Anti-aircraft Guns Research Articles

South African Responses to New Soviet Air Defence Systems in Angola in the 1980s

Because of its air superiority during the counter-insurgency conflict against the South West Africa People’s Organisation, the South African Air Force had neglected to build up modern air and counter-air defences. When Soviet air defence systems were therefore deployed in Angola in the 1980s, they were forced to reconsider their tactics and responses to the war. The Soviet systems included early warning networks, surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft guns to cover troops advancing in the field, and fighter aircraft. While this build-up was also observed in the neighbouring Southern African countries and had the appearance of a purely defensive stance, given Soviet air defence doctrine, South Africa viewed this as the first steps to offensive actions in Angola and possibly Namibia (then South West Africa) and the start of a dangerous escalation in the military situation. In response, the SADF adopted a strong defensive stance and improved its own air defence capabilities to ensure that it was not outclassed. The South African Air Force also introduced new tactics. These included the introduction of toss-bombing, making greater use of precision-guided missiles and bombs, and investing more in research in terms of missiles and new technology for their aircraft.

The 1941 Merano Conference: Building a Relationship Through Military Diplomacy

ABSTRACT On 13 and 14 February 1941, a German and Italian maritime strategy conference, led by Großadmiral Erich Raeder, C-in-C of the Kriegsmarine (German Navy), and Admiral Arturo Riccardi, his equivalent in the Regia Marina (Italian Navy), occurred in Merano in order to coordinate the ongoing conduct of naval warfare. The Germans wanted more say in the conduct of the Mediterranean war. The Italians came with a shopping list, which included anti-aircraft guns, oil, raw materials, and technology. Some historians claim that the Italians were reluctant to hold a conference as they feared the Germans would intrude into their theatre of operations, but that after the Battle of Taranto they could no longer resist German pressure. However, an analysis of German and Italian documents shows otherwise. It also reveals that the true significance of Merano lies in the fact that the two navies finally began to draw together with a common understanding of who would do what in coming years, both together and individually. With the two admirals acting as senior diplomats, conveying their countries’ friendship and sense of common purpose and actively trying to find mutually agreeable solutions to difficulties, the conference went very well. Initiated, planned and run by naval liaison staff from both sides embedded within the other side’s command staff, and with a strong contribution from the embassies in both Berlin and Rome – with the military attachés functioning rather effectively in a diplomatic capacity – the Merano Conference is an excellent case study of military-diplomatic cooperation during wartime.

ANALYSIS OF THE APPLICATION OF AIRCRAFT INSTALLATIONS AND THE PROSPECTS OF THEIR MODERNIZATION

On the battlefield, the Ukrainian military uses towed anti-aircraft guns such as the S-60, which are still effective when used against ground targets. 57-mm anti-aircraft artillery systems are currently ineffective against modern air targets such as combat aircraft, drones and attack helicopters. But taking into account the caliber of the anti-aircraft installation, it can be used not only for its intended purpose, but also for firing at manpower and lightly armored vehicles with direct fire, and not only that. S-60 ammunition is powerful due to its caliber and sufficient rate of fire. When installing these guns on the chassis of trucks, it turns them into mobile self-propelled artillery installations and quite versatile and easy-to-use weapons. Anti-aircraft guns began to enter the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from storage bases not only of their own stocks, but also from partner countries. Ukrainian soldiers continue to use such weapons on the battlefield, their use is effective and convenient. Keywords: towed anti-aircraft installation, automatic cannon, barrel, bolt, projectile.

Prediction of firing accuracy of self-propelled antiaircraft gun in marching fire based on GA-BP neural network

The firing efficiency during the marching fire is an important indicator to measure the combat efficiency of self-propelled antiaircraft gun, and it is very important to improve the firing accuracy during the marching fire. In order to understand the coupling mechanism between the firing density and various influencing factors of the self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, this paper combines different driving and shooting conditions to study the factors such as driving speed, road grade, shooting load, the angle of fire and other factors. A method of predicting the firing density of self-propelled anti-aircraft guns during marching is proposed based on the GA-BP neural network. This method not only provides a theoretical basis and indirect measurement for the quantification of the firing density of the self-propelled anti-aircraft guns during the marching, but also has important significance for the distribution and design of the firing accuracy of the self-propelled anti-aircraft guns.

