M734 Multi-Option Fuze

[Suhiir]

As it stands now all weapons across all OOBs have the same HE Kill from 1946 to 2020 based strictly on caliber (with a handful of exceptions like the US 155mm VT and cluster munitions).

One could (eventually) find out when each nation got access to sufficient VT type fuses to make an across-the-board improvement to that nations mortar/artillery effectiveness.

And just because Russia gets this increase in say (and this is merely a number for the sake of discussion) 1990 doesn't mean the Mujahadeen who use Russian weapons will ever have a significant number of such fuses before 2020.
What is a "significant number"? I'd say 50%+ of actually used ammunition. Having 10,000 in inventory that are only actually used on special occasions wouldn't count.

Yeah, this IS a can-of-worms that may well be more trouble then it's worth to Don and Andy.
Thus the reason for this thread.

How much increase?
What nations should get it?
When?
Just make an across-the-board increase at some date based on the more common availability of such things post 1970ish?

For the US we can definitely identify the availability of the M734 Fuze for mortars as "justification" for when. Can we DEFINITELY identify something similar for other nations or are we just making (hopefully) educated guesses?

[Marcello]

I remember reading a study on the effect on proxy fuzes a long time ago. IIRC the increase in lethality, compared to contact fuzes, varies widely depending on target disposition. The greatest increase,by some ludicrous high percentange, was against troops laying behind vertical cover but without overhead protection. The smallest was against troops standing in the open, though still in the double digit range; in any case it is not how you want be caught by an artillery strike.