YDCh-71
| YDCh-71 | |
|---|---|
| File:YDCh-71.png YDCh-71 missile with Menghean markings. | |
| Type | anti-tank guided missile |
| Place of origin |  Menghe |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2009-present |
| Used by | Menghe |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Chŏnggong Missile Design Bureau |
| Designed | 1993-2007 |
| Produced | 2008-present |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 91 kilograms |
| Length | 2.97 meters |
| Diameter | 168 mm |
| Wingspan | 41 cm (fins extended) |
| Propellant | solid fuel rocket |
Operational range | 12 kilometers (claimed) |
Guidance system | laser beam course update guidance |
Steering system | aerodynamic surfaces |
YDCh-71 (Menghean: 유도탄 대전차, Yudotan DaejeonCha, "missile, anti-tank") is the Menghean designation for a type of heavy anti-tank missile developed in Menghe, allegedly with the help of espionage against the Organized States of Columbia. It is relatively unique among Septentrion's anti-tank missiles in that it relies on kinetic energy rather than a shaped charge to defeat enemy armor. With a top speed of about 1500 meters per second, it is also much faster than other ATGMs, giving the target less time to react.
Development
The YDCh-71 program began in the late 1990s in Menghe, where military designers were concerned over the inadequacy of their existing anti-tank missiles. As an interim solution to the problem of increasing armor protection on enemy tanks, they had already begun work on the YDCh-70 with its overfly trajectory, but the latter missile still required the launch vehicle to remain stationary for 30 seconds or more while keeping line-of-sight with the target, exposing it to retaliatory fire from tanks at long range.
Hoping for a solution, Menghean engineers sought to develop a kinetic kill missile similar to those emerging in the Organized States and Vuortakane. This required extensive technological expertise, however, and early domestic-origin missiles failed to reach the speed and range of their foreign counterparts; several exploded on launch during tests. While the Chŏnggong Missile Design Bureau continued to release public statements expressing a determination to succeed through domestic arms alone, independent defense analysts expressed doubt that Menghe's nascent electronics and quality materials sectors were up to the task.
In 2008, after a period of public quiet around the program, JYDCh-71/4 launch vehicles were abruptly displayed at the May 25th parade commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Decembrist Revolution, surprising foreign media. Subsequent Menghean Army footage released to the public showed the system in testing, with the missile displaying speed and range well ahead of initial prototypes.
The sudden success of the program, as well as the missile's strong resemblance to kinetic kill missiles in the OS and Vuortakane, led to widespread speculation that Menghe had developed the YDCh-71 through industrial espionage. Early rumors attributed it to the hacking of Columbian defense computers in 2003, an event attributed to Menghean-linked intelligence bodies, but in late 2008 a deeper investigation pointed to Richard Woo, a second-generation Meng immigrant to the OS who had taken part in that country's LOSAT program. According to the final allegations, Woo had been contacted by representatives of Menghe's External Intelligence Agency and somehow persuaded to serve as a double agent; over a period of several years, he had then smuggled reams of classified documents relating to the project back to Menghe.
The Menghean government firmly denied all charges of spying, insisting that development of the YDCh-71 was entirely domestic. Menghean newspapers branded the Woo investigation as a "racially motivated witch hunt," and the Menghe Socialist Party organized counter-protests against Columbian "hypocrisy and paranoia." Nevertheless, following a precedent set in OS-FSR relations, the Organized States expelled Richard Woo to Menghe, and Menghe released James Ross, a Columbian businessman detained the previous year on charges of economic espionage.
Description
Unlike most other ATGMs, the YDCh-71 missile uses a kinetic energy penetrator embedded in the missile body to defeat enemy armor. The size and weight of the penetrator makes the missile highly effective against both reactive and composite armor, and it is claimed that the system can defeat the frontal armor of any known hostile tank in service in Septentrion. The missile's speed, combined with its sheer size and weight, also make it much more resistant to hardkill active protection systems, at least when compared with lighter ATGMs like the YDCh-72.
The YDCh-71 also benefits from its high speed. Its peak speed in flight surpasses 1,500 meters per second, or Mach 4.4 at sea level. This is comparable to the APFSDS ammunition fired by contemporary tank guns, and nearly ten times faster than the YDCh-72. Such a high speed leaves the target with little time to react, whether by retreating behind cover, deploying countermeasures, or firing on the launch vehicle.
The missile also has a very long operational range, as even after the rocket motor has burned out, the missile still retains its hypersonic momentum. Menghean sources claim a maximum range of 12 kilometers, as long as there is continuous line-of-sight contact with the target, though some independent defense agencies estimate a more conservative figure of 8 kilometers.
The main drawbacks of the YDCh-71 include its considerable size and weight, which effectively constrain it to dedicated tank destroyer vehicles and preclude its use as a man-portable weapon. The rocket blast also temporarily obscures the guidance camera after launch, and the control surfaces cannot immediately correct the missile's initial launch trajectory, meaning that accuracy degrades rapidly at ranges of below 500 meters.