Development of a shooting strategy to neutralize UAV swarms based on multi-shot cooperation

Economical and efficient assault methods using drones and drone swarms severely assailed the defenders during the conflict in the Middle East. In view of the current situation, based on medium and large-caliber anti-aircraft artillery platforms, this article analyzes and calculates the advantages of using multiple anti-aircraft guns against drones, the threat of a drone colony, and the drone colony density. Additionally, this study determines the firing sequence of a drone swarm, and provides anti-aircraft gun firing position points to reduce the firing cost and increase the efficiency. This ensures the optimization of an air defense system within a short duration of time. Ammunition is an effective defense against drone swarms. The experimental results demonstrate that compared with that of the conventional methods of individually shooting the swarms, this strategy can simultaneously neutralize multiple targets, assign shooting tasks to multiple artillery guns, and can cause greater damage to a drone swarm.

Landmarks in Romanian History of Anti-Aircraft Artillery

The main purpose of this article is to present the decisive contribution that Brigadier General Ion Bungescu had to the development of anti-aircraft artillery in Romania. To achieve this objective we describe in the paper the evolution of the anti-aircraft gun director computer he invented, as well as its modus operandi. The adopted methods include quantitative and qualitative analyses of documents, manuals and albums published during the considered period, and some published by Brigadier General Ion Bungescu. The results of the article are presented in the context of the accelerated development of military aviation between the two world wars. This development put terrible pressure on the development of anti-aircraft artillery that started with land guns adapted for anti-aircraft firing in 1916 and reached anti-aircraft guns controlled by Gun Director Computer in 1945. We can compare the development of military aviation during that time with the development of information technology over the last 30 years, from connecting computers in the network to the use of artificial intelligence.

CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE RELIABILITY ASSESSMENT OF THE ROLLER BEARING PROVIDING MOVEMENT IN THE DIRECTION OF ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUNS

This paper analyzes a method of evaluating the reliability of the rolling bearing in anti-aircraft guns. In evaluating its reliability, the factors that depend on the operating conditions of the anti-aircraft gun are taken into account, as well as the factors of design, technology, materials and assembly

Učešće Vojske Jugoslavije u napadima na Sarajevo u decembru 1993. i januaru 1994. godine-operacija “Pancir-2”

Before the beginning of the aggression on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia had created, organized and armed a powerful military structure within the 2nd military area of the Yugoslav People’s Army, which was renamed into the Army of the Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in May of 1992. It had also never ceased to fill the ranks, arm, supply, train, equip and finance the Serb army which it had created in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Apart from that, abundant undeniable evidence exists which confirms the direct involvement of the Yugoslav Army as well as the special detachments of the Ministry of internal affairs of Serbia in the acts aimed against the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina, for the whole duration of the war and in different parts of the country. In this work we shall present the motives, intentions, chronology and consequences of the participation of special detachments of the Yugoslav Army and the State Security Agency of Serbia in the attacks on Sarajevo during December 1993 and January 1994. On the eve of the conclusion of the Geneva peace talks on the basis of the Owen-Stoltenberg plan, the Serb political and military leadership, expecting further pressure directed towards the signing of the peace treaty and withdrawal from the territory that the Serb forces had taken, reached a decision to strenghen their positions during December 1993. As for the whole duration of the war, Sarajevo was considered to be the strategically most important area, so a military operation “PANCIR-2” was devised, prepared and executed with the aim of taking the key objects of Sarajevo’s defence, which would force the opposition to accept a partition of the city. The forces of the Sarajevo-Romanija corps, and a brigade each from the Hercegovački and 1st Krajiški corps of the Army of the Republic of Srpska were engaged in this operation. From the composition of the Yugoslav Army, parts of the Special detachment corps were involved, with the support of charge and transport helicopters. The operation was planned in two stages, whereby the first had the aim to establish control over the following objects: Žuč, Orlić, Hum and Mojmilo, while the second stage had to result with established control over Hrasnica and Butmir. Units from the composition of the Special detachment corps of the Yugoslav Army initiated the execution of their task from Belgrade on 16 December 1993. The striking part was made up from members of the 72nd Special Brigade, with parts of other special detachments: Guards Motorized Brigade, Armoured Brigade and 63. Paratroops Brigade from Niš. The combined composition of the special detachments of the Yugoslav Army of 320 men represented the core of the fighting group from the composition of the Sarajevo-Romanija Corps, numbering a total of 3,000 fighters, and representing the main part of the Serb forces within the “PANCIR-2” operation. Colonel Milorad Stupar, the commander of the 72nd Special Brigade of the Yugoslav Army, was named as commander of the fighting group. The attacks of Serb forces, with the participation of Special detachments of the Yugoslav Army and State Security Agency of Serbia, in their first phase lasted from 21 to 27 December 1993, when the 72nd Special Brigade suffered a heavy defeat in the battles on Betanija and Orahov Brijeg. Due to the suffered losses, this detachment was incapable of further military action and it was ordered to retreat to Belgrade. Instead of it, parts of the Guards Motorized Brigade were directed into Vogošća. During January, these units were engaged in battle activities of somewhat diminished intensity on the lines of Sarajevo’s defence, because in the meantime the focus of the fighting was again shifted towards the Olovo-Vareš battlefield. Active participation of the units of the Yugoslav Army in the “PANCIR-2” operation was discontinued by the end of January 1994. Their return to Belgrade was executed on 28 and 29 January in three marching columns with 45 vehicles, 3 tanks, 2 armoured vehicles, 2 self-propelled anti-aircraft guns PRAGA and one engineering machine.

