[CarpathianDragon]

These are no assumptions. These are the outcomes of game experience. Yes, I have made proper "shooting gallery" tests on large empty,barren maps with clear terrain and excellent visibility (50-70). The M1A2 SEP company I tested on would invariably come out on top,the ATGMs running out of ammo, unless I purchased ridiculous amounts of ATGMs (like purchasing 7000+ points worth of ATGMs, the average "price" of an M1A2 SEP company).

This is exactly why I asked wether this was working as defined.

Also, about the "rarity" of HEAT penetration from the more modern AT weapons, I believe it is due to the rarity of these engagements themselves.

As far as I know, RPG-29s are nothing short of an exceptional rarity among Iraqi insurgents. For one to assess that "The RPG-29 rarely penetrates the front armor of modern MBTs" one would need for the RPG-29 to be :

a) Routinely used in Iraq
b) Routinely fail in Iraq

Both of these are untrue.

Attacks involving RPG-29s are extremely rare but also resulted in the MBTs being damaged.

In fact,what can be inferred from these incidents is that "The RPG-29 can penetrate the frontal armor of MBTs".

Also, I'd appreciate a link to the article stating that the Merkavas only suffered damage from the sides or rear, because I was under the impression of the exact opposite. If anybody was in a position to execute flanking attacks, it was the IDF, a conventional,mechanized force, and one of the world's best at that, not Hezbollah, a force that is basically light infantry at best. If that were true, that would mean the performance of the IDF in the Lebanon War was nothing short of abysmal if they allowed themselves to be hit from the REAR. I mean this either means the Merkavas were advancing in reverse, WW2 Italy-style (no offense to Italians here) or that infantry support and combined arms operations were completely absent, which I am reluctant to believe.

Finally, the anecdote does not surprise me at all. I completely agree that modern MBTs are almost impervious to RPG-7s and older ATGMs like the MILAN (I doubt the MILAN fired at the Challenger was more than a MILAN 2,more like an original MILAN). What I asked about were the newer AT systems.

P.S. : I apologize if my including of values from OOBs gave a frivolous air to my original post. I merely wanted to highlight the issue. People are usually... passionate when one questions the effectiveness of Western military hardware, I just wanted to avoid any miscommunications.

P.S.S. : Also, it was not my intention "palm" the difference between front hull/front turret values. Usually the units seem to prefer to hit the turret anyway, I didn't think it was relevant. I am using the download version,btw, if it matters at all.

Again, I opened this topic in good faith, meaning that I am quite open to the prospect of me proven wrong.I've had more than my share of occasions when I was labeled as "anti-American" for questioning the effectiveness of one element of the US Armed Froces or another, I have absolutely no desire for this thread to devolve into that,especially since the Steel Panthers series is close to my heart.