OOB 024 -- US Army -- M1A2 Abrams

[Marek_Tucan]

There was Abrams recently hit in Iraq by "top attack" RKG-3M grenade. It hit the ammo compartment and ammo went off, two crew members (supposedly unbuttoned at the time) suffered 3rd degree burs.

[mr_clark]

well and that might be another problem with the large flat turrets of the M1s. An AT-Grenade is not likely to fall off...

[Marek_Tucan]

mr_clark said:
well and that might be another problem with the large flat turrets of the M1s. An AT-Grenade is not likely to fall off...

Given that RKG-3 is triggered by impact, it'd trigger all the same.

[thatguy96]

Marek_Tucan said:
There was Abrams recently hit in Iraq by "top attack" RKG-3M grenade. It hit the ammo compartment and ammo went off, two crew members (supposedly unbuttoned at the time) suffered 3rd degree burs.

Were the crew supposedly injured in the resulting ammo explosion? For this to happen in the M1, a crewman would have to have been in the process of retrieving a round from the magazine. Otherwise they should be protected by a blast door and the compartment is designed to divert the explosion upward away from the crew.

[Marcello]

I suspect that they simply had their heads exposed. The grenade landed on the ammo magazine, triggered the conflagration of the rounds stored, the panel popped as designed and the flames reached them.

[Marek_Tucan]

@Marcello: That's also my understanding of the incident.

It did not take long for the colonel to discover an important member of that family –Sgt. Shermander Jackson. Jackson, a 24-year-old Brundidge, Ala., resident was serving as a tank commander with 2nd Tank Battalion and was wounded in Fallujah, Iraq, Feb. 7. Jackson’s face, hands and arms were severely burned when a RKG-3 anti-tank grenade hit both of his tank’s 120mm ammunition magazines causing 34 rounds to ignite from the intense heat. The hooded balaclava he wore protected most of his head, leaving a perfect circle of second and third degree burns on his face.

http://www.marforres.usmc.mil/News/2...AMC_mag41.html

[thatguy96]

alright, that makes more sense.

[Listy]

(IIRC some time ago a Challenger in Iraq was knocked out by a RPG-29 penetrating the lower hull front)

I'll take you up on that one, whose Chally? when? which Op? and what sort of Chally?

And do you have a source on that?

[Marek_Tucan]

Apparently Sunday Telegraph, May 13 2007
Article can be found in the 3rd or 4th post in following discussion, I'm too lazy to search Sunday Telegraph's site

Tank-net discussion regarding the incident

[Listy]

The Cr2 doesn't have ERA.
http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/n...-04/030460.pdf
Page 19, on that PDF.

There's no actual source for the RPG hit. However I know several tankers, and I shall ask about.