Using KOCOA Military Terrain Analysis for the Assessment of Twentieth Century Battlefield Landscapes

Military terrain analysis serves as a tool to examine a battle commander’s view of a battlefield and permits to hindcast some of the rationale for actions taken. This can be augmented by physical evidence of the remains of the battle that still exist in the cultural landscape. In the case of World War II-era battlefields, such terrain analysis has to take into account the influence of aerial warfare—the interrelationship between attacking aircraft and the siting of anti-aircraft guns. This paper examines these issues using the case example of the Japanese WWII-era base on Kiska in the Aleutian Islands (Alaska).

Determining the features of loading the improved bearing structure of a platform wagon for the transportation of military equipment

The paper reports the improvement in the bearing structure of a platform wagon that transports military equipment and is involved in artillery fire. A special feature of the platform wagon is the presence of rotary sectors made from a composite material with viscous or elastic-viscous links, which makes it possible to absorb the kinetic energy that is transmitted to the frame when firing from the wagon, as well as enables the loading/unloading of military equipment from its side. We have investigated the dynamic loading of the bearing structure of a platform wagon for military equipment transportation and combat operations. A mathematical model has been constructed, which takes into consideration the movement of the bearing structure of a platform wagon when firing from it. It has been considered that the platform wagon is loaded with two anti-aircraft guns. The mathematical model was solved in the Mathcad programming environment. The study was conducted in a flat coordinate system. We have determined the accelerations that act on the bearing structure of a platform wagon. The maximum acceleration rate, in this case, is about 3.6 m/s 2 at bouncing oscillations and 4.0 m/s 2 at galloping oscillations. In other words, considering the proposed technical solutions, the dynamic loading of the bearing structure of a platform wagon in the vertical plane at firing decreases by almost 30 %. The magnitude of the acceleration is almost independent of the firing angle in this case. The derived acceleration values have been taken into consideration in determining the strength indicators for the bearing structure of a platform wagon. Calculation was carried out by the method of finite elements in the CosmosWorks programming environment. The maximum equivalent stresses in the bearing structure of a platform wagon amounted to about 285 MPa; they are concentrated in the region where the bearing structure rests on the trolley. Consequently, the durability of the bearing structure of a platform wagon is ensured. Modal analysis of the bearing structure of a platform wagon has been conducted. The values of the natural oscillation frequencies are within allowable limits. Our research would contribute to designing innovative structures for platform wagons

Using 3D Spatial Visualisation to Interpret the Coverage of Anti-Aircraft Batteries on a World War II Battlefield

Heritage Building Information Modeling (HBIM) focuses on the documentation and visualization of heritage properties which are confined in their permanent terrestrial space. This paper extended the concept of Heritage Building Information Modeling to the airspace above the sites. It presented a methodology for the 3D spatial visualisation of the aerial space controlled by anti-aircraft (AA) guns, taking into account the masking effects of the underlying terrain and the technological capabilities of the guns (rate of fire, projectile weight, etc.). The tool permits a nuanced analysis of the interplay between attacking aircraft and the siting of anti-aircraft guns and thus, allows for the analysis of the cultural landscape of World War II-era battle fields, which has to take into account the influence of aerial warfare. The applicability was illustrated by the case example of the Japanese WWII base on Kiska (Aleutian Islands).

