-tank guns, but those portable and highly mobile chemical energy armor-piercing weapons, iron fists and tank killers. "

"And composite armor can bring very good anti-armor-piercing effect with a very light weight. I immediately realized that this is what I need because I am suffering from weight restrictions. "

"The protective performance of the new mass-produced TOS-1 launch box has been improved. We welded and installed a whole piece of composite armor plate on the left and right sides of the launch box, which is most vulnerable to enemy firepower and has the largest exposed area. The rubber interlayer is built in, one piece on each side, which is equivalent to a very comprehensive protection of the left and right sides of the launch box that are most vulnerable to attack. "

"As for the launch port at the front of the launch box, there is indeed no way to strengthen the protection, and there is no way to lay protective armor. After all, it is always open, facing the enemy, and ready to fire at any time. "

"Considering that the threat of enemy air strikes is almost zero, high-threat armor-piercing strikes from the sky almost no longer exist, so the original protective armor on the top of the launch box retains its design and remains intact. The prototype TOS-1 you received is like this, and the mass-produced batch is also like this."

"As for the tail of the launch box, it is used for flame removal and reloading, and cannot be equipped with armor protection. In addition, I don't think there is any need to install it. Your soldiers can definitely protect TOS-1 from behind, let her destroy any Nazis who dare to stand in her way and open up a victory path for the leader division, right?"

At this point, Kotin suddenly made a joke, and Malashenko, who had been patiently listening to the explanation, just smiled when he heard it.

"That's right, but at least when she was violently pouring out her anger, my soldiers would never dare to stand behind her, because her temper was more fierce than any shrew at that time."

"Hahahahahaha"

Kotin asked a joke, and Malashenko answered a joke.

This conversation between the old and the young is often like this, and they start to laugh and chat while talking about serious matters.

However, Kotin is almost like this only when he talks to Malashenko. Those around him have almost never seen him like this with others. Of course, there is no need to explain the special meaning of this.

"There is another good news for you, which is also about the improvement of protective performance."