What makes a weapon anti-air or anti-tank? Would anti-air be effective against tanks? Could we create one weapon that covers both, or even all possible targets?

Question

What makes a weapon anti-air or anti-tank? Would anti-air be effective against tanks? Could we create one weapon that covers both, or even all possible targets?

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Answer 1

Theres been a few guns that can do both but they use different ammunition depending on what they’re aiming for. The most famous one is probably the German 88mm gun in WW2 which started as an AA gun but is more famous for taking tanks out. It can be used for both mainly because the muzzle velocity is extremely high which means it can reach high altitude if its firing AA or it has the energy to penetrate armour if its an AT round.