Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) has been around for a while, protecting against shaped charges like RPGs. But the effectiveness of ERA is now being challenged by more advanced HEAT missiles, like Javelins. What RPGs have in common with nuclear bombs, and what active protection systems can do to combat modern antitank weapons, is #NotWhatYouThink #NWYT #longs

Music:
Rise of the Velcro Gabriel Lewis
Refined Enlightenment Howard HarperBarnes
Cloak Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen
Before Nightfall Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen
No Stone Unturned Brendon Moeller
Blue Texas Rockin' For Decades
Otherworld Lama House

Footage:
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US Department of Defense

Note: "The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement."

0:00 AntiTank Weapons Are ... Strange!
0:59 Short History of Tanks and AntiTank Weapons
1:47 How RPG7 Improved on Bazooka and Panzerfaust
3:23 What Are Shaped Charges and How Do They Work?
5:20 The Achilles' Heel of Shaped Charges
7:06 What Are Insensitive Explosives and What is Special About Them?
8:22 What is the Explosive Lens Inside a Nuclear Weapon?
9:05 The 1966 Palomeras Accident and The Invention of Insensitive High Explosives
10:10 How Does Explosive Reactive Armor Work?
10:43 How Does Javelin Work Against Explosive Armor?
11:11 Why Active Protection Systems Are Needed
11:53 Are Tanks Obsolete?