can a Molotov Cocktail stop a modern tank by flooding the engine air intake with burning gasoline fumes, so the engine has no good O2 to combust itself?I know a diesel might suck a dozen times more air than required for stoichiometric, but what if the "air" its sucking is also at 1000F?Do or should tanks have alternate engine air intake locations, like if one detects high temps a flap closes and it starts sucking air via a pipe on the other side?Seems like it would be easy to run at least a sheet metal tube from engine bay up to front of tank.
molotov cocktails weren't even very good against WW2 tanks let alone modern tanks with baffled intakes
https://youtu.be/iF6GUS27RvU?si=mgCxrCzw3BoA6wsW&t=1100Short answer: No. Slightly longer answer, see above.
>>65178944how do these baffles defeat a bunch of burning gasoline fumes? Where and how does it get fresh air?>>65178946 are you implying those tanks would be ABLE to run their engines and move while covered with burning fuel?
Even if the tank's engine stops, it's unlikely to cause fatal damage, and it will probably just restart once the Molotov cocktail burns out.
>>65178959>are you implying those tanks would be ABLE to run their engines and move while covered with burning fuel?That is exactly what happens in the video if you watch it. I'll translate the audio for you roughly>They allowed the stridvagn103 be covered in 300 Litre burning napalm for 2 minutes and the only thing they learnt from the test was to change the cooling system which made the tank practically speaking immune to napalm attacks. The recorded temparture in some test showed that in the engine room air intakes it was as hot as 130 celsius but in the crew compartment the temperature never rose past 40 celsius even after having the tank doused in burning napalm for 2 minutes. 2 minutes is considered to be the maximum time to drive out of a napalm attacked area>They later did a test in which they dropped a 500kilo napalm bomb (which is less damaging the the previous 300 litre test). There was damage to exterior equipment and road wheels but the tank was still considered to be combat capable, engine speed may fluctuate slightly but it never outright stopped during any of the napalm tests . The tank later drove away after 40 seconds using remote control.If a 500 kilo napalm bomb did nothing to the rather old strv103 even after 40 seconds then a 33cl glass bottle filled with gasoline is gona do nothing to a modern tank. You are better of throwing the molotov cocktail into a open crew hatch or directly at the crew. Molotov cocktails were considered by the Finnish to be of limited use even against the T-34 and KV-1.https://www.jaegerplatoon.net/OTHER_AT_WEAPONS1.htm>Also new Soviet tanks introduced after Winter War were far less vulnerable to molotov cocktails than their predecessors. Already T-28 medium tanks was difficult to destroy with molotov cocktails due to its structural design and new Soviet diesel-engine equipped tanks like KV heavy tanks and T-34 were practically impossible to destroy with molotov cocktail unless hatch happened to be open.
>>65179039OP is still going to try and make up a situation where it somehow worksgreat job on answering the question though, you aced it
>>65178959But if there is any cope then there is atleast test footage of two f-104's each dropping 2 400 kilo BLU-1 napalm bombs on two sherman tanks and atleast one would be considered to be 100% knocked out by fire damage.https://youtu.be/kjOchuCJ9f4?t=764I have also read some korean war era reports that stated that napalm bombs were considered to be okay at knocking out north korean tanks, T-34s and the SU-76 light self-propelled gun light tanks with the latter being considered to be especially vulnerable since it is open top so the napalm will always enter the crew compartment.But again these are napalm bombs dropped by planes. Molotov cocktails just cant compete with napalm bombs. The typical napalm bomb is like what, equal to 100 or 200 generic molotov cocktails? It would not surprise me if the napalm bombs dropped the by the two f-104 would be equal to 1000 molotov cocktails.
>>65179050I just don't get where the usable O2 is coming from.I'm thinking lots of flaming gas would be on the wrong side of stoichiometric and completely eliminate any O2 being sucked and then some.
>>65178932>molotov cocktailsyou would unironically do more damage to the enemy by supplying dirt cheap alcohol and drugs via local civilians
Early jet fighters apparently experienced engine flameouts due to inhaling their own gunfire smoke. The numerous cylinders and intermittent combustion cycle of a piston engine seem to offer a high capacity to compensate for combustion failures.
>>65179091a molotov does basically jack shit in terms of getting rid of oxygenwhy do you think it burns in the first place? the fuel NEEDS oxygen to even burn
>>65179143>>65179091The argument appears to be that the Molotov or other fire would be consuming so much oxygen the engine would be starved. The issue is that the Molotov itself is behaving stoichiometrically and the air flow entering the engine still contains sufficient oxygen for combustion. I've seen diesel engines run with almost half the available air mass made up of EGR flow. They don't run well, but they do keep running and putting out enough power to drive the vehicle. I've also seen engines run with 90% filter restriction, or exhaust back pressure 3-4x atmospheric at idle. Again, not well, but they keep going. It takes a lot to fully starve a large engine.
>>65178932Molotovs only work if the hatches are open. Then you can burn the crew and the insides.
>>65178932>You can overspeed and kill diesels with enough "dry" high-cetane gaseous fuel in it's intake.I have done it with 1) Petroleum Ether 2)Amyl Nitrate or my favorite - get a big cutting torch going and pinch off the hoses to kill the flame, Release hoses stick torch in air intake and run.
>>65178932The newer Chink tanks have onboard auxiliary air supply to combat this and low oxyen at high altitude. They just inject it directly into the engine. I don't know if it's simply an air tank or an oxygen generator though. Other vehicles have probably already have that tech too.
Sure if your cocktail is 100 liters or larger.