Launch platforms
JYDCh-71/4
| JYDCh-71/4 | |
|---|---|
| File:JYDCh-71.png JYDCh-71/4 with cross-section and JHAR-45 radar unit | |
| Type | Tank destroyer |
| Place of origin | Menghe |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2008-present |
| Used by | Menghe |
| Specifications (JYDCh-71/4) | |
| Weight | 17.4 tonnes |
| Length | 8.04 m |
| Width | 2.8 m |
| Height | 2.32 m to turret roof 3.02 m missiles raised |
| Crew | 3 (driver, gunner, commander) |
| Armor | welded steel plate |
Main armament | 4x YDCh-71 ATGM (8 reloads carried) |
| Engine | Ka-1212 360 kW (480 horsepower) |
| Power/weight | 27.6 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | wheeled 8x8 |
| Ground clearance | 45 cm |
Operational range | 800 km (internal fuel) |
| Speed | Level road: 90 km/h Swimming: 8 km/h |
The Menghean Army's main launch vehicle for the YDCh-71 system is the JYDCh-71/4, based on the BSCh-7 wheeled APC chassis.
The rotating launcher contains four missiles ready to fire, with eight more in the former passenger compartment below. The targeting system is mounted in a box on a rotating turret replacing the BSCh-7's original turret, giving it slightly greater separation from the launcher and its backblast, especially when firing to the side. The commander is seated beside the driver, but has remote access to the gunner's fire-control system. On initial prototypes, the gunner's turret also carried a side-mounted GCh-77Ch machine gun for self-defense against infantry, but this was omitted from production variants.
After each missile fires, its tube is ejected backward from the launcher, and when all tubes are ejected the launcher array is retracted back into the hull where a chain and latch system automatically moves reload tubes into place and fixes them to the launcher. This process can be completed in the field in 30 seconds. Once all twelve missiles have been fired, the vehicle can retreat to a Battalion reloading point, where new missile tubes are manually inserted into the loading system through the rear door. This process takes about 10 to 20 minutes depending on the skill of the crew.
The JYDCh-71/4 is primarily used by the Menghean Army's Coastal Defense Forces, as the second-to-last line in a layered defense against enemy landing craft. Tests conducted in 2009 confirmed that the YDCh-71 missile is capable of crippling or severely damaging all but the largest LCAC-type landing vehicles, and a launch vehicle parked on elevated terrain facing the sea would be able to take maximum advantage of the system's long range and short time-to-target.
In coastal defense formations the JYDCh-71/4 may be accompanied by the JHAR-45 self-propelled coastal radar at the Company or Platoon level. The HAR-45 radar can detect LCAC-sized targets at a range of 30 kilometers, and is limited mainly by the radar horizon; on level terrain with an extended mast, its horizon is 15 kilometers away, and this distance increases to 22 kilometers if the vehicle is parked on a hill rising 10 meters above sea level.
GJCh-DCh
The Gongsu-Janggabcha, Daejŏncha (공수 장갑차, 대전차, "Airborne Armored Vehicle, Anti-Tank") is a variant of the Menghean Army's airborne assault vehicle modified to carry the YDCh-71 ATGM. It uses the engine-in-rear chassis configuration, with the driver seated in the front left side of the hull and the gunner and commander side-by-side behind him. Because the missile tubes cover the top of the hull, the gunner and commander must enter and dismount through clamshell hatches on either side of the vehicle.
The GJCh-DCh carries four ready missile tubes, but no additional missile tubes, and it must be reloaded manually from the outside with the help of a built-in cranking cable. To save weight, the missile tubes are also fixed in place, and cannot traverse from side to side. Instead, the missile guidance system steers the missile to engage targets within a 30-degree frontal arc. In between engagements, the driver can rotate the vehicle to shift its field of view.
These drawbacks, however, paid off in size: at 1.77 meters from the ground to the top of the missile tubes, and with the ability to remotely adjust the suspension to be even lower, the GJCh-DCh has a remarkably low profile, which helps it remain concealed before firing and withdraw safely afterward.
Initially, the GJCh-DCh was only intended for service in the Airborne Assault Forces, where it entered service in 2009. Two years later, however, the Menghean Army's procurement department began looking into using the GJCh-DCh in Anti-Tank Blocking formations at the Divisional and Corps levels. This decision was motivated by development problems with the Army's own JYDCh-71 tracked hull, as the IT universal carrier's rear compartment was too short to carry YDCh-71 reloads. The GJCh-DCh was also considerably shorter in height, and already had a proven track record in trials. The first deliveries of GJCh-DCh vehicles to the Army's ground forces took place in 2013, initially leading foreign observers to speculate that the Army was using airborne units in front-line posts. Only in 2015 was the role and organization of the Army's Gongsu-Janggabcha units formally clarified to the public.