SA-DPSO-based Weapon-target Assignment for Cooperative Air Defense with Anti-aircraft Gun-Missile Weapons

For the weapon-target assignment problem of anti-aircraft gun-missile weapon formation air defense, a weapon-target assignment model was developed for anti-aircraft gun-missile weapon formation according to the different fire characteristics of anti-aircraft missile and anti-aircraft gun system. The model gave sufficient consideration to the damage zone of anti-aircraft gun and missile as well as the weapon-target join point, and the assignment result allows anti-aircraft gun-missile weapons to fire missiles and anti-aircraft guns at the right moment. On this basis, the method of Simulated Annealing-Discrete Particle Swarm Optimization (SA-DPSO) was proposed to solve the weapon-target assignment for formation anti-aircraft. The simulation result showed good rate of convergence and global searching ability of the algorithm.

Sealand and the Architecture of the Sea: From Counter-Space to Counter-Culture

Focusing on the small state of Sealand, a platform built off the English Essex coast to carry anti-aircraft guns during the Second World War, this article posits the North Sea as a particular geopolitical condition based on its status as a “state of exception.” The article formulates its reading by considering the architectural legacy of the pirates, privateers and hackers who have been the principle rulers of the terrain. Their spatial strategies are understood not only in terms of physical constructions that accommodate exceptional functions, but also as a conceptual apparatus that facilitates extraterritorial juridical practices. The spatio-juridical characteristics of the “architecture of the sea” are seen to offer new possibilities for ordering the distribution of goods, capital and information, and for alternative forms of living.1

“Anti-aircraft guns all day long” : Karl Pearson and computing for the Ministry of Munitions

“Anti-aircraft guns all day long” : Karl Pearson and computing for the Ministry of Munitions

The Use of 3-D Spatial Visualisation in the Interpretation of the World War ii Battlefield of Kiska

The assessment of the cultural landscape of a battlefield requires hindcasting a battle commander’s view of the terrain and situation. For World War ii-era battlefields such analysis has to take into account the influence of aerial warfare – the interplay between attacking aircraft and the siting of anti-aircraft guns. Using the case example of Kiska (Aleutian Islands), this paper describes an example of three-dimensional spatial visualisation used to examine the nature and capability of anti-aircraft guns on the Japanese base of Kiska.

Gun Control: A European Perspective

Gun Control: A European Perspective

THE RAILWAYS AND THE WAR EFFORT, 1939-1945

South Africa's armed forces were small, and their material resources meagre, when the country entered the Second World War on 6 September 1939. The Permanent Force was nearly 50% under strength; the shortage of trained infantrymen was estimated at over 39000; ammunition for artillery pieces and anti-aircraft guns was sufficient for one day's shooting, and only two obsolete armoured cars were available. Two experimental armoured cars had been built locally. During the first years of the war it was not possible to obtain much equipment from the United Kingdom or the United States. Local ingenuity was heavily taxed as attention concentrated on preparing the South African armed forces for long campaigns. Gradually regiments were mobilized and equipped, and an extensive munitions production drive was launched

ANTI-AIRCRAFT ARTILLERAY IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR

At the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 the only anti-aircraft guns available in the Union of South Africa were eight 3-inch 20-cwt guns. This fact not only points to the grave conditions under which the Union Defence Force was to defend its harbours and other strategically important installations, but is also indicative of the fact that a formal anti-aircraft organisation in pre-war times was virtually non-existant. The serious shortage of effective aerial defence is also emphasised by the fact that the above-mentioned guns and six searchlights (which accounted for all anti-aircraft equipment in the Union) were taken on charge by 1 Anti-Aircraft SA Artillery Brigade and despatched to East Africa shortly after hostilities started. Light machine-guns were the only protection remaining to SA ports.

POSTSCRIPT ON SOUTH AFRRICA'S FIRST ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUNS

One of the most fascinating things about South Africa's military history is the often surprising nature of some of its sources. In a short article on South Africa's first anti-aircraft guns which appeared in Militaria 8/1, 1978 pages 22-23 the present writer mentioned that he was unable to explain why the fact that two 15-pounder BlC's had been converted to anti-aircraft guns had been given wide publicity or why it had been necessary to undertake their conversion when the Cape Peninsula seemed beyond the range of enemy aircraft.

English

The paper considers the problem of angular orientation of anti-aircraft guns towards a moving air target. The factors affecting the collision of the projectile fired from a gun with the moving air target are highlighted. Thereafter, a mathematical model has been developed to estimate the angular orientation of the anti-aircraft gun in terms of bearing and elevation, in the direction of the predicted future position of the moving air target, to enable collision of the projectile with the target.Defence Science Journal, 2009, 59(1), pp.3-14, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.59.1478